Veterans of the 447th Bombardment Group and their families gathered at the Crowne Plaza Dulles for the 2015 stateside reunion Oct. 22-25. Below is a selection of the photos taken during the reunion and related excursions to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy facility and some of the monuments in Washington DC.
The Hosting Heroes program arranged for a special presentation about the preservation works underway at the Udvar-Hazy facility, in particular the B-26 Flak Bait project and how the Marauder compared to the B-17 Flying Fortress. Special group tours included the B-29 Enola Gay and the Space Shuttle Discovery, among the many other fascinating aircraft displayed there.
Sunday night’s formal dinner was highlighted by a special candle ceremony and a presentation about the 709th squadron’s extension to current operations with C-5 Galaxy cargo planes, including the Spirit of the Blue Hen Chick, named in honor of the 447th BG’s Blue Hen Chick. A 1/48-scale model of Ralph Minker’s Fortress was on display in the hospitality room that night.