For reunion information see the reunion information page. 

     A BIG Mahalo to all of you who contributed so generously to the plaque fund, especially BG (Ret) Jim Grant, whose generosity put us over the top ($2,103 plaque donations).  So far we have had 46 members pay their dues, for those of you who have not yet paid, and are not in an economic squeeze, we are still accepting dues payments ($10) and additional donations to the Association Fund, make your check out to the 548 RTG Assoc and mail it to 548 RTG Assoc, PO Box 7549, Kapolei HI 96707; you can also pay using Paypal (personal gift) to webmaster@548rtg.org.  If you do not pay, you will remain a member of the Association, times are tough.

     I will be ordering the plaque soon.  I had one member make a suggestion for a change in the wording to being more solely the 548^th RTG, but from the comments I received, most like having it represent all of the units in our lineage, so I will leave it more or less as is.  I did take the “th” off the units, thanks Mary, turned the P-38 around so everyone is flying to the center, and took the sensor pods off the wings of the U-2 (TR-1).  Here is the semi-final draft for any last comments.

                                   
Plaque Update 18 January 2012
548th Alumni
 
As of my 548th mail box check yesterday, we have received 21 payments of dues and donations for the plaque.  The plaque fund is now at $615, a good start, but a long way from the $2000 price of the plaque, so please respond, it is only two trips to McDonalds.  A big thanks to those of you who gave extra for the plaque, it really helped.  I had one input on what should go on the plaque (U-2, SR-71, and Satellite), so I have come up with a draft plaque for your comments (yes, that is a KH-9 bird).  Due to space limitations, I could not include all of the Pacific Recce Techs (12RITS, WW-II units, and probably others), so I kept it to ones that are part of the 548th lineage and used the word "these".  I included the 67th RTS, since many of our people came from the 67th in 1971 and they were an important Pacific RT.  We are limited to 9 lines with the graphics and 7-10 words per line, so I had to cut down from my orignal draft, it is now at the maximun length for the longest line.  Please send me your suggestions for changes.

 
Mahalo
 
Bill


                                                   548th Assocation
                                              Update January 2012

Subject:  548th RTG Update, Dues and Donation for Plaque

 I will be determining the costs of the reunion later this month from the Officers Club and Hale Koa, as of now, there are no changes since the last update.

 The New Year is here and it is time to collect dues from our members.  As decided at our Dayton Reunion, the dues are $10 a year.  If for some reason you are unable to pay your dues, you will remain on our roster of members and still be considered a member.

 I also solicit your support for a 548thRTG/RTS/6th PTS plaque at the Atterbury Circle Memorial at Hickam.  We will dedicate the plaque during our reunion in June.  The cost of the plaque is $2,000, with 250 members, I am asking each of you to consider contributing at least $10 toward the plaque, any extra money collected will go into the 548th fund.  The following are Col Larry Benson’s comments on the plaque:  “Wanted you to know that I fully support the memorial wall and will be willing to help out to make sure it happens. I presume the wall is named after Ed Atterbury, Vietnam POW who was killed after an escape attempt. Ed was the pilot in the RF-4 out of Udorn in Aug 67 that unfortunately became one of the most famous photos of the war as it took a direct SA-2 hit over Hanoi. I knew him as did Art Biedler and a couple of our other members. To me it makes it seem even more appropriate to have the RTG/RTS memorialized in an exhibit named after a recce pilot.”

 Please send your dues payment ($10) and, is you wish to donate, your plaque donation ($10 or more) to our snail mail address:

548th RTG Assoc
PO Box 75549
Kapolei HI 96707

Or you can make your payment by PAYPAL to our account webmaster@548rtg.org .

 I will assume the first $10 of any payment is for dues, unless otherwise stated.

 We also need artists and silver tongue individuals to come up with the design and wording for the plaque, below are the guidlines and examples of plaques already on the memorial.  Please email us your design and/or wording.  I will put the designs out to the members at the end of January for a vote.

Memorial Walls at Atterbury Memorial Park, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii are positioned in four locations around the perimeter of the Heritage Pathway. Not only part of a base beautification project, the Memorial Walls pay tribute to organizations past and present. Purchasing a plaque for the memorial wall is the perfect way to leave your unit’s legacy or to memorialize a unit that has served in the Pacific theater with direct ties to Air Force air & space power.

• Each bronze plaque is 8 ½ x 10 ½, 5/8 inches thick; letters are raised Gothic font
• Plaques will be mounted long edge parallel to ground on polished marble veneer walls (4 memorial walls total at Atterbury Circle )
• Inscriptions can be up to 18 lines without graphics, or up to 9 lines with graphics. Each line can have approximately 7 – 10 words per line. Note: Blank lines are used toward total line count.
• Plaques are available with a plain or flag background
• For adjacent plaques, submit orders together.

