The Colorado Springs Reunion of the 23d Flying Tiger Association was a rousing yet pleasing affair thanks to the great efforts by Super Honcho Lance Brown and his support team from the 76^th Space Squadron. The programs were a bit different with an extra day thrown in for activities in a really unique city on the edge of the high mountains. Many thanks for a great time. 

       The exceptionally large hospitality room on the 13^th floor of the Hotel (they aren’t superstitious in the west) provided common  meeting place for the members and providing an amply stocked refreshment bar plus plenty of seating, most of the time.

         The weather upon arrival Thursday was exceptionally pleasant was devoted primarily to registration and getting acquainted with the hotel and the surrounding area Dinner was on our own and there was no trouble finding a micro-brewery near-by that had a wide choice of finger-licking foods. After dinner, most of us popped into the hospitality room to meet and greet new arrivals and to have a “night-cap”. 

            Friday morning was breakfast-on-your-own with bus loading at 0900 for windshield tour of the Air Force Academy. We were treated to a guided tour of spectacular Air Force Chapel. It just happened while we were there that a demonstration of their Grand Organ was underway. Quite impressive. The interiors of the upper and lower chapels were simply beautiful with stained glass used extensively.

            Before reloading the buses we were given the opportunity to visit the Honor Court that is close to the Chapel. We were quite pleased to find that The Holloway Bench is still in like new condition. The Air Force Academy has apparently taken excellent care of the bench. Those of us that attended its dedication took a number of pictures.

            After boarding the bus, we visited the Memorial Cemetery  where several plaques were displayed several years ago honoring the 14^th Air Force and various squadrons in the China theater. It was very interesting to see this memorial again.

            No tour is worthwhile without visiting their memorabilia concession. Just about every thing that can be imagined with a connection to the Air Force was available to purchase and take home.

            After leaving the Air Force Academy, the busses took us to the Imperial Chinese Buffet, on the edge of town and the entire group enjoyed a delightful Chinese meal, with all the trimmings. Returning to the Hotel, the afternoon was for rest and relaxation.

Prez Sez   [Top]

Another year come and gone and another reunion past. 

Before I start rambling on, as I always do, let me take a moment to thank everyone who attended the reunion. You really made it great this year. We had a pretty good turnout, considering almost all of the active duty side was deployed. And of those who were at home, they did a great job coordinating, hosting, entertaining and supporting. I can’t even imagine how much work it would have been without them.  And a special thank you to Travis and Malloy, (hope I didn’t butcher your names), for getting us a pair of A-10’s on such short notice. It was the highlight of the BBQ that Saturday. Requests are still rolling in for copies of the photos that were taken that day. (I’ve been routing everyone to the Vanguard’s page to review and download the reunion photos. I hope I’m not mistaken about the location of that imagery.)  

And a hardy thank you to Doug O’Dell for creating updating and maintaining that web page. Without it, we would have no place to archive our events that would be as readily accessible to the masses.  And updating our history, as security permits, would be impossible.

         And to Tex:  for taking the time to do a small favor for the young girl working the Hotel’s front desk. Seems that her father is a local history teacher and when he heard that the Tigers were in town he was a flutter at the opportunity to garner a few autographs from some living legends. But alas, our young heroin was to shy and couldn’t bring her self to ask. However all was not lost. As Tex was at the front desk checking out of the hotel, he made sure that he personally handed her an autographed copy of his book and put a special note in it addressing her father. Now every time I go into the hotel she thanks me. Since I’m not actually famous I’ll have to assume that her gratitude is really directed toward Tex. Thanks Tex, you made her day with that small gesture.

Thank you all. You all came together and with one gigantic “heave to” you pulled off another great reunion. You exemplify team work in motion.  

 I hope that everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves as much as I did. All things considered, I think the whole thing went pretty well. It was great seeing everyone, though I didn’t get much time to just sit and talk, I cherished the time that I got. And even as I am winding up the last few details from this years reunion, the ground work has started on the next one.  It’s looking like Fort Walton Beach in the later part of summer. Though I’m not sure that I will be in attendance in 06, I will be with you in spirit. And, depending on how smoothly my retirement goes and how swiftly I can find new employment, my body may be joining my spirit with you in 06. Fingers crossed.  On the up side, I’m not putting the next one together. So I can just sit back and relax.

