Page 6 - DFCS NEWS MAGAZINE 2018-2

The Distinguished Flying Cross Society
By Chuck Sweeney, President and CEO
The Distinguished Flying Cross Society was founded in California in 1994 as a 501 (c) (19) non-profit, war veterans’ organization, whose members have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Distinguished Flying Cross Society (DFCS) is sanctioned by the California Secretary of State & Internal Revenue Service and is headquartered in San Diego. The DFC Society currently has more than 3,000 members. As an organization, the DFCS membership represents not only the continuum of time from 1903 to the present, but also the diversity of services, ethnicity, rank and gender. Our membership primarily hails from the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard and the Society is founded on fraternity and camaraderie among military fliers.
The Society seeks to preserve the rich heritage and historical narratives of those who are recipients of the DFC and to educate the general public, especially the youth of America, on the values of courage, patriotism and character; those very characteristics upon which America was founded. By doing so it elevates the awareness of the award itself and demonstrates to the public that a very small cross section of ordinary Americans can and have accomplished extraordinary things, under extremely difficult conditions, while in flight.
The DFCS published “On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Distinguished Flying Cross”, with the Foreword written by President George H. W. Bush and the Introduction written by Captain Jim Lovell; both recipients and members. The book is based on oral history accounts, Distinguished Flying Cross citations and other associated primary source documentation. Visual images gathered from personal collections and archives illuminate the comprehensive content of this volume. While the acquisition of the factual data was essential, capturing the personal feelings and perspectives of American aviation heroes added to the richness of the publication.
The DFCS is also moving forward to produce a syndicated film documentary on the Distinguished Flying Cross that will honor the legacy of the award as well that of its recipients.
The Character Development Program (CDP), produced by the Medal of Honor Foundation as an educational outreach, has recently been recognized by the DFCS as an extremely worthy cause and efforts are underway to lend the support of our membership toward that effort.
An active scholarship program exists for the descendants of DFCS members.
Local chapters are spread across the country and we have biennial national reunions. The 2017 reunion was held in September in the Dallas area with the theme “Heroic Women of the DFC” and the 2019 reunion will be held in the Dayton/Fairborn, Ohio, area Sept 15th -19th with the theme “Celebrating 100 Years of American Air Power”.
The DFCS looks toward the ranks of all five Military Services for those members who are recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross to join with us in the preservation of their personal histories and to assist us in furthering our educational goals.
All DFC recipients, including deceased, who become a member of the DFCS, shall remain on the DFCS Honor Roll in perpetuity, regardless of their membership status. The DFCS Honor Roll is located on the DFCS website: www.dfcsociety.net.
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