Notable attendees included Marge Bong Drucker, widow of Dick Bong, our leading ace; Charles Martin, biographer of Tom McGuire, our second leading ace; Jack Ilfrey, raconteur and P-38 ace; PJ Dahl, retired general who flew slower planes in Vietnam than he did in WWII; John Loisel, retired general; and others. All held a moment of silence for the stroke-stricken Pete Madison, 475th FG and a founder of the P-38 National Association and for Joe Kuhn, a founder and past president of the Association.

Thursday morning was the history panel. Dick Willsie related being picked up by his rookie wingman after being shot down in eastern Europe. Chilli Childress talked about photo recon missions up to and after D-Day in Europe. PJ Dahl of the 475th FG had us howling about his experiences after being shot down and landing in water. Another man, a FG commander talked about large missions he had led. We heard from Jack Ilfrey about some of his exploits in the air (not much about on the ground). He also related that he had picked up a fellow P-51 pilot after that pilot had been shot down. Others spoke as well, though these stand out as more memorable.

During the history panel, Lee Northrop of the 475th FG museum and his crew rolled a full size P-38 cockpit replica into the lobby outside the history panel room. This fiberglass replica is essentially the entire gondola assembly of a P-38, from guns to the trailing edge, taken from molds of the P-38 currently residing at the P-38 Museum at March Field. It contains full cockpit instrumentation, seats, radios, etc. and will eventually have the full canopy as well. It will be painted in Tom McGuire's colors, and plans are for it to be towed to air shows around the country.

At the conclusion of the history panel, the people streamed out to be greeted by the P-38 cockpit. Reaction was predictably positive -- they were like kids seeing an old friend. Many could tell you everything about the cockpit, others were understandably hazy after 50+ years. Some just stared, being transporting back in time and space: To Italy? To North Africa? To New Guinea? I'd have to say this was the hit of the reunion.

Not much else on Thursday.

On Friday morning, buses took attendees fifty miles to March Field for the P-38 museum, the 475th FG Museum, and the Air Museum at March Field. Buses pulled onto the apron in front of the P-38 museum to be greeted by one of the few flyable P-38s sitting there gleaming in aluminum splendor. This plane was sold last year and may be leaving the P-38 museum soon, but it presided with dignity over the festivities: some flybys, a chance to look at the museums, lunch, etc.

Back at the hotel, squadron and group dinners took place Friday night.

Saturday saw the attendees bus over to the nearby Palm Springs Air Museum, where many flyable WWII planes are presented. The highlight of this day was a series of passes by Joltin' Josie from the Planes of Fame museum in Chino, CA. Once again, as with the cockpit replica, we saw 70+ year old men become young again. Steve Hinton, pilot of Joltin' Josie, handled her gently, nothing like Lefty Gardner did in his White Lightnin'. Still, it is a rare thing to see (and hear) a P-38 on the wing.

Saturday night was the big dinner, with speakers from nearby aviation museums. There has been a call for a new P-38 memorial, one which includes the names of all pilots killed in P-38s.

It was great to meet these men who saved the world. I found it interesting to note that some of them looked like they could jump into the cockpit today and fire it up, while others are much more feeble. Time affects each of us differently. But time will never diminish what these men did so many years ago.

--Michael Terry

--Cal Hart, 20th.FG

Click here for an article concerning the reunion

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