PRHA 2008 REUNION REPORT
Montgomery, Alabama 17-19 April, 2008
Once again, we return home from another great reunion, held
this time at the Drury Inn and Suites in Montgomery. We had the distinct
pleasure in welcoming several new members into the organization and their first
PRHA reunion. I received many comments about how much the members enjoyed their
time to rekindle the camaraderie they had with their fellow Pedro associates. I
get the impression that these reunions keep getting better as once again,
several members mentioned that "that this was the best one yet."
Our host, Len Schultz, did a superb job in putting this
entire event together. Some of us arrived a bit early in case last minute
problems arose, but that was unnecessary as Len had everything covered. Len was
to be found at the registration table passing out registration packets and
meeting the arriving members. The large hospitality room was well stocked with
all the necessities needed to facilitate a welcoming atmosphere for the PRHA
members, their spouses, and guests. Once again, many members brought their Pedro
mementoes for display and we all spent time looking through the photograph
albums, watching video presentations on laptops or just sitting around with old
and new friends discussing the past, present and future. That evening, we
had a catered BBQ buffet in the hotel which really hit the spot.
After breakfast Friday morning, we all climbed aboard two
old trolley-car-type busses which took us on a tour of the city of Montgomery
and Maxwell AFB. Several of our members had previously been stationed at
Maxwell, and they were quite active in discussing where "things used to
be" - things being the Rescue Detachment, Fire Station, etc. - now just
memories of days gone by.
After lunch at the Maxwell O-Club, we headed back to the
hotel for our business meeting, during which considerable time was spent
discussing the proposed PRHA memorial. There is wide support among the
membership for this memorial, and two members accepted the task of exploring the
possibility of placing the memorial at the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Hall at
Gunter AFB in Montgomery. The USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB is still
high on the list of proposals and other locations were also suggested: The
Rescue Museum at Kirtland AFB, NM; The Firefighter's Museum at Goodfellow AFB,
TX; and Hill, Scott and Sheppard AF Bases. As soon as this project comes
closer to actually happenings, we will get the specific information and
proposals out to the membership.
Saturday afternoon was spent touring the Enlisted Heritage
Hall and Museum which was, in my opinion, one of the best museums that I have
ever visited. That attitude was also expressed by many of the members on
the tour. One very moving display with the POW area wherein a cell was
constructed, typical of those where our POW's were held in North
Vietnam/Hanoi. Many of our ex-POW's who were held in those cells signed
the walls of this display.
Our formal banquet on Saturday evening was held at the
Maxwell Officers' Club. Prior to the meal being served, we had a solemn
ceremony for two of our members who "flew their last scramble" since
the last reunion. Additionally, our POW/MIA ceremony was especially moving
as one of our members, Fred Bergold, gave a short presentation, based upon his
experiences and study of POW/MIA history to the present time, before leading the
group in the ceremony. Then we ate.
Afte rdinner, our guest speaker for the evening was CMSgt.
Malcolm McVicar, Jr., the Director of the Air Force Enlisted Heritage Reserach
Institute (AFEHRI), Gunter AFB, Alabama. His inspiring words focused
upon "heritage" and how heritage affects our mission and our lives -
from our early history through to the future. He shared with us the 94
words of the Airman's Creed, which I have posted at the conclusion of this
report. These words coincide beautifully with those of the Code of The Air
Rescue Man. Chief McVicar's main thoughts focused upon how our past,
specifically that of the Rescue Community, has prepared our Air Force for
today's fight with the Global War on terrorism. The sacrifices made by our
men and women of our past have opened doors, created new ways of thinking, and
inspired the Airmen of today to perform in ways that the Air Force has never
before operated.
At the conclusion of the even, Len Shults was presented with
a PRHA Certificate of Appreciation for all of the hard work that he put into
making this event the success that it was.
The next PRHA reunion will be a joint reunion once
again with the Air Rescue Association (ARA) in 2009 - the location being
Philadelphia and the time, probably September. Our next official PRHA
reunion will be sometime in 2010, with the location as yet to be
determined. Several locations have been suggested - Tucson and Portland
being a couple of them. We need someone to act as host for this reunion,
so if you have a desire to host a reunion in your area, please contact one of
the board members. Guys, we need someone to pick this up.
For those of you who made this reunion, thanks for coming,
and I know that you had a great time. For those of you who missed this
one, you missed a memorable reunion. I look forward to the next reunion in
2009 with the ARA.
Sincerely,
John Christianson
President, PRHA
THE AIRMAN'S CREED
I AM AN AMERICAN AIRMAN. I AM A WARRIOR.
I HAVE ANSWERED MY NATION'S CALL
I AM AN AMERICAN AIRMAN. MY MISSION IS TO FLY, FIGHT
AND WIN.
I AM FAITHFUL TO A PROUD HERITAGE, A TRADITION OF HONOR,
AND A LEGACY OF VALOR
I AM AN AMERICAN AIRMAN, GUARDIAN OF FREEDOM AND JUSTICE,
MY NATION'S SWORD AND SHIELD, ITS SENTRY AND AVENGER.
I DEFEND MY COUNTRY WITH MY LIFE.
I AM AN AMERICAN AIRMAN: WINGMAN, LEADER, WARRIOR.
I WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AIRMAN BEHIND, I WILL NEVER FALTER,
AND I WILL NOT FAIL.
This Page Last Updated: May 29, 2008
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