            By:  Lance Brown, 76^th FSA President

Merchandize Mart   [Top]

        Our Colorado Springs hosts were kind enough to set up a special room with all sorts of goodies that reunion folks like to consider and sometimes – buy. There was a wide variety of patches, insignia, jackets, scarves, books (“Sharks Over China” and “Tex Hill”), and other attractive mementoes. And there in the middle of all this was Tex Hill getting writers cramps signing books!

            A great addition to any reunion. Although the merchandize did not sell out completely – it was certainly a great idea and the prices were right. The only problem was that the “Mart” was on the Hotel’s first floor and the hospitality room was upstairs! (Only thing missing were “Tiger caps” from Pope).

Friday Night Dinner   [Top]

            After relaxing properly , the group naturally gravitated to the hospitality suite for an appropriate refreshment and to meet with old friends and greet others as that had arrived. The group then gathered in a downstairs ballroom for a casual dinner. We were treated to the delightful music, as performed by  a 10 or 15 piece band from The Air Force Academy, all dressed in Army uniforms ala 1942. There were several featured soloist that were reminiscent of the “Good Old Days”. The songs that they played were popular in the 1942 to 1945 aura. It was truly the “big-band” sound and it was enjoyed by all. We even witnessed some of our members jitter-bugging on the dance floor.

            And by the way, the dinner was great. Many thanks to the members of the 76^th SPCS who planned and arranged the dinner and entertainment. 

23d FTA Business Meeting   [Top]

            There was no 23d FTA Business since the primary staff members in the military were deployed. 

76^th FSA Business Meeting   [Top]

            The following 76^th members and associates met at 0700 on May 14^th: Lance Brown, Max Noftsger, Jim Eng, Gini Krippner, George Casey 75th, Jud Bullard, Glen Beneda, Tim O’Dell and Leonard O’Dell.

1. Congratulations to Lance Brown for master-minding and organizing this year’s FTA Reunion. Everything is going great.

2. We welcomed Gini Krippner to the reunion and expressed our thanks to her for the presentation she plans to make regarding her uncle’s memorial service for in China. We had agreed to pay part of her expenses; however she preferred that we make a donation to Pat Lucas, who was the person that made her trip and the memorial service possible. The members voted to donate $400 from our treasurary to Pat Lucas. Plus Jim Eng volunteered to add a personal $100 to this donation. Gini expressed her gratitude.

3. Nominations for the coming year:

   1. Lance Brown reluctantly agreed to continue as President

   2. Jim Eng - Vice President

   3. Leonard O’Dell - Secretary

   4. Perky Perkins – Treasurer

   5. Steve Bonner– Service Officer

   6. Tom Raleigh – Historian

   7. Jim and Suzanne Eng – Assistant Historian

   8. Perky Perkins - Chaplain

   9. Board of Directors – will remain same as 2004

   10. WebMaster – Doug O’Dell

The above slate was accepted by acclamation. Actually, these are the same officers as 2004 !

2. Members of the 74^th and 75^th FSA joined us for a few minutes and we discussed the need to provide “seed-money” to Up-coming Reunion hosts. It was recognized that a need exists for expense money to get reunion arrangements started. It was agreed that each entity in the FTA should donate $20 to the up-coming Reunion Host, ear-marked “Start-up Monies”. It is hopeful that the active components will also agree to this proposition. This money shall be accountable in the Reunion Ledger.

16^th & 74^th FSA Newsletter Supplement   [Top]

Informally after the meeting, conversations were held with various China Squadron members in an effort to help the 16^th and 74^th squadrons remain effective entities in the FTA. The 16^th & 74^th no longer have an individual that can effectively provide a squadron newsletter or maintain a membership roster. It was recognized that without these two capabilities, their squadron organization will quickly disintegrate.

 Thus 76^th FSA invites these two squadrons to provide a written supplement article that would be added to The Vanguard newsletter plus their up-dated rosters would be included with the 76^th roster using our same format. This would not be a free ride, as they would be expected to provide their input plus share in the cost of printing and postage.

