VMF-232 Red Devil Reunion 1955 thru 1959
Crown Plaza Foster City Hotel
San Francisco, California
25-26-27 September 2008
We have reserved 25 rooms at the
The hotel is about 15 minutes south of the San Francisco Airport and they do have a complimentary shuttle that runs every hour.
It seems that sharing a rent-a-car with another couple makes a lot of sense and presents more options, Neal will keep an updated list that will be linked to this website so you can coordinate with each other. We will email and post on this website a more specific chronology of the events early next month but here is our general plan:
Thursday the 25th an early evening very casual gathering at one of the lounges as folks arrive, no host bar. Friday 26th a day long gathering at Flood Park with a BBQ lunch, wine, beer, soft drinks. Hours are 1000 to 1700 so you can come late and leave early if you want. Sat 27th a formal gathering will be at the hotel for a sit down dinner banquet at 1700 on Sat. (aloha wear will suffice)
We have 10 months to work on the time in between these two events, one thing Neal and I were thinking was to take the ferry over to Tiburon for lunch on Sat, great way to experience the Bay and there are two great restaurant's right where the ferry docks. We need to get a better idea of the numbers before we can finalize things and should be able to add or subtract rooms for the next couple of months or so to roll with the punches so to speak.
Please let us know if you are planning to attend as soon as possible so I can conclude the details for the reunion.
If you know of any of our comrades that are not listed on the website (when the roster link is posted) please let them know about the reunion and forward their address to Neal. nealhe@cox.net
S/F
Tommy
How many of you remember this fighter pilot ......? He is scheduled to attend the reunion .... Damn that looks like fun ....
VMF-232 is the oldest and most decorated USMC fighter squadron.
Excerpts from history of VMF-232 from the VMFA-232 Website: (seems the FJ-2 got left out of this history)
The history of the Marine Corps' oldest active fighter squadron began on 1 September 1925, at Naval Air Station San Diego, California. It was there that its first skipper, Second Lieutenant Clayton C. Jerome, took to the skies in a Vought VE-7SF single seat biplane with a shining "Red Devil" insignia clearly visible on the aft fuselage. The squadron's illustrious heritage began in earnest in April 1927 when the squadron embarked aboard USS HENDERSON and sailed for Shanghai, China, to provide reconnaissance and air support to General Smedley Butler's 3d Brigade.
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In March 1953, the Red Devils transitioned to the jet age with the receipt of the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. In 1954, homeport for the Red Devils was changed from MCAS El Toro to MCAS Kanehoe Bay, Hawaii. In 1956 the Red Devils changed aircraft once again to the North American F4-J Fury. While on deployment aboard USS BENNINGTON in 1958, the squadron flew combat air patrol missions in support of the Taiwan Defense Command during the Communist bombardment of Quemoy and Matsu Islands. In 1962, the squadron again transitioned to a new aircraft. With the receipt of their Chance-Vought F-8D Crusaders, the Red Devils' designation was changed to VMF(AW)-232. During this period, the squadron participated in various exercises and deployment to the Philippines and aboard USS ORISKANY.
As a result of intensification of operation in Southeast Asia, the Red Devils departed Kanehoe Bay and became fully operational in Da Nang, Vietnam, by December 1966. While flying combat missions for the next 290 consecutive days, the Red Devils set new records flying 5,785 sorties and 7,273 flight hours, delivering 6,221 tons of ordnance. In September 1967, the squadron returned once again to MCAS El Toro and painted the Red Devil insignia on their new McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms. Re-designated as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232, the squadron returned to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan, as a MIG-alert squadron and subsequently deployed to Da Nang, Vietnam, and Nam Phong, Thailand. Here they continued to fly air-to-ground sorties in addition to playing a key fighter role in Operation LINEBACKER missions over North Vietnam. The only "last" in VMFA-232's history occurred on 1 September 1973, as the Red Devils became the last Marine squadron to leave Southeast Asia.
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The VMF-232 Reunion Website is under construction and more info will be added regularly.
Planned Additions : Under Construction .......
Photo album (Password Protected) http://picasaweb.google.com/home?hl=en&tab=wq
Roster Database In MS Excel Format (Password Protected)
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=p9QzZOgzZPdxQS6UwalB3OA&hl=en
Discussion Forum (Password Protected)
Links To Other Websites (such as: http://www.3maw.usmc.mil/mag11/vmfa232/default.asp http://www.guylarrybrown.net/ http://www.cloudnet.com/~djohnson/usmc.htm .)
This announcement page will be open for awhile to ease access and then password protected (you will be notified of password by eMail.)
Please send website additions, deletions, corrections, and suggestions to nealhe@cox.net ..... given enough time and money anything is possible.
707 Crooked Oak Drive
Pensacola, FL 32514
jodi@associationservices.us
850.473.0804
AVCAD NAVCAD MARCAD . . .
A CALL TO MUSTER!
We are contacting everyone on our email list to let you know that a reunion is being planning for May 1-3, 2008, in Pensacola. We know this is short notice, and so before making final commitments, we want to be sure we will have good participation. Please let us know via email as soon as possible if you can attend, and spread the word. If the response is good, we will email you shortly and plan to have complete registration materials in the mail by February 10.
The tentative schedule of events is as follows:
Thursday, May 1 -- Golf & Deep Sea Fishing Optional
Activities
Welcome Reception & Heavy
Hors D' oeuvresFriday, May 2 -- Day at NAS Pensacola to include
Museum Tours, Base Tour
Group Lunch. We are working on
Special Tours for our folks!
Dinner on Own Friday EveningSaturday, May 3 -- Area Tours to be Determined.
Ideas include an Outlet Shopping
Tour and Lunch at Foley, AL;
a boat site-seeing cruise; a tour
to other area bases.
Dinner/Dance at HotelWe are planning group heavy continental breakfasts as part of the registration fee on Friday and Saturday mornings to help everyone get together and share memories and memorabilia. We will also have a Ready Room Friday and Saturday available for meeting up and lounging during off group times.
Let us know if you plan to attend!
Questions or Comments? Contact Jodi at 850.473.0804. Please note new email jodi@associationservices.us or snail mail at 707 Crooked Oak Drive, Pensacola, FL 32514. Hope to see you this Spring in Pensacola!
Jodi Daron, Coordinator
850.473.0804 jodi@associatonservices.us
