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34th Tactical Fighter Squadron - Thud Era

Korat RTAFB, Thailand - May 1966 to May 1969
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Reunion 2019

The Final 34th TFS Thud Era Reunion
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the era's conclusion.

May 7 - 11, 2019 at Dayton, Ohio

2019 Group
 

Photo courtesy of Mark Revers

Reunion Photos

Mark Revers took many pictures at the reunion and has selected 148 to share. For some great memories please view his amazing slideshow.

Mark also made a PowerPoint presentation with captions which is located on Dropbox. Plus there is a pdf file version of his slideshow. It includes a copy of the Microsoft PowerPoint viewer for those that don't have the program or the viewer.

Larry Bogemann also took a lot of great pictures. These are shown in a One Drive album linked above (opens in a new tab).

Steve Falls not only took a ton of photos, but he also put them and a lot of additional reunion information on a thumb drive. This was mailed to Jack Phillips to make certain everything would be presented on this site.

The former 34th TFS at Hill AFB, Utah, is now named the 34th Fighter Squadron. They brought two F-35 aircraft and gave an overview of the current mission and activities. (PDF file opens in a new window.)

Planned Itinerary

 
    Tuesday, May 7

    Arrival & check in at:
    Holiday Inn Dayton/Fairborn I-675
    2800 Presidential Drive,
    Fairborn, OH 45324
    937 426-7800

    For those of you flying into the Dayton International Airport (DAY), you may arrange transportation from the airport to the Holiday Inn/Fairborn I-675 and any special needs you might have by visiting the Website: flydayton.com.

    For those of you arriving by way of personal vehicle, complementary parking is available at the hotel.

    Check-in time is 3:00 PM. Once you have checked in and are settled in your room, come to our 34th TFS Hospitality Room, located in the Glenn Boardroom, to register and pick up your welcome bags and name tags. On registration day, our hospitality room will be open from 10:00 AM to 11:30 PM so if you arrive prior to check-in time, come directly to our hospitality room. “34th TFS” signs will be posted to direct you to the room. Beverages and snacks will be available.

    Tuesday afternoon and evening will be free time. A list of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the hotel will be available in our Hospitality Room.

    During the week, our Hospitality Room will be open from 8:00 AM until 11:30 PM each day but closed when we are on tour.

    Wednesday, May 8

    7:30 AM – We will muster in the hotel lobby and shortly thereafter board our buses for a 7:45 AM departure to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The trip takes only fifteen-minutes so arrival at the museum should be 8:00 AM, one hour before regular opening time. The purpose for our early arrival is so that we will have private, uninterrupted time in the Southeast Asia War Gallery.

    The museum dates back to 1923, when the Engineering Division at Dayton's McCook Field first collected technical artifacts for preservation. In 1927, it moved to the then Wright Field in a laboratory building. In 1932, the collection was named the Army Aeronautical Museum and placed in a WPA building from 1935 until after World War II. In 1948, the collection remained private as the Air Force Technical Museum. In 1954, the museum became public and was housed in its first permanent facility, Building 89 at the former Patterson Field in Fairborn, which had been an engine overhaul hangar. Many of its aircraft were parked outside and exposed to the weather. It remained there until 1971, when the current facility opened. Not including its annex on Wright Field proper, the museum has more than tripled in square footage since 1971, with the addition of a second hangar in 1988, a third in 2003, and a fourth in 2016.

    The museum announced a new name for the facility in October 2004. The former name, United States Air Force Museum, changed to National Museum of the United States Air Force. The museum is a central component of the National Aviation Heritage Area.

    Upon arrival at the museum, we will go directly to the Southeast Asia War Gallery located in the East Wing of Hangar Two, specifically to F-105D 60-0504 (a Takhli Bird) and our 34th TFS Honor Roll Name Board & 100 Mission Scarf. Our official 2019 34th TFS Reunion group pictures will be taken in front of the Thud first so be sure not to dawdle on your way to the SEA War Gallery. In other areas of the Southeast Asia War Gallery, we will view other aircraft and exhibits that convey the U.S. Air Force's involvement in the conflict. Key air campaigns such as Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Linebacker I and II -- the latter of which applied enough pressure on North Vietnam to compel them to an eventual cease-fire -- are examples of significant operations featured in the Southeast Asia War section. The area displays aircraft such as a B-52D, which participated in Operation Linebacker I and II; workhorse fighters such as the F-4C flown by then-Col. Robin Olds and the F-105; and fighters flown against the Air Force by North Vietnam.

    Once we have completed our tour of the Southeast Asia War Gallery, for those of you who are not inclined to tour the museum on your own, guided tours are available where you will be divided into groups of between 20 & 30 and assigned a Docent who will guide your group through the various other galleries starting with the Early Years Gallery.