 All Aboard – Bus for Peterson AFB   [Top]

      At promptly 0900, the buses loaded up and away we went to Peterson AFB. After a brief windshield tour around the base which included a stop at John Stewart’s P-40, plus taking a few pictures there. Moving on, we stopped at Peterson’s Museum. Initially we met in an enclosed hanger building currently being used for meetings and the display of one WW II P-47.  We were then treated to a guided outside tour and review of a dozen or so retired and on display Air Force aircraft. It was especially interesting because each of the guides had flight experience in the various types of aircrafts that were being discussed. In one case, we were able to tour the insides of a large radar equipped aircraft. Very interesting display, throughout.

   We learned that the main Museum building was originally the local airport Terminal. A very interesting art- deco design building. They didn’t have observation towers in those days – they simply went up on the building roof to spot incoming planes. The Museum, itself, contained many Air Force artifacts and memorabilia. Very interesting items were on display plus they had a few modern things for sale.

  Buses loaded up and we arrived at 76 SPCS Hanger #104 for a fantastic Bar BQ, with all the trimmings. On arrival, we were greeted by two A-10 WortHog aircraft from Pope AFB. We were delighted that they were able to make the trip. The two pilots from the 74^th Fighter Squadron were on hand to show us around these beautiful war machines. We later took a zillion photos in, on, and around the two planes.

   Yes, the “Silver Grill” bar is still very much in business. And was that Colorado beer ever GOOD. The guys and gals from the 76 SPCS did a great job putting the Bar BQ goodies together; and they did a fantastic job grilling the meat! Many thanks to all.

  We had a few introductions and a several comments from our host and then rapped up the picnic with a massive photo session before heading back to the hotel in downtown Colorado Springs. 

Saturday Night Banquet   [Top]

            After a tough day in the field, of course, we had to meet in the hospitality room for refreshments prior to proceeding to the evening banquet. What a fine dinner arrangement that was set up and the food was served after grace and introduction of honored guests. The dinner was especially appetizing. We were treated, again, to musical entertainment by members of the Air Force Academy Band. Only this time, their theme was modern string instrument music, somewhat similar to The Beatles. What marvelous talent!

            Our featured speaker was Astronaut Lt. Col. Duane Carey, the pilot onboard the Space Shuttle mission that repaired the Hubble Telescope. Strangely enough, he didn’t talk much about his space adventures but he did give us a briefing of his military history that included being in the 76^th TFS. His message that was enjoyed by all had the theme of “Lessons Learned”. Many in the audience could recognize similar situations in their lives.

            Duane and his wife Cheryl are now retired and living the good life in Colorado Springs. Many thanks to them for joining our reunion.

Presentation by Gini Krippner   [Top]

            The following is an outline of the presentation that Gini Krippner made in the hospitality room regarding the field crash investigation in China of her uncle Capt. Howard Krippner of the 76^th FS, who was killed while on a mission in China during WW II. This all came about as the result of a determined effort by Gini Krippner and Pat Lucas to provide closure on a case that is over 60 years old. Description of the Memorial Service, by local Chinese will be included in the next edition of this newsletter. However, some of the artifacts that were obtained were on hand to be examined by the audience. 

Crash Site Search and Site Identification for Howard Krippner

(Compiled on December 14, 2004. by Patrick Lucas, with assistance by Virginia Krippner)

1) Purpose:

To find the location near Yueyang City, Hunan province, China, of the August 27, 1943 crash of pilot Howard L. Krippner (Captain, #0-42656, 14^th Air Force, 76^th

Fighter Squadron, 23^rd Fighter Group: Hometown of record Seattle, Washington; based on a request from his niece, Virginia Lynn Krippner. 

