"Celebrating our 30-year legacy. Charting our future."

The DFC Society was founded on June 6, 1994, in San Diego, the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The 2025 Reunion celebrated our more than 30 years as a veteran's organization and attracted a large group of DFCS members and and their families. The event was highlighted by keynote speakers that included Medal of Honor recipient, Major General James Livingston, USMC (retired) and Colonel Alex Pelbath, USAF (retired). Additional speakers included active duty Air Force pilots from the 335 squadron, and a cross generational group that represented aviators from the Vietnam era to aviators who participated in the Global War on Terror.  Check the pictures that videos that memorialized this reunion.


Chock Talk #1: Michael O'Neil, Bob Certain, Jimmy Ng, Sebastian "Barrage" Kaiser, Ben Channels

Recent DFC recipients from the Air Force and Coast Guard

Airbus representative Ron Tremain, a DFC recipient, presents the Coast Guard crew with "Aircrew of the Year" awards

Lt Ian Hopper and AST2 Scott Ruskan presented with DFCS lifetime memberships


Message from the Chairman



Well, the 2025 reunion in Charleston is a wrap! The theme “Celebrating our 30-year legacy – charting our future” was supported by the various chock talk speakers from the Army, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard who represented aviators from the Vietnam era to those that participated in the recent conflicts over Israel in April 2024. John Mollison led the first chock talk. On Wednesday morning, author Joy Ng, who wrote “Even There” spoke about her life as a military spouse and the process of book writing. The third chock talk was given by three members of the 335 squadron who participated in the drone shoot down over Israel.

 Our attendees spanned three generations, but the common experiences that resulted in the award of a DFC medal allowed us to communicate effectively and appreciate one another. I heard from some of the younger, recent DFC recipients how they felt slightly intimidated by being in the presence of so many veteran aviators. However, that was offset by the genuine admiration and respect afforded to these new Air Force and Coast Guard members for their incredible accomplishments.

Sincere thanks and appreciation to Patti Mac and the reunion committee for providing a first-class experience for all who attended. Countless hours were dedicated to creating this memorable three-day event. Many thanks to the sponsors who supported this reunion: Airbus, The Palmetto Military Support Group, Columbia Craft Brewing, Copper River Seafoods, Peninsula Seafoods, and John Mollison. This was my first DFCS reunion. Lauri and I are already looking forward to the next one at a location yet to be determined. 

The Board is pleased to announce that the DFCS finally received notification from the IRS that our designation as a 501(c)(19) veteran’s organization has been changed to 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This change will allow the DFCS to expand our efforts to attract donors and corporate sponsors. More on that to come.

Most of you are aware that a working group led by Byron Gray, Ron Bartlett, and Warren Eastman have been working hard to learn and implement the new Neon One CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform. We should be ready to go live within the next 30 days or less. This platform will provide each member with access to their own DFCS account so the member can update or add to their member profiles. It will also allow staff to manage new and renewed memberships more effectively. All financial transactions will feed into the QuickBooks account, which will reduce the workload and potential for errors. The CRM will require some learning, but we are committed to making the transition as easy and efficient as possible.

The new website is under construction and should also be ready to release within 30 days. Stay tuned. 

Finally, I am sad to announce that due to health issues, Lew Jennings, the DFCS Magazine editor, will be unable to produce the Winter issue. Please keep Lew in your prayers for healing. As an alternative to the printed magazine, we are working on solutions and options that will likely be available through the Neon One platform, which provides the ability to send out membership-wide newsletters, emails, and blogs. 

We are revising the bylaws to reflect the new IRS designation and are preparing for the election in November. Expect to receive more updates as we launch these new platforms and continue to implement the changes needed and improvements to our administrative and business practices.

As I write this from Kodiak, Alaska, it is obvious the days are growing shorter, and Fall is upon us. Our salmon season is almost over, although some silver salmon are still being caught in the rivers and streams. Life starts to slow down here when the last cruise ships leave for the season. That is life on the “Last Frontier”! 

Best wishes

 

John


John Whiddon

Chairman of the Board