Reunion 17 - The 449th Bomb Group(H)

The 17th Reunion of the 449th Bomb Group

Rapid City, SD
April, 2008

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.

716th Squadron Veterans