 |
The five-day event had a classic 1940's theme.
The sons and daughters of the veterans, known as the "2nd Generation,"
were in charge of registration. After signing in, the reunion hit the ground
running with a trip to Hill City. There, everyone boarded an 1880 steam-powered
train for an hour-long trip to Keystone. Once in Keystone, there was ample
time for dining, shopping, and exploring the town. Sunday evening provided
a gathering for all attendees to become acquainted. On Monday, the Gray
Line buses took the group for an afternoon visit to Mt. Rushmore. Monday
evening, small individual squadron dinners were held to give veterans the
chance to visit with their WWII comrades. In store for Tuesday was a bus
trip exploring the Badlands. The next stop was the Wall Drug Store, a popular
attraction of South Dakota. Evening brought a very special treat as the
group headed to The Flying T Chuck Wagon where the meals were served as
they were for cowboys on the range, closing out the dinner with live country
music. Wednesday afternoon the loaded buses headed to Ellsworth Air Force
Base for the final day of the reunion. Highlight of the tour was the close
up view of a B-1 Bomber and a plane fly-over saluting the "Greatest
Generation" veterans. Wednesday night a banquet was held with a raffle
to raise money for the 449th BGA. The reunion came to a close with everyone
looking forward to April 2010 when the next reunion will take place in
Washington D.C. (Scroll Down to View Scenes of the 17th Reunion) |
