Page 2 - DFCS News Magazine Spring 2013

The world and the United States sonal donation of “On Heroic Wings” to the cadets and they were
very appreciative.
The following museums sell the book:
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
We are also very close to having the books carried in the following Museums:
San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego, CA
USS Midway Museum, San Diego, CA
Pacific Aviation Museum, Pearl Harbor, HI
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, DC National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA
Your help in contacting local aviation/military museums would be greatly appreciated. Show the book and ask them to sell it in their gift shop. If they have any questions, I would be pleased to speak with them. They can contact me directly or I can call them, if you send their contact info to me.
I believe it is imperative that we keep our legacy alive for future generations. We can’t afford to let it go unnoticed. We fought too hard for it. Please do what you can to get our legacy out to the peo- ple. Don’t let our history die with us. Our Society is becoming more well known, but it is a slow progression. The book is only one way. We find new members through our website, but personal interac- tion remains the greatest mode of recruiting. In my experience, I have found wearing the DFCS shirt and hat at air shows, veteran’s events and around town opens up a dialog.
Submitting articles to your local or base newspapers, magazines, squadrons, bomb groups is another venue of getting our name and mission out there. We have several great articles you could use. Simply send me the contact information. Take DFCS Membership Application Forms with you when you attend events, reunions, and conventions. If you need applications, contact the National Head- quarters at DFC Society.
We have listed the four Scholarship Fund winners for 2012 in this issue with their pictures and a short biography. There were several others who were deserving of a scholarship, but the lack of funding made it impossible to award everyone. Our scholarship program is funded completely by your donations, as well as the Book Fund and Operating Fund. It is possible this is the last year your charitable donations will be deductible.
On a final note, please take notice of our new mailing address: DFCS, PO Box 502408, San Diego, CA 92150
Thank you for your support. Chuck Sweeney
President & CEO
tance again.
are rapidly changing and, in these perilous and hectic times, we have to do everything in our power to support all branches of the United States Mili- tary. I would like to thank everyone for your help in sending messages to your Senators and Representative about the precedence of the new Dis- tinguished Warfare Medal. We won the first skirmish as the medal has been dropped but the battle may not be over as they are discussing using a new device on existing medals. The same issue of precedence may come back and we might need your assis-
The DFC Book, “On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Distinguished Flying Cross”, is beautiful and very compelling. Everyone who reads the book is immediately engaged and are pleasantly surprised to find the price is only $39.95. Comparable books cost much more. The purpose of this project is to educate the general public about the Distinguished Flying Cross and the ways in which DFC recipients impacted the course of American history. We worked hard to keep the price down and the quality up; judging by the numerous compli- ments received, we were successful. I would like to personally thank the many members and friends whose magnificent support allowed us to publish the book.
After working long and diligently creating this book, it is disap- pointing for us to see less than one third of our members have pur- chased this book. I have been thinking of ways to entice our mem- bership to purchase it and with Father’s Day coming up, I remem- bered one specific celebration with my four children. Instead of giving me a gift, they wanted me to give them a gift. They requested I take them and my grandchildren on a personal tour of the USS Midway Museum and describe what it was like to operate in combat off an aircraft carrier. It was a memorable and heartwarming expe- rience for all of us. Most combat veterans and heroes do not talk openly about their war experiences and, based on numerous heart- wrenching emails from children and grandchildren of deceased DFC recipients, we realize they want to know. It is my hope you will take one the following ideas to open a dialog with your loved ones:
#1) Purchase copies of the book for your family members and friends. Place a copy of your citation(s) in the book. If you don’t have your original citation, write a detailed account of what you did to be awarded a DFC. This is not being a braggart. Your loved ones want and deserve to know the part you played in our history. This will allow them to understand a little better what you were doing to defend this great country and will also show your loved ones what the DFC Society is all about.
#2)An alternative to #1 is to ask your children and grandchildren to buy copies of the book for themselves and read the stories told by the people who were there and earned this most prestigious award. The idea is that if they invest their money in the book, they are more likely to read it than if they receive it as a gift.
The goal of the DFC Society is to educate the general public and future generations of the history of the DFC and its recipients. We have a legacy of honor and devotion to duty, and this book honors that legacy. There is a story in this issue about how a new member publicized the Society by donating the book to his local library. We are hoping that some of you will follow his lead. The book would also be a nice donation for ROTC and JROTC units as well. I was invited recently to speak at a dining in of the San Diego State Uni- versity AFROTC Det 075 and took that opportunity to make a per-
Spring 2013 Issue Page 2