From the Executive Director
by Tom Drugan

Spring, 2003

As we go to press, America is in the later stages of war in Iraq. I wish we were not there. My son is in the middle of the fight and I wish he were not there either. But it is past time for us to turn the other cheek again. More than a dozen times in the last twenty years this country or its citizens have been attacked usually with tragic loss of life. Each time we have offered little or no response which further emboldened our attackers. Perhaps we are now drawing a line in the sand…a line that says to the bullies of the world, “don’t cross this point again”. We can only hope that strategy works because if it does not, our grandsons will be asked to fight future wars.

“A LEGACY OF COURAGE”

If you have received your invitation to the second annual reunion at the museum in Tucson, you recognize that phrase. We have planned a two-day meeting with some interesting sight seeing on Friday and planned programs at the museum on Saturday. Jim and Mary Truitt will host cocktail parties on Thursday and Friday evenings and a great western dinner is scheduled for Saturday evening. All paid attendees will receive a commemorative pin and specially designed t-shirts will be available at reasonable cost. We expect a large attendance that exceeds last years!

Reward! On page 4 we have listed several former members who have dropped off our radar screen. It is important that we find these folks. As a regular feature of the J-Bulletin we will be publishing names of the missing. We will give a nice reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the location of any of these people.

We highlight another very special volunteer in this issue. He flew with the 390th in the 568th Squadron. And now he is flying with us again every Wednesday. Please read his brief story on page 13.

We continue to seek information for our J-Bulletin. Please contact us or Marcia Balmut Ward who is handling our descendants corner.