Page 7 - DFCS News Magazine Winter 2012

By Chuck Sweeney
The DFC Book “On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Distinguished Flying Cross” exceeded all of our expectations and was well worth the tremendous amount of work that the two au- thors and other people did to produce such a quality product. Everyone who sees the book and starts to read it is immediately engaged and then they are shocked to find out that the price is only $39.95. Comparable books would cost $59.95 or $69.95. The main reason for this project was not to make a huge profit but to educate the general public about the Distin- guished Flying Cross and the ways in which DFC recipients impacted the course of American history. For that reason, we worked hard to keep the price down but the quality up and judg- ing by the numerous compliments received, we were very successful. For the many members and friends who have bought the book, we thank you profusely for your support. A special thanks for the members who bought multiple copies, made donations and bought proof copies, as this great support allowed us to publish the book ourselves. We were able to control the contents, print a great book and offer it at an extremely low price for a glossy finish, coffee ta- ble size book.
Our biggest challenge is that fewer than one third of our active members have bought the book. We don’t really understand why this has happened. We were honored to have had the Foreword and Introduction written by famous people (President George H.W. Bush and Jim Lovell) who are also members of the DFC Society. Our readers are im-
pressed by the book’s high quality and low price. The front and back covers are striking, but it is the stories inside thatare simply incredible (book review in separate article). Sadly, some members indicated they are not interested in buying the book, iftheirpersonalstoryisn’tincluded. Withover5,900membersinourSociety,onlyalimitednumberofrepresentativestories could be included; however the publication comes with a supplement booklet that lists all DFCS members as of January 12, 2012 who were awarded a DFC. Keep in mind that unlike the previous DFC books that were printed and aimed primarily for the mem- bers in the book, On Heroic Wings was published with the goal of educating the public about the DFC and thus preserve the lega- cy of all DFC recipients.
For those who haven’t purchased a copy yet, we urge you to do so as you will be very proud of it. The holidays are coming soon! Remember that the book will make a tremendous Christmas present for families and friends. You can buy it online at our web- site www.dfcbook.info or on Amazon www.amazon.com . You can also buy it at the gift shops at the following museums which benefits both the museums and the DFC Society:
Army Aviation Museum – Fort Rucker, AL Flying Leatherneck Museum - San Diego, CA March Field Air Museum - Riverside, CA Museum of Flight – Seattle, WA
National Museum of the US Air Force - Dayton, OH National Naval Aviation Museum – Pensacola, FL Planes of Fame - Chino, CA
The following stores also carry the book:
Bay Books - Coronado, CA Warwick’s - La Jolla, CA
For those who prefer not to use the internet for ordering, the book can also be purchased using this order form (Note that itis a different address than the DFCS Office address):
Consider presenting a copy of the book to other organizations to which you belong or buying copies for the local ROTC or JROTC, military groups, local libraries and high school/college/university libraries. If you don’t want to purchase copies for these ven- ues, take your personal copy to them and show it off. The book sells itself. Bruce Huffman, a DFC Society Director, sold 42books to a company that will give them out as gifts for their customers. I visited my local library with a copy, and they purchased it. If you are near museums (military or aviation) with gift shops, please show them the book and if they are interested in sellingit, please contact me (phone or email) and I will be glad to discuss it with them.
As previously mentioned, your help is needed in fulfilling our goal of educating the public about the DFC. Take a moment to think about what the results might be, if each DFC Society member had a copy of On Heroic Wings on their coffee table or in their office. Show it to your family and friends with pride – let them know you have a DFC, even if your personal story isn’t included. I bought 10 copies for my children and grandchildren and have also sold 31 books to friends and neighbors! Put a copy of your citation inside your book! This most prestigious award is presented only to the heroes of our country. People need to know what aviation veterans have achieved so that we may all live in freedom. We need the entire membership to help keep our lega- cy alive, not just for ourselves but for future generations who are interested in history in spite of what you hear and read. We can’t afford to let our legacy be forgotten – we fought too hard for it. Purchasing On Heroic Wings is a great tool to ensure this doesn’t happen.
Pleaseorderthebook(s)nowwhileyouarethinkingaboutit.Thankyouforyoursupportandyourservicetoourgreatcountry.
Page 7 The Distinguished Flying Cross News