Page 2 - DFCS News Magazine Winter 2012

The DFCS 2012 Convention was held in Seattle, WA, and it was fantastic! Many kudos and thanks to Terry Sullivan, Convention Chairman. Trish Blanton of The Reunion Brat, Bill Bradfield, Al Major, David Bent- ler, Michael and Beverley O’Neil, Dave and Floreen Clark, Glenn and Steve Jewett, Robert Brown and numerous other personnel whose hard work produced what everyone said was the best convention ever.
This was our rst conven on in the Northwest, and the Conven on Commi ee did an outstanding job in planning many exci ng and his- torical events. The weather was
perfect, as predicted, and helped showcase the area. The closing ban- quet honored our WWII Veterans with a Special Tribute, and it was spectacular. The Museum of Flight was the perfect se ng for the banquet, and we were honored to have two of the Museum’s employ- ees join us. They told us it was the best banquet they had ever seen held in their Museum.
Jonna Dooli le Hoppes gave a spellbinding presenta on and there were several surprises for the a endees. Addi onal details are in an ar cle by Terry Sullivan along with numerous pictures from the con- ven on. If anyone wants a CD with all 721 pictures from the conven- on, send a note to DFC Society, a n: Beverley O’Neil, PO Box 530250, San Diego, CA 92153 along with a check for $15.00 (made out to “DFCS”), and we will mail it to you.
Thanks to the great e orts of Director, Bruce Hu man, the DFC Society was highly honored at the very pres gious Wings Club in New York City on September 19th. There were several hundred top avia on person- nel in a endance, and we received excellent publicity. A beau ful plaque was presented to us by Congressional Medal of Honor recipi- ent, Colonel Jack Jacobs. The honored a endees included myself, Directors Bruce Hu man, Greg Mac Neil and Larry Liss; DFCS members, Lewis Wa and Tom Harnisher; Honorary DFCS member and author, Barry Lanman; and Associate Member, Lucien White. The DFC recipi- ents were asked to stand and be recognized, and we may have recruit- ed an Air Force Colonel who is a DFC awardee. We also presented DFC books to the Wings Club, Colonel Jack Jacobs and Jim Albaugh, Presi- dent and CEO, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. More details are in an ar cle in this issue by Bruce Hu man
We are very proud of the DFC Book, “On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Dis nguished Flying Cross”, which involved a lot of work by many peo- ple. The nished product is beau ful and very compelling. I would like to thank the many members and friends who bought proof copies, mul ple copies, and/or made dona ons. Your support is greatly ap- preciated. This support allowed us to publish the book which, in turn, gave us control of the contents, prin ng costs, and ability to sell it at an a ordable cost.
However, we are disappointed to note less than one third of our ac ve members have actually purchased this book. We urge you to purchase a copy for yourself and as gi s for your friends and family members. The holidays are right around the corner, and what be er way to show your loved ones what we are all about. It is the goal of the DFC Society to educate the general public and future genera ons of the history of the DFC and its recipients. This book displays stories told by the peo- ple who were there and earned this most pres gious award. We have a legacy of honor and devo on to duty, and this book honors that lega-
cy. A number of people have bought several copies for their families even though they are not featured in the book. It would also be a nice dona on for ROTC and JROTC units as well as local libraries. There is an addi onal story about the book in this issue.
There are tens of thousands of DFC recipients who are not aware of the existence of the DFC Society, and it is up to us to inform them and their families. The book is one way, and we nd many members through our website, but personal interac on remains the greatest mode of recrui ng. In my personal experience, I have found wearing the DFCS shirt and hat at air shows, veteran’s events and around town opens up a dialog. I believe it is impera ve that we keep our legacy alive for future genera ons. We receive inquires daily from people who have lost a loved veteran and their stories are always the same – they didn’t know the deceased person had been awarded the DFC; don’t know what the DFC is; their loved one never spoke about his/her me in the military; they had never heard any story about the war or occasion that warranted this award; they are looking for informa on regarding the DFC and why their loved one was awarded it. We can’t a ord to let our legacy go unno ced – we fought too hard for it. Please do what you can to get our message out to people, so our histo- ry does not die with us.
One successful way of ge ng the word out is submi ng ar cles to your local or base newspapers, magazines, squadrons, bomb groups. We always send a Press Release form to new members. Complete the form and send it to any of these venues for personal recogni on and recrui ng purposes for the Society. If you need one of these forms, contact the DFCS o ce at cobrawife@dfcsociety.com or write DFCS, a n: Beverley O’Neil, PO Box 530250, San Diego, CA 92153. Take DFCS Applica on forms to reunions for distribu on. Contact the DFCS O ce, if you need Applica on forms.
We will announce the four Scholarship Fund winners by 31 December 2012. Dona ons for the Scholarship Fund are gratefully accepted.
Thank you for your support and, I wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Hanukkah.
Chuck Sweeney President & CEO DFCS
USMC
Summer 2012 Issue Page 2