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486th Bomb Group Association |
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| COMMANDER Robert A. Harper |
V. COMMANDER James Martin |
SECRETARY Phylis Craig |
| TREASURER Ray Garrett |
EDITOR Sally Harper |
MEMBERSHIP Bill Frost |
| Webmaster/HISTORIAN Robin Smith webmaster486 @ comcast.net (NOTE: Remove the spaces around the @ sign) |
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updated 12/01/09
Robert Harper
Sudbury Trip
It was a wonderful trip [to Sudbury], thanks to John Leathley, our travel agent and guide, and Graeme Garden, Roger Lane, and Ted Filer, who handled Sudbury events.
We had a part of 39 including vets Wilbur Chapman, Ray Garrett, Bill Hare, Bob Harper, Homer Lewis, Jim Martin, Bob Moore, Burt Paquin, George Rubin, Dick Stilling, Harry Theobald, Glenn Walfoort, and Merle Wilson. Phyis Craig and Trudy Ronson were also in the party. The rest were children--and 5 grandchildren, aged 14 to 34.
Sudbury really laided it on in grand style for us. There was a 486th tent at the Spring Rally on Saturday with room for folks to come in and visit with us, some recalling the 'old days' and others asking questions about it all. Roger Lane has put together a terrific display. Then, Sunday we were honored at a church service at St. Gregory's, then had the wreath-laying ceremony (Trudy Ronson and Ray Garrett were our representatives) complete with a ceremonial squadron from, honor guard, chaplain, and brass from a nearby American airbase, a local veterans' organization in uniform and with a drum and bugle corps. After the ceremony, we march to the Town Hall (which had Old Glory flying) for a great formal 'cold buffet;. after lunch we presented our check for $10,000 to cover perpetual care of the monument. We also were shown plans for an elaborate memorial to be located on the site of the airbase, which is going to be part of a large 'planned town' addtion to Sudbury that is about to begin.
We also had visits to the American cemetery at Cambridge (which has about as many graves as the number of soldiers lost in Iraq) and the American hanger at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. to Lavenham and the Lavenham tower, which now houses the headqaurters of an engineering firm, and Bury St. Edmunds. On the way back to Gatwick at the end of our visit we spent a morning touring 'constable Country' to the sites of some of the painters pictures (nothing has changed all that much).
October Reunion.
The Association will meet at the Executive Inn in Evansville, Indiana, October 3-7. Past Commander Bill Phelps has planned a wealth of activities, including a tour of the Landing Craft Tank moored on the Ohio River, a visit to Historic Vincennes, Indiana, and to a war museum there. Lunch at the oldest---and voted the best family---restaurant in Indiana. We will also spend time at the 'largest street fair in the US' with blocks of non-profit organizations selling food and drink. Our annual banquet will be in the Evansville Civic Center. Bill is arranging for us to have privileges in the largest VFW post in the country. On your own, you can visit the casino on the Ohio with its many restaurants and entertainments. Evansville is less than 200 miles from Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville and St. Louis and is served by a half-dozen feeder airlines. Registration forms will be in the Summer Newsletter.
Robin Smith
Loading lists are now available through the appropriate mission "flimsy". While I tried to minimize errors during transcription, I did not try to correct existing errors. Not knowing the correct spelling it was hard to know which spelling in the records are the correct ones. If errors are found, please let me know. You can access the flimsies and loading lists here:
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Tuesday, December 01, 2009
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