I am pleased to announce a new member to our group.

ERNIE FILLIPUCCI

Ernie was in VP40 from 1969-1972. He was an AO1 and flew as an ordnanceman in crew 5.

WELCOME ABOARD Ernie.

Please give a HOWDY to Ernie.

I posted Hal’s Obit today. check it out on the Dep/Arr Tab comment section

I have had to cancel the reunion planned for Oct 7-11,2020 due to COVID-19

I can not take the risk of someone of us attending the reunion, catching this virus. There are still problems with the airlines and reservations as well as the hotel not guaranteeing the availability of the restaurant and bar being open on our dates. I do not take this lightly and I had to make a decision by 8/1/2020 or pay a lot of money if we had to cancel later.

I will try and reschedule the reunion for late Feb or March 20201. If that cannot happen we will schedule it for Oct 2021 at the same place in Florida.

STAY SAFE and see ya ?????? who knows when

Guy Fisk

LAGING HANDA

I was informed last night by Bob Collins that Hap Peper passed away friday 7/24/2020 at his home. He had a massive heart attack and was gone quickly.

I have talked to his wife Joan and she will provide a OBIT I will publish herevar link = document.getElementById('link2736');link.onclick = function(){document.location = link.getAttribute('href');} . His funeral will be in a year if possible.
I had just talked to him 2 weeks ago and he was improving and he hoped he would be in a walker by Sept and come to the reunion.

Alas he did not make it. We have lost 3 of these guys recently. ENOUGH ALREADY. I understand a couple more of them are not in good health.

This is getting downvar link = document.getElementById('link2736');link.onclick = function(){document.location = link.getAttribute('href');} to the last few people who flew the P5M-1 in the Fifties.

I will publish Hals OBIT when I get it. Reach out to his wife Joan if you remember them please.

I was informed by Hap Peper that P.G. (Bud) Smith passed away 3-4 months ago. If I get more info I will post it on our site.

I talked to the World Golf Resort hotel today.

We are still in business for the reunion. They have set up an account for VP40 to book hotel rooms now.

So go ahead and book them. Our rate is $130/night plus taxes. This rae is extended for 2 days before and after Oct 7-11-20

I also talkedvar link = document.getElementById('link2736');link.onclick = function(){document.location = link.getAttribute('href');} to VP30 today. As of now the base is closed for non official business. If it open by our reunion dates, they will still

allow our group to tour and use the flight simulators. Check the TAB for 2020 reunions for updates.

seevar link = document.getElementById('link2736');link.onclick = function(){document.location = link.getAttribute('href');} ya all there.  

I am pleased to announce we have a new member to our group.

Wilson R. Sutton joined our group. Willie was an AT3 while serving in VP40 from 10/1957 to 6/1959.

He flew in several crews as 1st radio.

WELCOME ABOARD Willie. He lives in Nashua, NH, where I lived for awhile

before I retired from the FAA.

I talked to the World Golf Village Hotel this week and they will be open and we can have our reunion as planned. I am getting the final pricing and agenda and I will send you the reservation forms soon. I will also post a phone number for you to book your hotel reservations yourself. So if you are debating to attend. WAIT no longer it will happen.

stay safe and I will see ya’ll at the reunion

Guy Fisk

Asheville North Carolina will have a Virtual Memorial Service Monday 11:00 AM on YouTube. Please watch it if you are available.

thank you

Guy Fisk

Memorial Day Ceremony streamed live on YouTube

This year’s Asheville-Buncombe Memorial Day Ceremony will be held as a virtual ceremony, because of the need for physical distance with the State of Emergency posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The keynote speaker will be Anne Adkins, a Gold Star Mother who lost her son Matthew during his active duty in Iraq.

The ceremony, planned in concert with the Buncombe County Veterans Council, will be streamed live from Asheville City Hall. Tune into the City of Asheville’s YouTube channel (http://bit.ly/2vzG4gZ) at 11 a.m. Memorial Day, May 25, to view the ceremony live in real time. Following the ceremony, it will be archived for later viewing on the City’s YouTube channel.Expected to last about 40 minutes, the ceremony will serve in place of both the City and the State Veterans Cemetery in-person events. There will be no attendees other than the individuals with active roles in the program. The program will consist of the following: 

The National Anthem will be sung by Ric Ledford, USMC.
Followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ted Minnick, US Army, Vietnam
Stephanie Young, Director, Charles George VA Medical Center
The Keynote Speaker will be Anne Adkins, Gold Star Mother whose son, Matthew, made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.
There will be two readings from the Brothers and Sisters Like These writing group
Followed by the playing of taps by Ric Ledford to conclude the ceremony

Please tune in to this virtual Memorial Day Ceremony in remembrance of the fallen, those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Here’s the VA’s 3-Part Plan to Resume Full Services for Veterans

Patricia Kime , Military.com• May 9, 2020

As the number of active COVID-19 cases among its patients declined slightly this week, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a three-part plan for resuming operations at its facilities in the coming months.The effort will largely depend on local COVID-19 conditions, including a declining number of patients with symptoms, a reduction in those testing positive and widespread availability of testing.While the VA’s Central Office has drafted a tiered plan for operations, decisions will be made at the local level and may not be in line with other state or federal reopening goals, VA officials said.Related: They Survived World War II and Korea; Now at State-Run Homes, They are Fighting for Their Lives“A central planning solution for resuming regular operations makes no sense here because some areas of the country will take longer to recover, while other areas have seen minimal cases,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a release. “That’s why we’re letting local conditions dictate our next steps.”The first phase, to occur within the next month, will largely consist of assessments by VA facilities to determine the risks and impact of increasing operations, such as non-emergency procedures like clinical visits and lab tests and admissions to spinal cord injury units. Officials will also explore the capacity for community health care providers to resume seeing veteran patients.In this phase, the Veterans Benefits Administration will increase virtual hearings and formulate plans to resume face-to-face compensation and pension exams, while the National Cemetery Administration will prepare for resuming memorial services and burials that will be held later.Phase 2 will include expanding non-emergency procedures and medical visits to hospitals and clinics; reopening the department’s Fisher Houses; resuming memorial services and burials with military honors, with limited attendance based on local conditions; and in-person services at VBA regional offices, by appointment.The final phase will build on the others: resuming visitor access to all VA health facilities, including nursing homes, expanding services at VHA and VBA locations, and resuming all other normal operations.VA officials said the work will be done with employee health and safety in mind, and all criteria and parameters “must be met before starting the phases and may precipitate a return to an earlier phase.””The pandemic is not over, and VA continues to provide response efforts,” the plan notes. “The timeline for moving through this transition process will be dependent on the ability to minimize and control exposure and infection levels and maintain a constant decrease over time.”As of Friday, 8,137 veteran VA patients were confirmed to have contracted the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic and 619 had died. An additional 212 veterans deaths were reported to the VA.The number of new patient cases at VA facilities declined in the past week, with no new cases reported Friday from the previous day and 56 cases between Wednesday and Thursday. On Monday, the VA reported 261 new cases in 24 hours.More than 1,200 VA employees have been diagnosed with the illness, including 26 who have died.