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In 1996, the 1941 recording of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The song was written by the team of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren while traveling on the Southern Railway's "Birmingham Special" train. The song tells the story of traveling from New York City to Chattanooga. However,

the inspiration for the song was a small, wood-burning steam locomotive of the 2-6-0 type which belonged to the Cincinnati Southern Railroad, which is now part of the Norfolk Southern Railway system. That train is now a museum artifact. From 1880, most trains bound for America's South passed through the southeastern Tennessee city of Chattanooga, often on to the super-hub of Atlanta. The Chattanooga Choo Choo did not refer to any particular train, though some have incorrectly asserted that it referred to Louisville and Nashville's Dixie Flyer or the Southern Railway's Crescent Limited.

Bravo Zulu - Thanks to all who helped make the reunion a success

Credit for the success of the All Navy Net Tender / Net Layers Reunion in Chattanooga, TN in 2010 must be shared with key people in Chattanooga for the outstanding assistance and advice they provided. Nothing more could be asked of or expected from these wonderful people who did so much to make sure our reunion was the very best it could be.

Joel and Barbara Paris who provided a place for me to crash on a number of visits to conduct the business of setting up the reunion. They silently surrendered their dining room to my use as an office while staying with them. This is not the only time they have helped me in such a manner.

Chris Petro and Adrienne Terry of the Chattanooga CVB. Both gave generously of their time and expertise assisting me in finding resources and advising a rookie in event planning. The welcome bags and handouts were the perfect solution for packaging of the welcome material. Anyone planning an event in Chattanooga who takes advantage of the services of the CVB can expect their event to be a huge success.

Tonya Steele and Tara Graham at the Chattanooga Choo Choo made a venue for the reunion that was unique and most interesting even more convenient for our group. All request for anything needed for our group was addressed immediately and often beyond expectations. Both make the Choo Choo, already a truly excellent venue, even better. I could not recommend the Choo Choo too highly to any group wishing to have an event in a very special place.

John & Sheila Champaign and our bus driver Jon McKenney who provided our bus service exceed my wildest expectations for transportation. I had expected transportation to be one area that could be a problem if anything would be. Far from it. The bus was always early and Jon provided excellent assistance for the ones with any kind of mobility issues. He was a true pleasure to work with and an excellent ambassador for the bus service.

Ernie Brown, the photographer who took our group photo. Despite a slight misunderstanding in the arrangements for the group photo he was fast, professional and the result is excellent. I can recommend him to any group.

Three events were staged just for us since our group schedule would not allow us to use their normal schedule. The Vaudeville Café Murder Mystery Theater provided a performance for our first evening since we would not be in town on their regular performance nights. The River Gorge Explorer put on a special run just for us since we could not have the event in the afternoon when they normally operate. The Railroad Museum opened the Depot Deli just for our group even though it was past the end of their season.

Michael Turner on the Delta Queen dealt with our group even as they were scrambling to get the Delta Queen set up for it's new role as a Hotel facility. Use of the Delta Queen was special to our group since we share our history with the Delta Queen and Delta King which were used as temporary barracks while the Net and Boom School and Net Depot were being built following Pearl Harbor. The banquet room was perfect for our event and the service was excellent. The arrangements he made for the Memorial Service on the bow were excellent.

Michael LaRoach with his band ‘Sweet Georgia Sound' could not have done a better job of providing 1930's and 1940's music which was perfect for our group who served in WWII or grew up with that music as a very large part of our lives. It is obvious that they truly enjoy making great music.

I whole heartedly endorse each and every one of the above to anyone considering holding a group event in Chattanooga. Bravo Zulu to everyone who helped make our reunion a success.
Leroy Jones

Thanks To All Who Made The Reunion Such A Success

WELCOME TO ONE OF THE SOUTH’S MOST RENOWNED AND UNIQUE LANDMARKS! This 24-acre vacation and convention complex is located in the heart of downtown Chattanooga and has something exciting to offer everyone. The Choo Choo combines history and fun in a delightful blend that appeals to visitors of all ages.

"Chattanooga Choo Choo" is a Big-band/swing song which was featured in the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade, which starred Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller and his orchestra, The Modernaires, Milton Berle and Joan Davis. It was performed in the film as an extended production number, featuring vocals by Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly, and the Modernaires followed by a production number showcasing Dorothy Dandridge and an acrobatic dance sequence by The Nicholas Brothers.

This was the #1 song across the United States on December 7, 1941. The Glenn Miller recording, RCA Bluebird B-11230-B, was no.1 for nine weeks on the Billboard Best Sellers chart.

The 78-rpm commercial version of the song was recorded on May 7, 1941 for RCA Victor's Bluebird label and became the first to be certified a gold disc on February 10, 1942, for sales of 1,200,000. The transcription of this award ceremony can be heard on the first of three volumes of RCA's "Legendary Performer" compilations on Glenn released by RCA in the 1970s. In the early 1990s a two-channel recording of a portion of the Sun Valley Serenade soundtrack was discovered, allowing reconstruction of a true-stereo version of the film performance.