2010 Dayton Ohio Reunion
Wednesday September 22nd through Saturday September 25th
Honoring our WWII 317th "Jungle Skipper" Veterans
All 317th Veterans Group members are invited to attend this reunion which will be held at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center located near Gate 12A entrance to Wright-Patterson AFB. We just received word that Airmen of the 317th Airlift Group stationed at Dyess AFB TX will be attending this year's reunion. The 317th AG has been active in the war on terrorism, performing airlift operations in Iraq and Afghanistan on continuing deployments. We are proud of them and honored to have them attend. It looks like we will have a large turnout for this reunion, the block of rooms set aside for our group is limited and a good number of the rooms are already booked. The hotel was able to add a few more rooms to our block, but informed us any rooms not booked by August 22nd ( one month prior to the reunion) will be released to the public. If you're planning to attend this reunion , please make those reservations now. The room rate for our group is $75.00 plus tax per night. This rate is good even if you stay a day or two before or after the reunion. The hotel's phone number is 937-879-2696, be sure to tell them you are attending the 317th Veterans Group Jungle Skipper reunion. If for any reason you should have to cancel your reservations after you've made them, you may do so without penalty, if you notify the hotel 24 hours before your check in date.
Please note that our reunion will start on a Wednesday instead of our usual Thursday start date, this is due to the Air Force Museum events schedule. If you wish to use Wednesday as a travel day, be sure to arrive at the hotel in time for our 7 PM Orientation meeting. It is important that you attend this meeting so you be brought up to date on our reunion events and any schedule changes. Following this meeting will be a special presentation by Kay Nehring, daughter of Jungle Skipper pilot, Charles J. Nehring. Her father took video of the paratroop drop that took Corregidor back from the Japanese. In this historic video that she will show you will see the troop drops from the C-47 aircraft of the 317th Troop Carrier Group. There will also be a slide presentation of the WWII airfields of the Pacific that Jungle Skipper Pete Miller and his son Jeff visited.
On Thursday, 9/23, the Air Force Museum will open their AC-130 Gunship for our veterans to go on board and inspect. This will take place at 8 AM (1 Hr. before the museum opens to the public) for those wishing to visit this aircraft. We will also have a WWII C-47 Aircraft painted in Jungle Skipper colors that will be open for viewing starting at 10 AM. We are grateful to the Liberty Foundation and Mr. Don Brooks for providing this historic aircraft for our reunion. Phil Brinson, the son of the late Buck Brinson provided Mr. Brooks with information on how his dads aircraft was painted. His dad served with the 46th TCS during WWII. The C-47 will be parked at Green County Airport. We have arranged for a charter bus to take us both to the Air Force Museum and the C-47. At 2 PM we will have our plaque dedication ceremony in the Air Force Museum's Memorial Park. The plaque will honor the 46th Troop Carrier Squadron, and that 46th TCS C-47 will fly over during the ceremony in salute to our WWII Jungle Skipper Veterans.
On Friday during the day, there will be free time to visit the Air Force Museum, shop at the nearby Beavercreek Mall, or enjoy refreshments in our Hospitality room. Our Hospitality room will be opened everyday of the reunion. Jim Gregory, our reunion hat and shirt man will have his booth set up and you will be able to purchase items with your squadron's crest on it. Squadron patches and other items will also be available. Friday evening we will host our reunion banquet. Mr Don Brooks of the Liberty Foundation will be our honored guest. The foundation's aircraft include a B-17 "The Liberty Bell" and a P-38 "Glacier Girl". A jacket and tie for the men is the recommended attire for the banquet and casual dress for the other events.
Saturday, we will have our farewell breakfast as we say goodbye to our old friends and the new ones we've made at this year's reunion. There are several more things in the works for those who attend the reunion, but you will have to attend to see what they are. So, make plans to attend , you will have a great time. Email Jim Timmons if you have any questions regarding this reunion. His email address is : jimt0708@aol.com
46th Troop Carrier Squadron Plaque Design
The 46th TCS plaque design was approved by the Air Force Museum officials and has been sent to the plaque manufacturer for casting. The bronze plaque will then be mounted on a polished granite wall in the museum's Memorial Park. The plaque will be unveiled at ceremoniesduring our reunion. Information on how you can donate towards the cost of the plaque will be in our next newsletter. Below is a picture of the final draft of the plaque.