2) Supporting Materials for Search:

Supporting materials include earlier search reports, period maps, modern  maps, and most critically, materials provided to the family shortly after the crash by another pilot on that flight and commander of the 76^th squadron, Major Robert Costello – these included a detailed narrative, as well as printed and hand drawn maps. (see Major Costello’s materials in separate files Cosetello p1.jpg, Costello p2.jpg, costellop4.jpg  and Howards Map cropped.jpg) 

3) Determination of Search Region:

Examination of previous search reports revealed difficulties at the time in narrowing the area to be searched within Hunan province, with searches even being carried out in adjacent Jiangxi province. Considerable confusion surrounded even the romanization of place names, for example, with searchers unable to find a match for the town ‘Sitang’ (even though there is plainly a town with this name on at least some period maps: see Howards Map cropped.jpg). It was clear the searches were most likely never carried out in the crash area, and given the detailed narrative and maps provided by the eyewitness Major Costello, it was decided to simply trust those

materials and search in the area of Hunan province near Yueyang city (Yoyang in previous romanization) and modern day Xitang (Sitang), as Major Costello had indicated. 

4) Search Narrative (Simplified):

We contacted Mr.MAO Weihua, of the Yueyang city Foreign Affairs Office (FAO) many weeks in advance of our visit. Mr. MAO was very cordial and indicated that a visit by our team would not be a problem. Late on the evening of Wednesday December 8, 2004 our “Remembering Shared Honor” team composed of Mr. ZHOU Zuxin, Mr. HUANG Xiling, and Mr. Patrick LUCAS, arrived in Yueyang city, Hunan. The next morning we met with Mr. MAO in his office. Mr. MAO was cordial but indicated that because of our unofficial and non-governmental status, the local government could not officially help (in particular, they did not dare take active part in the search), but would provide unofficial help. This unofficial help turned out to be quite valuable as it included a photocopy of an official map of the specific search area, and previous telephone calls to local government offices in rural area – meaning that our search was very unlikely to be stopped by suspicious local officials. We are very grateful for his help in this regard – to someone not familiar with China this help may seem small, but really Mr. MAO opened all the doors for us this way.

            Immediately afterwards we headed east to Kangwang township by taxi, the location roughly matching the ‘x’ marked on a printed flight map provided by Major Costello (Howards Map cropped.jpg). We were met cordially by township officials ( Including Mr. PENG who also provided an excellent lunch later) and then went to interview local people (including 77 year old Mr. YAO). However interviews indicated that there had definitely been no crashes in the area during the target time period, and several other aspects of the local area did not seem to match Major Castello’s other materials. Some people heard of the crash farther north on Kunshan (mountain). We then found a young, local minivan driver, Mr. FENG Tu, and as we headed towards the next township (Sanhe), we chatted with him about our search. He was very interested and volunteered that he knew at least one other local elder and asked if we wanted to interview him. We did and so we turned around and went back to Kangwang township, but once to the house of this elder, we discovered he was not in. Mr. FENG then took us to meet a teacher (Mr. YAO at the number 7 high school) in the local high school. That person again did not know of any local crashes, but called around, and provided us with an introductory letter for teachers at the Pingdi school (north), and provided some other possible leads. One of the gatekeepers at the school, an elderly Mr. GE, had also heard some stories of a crash near Kunshan, and even knew of possible eyewitnesses. He graciously jumped into the van with us and we headed north towards Kunshan.

            Eventually we arrived in Sandian village, Xitang township, and interviewed Mr. LI Zhiyun, 78 years. He confirmed a crash near Kunshan, but many details seemed off, including that this crash was the result of an air battle and other factors..Mr. LI personally helped carry out plane parts in 1944, the crash occurring at least some months before that time.

            We headed on to Xu Jia Liang village and by dark found the house of 86 year old Mr. XU Simin, who instantly started cooking dinner for us under a 25 watt light bulb over a small fire pit with a hanging kettle. Slowly over the evening as he cooked we got out of him that he knew just where the crash was and where the body was buried. The facts however, included a very definite date of ‘7^th month day 1, 1943 on the lunar calendar (August 1, 1943 on the solar calendar) just didn’t seem to match. We left and returned late to Yueyang, then made the trip back during daylight the next day (December 10, 2004), and met with Mr. XU again (providing him with gifts of meat, eggs, and cigarettes after his warm hospitality of the night before), and we also hooked up with other elders. They were all definite on the date of Aug. 1 At the crash site (no artifacts) the descriptions did not seem to match what we were searching for, and we had conclusive first hand eyewitness testimony that there were at least three crew on that plane. Other evidence suggests that this may have been a Japanese plane shot down by American fighters. An exact burial spot was located for these remains (this information is being submitted to JPAC just in case).