Plaques already installed at Atterbury Circle:

Plaques are available with a plain or flag background - sample plaque pictures

Plaque (plain background) - $2,000

Plaque (flag background) - $2,500

Update for July 2011

When:  June 28-30, 2012

Where:  Hale Koa Hotel, Hawaii

Hotel Reservations:  1-800-367-6027, specify it is

for the “548^th Reconnaissance Technical Group Reunion”

     I have been waiting to send out an update until the Hale Koa got back to me confirming our block of 45 rooms for the reunion, they have now confirmed the rooms.  All of the rooms are partial ocean view.  When you call for a reservation say it is for the “548^th Reconnaissance Technical Group Reunion”.  Reservations must be made at least 60 days prior to the reunion, April 26^th, 2012, after that time, any unreserved rooms go back to the hotel.

      I have also made a reservation for the banquet on the Hickam Officers Club lanai on Saturday and have submitted a request for the PACAF Band and Honor Guard for the banquet.  We must have at least 100 attending the banquet in order to have the lanai, otherwise, they will move us to inside the club.  Friday will be golf, independent tours, or a day in the sun at Bellows and Friday evening we will have a cook out (and probably business meeting) at Foster Point, by Hickam Harbor.  Thursday night I have a hospitality room reserved at the Hale Koa, which includes food and a pay as you go bar (food and bar are hotel requirements).  I won’t have the actual costs of the reunion until January, both the O’Club and Hale Koa will have price changes, once I get the costs, we can start to collect money for the reunion.

    Starting in February, in addition to collecting for the reunion, we will also request $10 association membership dues (voluntary) from all members.  Along with the dues, we will be asking for an additional $10 (or more) donation for a 548^th RTG/RTS and 6^th PTS plaque on the Memorial Walls in the Atterbury Memorial Park (where the flag pole is in front of the Wing HQ, across from the PACAF building).  The cost of the plaque is $2,000, if we can get about 2/3 of the members to donate, we can pay for it.  We would unveil the plaque in conjunction with our reunion tour of Hangar Three (Inside building still tentative) and the PACAF HQ area (lots of new information signs), probably on Saturday.  Info on the plaque is as follows; suggestions as to what to put on the plaque are welcome and we will send out the proposed design(s) for members to comment/vote on:

 

New members since last update:

 
 
Aloha
 
Bill

Monthly Update for January 2011

Jim Grant

You are all cordially invited to a get together at 7213 Laketree Drive, Fairfax Station, VA 22039 on Saturday, 29 January, at 6:00 PM. Informal or Casual dress.

Just bring your sparkling personalities and your war stories. I'll take care of the rest.

Let's discuss how best to get the word out.

I would like to get a fairly accurate count NLT Tues, 25 Jan of those planning to attend.

Questions, suggestions, comments solicited...

Jim

jgrant@zeltech.com
703-912-6515

Wish I could be there  Bill

In other news, I have tentatively set the dates for our reunion in Hawaii for June 28-30th, 2012, subject to hotel availability.  Will run Recce later this week or next week on hotels, with the Hale Koa being the #1 choice and another hotel in the same area for the non-retiree's, if they can not stay at the Hale Koa, which I think is the case.  

We continue to get new members as people stumble upon our website and by word of mouth; the latest member, Dan Daniels lives next door to Josh's (My Grandson) other grandparents, Josh has know him for years as Uncle Dan, then last weekend, Dan saw Josh wearing his Wright-Patterson T-shirt and asked him about it, small world.  New members in the last two months are:

Name	Time at 548th	Where Worked	Ending Rank	Spouse
Donald Cooper	09/54-08/56	Photo Lab, Operations	A1C (3 stripes)
Nick Scohera	1982-1985	DOT	SSGT	Rita
Kelly Tellez (McBride)	01/01/1989 -	Exploitation	SSgt	Mark Tellez
Don Hall	8/50 2/53	photomapping/cartog	Sgt	Frances
Craig Sweet	06/81-06/84	Graphics	MSgt	Elizabeth
Tom Mason	4/86-4/89	Soviet Branch, Research & Analysis Div	Capt
Derek (Schmada) Schartz	06/1990 to 09/1996	Target Graphics	SRA	Meg
Joe Longo	6/69-1/71	Carthographic	SGT
Donald McDowell	06/82-06/85	Target Materials, Deputy Commander for Operations	Lt/Col	Kathleen
Dan Daniels	03/77-02/85	Library	TSgt	Nancy

The current demographics of our 230 members:

548^th RTG Association

                           Reunion and Monthly Update for August 2010

548th Alumni
 
Our reunion in Dayton was a great success and for those you who could not make it, you can check out some of the photos from the reunion on our website, you can also find additional pictures posted on the 548th Facebook page.  It is time to start planning our next reunion in 2012; through the month of August I will be accepting nominations for our next reunion location, the places I have have received thus far are: