2010 36th FBS Reunion

 

A great time was had by all at the 36th FBS Reunion

  held in Peoria, AZ., Saturday, 13 November, 2010.

 

Korean War Veteran 36th FBS Flying Fiends in attendance were:

Col. John Mayers USAF (Ret.) (Service in Korea and Vietnam)

 Maj. Charles "Chuck" Wilson USAFR (Ret.) (Service in WWII & Korea) and his lovely wife Sally

Dr. Kermit Keeley

Mr. Fick Henderson, his lovely wife Jan and her lovely daughter Denise

Mr. Bert Mori, his lovely wife Fumi, their lovely daughter Kristina Mori-Okamura, Kristina's husband Dean Okamura and their two great boys Duke and Kimo Okamura

Mr. Fred deGanna and his lovely wife Peggy

Also attending the formal evening reunion dinner were: USAF Vietnam Veteran Mr. Mike Warriner and his lovely wife Debbie Warriner. Mike is a good friend, co-worker and car-pool buddy of mine and ..., a very good amateur, hobbyist photographer. Mike graciously agreed to be on hand at my house ALL day to take pictures of our little soirée. This freed me up to try to make digital video and audio recordings of the events. When it was all said and done, we collectively recorded lots of still photos, digital audio, and digital video. Eventually, I will process all of the digital photography, video, and audio and make a complete DVD of the event.

Reunion chronological order of events:

Kerm Keeley arrived on Veteran's Day, Thursday 11 Nov. 2010. I picked Kerm up at the airport and circumstances and logistics allowed for me to put Kerm up in a spare room at my house. Kerm and I had a good visit Thursday evening before turning in to get ready for the pre-reunion events; i.e., getting everything ready on Friday 12 Nov. 2010, in preparation for the formal reunion events on Saturday 13 Nov. 2010.

 

Kristina Mori-Okamura emailed on Thursday 11 Nov. 2010 to announce that the Mori's had arrived in Peoria and settled into the Hampton Inn, site of the formal reunion dinner on Sat. 13 Nov. 2010.

 

Mr. Bert Mori, his lovely wife Fumi, their lovely daughter Kristina, Kristina's husband Dean Okamura and their two great boys Duke and Kimo arrived at Mike's house around noon on Friday 12 Nov. 2010 to reunite Bert with fellow 36th FBS "Mike Flight" pilots Kerm Keeley and a little later that afternoon, Fick Henderson. It had been 57 years since Bert had last seen Kerm and Fick!  What a great "re-acquainting" it was!

 

Mr. Fred deGanna and his lovely wife Peggy arrived at Phoenix Skyharbor Airport on schedule at approx. 1:00 P.M. on Friday, 12 Nov. 2010. My dear friend Fick Henderson was on hand to collect the deGanna's, get them settled into the Hampton Inn Peoria, and then transport them to my house for an informal "pre-luncheon, luncheon." Fred joined me among the 'enlisted ranks' in attendance (I was an Aviation Fire Control/Electronics Tech in the Navy '80-'89) at the reunion. Fred was crew chief for Jack Mitchell's F-80C, Tail Number: FT-866, named "Sweet Carol Ann," and Torr Harmer's F-86F, Tail Number: FU-397 named "C'est Dommage" (Translated - "It's: a shame, a pity, too bad," or "That's: a shame, a pity, too bad"). Jack Mitchell makes his home in AL. these days and Lt. Col. Torr Harmer USAF (Ret.)resides in Maine. Fred stays in touch with both of these gentlemen from time to time. How wonderful to still have that association with both of these gents after all of these years!

 

So, by around 3:00 P.M. on Friday the 12th, we had Kerm, Bert, Fumi, Kristina, Dean, Duke, Kimo, Fred, Peggy, Fick, and I enjoying one another's company at our little informal "pre-luncheon, luncheon." As stated earlier, Bert, Fick, and Kerm were all in the same flight ("Mike Flight") together and after 57 years, Fred got to meet and visit with some of the pilots he no doubt helped to strap themselves into their F-86 fighter aircraft in Korea in 1953. During the course of the afternoon, I was very excited to receive phone calls from 36th FBS Pilots Johnny Mayers and Chuck Wilson letting me know that they had arrived in the area. After a bit of chatting and listening to some great stories, Dean, Kristina, and the boys took the pontoon boat for a spin around the lake.

 

 

(Hover mouse over thumbnail picture for caption. Click on thumbnail picture to enlarge)

 Scene of the fun! Mike's house in Peoria, AZ.Kerm is a big-time animal lover and it did not take long for him to warm up to "Gonzo" and "Lilly," and they to him.Kerm's Korean War Service Medal awarded in 2000 by USPS Mail, 50 years after the start of the Korean War in 1950. 11-12-10. The Mori's daughter Tina (Kristina), her husband Dean, and their boys Duke and Kimo take the pontoon boat for a spin on the lake.

At about 4:00 PM, the ladies decided to return to the Hampton Inn, leaving the "Tigers" of the 36th FBS behind to engage in some "embellished" story telling. :) Dean and Kristina dropped Fumi Mori and Peggy deGanna off at the hotel and then took the boys Duke and Kimo to see some Major and Minor Leauge Pro Baseball players play a "Fall Ball" game just across the highway at the Padres / Mariners Spring Training Facility.

 

About 6:00 P.M., after some great story telling, Fick headed home to Scottsdale to help Jan and Denise prepare for the next day's big reunion luncheon. Kerm and I drove Bert and Fred back to the Hampton Inn so they could take their wives to dinner. Kerm and I still had grocery shopping and cooking to do. I told Kerm that I was going to make some meatballs. Kerm told me that he has a reputation for making some pretty tasty meatballs so we decided that we'd each make a batch. And so we shopped, prepped and rolled meatballs, baked them and then put them away for the "big day."

 

Click the link below to see pics and stories of the "Big Day."

 

Saturday, 13 Nov. 2010

"The Big Day Arrives"

 

 

 

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