            We still had a rumor of a plane going down at Pingdi and an introduction letter for the high school there, so after a wonderful lunch, again the guests of the XU family, we made our way to Pingdi, arriving in the late afternoon. At Pingdi the teachers and administrators at the high school were very gracious and interested, but knew of no local crash. They called an elder and he said there was a crash, but it was far from our search area and just could not be related. We returned to Yueyang. However, it became apparent at this point that we were not interpreting Major Costello’s narrative and hand-drawn map correctly, that we had not understood important clues in these materials, and so thus the crash location should be farther north and east, more in the area of Yuenan township, where we had not searched at all.

            The next morning we headed towards Yuenan township, but ran in circles for a time because of misunderstandings between the driver and our team. Then before we got to Yuenan township, at Hengpu township, we heard about a crash in the mountains. We climbed into Lijiu village and interviewed two elders (Mr. LI Jiwu, 80 years, and another) who gave very specific (and accurate as it turned out later) accounts of a crash over the mountain range at Jianshe village, and the details seemed a very good match to our search. We traveled back around  the long hard roads and finally to Jianshe. Interviews of Mr. LI Yuanshi (69 years) and his uncle (in his 80s) provided details confirming a small American airplane with one crew. The body was buried whole. However the crash time was too late in the afternoon (2:00 pm to 4:00 pm roughly), and eventually coherent testimony was presented that the body was recovered by Americans about two years later. Also, other facts did not seem to match Major Costello’s materials. Even though it was getting late we were determined to get to Yuenan township, thinking that we had finally understood the materials. Almost dark and we finally got to Yuenan township, then drove south about three miles (as indicated on Major Costello’s materials), stopped, got out of the car and asked if there had been a crash nearby during the war. Immediately people said yes, right on that hill over there. We tracked down approximately five elderly witnesses (including the particularly kind and helpful brothers DU Xianqi and DU Xianbao, 73 and 75 year respectively) and heard accounts that did not contradict Major Costello’s record in any detail, and matched all the details in a broad sense (that is, no one remembered an exact date, but rather a rough matching time period). A  return to the village the next morning and further interviews with new witnesses produced the same result and a crash site visit provided more matches to Major Costello’s materials (these details and our reasoning are organized in a section below; a sample of witness contact information is included in a further section).

            The team left the village at around 2:30 pm, arrived at the airport at Changsha by  6:00 pm, and were all home in our respective Guangxi and Guizhou provinces, and Beijing city, by around midnight of Sunday the 12^th. 

5) Description of Crash Site

            The crash occurred on a hillside less than 1 kilometer to the west of the Huawu unit of Daling village, which is located somewhat north of Tangqiao village. Debris was spread over a very large area on the north side of the hill and the farmland on the north and northwest sides below it. The hillside is of a gravel and soil mix, and the farmland below it is paddies for intensive wet rice cultivation. A new highway had cut right through the middle of the hill, but the initial impact point on the east side of the highway, and the location of an explosion on the west side of the highway (there may have been more than one explosion or impact) were not destroyed in the highway construction, and are being used for non-intensive agriculture. Some elders said that the location of the explosion had never been used for agriculture before a few years ago, and the ground there had been largely undisturbed until then. Until recently, when the area was planted with fruit trees and partially terraced, the pit left from the explosion had been visible and largely undisturbed. 

6) Witness Description of Crash Events:

At noon the small single engine plane was flying north from the direction of Taolin trailing black smoke and struck a southern small rise on the hill, shearing off some small trees and making a gouge in the soil, then at least part of the plane spun off to the left (west) around the hillside and struck there, exploding on impact. Some of the plane probably did not make it to explosion site, and there was not time to have all the interviewees walk through the exact location of plane fragments and human tissue pieces on site ( a couple did show us approximates).

            It is unclear if there was more than one explosion, and if it was just fuel related or included munitions (the flight intelligence report lists only 5000 rds., no bombs) – however the violence and almost complete disintegration of the plane and the pilot described by villagers, as well as the blasting out of a pit at the explosion site seems to indicate explosive munitions. Most villagers indicate that there were very few pieces of the plane intact, and most of it was reduced to small fragments. One woman who was approximately 9 years at the time did describe some larger pieces. The body was reduced to small fragments, which were spread in every direction over a large area. Most people talk of seeing pieces of flesh or skin no larger than the size of a hand with outstretched fingers, and included a piece of scalp with “yellow” hair (in China this usually covers the range from blond to brown, and excludes red or black hair). The largest was a part of leg (conspicuously with ‘thick yellow hair’) with foot and shoe – although we could not get a convincing first hand account of actually seeing this part, but rather this seemed to be a second hand account. We could not find any account of any larger body parts. However, there are certainly more accounts that could be recorded in the village that just might provide more details regarding remains.

            There was also a fire, and much thick smoke, but it was hard to confirm the exact range of fire on the hill via eyewitness accounts because of time limitations.  However we consistently got the impression that the fire did not cover too much area and may have not included the site of the explosion.

            After the crash the Japanese garrison right across the road sealed off the site very quickly and collected up items of interest to them. (Note – Villagers seemed to be saying that these were souvenirs off the plane, no witnesses mentioned the soldiers carrying off human remains in our short interview period). Only children dared approach the site and the Japanese at this time because of the danger presented by the troops who were considered quite hostile by the locals. At some later point the Japanese took away the remainder of the airplane pieces, but it is not known what happened to those pieces finally, but they are definitely not in the area today. (Note – Villagers did pick up some small fragments of wreckage after the Japanese left, but while asking round the village during our visit, everyone said that those few things had been lost long before and we could come up with no sample in our short time frame).

            Witnesses interviewed included a full range of ages between 70’s and 80’s. more males than females. Since this is a rural community, most families are farming families with plots right in the area of the village, including many in the debris field.

 7) Estimate on Possibility of Remains Recoverability (non-expert)

            Given the lack of an account of seeing any large body parts and the positive testimony of seeing only small fragments, added to the recent highway building, and agriculture in the last 60 years, it seems unlikely that anything could realistically be recovered now.

            Highway construction through the middle of the site had undoubtedly also reduced the number of artifacts that might be found. Since construction projects in such a quickly growing China frequently cut through even graveyards with little work done to preserve remains, it is extremely unlikely that anyone would have taken notice of any bones or artifacts during highway construction.

            Additionally, we could get no accounts of anything being done specifically to the body parts. Witnesses said even if they had wanted to, it would have been impossible, with so many small pieces spread in every direction, and with the Japanese troops watching (who often retaliated for such acts by the Chinese). Witnesses also said there were (unrestrained) dogs in the village at the time of the crash.

            No one mentioned coming across remains while farming in the years since the crash, although further interviews might clarify this point.

            Additional interviews in the future are possible as we did not interview every elder by a long shot, and certainly the villagers would also be able to point out the exact location of the Japanese encampment and the pillbox on the hill behind the village.

            A better understanding of the shape and nature of the debris field, as well as a detailed reconstruction of the specific crash events would bring a final conclusion to this question, There were a few small patches around the crash area that were not utilized for agriculture until recently, although this is still a very long shot and probably not very realistic that something may be recovered.

            Regardless, this is an inexpert opinion, and the crash site must still be presented to JPAC. 

8) Evidence and Reasoning for Confirming as Crash Site

            There is always going to be a judgement call in something like this after sixty years and without significant artifacts, but the information seems very conclusive. There are several areas to look at, including:

However, the most key of all are Major Costello’s amazing materials – his detailed narrative, excellent hand drawn map, as well as the printed flight map he provided. These in fact had all of the information we needed once we could understand them and understand problems of scale and his lack of  knowledge of place names on the ground. The easy matching points are:

Road: Major Costello says the squadron was attacking a road and that the crash was to the left of the road (drawn west of the road on Major Costello’s hand drawn map), which places the crash site to the west of the road, just where we found it. In addition this means Howard Krippner and the squadron were flying northward, matching eyewitness accounts. Astonishingly, the two

 Additionally there is the factor of:

But the real key here is to understand that Major Costello drew his amazing map highly out of scale and from memory, then when you also realize that the dashed line road really matches the dashed line on the flight map, it is very easy to see that the village Major Costello draws is really around Yuenan township today (Changanyi on Major Costello’s flight map). Then go “another 3 miles to the bend in the road” and there you have the crash site, just as we found it. The railroad, and even the forked stream and fork in the road on his hand-drawn map correlates once you scale and locate the maps correctly, as in the overlay, (see figure 1, below) 

A list of nineteen Chinese persons that helped in their investigation was included in the report. Since most of the information was in Chinese characters, it would hardly be meaningfull to list them here. There were others who were helpful, but not listed. Pat Lucas, Zehao Zhou and Huang Xiling are all involved in the organization “Remembering Shared Honor”.