    Please indicate on the Reunion Registration Form which method of tour you prefer, “Docent Guided” or “Self-guided”, and the number that will be in your party. The Docent guided tours will follow the following sequence:

    The museum's Early Years Gallery located in the west wing of Hangar One, conveys the magic and wonder of the formative days of military air power. The gallery's aircraft collection, exhibits and artifacts combine to capture the spirit of imagination of that transformational era, chronicling the time from the Wright Brothers and their contemporaries, through World War I and to the lead up to World War II. This gallery is dedicated to pioneers of flight, especially the Wright Brothers, who conducted some of their experiments at nearby Huffman Prairie. A replica of the Wrights' 1909 Military Flyer is on display, as well as other Wright Brothers’ artifacts.

    From the Early Years Gallery, our Docents will lead us to the World War II Gallery located in the east wing of Hangar One. Harrowing and courageous moments are captured in the museum's World War II Gallery, which houses one of the world's top collections of WWII aircraft and a variety of engaging and evocative exhibits to tell the proud story of the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war. The gallery captures the pivotal moments, campaigns and figures of U.S. Army Air Forces' air power in both the Pacific and European Theaters.

    Following the World War II Gallery, we will proceed to the Korean War Gallery located in the west wing of Hangar Two. The Korean War Gallery contains aircraft and exhibits that tell the story of the U.S. Air Force's role and performance in that conflict. We will be able to immerse ourselves in a storyline that reflects the emergence of the modern Air Force as the service experienced significant changes in roles, tactics and technology during the war. The conflict's two most striking symbols of air power on both sides -- the F-86A Sabre and the MiG-15 -- are on display next to each other. Mannequins used in exhibits depict both everyday moments in the lives of airmen as well as historical images, such as the famous photo featuring pilots headed to the flight line as they walk under the MiG Alley sign.

    While at the museum, the Docent guided tour groups will take a lunch break from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (at your expense). During your free time, you may want to visit our 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron Memorial Bench located in the Museum’s Memorial Park west of the Early Years Gallery (west wing of Hangar One), Bench #46, Grid Location “SE”.

    Honor Bench

    3:30 PM: We will board the buses for a 3:45 PM departure and fifteen-minute ride back to the Holiday Inn arriving at 4:00 PM.

    6:25 PM: We will board the buses for a 6:40 PM departure and twenty-minute ride to Zemore’s Wine Cellar & Bistro and Penn’s Thai Grille, which are located adjacent to each other. The seating capacity of both restaurants is limited which is why the registration form asks for your preference and the preferences of those in your party. As registration forms are received, if one restaurant reaches its seating capacity before the other, subsequent registering diners will dine at the other restaurant – so register early!

    8:55 PM: We will board the buses for a 9:10 PM departure and twenty-minute ride back to the Holiday Inn.

    Upon our return, remember that our Hospitality Room will be open until 11:30 PM.

    Thursday, May 9

    8:20 AM: We will muster in the hotel lobby and shortly thereafter board our buses for an 8:35
    AM departure and a twenty five-minute ride to the Wright “B” Flyer Inc. Museum.

    Wright “B” Flyer Inc. is an all-volunteer, membership-based, not-for-profit corporation located on the
    Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport. We fly one Model B look-alike during the summer months, and our hangar doubles as a museum. Our Mission Statement is: To promote, through exhibition of Wright “B” Flyer lookalikes, public awareness of the Dayton, Ohio region, where the Wright Brothers lived, invented the airplane, and gave birth to modern aviation.
    The Brown Bird: The project to build No. 001, Brown Bird, was the genesis of Wright “B” Flyer Inc.
    In 1973, a number of air-minded individuals at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base decided to build a flyable lookalike of the Wright brothers’ first production aircraft. The project was launched in 1975. Research revealed that detailed construction drawings of the original Wright B Military Flyer did not exist, so the planners decided to use the non-flying, highly modified Model B in the Air Force Museum as a template. Important modifications to this airplane included ailerons instead of wing warping and a control wheel instead of the original control levers.
    Modern engineering and materials were used to design and build an airplane that would look like a Model B but meet modern airworthiness standards. The result was a robust aircraft with a steel structure and a modern aircraft engine. Its empty weight is 3,400 pounds., compared to the 1,400-pound loaded weight of the machine on which it’s based.

    At our 2008 Reunion, we visited the Wright “B” Flyer Inc. Museum and some of us took flight in the Brown Bird.

