Page 2 - DFCS News Magazine Summer 2013

Summer 2013 Issue Page 2
The Board of Directors works hard I still believe the best recruiters for the DFC Society are our mem-
to honor the mission of our Socie- ty, and one of the biggest goals is to educate the general public about the Distinguished Flying Cross and the ways in which DFC recipients impact- ed the course of American history. We published “On Heroic Wings: Stories of the Distinguished Flying Cross”, a beau- tiful and compelling book. We wanted to keep the price down ($39.95) and the quality high. Feedback from peo- ple who bought the book is very posi- tive, but sales to our own members are still low.
In our continuing efforts to educate the public (and boost book sales), we are negotiating a contract
with “45 North Productions, Inc.” to produce a one-hour TV docu- mentary on the Distinguished Flying Cross. This news magazine has an article by Bill Bradfield, Chairman of the Board, with more details on this project, as well as our discussions with the Medal of Honor Foundation and the Jimmy Doolittle Foundation.
Chapters are the backbone of our organization, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the dedicated officers, mem- bers, and associates who give their time and experience to the Soci- ety. Several members are working on establishing new chapters and, thanks to Director, Joe Geary, and member, Rick Graham, the North Texas Chapter has been revived. In addition, lifetime mem- ber, Glenn Scott, has activated a new chapter, the Warhawk Air Mu- seum Chapter, in Nampa, Idaho. Of course, there is always more work to be done, and we can always use more hands. Please con- sider stepping up to the plate to help keep this a viable organiza- tion.
The editor of this great news magazine, Michael O’Neil, does an outstanding job, and he is always looking for personal stories. We are looking for the background story of your DFC – the story of what you were doing, how you were feeling, what you experiencing personally on that day or during those battles. The DFC citations give only the basic facts of the action(s) to meet requirements for the DFC medal, but we want to hear the real story in your own words.
We are always looking for ways to increase publicity of our Society. Since many of you belong to other organizations, why not write a story for them describing why you were awarded a DFC . You could increase the publicity of our Society by mentioning it in your story. I have talked to six groups in the past year, recruited a few mem- bers and sold several books.
REMEMBER THESE DATES IN 2014 - September 21-25, 2014. MARK YOU CALENDARS!
EVENT: DFCS 2014 CONVENTION
LOCATION: Sheraton Sand Key Resort, Clearwater Beach, Florida. More details in future news magazine.
I wrote an article in this issue about a long-time member of the DFC Society who strongly supports the scholarship program. In the same article, is the story of one of our scholarship winners. We award several scholarships to deserving students each year, but there are always more deserving students than available funds. You could help immensely by donating to the Scholarship Fund. Donations to the Book Fund and/or the Operating Fund are also greatly appreciated. You might consider donating this year, as Con- gress may reduce or even delete charitable deductions in the near future.
bers. Recruit members by talking or writing to your former squad- ron mates who were awarded a DFC. Wear your DFCS shirt and hat at air shows, parades, and other veteran functions. You will be sur- prised how many people will come up and start talking to you. They may have been awarded a DFC or have a close friend or rela- tive who was awarded a DFC. Carry a business card to pass on in- formation about the Society.
Thank you all for being members and especially for your support. Chuck Sweeney
President & CEO
T
he Wilbur Wright Nation’s Capital Region Chapter met in
Crystal City, VA where chapter officers were re-elected. After the meeting we went to the Lockheed Martin office where member, Eric Richstein, had arranged a briefing on the F-22 and F-35 air- craft. All of us were impressed with the performance and capabili- ties of the new fighters. We each had an opportunity to fly the sim- ulators maintained in the office. While most of us brave eagles of the air embarrassed ourselves in the simulator, two stars emerged. Chapter Vice President, Ron Dean (pictured), was the top gun with three MIG kills and member, Andy Veronis’, non-aviator friend, Stephanie Lowe, showed us all how to land on a carrier.