I joined the veterans and families of the 401st BG during their 2023 reunion right here in the Seattle area. It was a real treat to meet up with the Group at the Museum of Flight, home of the B-17F Boeing Bee (currently being repainted to represent a Fortress fresh from the factory). After lunch at the museum, we went back to the hospitality room for a presentation on the status of the restoration/fabrication project of the B-17 Champaign Lady at historic Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio, and another on the research into Japanese espionage activities during WWII.
On Saturday evening my brother-in-law Charlie (whose grandfather flew with the 401st BG at Deenethorpe) joined me at the formal reunion dinner with superb nostalgic entertainment by the Pack-A-Wallups. Two of the 401st BG veterans in attendance — Don Anderson and Sam Scimeca — were honored during the dinner.
In 2018, I met up with the 401st BG during their reunion in Columbus, Ohio.