    11:25 AM: We will board our buses for a 11:40 AM departure and twenty-minute ride to the Carillon Brewing Company for lunch, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. The Buffet Menu will provide you with a choice of two entrées, Weiner Schnitzel or Herb Roasted Chicken, and will include Salad with Assorted Dressings, German Potato Salad and Succotash. Also included is a Complimentary Beverage Service, your choice of Iced Tea, Water and Coffee. Beer, Appetizers and Desserts will be at your expense. Please indicate on the Reunion Registration Form which entree you and the members of your party desire.

    History By the Pint
    Carillon Brewing Co. offers visitors a glimpse into 1850s-era Dayton through the authentically prepared food and drink of the times. It is the nation’s only production brewery in a museum, and the only U.S. brewery replicating the historic brewing process.

    Gas copper lamps light the walkway outside Carillon Brewing Co., and beyond the large white oak corridor doors—sash-sawn in period fashion with hand-forged hinges and handles—the smell of charcoal and wood fire fills the air. On a brick furnace 14 feet above a bustling crowd, costumed interpreters draw water from a handmade copper kettle before beginning the process of mashing and lautering.

    Nearby, malt is milled by hand; oven-fresh spent grain bread is baked; a volunteer mends his trousers with thread and needle; a growler of ale is filled; and a costumed wait-staff presents Wiener schnitzel, herb-roasted split chicken, and more. The historical German, Irish, and English offerings are in homage to Dayton’s early settlers.

    American Oak barrels line the lower floor of Carillon Brewing Co., each one capped by an artful and educational panel detailing the history and science of brewing. In sourcing city directories, canal records, farmers’ reports, and the like, Carillon Historical Park carefully analyzed the influences of breweries on the city’s evolution during the latter half of the 1800s.

    Ours is a story of a developing Midwestern city in a growing nation. It’s a tale that spans agriculture, industry, science, immigration, civilization, progress, culture and more. And all of it is told through beer and food.

    1:00 PM: Following lunch and beer at the Brewing Company, we will tour the Carillon Historical Park.

    Carillon Historical Park owes its existence to the generosity of Colonel Edward Andrew Deeds (1874–1960) and Edith Walton Deeds (1869–1947). In the 1930s, while traveling in Bruges, Belgium, Edith, an accomplished musician, found inspiration in magnificent carillon music, and she dreamed of sharing this music with the people of Dayton. Edith’s dream became reality through the construction of Deeds Carillon—her most visible legacy to the community she loved.

    A renowned engineer, inventor, and industrialist, Colonel Deeds was a close friend and colleague of fellow Dayton luminaries Charles Kettering, John H. Patterson, and Orville Wright. Colonel Deeds co- founded Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (DELCO), the Dayton-Wright Airplane Company, and the Engineers Club of Dayton, and served as the third CEO of National Cash Register (NCR).

    After the Great 1913 Flood (Ohio’s worst natural disaster) decimated the Dayton region, Deeds organized the Miami Conservancy District; the MCD constructed an unprecedented dam system, thereby protecting our community from future floods. Colonel Deeds served the U.S. Army as Chief of Aircraft Procurement; under his direction, the world-famous Liberty Engine was designed and produced. And at NCR, Colonel Deeds was instrumental in bringing the company into the 20th century.

    In 1950, Carillon Historical Park’s museum complex opened with the purpose of showcasing the region’s industrial innovations, transportation achievements, and Dayton’s contributions to world progress. Since construction first began on Deeds Carillon in 1940, the dreams of Edith and Edward Deeds have evolved into a beautiful 65-acre campus—designed by the Olmsted Brothers (the famed landscape architects responsible for Central Park)—containing dozens of museum buildings and countless artifacts. The Dayton region’s remarkable story continues to inspire visitors from around the world.

    3:20 PM: We will board the buses for a 3:35 PM departure and twenty-five-minute ride back to the Holiday Inn arriving at 4:00 PM.

    Thursday evening will be free time. Remember that a list of restaurants and shops within walking distance of the hotel will be available in our Hospitality Room.

    Friday, May 10

    8:30 AM: We will muster in the hotel lobby and shortly thereafter board our buses for an 8:45
    AM departure and a fifteen-minute ride to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, our second visit. The Docent guided tours will be per Museum Docent Schedule and resume at the Cold War Gallery located Hangar Three, again in groups of between 20 & 30, this time intermingled with the general public.

    The Eugene W. Kettering Cold War Gallery features aircraft that span the years of the Cold War and reveal how technological achievements of the era led to the advanced systems being applied in modern combat. The gallery's aircraft collection presents a broad range of platforms, such as fighters, long-range bombers, attack aircraft, reconnaissance, heavy airlift and trainers. Modern aircraft on display include the world's only permanent public display of a B-2 stealth bomber.

