Articles
      1. Pre-Registration Surveys Now Due August 3
      2. Hotel Reservations Now Open
      3. Arrive at Gate Security by 5:30pm
      4. Registration Forms Available mid-August
      5. Preliminary Itinerary 
      6. Ridesare Matchmaker Service

 

 
      1. Pre-Registration Surveys Now Due August 3

The July 31 deadline for the Pre-Registration Survey has been extended by a few days to August 3.  Surveys must be postmarked by this date to the address on the form if you wish to obtain the discount on the registration fee.  The survey form is posted at our site at www.314usa.org/free-newsletter   The survey will save you money on our registration form and it will help us plan our events to suit the needs of the majority of attendees.  We may not be able to respond to your needs if you do not complete the survey.


       2. Hotel Reservations Now Open

The All-American Inn on the Air Force portion of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL) can now accept your reservation for rooms between October 10-13.  There are a limited number of handicap accessible room so we kindly ask you not to reserve a handicap accessible room unless you absolutely must have one.  We want to be sure there are enough handicap rooms for the WWII veterans who may attend.  If you must have a handicap room and none are available, please contact the reunion chair at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   There are a handful of rooms also available for the night prior to and after the reunion dates.

The group reservation name is the 314^th Infantry Association of WWII.  However, you may be asked for the group reservation number which is 20150103774***.  The reservation phone number is 609-754-4667. There are a variety of rooms and suites.  A basic room consists of one queen bed, a full bathroom similar to a civilian hotel room, a microwave, coffee maker, small fridge, a safe, an iron and ironing board.  You may reserve a room now even if you have not pre-registered. 

In January 2019, the room rate increased from $60 to $70.  It is unlikely but possible the room rate could increase before October, and we are not allowed to lock in the current $70 rate. Any rate increase would more likely occur in December or January.  We advise you to make your hotel reservation soon.



      3. Arrive at Gate Security by 5:30pm

Gate Security closes at 6pm each night after which it is impossible to get a weekend pass.  The hotel will require a pass at check-in.  Please plan to arrive well before 6pm as there may be a line to process new arrivals.  You may not be able to stay at the base hotel if you arrive after 6pm. There are many gates.  The only gate we recommend entering is the McGuire gate at 3021 McGuire Blvd, Trenton, NJ 08641 as this is the closest gate to the hotel and it opened later than the other gates.

Gate security is less rigorous than airport security.  Your bags will not be checked nor will you walk through a scanner.  All adults will need a driver’s license and Social Security number.  We are required to submit these numbers along with your Date of Birth prior to your arrival.  So, this information will be collected on the registration form.  If we do not obtain this information from you by the registration deadline, you will not be on the official guest list and it could take hours to process your security clearance.  To obtain a visitor’s pass, you will have one finger fingerprinted and a facial photograph will be taken and printed on your visitor’s pass.  You must carry your pass at all times while on base.

If you are flying in to one of the nearby airports – Philadelphia or Newark, NJ – we recommend you rent a car which you would then be allowed to bring on base.  There is a Hertz car rental office on base, and we have a corporate discount ID if you wish to use Hertz.  This ID (CPD#) may save you a few dollars.  The discount code is: CDP# 2181767.  The Hertz office is the only car rental office on base.  If your flight gets delayed, please know we are working on a way to get you a temporary pass after 6pm, but if succesful, there will be a fee involved and you would need to go back to the gate early Friday moring to get a weekend pass.  

If you arrive by other ground transportation (Uber, Lyft, bus, etc.), someone already on base will need to pick you up at gate security.  We hope to have a team of volunteers to facilitate transportation from the McGuire gate to the hotel. We cannot send our volunteers to the other gates as they are too far from the hotel.   This service may be paid service and it will only be offered on Thursday, October 10 from 12 noon to 6pm.  Hotel check in time begins at 3pm.  If you arrive earlier, there is comfortable seating in the lobby.


     4. Registration Forms Available Mid-August

If you complete a Pre-Registration Survey and submit it prior to the deadline, we will send you a registration form by email by August 16.  If you do not have email, we will send one to your postal address to arrive shortly after August 16.  If you do not complete a Pre-Registration Survey, you will need to check our website after August 15 to obtain the form.

The registration fees will change – the family rate that was previously announced is not workable, so this will be replaced by an individual rate structure.  Since the base has not yet put in writing whether we will have free bus service on base, we may need to charter buses and increase the registration fees to cover the cost of charter buses.  The fees will be determined by August 15 when formal registration forms are mailed.  Please understand that making reunion arrangements within a complex military structure is very different than arranging a meeting at a conference hotel.

       5. Preliminary Itinerary     

The Preliminary Itinerary for the weekend activities are posted at our site.  The final itinerary will likely change as this is the nature of meeting on a base unlike meeting at a civilian hotel.  Please understand that organizing a reunion within a complex military organization is very different than organizing a reunion at a conference hotel where there is one point of contact.  While the 1-314^th Infantry Regiment and the 174^th Infantry Brigade at the base have been and remain very supportive and responsive, not all offices at the base that will provide support have been as responsive.  Some details will fall into place at the last minute, as this is the nature of organizing a reunion on a military base whose first and foremost obligation is to their military mission(s). 

To view the itinerary, click here.

     6. Rideshare Matchmaker Service

We hope to offer a rideshare matching service from the Philadelphia Airport to gate security by mid-September.  This service, if available, will be run by a volunteer and will not be available from the Newark, NJ airport.  (The reunion chairperman will not have time to provide this service if a volunteer does not step forward.)   The service and how it will work will be announced in our September newsletter.

Additional Resources

Please help spread the word about our expanded and unique reunion by phone, email, or postal notes to a friend and also through social media.  Please direct newcomers to http://314usa.org/free-newsletter