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 .: Reunions
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REUNION 2004
April 23-24
Posted: 04MAY2004
We had another great reunion that was well attended. Kudos and thanks are due to Nick Mulich and Ray Chute for all of their hard work and attention to details that made it such a great event. All who attended owe them their gratitude. The host hotel, food and refreshments were outstanding.
The visit to the VP-5 squadron at NAS Jacksonville, Florida on Friday was again a highlight of the reunion. The squadron officers and men made us very welcome and the event a memorable one. Some things never change much, like the food at the navy mess hall, which also brought back fond old memories. We toured the squadron hangar and offices, a squadron P-3 aircraft, and the P-3 aircraft trainer facility. Many had the opportunity to "fly" the trainer. It was so realistic, right down to the noise, vibration, and "G" force of flying an aircraft.
I very much enjoyed talking with former VP-5 pilot Dave Amidon and his wife Janice and many other new attendees. Also, Mrs. Ruth (Kozak) Jacob, the widow of CDR Kozak, and two of their children attended. What a wonderful person she is, and her daughter Patty and son Mike as well. The camaraderie and reminiscing with both old and new friends was the best part of the reunion, as always.
Interviews were taped of some attendees who had personal connections to the crew of LA-9. Parts of these interviews are posted on the web site of Jeff Redding, who made them for a documentary he is working on. You can view photo's and hear them at the url sites: http://www.ColdWarHeroes.com or the page: http://www.wtmy.com/manasota/vp/roster.html
The guest speakers at the reunion banquet were Major Jean P. Cole (retired) and Chief Petty Officer John Bastien (retired) who were both members of the 15 man all-volunteer recovery team to the LA-9 crash site in 1966. Jean Cole was the team leader and a Marine Captain rank (Lt. in the navy rank) at the time. John Bastien was a 1st class P.O., hospital corpsman, assigned to the NAS Keflavik, Iceland Hospital in 1966. You could have heard a pin drop in the banquet room during their talks. The audience was riveted to what they were saying about the ' 66 recovery mission. We were enlightened to hear the conditions encountered and why all of the men were not recovered. It was the first time I realized that they did not know how many were recovered prior to their departure from the glacier. They recovered all they could find in the amount of time they were allotted for the mission and under very adverse conditions. They did the best anyone could do, and I commend them for their accomplishment. They followed their orders to the best of their ability. Both John Bastien and Jean Cole traveled at their own expense to address our Reunion, and I deeply appreciate and thank them.
I am sorry to report there is nothing new to report on our effort to get the navy to mount a second full recovery mission to the LA-9 crash site. All they do is delay making any decision one way or the other. The Chief of Naval Personnel was supposed to have briefed the CNO on the LA-9 case on February 26th, then again on April 26th. Both briefings were aborted, for reasons unknown. Keep writing and calling your congress members for information on the recovery progress, please.
Best regards,
Bob Pettway
rpettway@centurytel.net
Audio Clips and Pictures
Contributed by Jeff Redding
http://www.ColdWarHeroes.com
http://www.wtmy.com/manasota/vp/roster.html
"...Photos and audio clips of the men who flew with the crew lost in January 1962 (SEE: In Memorial for lost friends...12JAN62) recorded at the 2004 VP-5 Reunion. You may need to turn the sound up or down on your computer. I will soon edit the video tape from the reunion and make it available to everyone...Jeff Redding http://www.wtmy.com/manasota/vp/roster.html..."
Mrs. Gaila Pettway reads "The Reunion"
by Rachel Firth
(Clip Does Not Include Entire Poem)
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MP3 Sound
File 233KB |
Please listen to the veterans who flew with our lost Cold War Heroes
Photos by Don Latimer
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Bob Hurst's
Wedding Reception
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Norman Russell And
Fiancee Bonnie Williamson
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Bob Hurst
Claude Hale
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MP3 Sound
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Bob Hurst And
Bride Phylis (Phillips)
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Bob Hurst And
Claude Wearing
Spanish Style Gats
In Rota, Spain
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Hurst, Anderson,
And Russell
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MP3 Sound
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MP3 Sound
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MP3 Sound
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Norman Russell And
Friend Grover
New Years Eve Party
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New Years Eve Party
Rota, Spain
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Norman Russell's And
Bob Hurst's
Tombstones
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MP3 Sound
File: 54KB |
MP3 Sound
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MP3 Sound
File: 159KB |
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"VP-5 2004 Reunion Summary Page"
© Copyrighted 1998 - 2010 VP-5 Alumni Association - All Rights Reserved.
Last Updated 04MAY2004
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