    Following the Cold War Gallery, our groups will proceed to the Missile Gallery which is located between Hangars Three & Four. Opened to the public in 2004, the Missile Gallery is contained in a silo-like structure that stands 140 feet high. Visitors can view missiles such as the Titan I & II and Jupiter from ground level or can take in an aerial view from an elevated platform that hugs the inside circumference of the gallery.

    From the Missile Gallery, we will enter Hangar Four in which is located the Space Gallery, the Research & Development Gallery, and the Presidential Gallery.

    The Allan and Malcolm Lockheed and Glenn Martin Space Gallery showcases the Space Shuttle Exhibit featuring NASA’s first Crew Compartment Trainer (CCT-1), a high-fidelity representation of a space shuttle crew station used primarily for on-orbit crew training and engineering evaluations. As a major exhibit component of that gallery, visitors will be able to walk onto a full- size representation of a NASA space shuttle payload bay and look inside the CCT-1 cockpit and mid-deck areas. The gallery also includes a Titan IVB space launch vehicle, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft, and many other NASA artifacts and a variety of astronaut equipment. A range of satellites and related items showcase the Air Force’s vast reconnaissance, early warning, communications and other space- based capabilities.

    The Maj. Gen. Albert Boyd and Maj. Gen. Fred Ascani Research and Development Gallery offers visitors the opportunity to view the world’s only remaining XB-70 and other aerospace vehicles. The exotic XB-70 could fly three times the speed of sound and was used as a research aircraft for the advanced study of aerodynamics, propulsion and other subjects. Research and development aerospace vehicles represent advances in technological problem solving and will increase the museum’s opportunities to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) themes and principles.

    The William E. Boeing Presidential Gallery gives visitors the opportunity to view an historic collection of presidential aircraft, and walk through four of them, including aircraft used by Presidents Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower as well as the Boeing VC-137C also known as SAM (Special Air Mission) 26000, which was used by eight presidents -- Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton -- in addition to carrying heads of state, diplomats and other dignitaries and officials, on many historic journeys.

    On November 22, 1963, after landing President Kennedy and the First Lady at Dallas' Love Field, SAM 26000 was the backdrop to live broadcasts of the Kennedys greeting well-wishers. Later that day, after Kennedy's assassination made Vice President Lyndon Johnson the new president, SAM 26000 carried the Johnsons, Jacqueline Kennedy, and John Kennedy's body back to Washington.

    3:30 PM: We will board the buses for a 3:45 PM departure and fifteen-minute ride back to the Holiday Inn arriving at 4:00 PM.

    6:00 PM: Our 2019 Reunion Banquet will be in the Challenger/Discovery Room. A “Cash Bar” will open at 6:00 PM. A professional photographer will be available to take group pictures. The banquet pre-dinner program will begin at 7:00 PM, beginning with he Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag and followed by the Invocation; Missing Man Ceremony; welcoming remarks; and introduction of family members & guests. Dress code will be coat & tie.

    Our sit-down Banquet Dinner will include two entrées, Seared Salmon Filet and Chicken Roulade, a Market Garden Salad, Roasted Yukon Potatoes, and Chocolate Torte for dessert. Beverages include: Ice Water and a Full Coffee and Tea Service with Sugar and Flavored Creamers. Please indicate on the Reunion Registration Form which entree you prefer and the preferences of those in your party.

    Following dinner, our banquet program will resume with the introduction of our Guest Speaker, Timothy R. Gaffney, who is the author of The Dayton Flight Factory, The Wright Brothers & the Birth of Aviation, and is the Director of Communications for the National Aviation Heritage Alliance (NAHA). NAHA is a private, not-for-profit corporation designated by Congress as the management entity of the National Aviation Heritage Area of which the museum is a central component.

    Following Mr. Gaffney’s talk, our deceased Members names who have passed since the last reading will be read from our 34th TFS Memorial Journal.

    Our Memorial Journal will then be presented to a representative of the 34th Fighter Squadron, Hill AFB, UT, for inclusion in their 34th TFS Heritage Collection alongside our 100 Mission Scarf Replica which was presented to the Squadron at our 2006 Reunion.

    Volunteer toasts and farewell remarks & announcements will conclude our evening festivities.

    Following our reunion banquet, our Hospitality Room will be open until 12:00 midnight for final reminiscences & goodbyes.

    Saturday, May 11

    Departure: Before your checking out and departure, remember that breakfast is served in the
    Holiday Inn’s The Wright Place beginning at 6:00 AM. Check Out is 12:00 PM.

    Thanks for the memories! Have a safe trip home.

In Remembrance Of Those Who Served!

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