Sunday’s Activities   [Top]

            The local weather forecast for the Sunday called for a wet and windy day. Thus the tour and activates at the Olympic Training Center were cancelled Saturday night. As it turned out, the weather was reasonably mild and little wind, but individual plans had already been made. However, the Treasurer’s meeting was held on schedule (no report at this time). As it turned out, this was a day for relaxing and enjoying the company of friends from way back. Whereas, others took advantage of the opportunity to roam through the OLD Town of Colorado Springs, at their leisure. While others simply enjoyed the sight of snow-caped Pikes Peak, which could be seen directly out the back of the hotel. (Didn’t hear of anyone making the trip up the mountain!)

23^rd Flying Tiger Association Grand Banquet   [Top]

            Happy Hour completed and all proceeded to the ballroom for a most formal dinner evening complete with a super all-brass orchestra, again from the Air Force Academy. What fine entertainment: reminiscent of the big band era.

            The colors were presented by the honor guard, and the Chaplain gave an appropriate grace, followed by introduction of our honored guests who briefly addressed the gathering with a few kind words. Our comrades in the military were saluted with a toast.

            Our speaker was Lieutenant General Glen W. “Wally” Moorhead, Commander Allied Air Component and 16^th Air Force in Europe who provided a very interesting talk about the “Qualities of Individuals”. He, indeed, gave us a good insight into what is expected of individuals. His talk was enjoyed by all.

            It was interesting to note in his “Air Force Bio”, that General Moorhead had flown with both the 74^th and the 76^th Fighter Squadrons at different times – which, of course, qualifies him as a Flying Tiger (although these facts were not mentioned at the banquet).

             To wrap up the evening, the Big Band played all the favorite tunes of the 1940’s.  What a great reunion! Many thanks to our local hosts, who did a super job putting the reunion together and carrying it out. 

Next Year’s Reunion   [Top]

         After much soul-searching and discussing the pro and cons of who was going to host next year’s reunion (keeping in mind the uncertainty about the military’s participation), it was determined that the 75 and the 76^th FS’s would more or less jointly host the 2006 reunion. It was also recognized that the ever reducing number of attendees would make it imperative that we obtain, as accurate as possible the NUMBER OF ROOMS that will be required, for members and their guests. You may ask: Where will it be held and when? Good questions – here it is as best we know:

Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Some time last two weeks in October 2006

The potential number of attendees (and guests) should advise the following squadron hosts,  either by phone, snail-mail or email, as soon as possible, giving the number of ROOMS required for their party– do it NOW:

            1.         75^th FS - Don Miller,     5515 W. Washington Center Rd.

                                                                         Fort Wayne, IN 46818-9752

                                                                         Phone: (260) 348-4344

                                                                         Email : miller75dk@comcast.net

2.                  76^th FS – Leonard O’Dell,   3013 Vogue Ave.

            Louisville, KY 40220-2533

           Phone (502) 458-4551

           Email: leno2j@strato.net

             If you have already given this information – don’t do it again! 

 Those members of the 16^th or the 74^th Fighter Squadrons and the military personnel and others that expect to attend can join in with either of these groups – it’s their choice. But please let us know the number of rooms required ASAP. 

            The reason we need this preliminary information, is that with the reduced number of attendees, we can no longer make a reasonable guess at how many rooms will be required. The numbers are needed in order to select the reunion hotel and to be able to negotiate the amenities needed for the reunion. Plus, we may have to guarantee a certain number of rooms in order to get what we want. 

 Please keep in mind that these preliminary figures help keep the costs down!

DING HAO!