"flying 8 balls"
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"flying 8 balls"
Let us introduce ourselves:
We are a new organization, successors to the old 44th Heritage Memorial Group which closed down in October of 1994. We immediately formed this new organization. We are incorporated in the State of Illinois and are classified as a 501(c)(19) non-profit Veterans Organization with the Internal Revenue Service.
We have over 1,000 paid members currently and are continuing to grow monthly as new members join us. We publish the "8 Ball Tails" three times a year. This is our journal of stories of members, association news, member's letters, etc.
Reunions are held annually, and growing in popularity due to the opportunity to meet old friends as well as meeting and making new ones. It is interesting to find new friends and quite emotional to see and talk to old friends and crew members. Oh, yes, the wives also enjoy finding old friends and meeting new ones.
Starting in 1995, our reunions have been conducted in San Antonio, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Savannah, New Orleans, San Diego, and Shreveport. This upcoming year we will meet in Omaha, Nebraska. These events seem to be getting better each year!
This 44th BGVA (Bomb Group Veterans Association) also has produced several projects, such as a Diorama of the Ploesti mission at the Mighty Eighth Heritage Museum near Savannah. This exhibit depicts our four Liberators of the lead element as it arrived at the burning targets. Too, we are in the process of restoring a B-24 at the Eighth Air Force Museum. Our most ambitions project currently is underway to preserve the history of the 44th into perpetuity on computer disks. Already recorded into the database are all of the individual sortie reports, mission summaries, all crews and their members, all targets, all aircraft, and are now recording individual biographies and personal diaries and recollections.
We want you to know about our activities, and invite you to come fly with us!
To print a copy of the Membership Form
,
Military Biography form or other forms - PLEASE visit
our Forms page.
To see more accomplishments and more information, click here.
