After 22 years in the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard, Robbie Robinson began a new career in travel. He enjoyed many years in reservations with Disney and with Cruises Only, a travel agency that specializes in ocean getaways all over the world.
But in 2003, Robinson’s rheumatoid arthritis became a problem. Because his ability to work with his hands was impaired, he filed for disability.
“It was disappointing, but little did I know that this decision would lead me to a more fulfilling path,” Robinson said.
That path was opened by his new bride, Barb, who likes to tell the story of how they met. “Quite frankly, he picked me up at a Denny’s, where I was enjoying a meal with my friends,” she said.
In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, Robbie was fretting about an old Navy pal who lived in New Orleans. “We had served on the USS Robert K Huntingdon DD 781 in the mid-1960s. We hadn’t been in touch for 35 years, yet Barb encouraged me to find him,” said Robbie.
“When I did, that conversation led to an idea that we should get everyone together on a cruise ship. That very year, we had our first military reunion.”
Today, based in their home in Richmond Hills, Ga., Robbie and Barb organize and lead four to six military get-togethers every year. For a variety of reasons but primarily because the Navy has easier access to its current and retired members, they mostly target the Navy.
Robbie explained, “We really want all branches involved — we occasionally even have civilians come along, who have a ball. We also encourage family and survivors to participate.
“We have 3,000 people on our mailing list and an unending list of marketing targets, like U.S. Navy ships that were involved in the recovery of the Mercury space capsules from 1961 through 1963 or the people that were involved in the Bay of Pigs and Cuban missile crisis in the early 1960s. We cover a period of time that sometimes goes back 75 to 80 years.”
In January 2009, the Robinsons led 70 people on a themed Caribbean cruise titled Honoring the Deck Force; Robbie describes the group as those who “chipped the paint and kept the ship running.”
This August, a Sparks and Flags Alaskan cruise will include signalmen and radiomen.
Robbie has high hopes for a cruise that will celebrate the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor in 2011.
“This will be a huge undertaking because of the notoriety of this event. I want them to be in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7,” he said.
Barb said she has been humbled by her personal encounters on these journeys. “I came into Robbie’s life after his military experience, and I didn’t know what I was getting into,” she said. “But people are so kind to me, and in return, we assure our travelers that we will always be available to them. Indeed, we are never in our cabins except to sleep.”
Robbie, who soon will also be organizing “shore tours” for those ex-seamen who don’t like to cruise, admits that although the work involved in organizing these events is often exhausting, it is always worthwhile.
“We love it,” he said. “It is so much fun to see people who have not seen each other in 20, 30, sometimes 50 years. When we’re done, our travelers are real, real happy.”
