381st Bomb Group (original) (raw)

16 Feb 2017

SAVE THE DATE: 381ST REUNION Sept 27-Oct 1, 2017 NEW ORLEANS

The 41st reunion of the 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association will be held with the Eighth Air Force Historical Society again this year. Reunion dates are Wednesday September 27 through Sunday October 1, 2017. Main hotel will be the Hilton New Orleans Airport. The final program event is the gala dinner and program on Sat. evening Sept 30 at the National WWII Museum.

We will plan to have breakout 381st sessions and dinner as we did last year in Saint Louis. The Eighth Air Force Historical Society has planned extensive time on Thursday and Friday at the National WWII Museum. The schedule also includes a City Tour Option or a Plantation Tour Option for Saturday Sept 30.

Last year, we had six veterans registe for the reunion but only five were able to attend in Saint Louis (attendance was significantly lower than previous years). We are hoping for a better turnout this year to sustain our own 381st BG hospitality suite and group events/rendezvous dinner. Over 400 attended the entire Eighth Air Force Historical Society reunion in Saint Louis last year.

Reunion registration forms will be sent via email and printed mail to association members. If you have interest but are not yet a 381st association member, contact Kevin Wilson PhD for information. Email: Wilsonkvn@aol.com

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27 Jan 2016

Photo Captions Updated

Member contributions help fill in missing details.

23 Oct 2013

1st Bomb Wing Microfilm

The records of the 1st Bomb Wing have been added to our files section.

381st BGMA

The 381st Bomb Group welcomes you to the official 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy) Memorial Association web site. The 381st Bomb Group was a B-17 Flying Fortress unit based at Ridgewell, England, Station 167, as part of the mighty Eighth Air Force from 1943 to 1945. The group flew in the 1st Combat Wing, First Air Division of the 8th Army Air Force.

The memorial association is for all elements of the 381st Bomb Group, its four bomb squadrons, and the ground unit commands of the 432nd Air Service Group. Our 700+ members are comprised of 381st WWII veterans, their descendants, and friends of the 381st. The association celebrated their Reunion in Detroit/Ysilanti Michigan from Aug 26-30, 2015 marking the group's 39th consecutive reunion.

The association publishes a newsletter, holds well attended yearly reunions, produces a membership directory, has an active forum, answers research questions via this web site, maintains an archive of photographs and 381st historical information, offers a college scholarship to 381st descendants, and much more.

Association History

The association was formed in 1977 at an Eighth Air Force Association reunion when six 381st BG veterans decided to try to find other group veterans and hold collateral meetings at the 8th AF reunions. They found about twenty other 381st BG veterans and held their first independent meeting at Hershey, PA, in 1978 with John Wierman as host.

T. Paxton "Pax" Sherwood was an driving force behind the early years of the association. The association has held annual reunions each year since 1978. The association was incorporated in the state of Wisconsin in 1994 and has nonprofit status granted by the IRS. 381st Veteran Joseph K. Waddell steered the association for over twenty years and remained actively involved with the Board of Directors until his death in 2015.

The purpose of the association is to encourage fraternal activities, foster patriotism and loyalty, maintain historical records, assist members of the association and their families, maintain allegiance to the United States, and to preserve and defend it from all enemies. - from the association constitution adopted in 1989.

History of the Association, by late Joe Waddell, past Association Secretary/Treasurer.