On 1/4/2017 8:48 PM, VAN LOON, WILLEM R Maj USAF PACAF 8 FW/SE wrote:
Tex,
Greetings from the RoK! The Juvats are putting together an order for some custom Hawaiian Shirts, JL and I figure maybe some of the old guard would be interested. Feel free to put this up on the website/disseminate how you see fit. Once I get the final order numbers I will have the final pricing, then people can pay me via check, paypal, or USAA.
CRUSH EM
Kong
Respectfully,
Maj Willem “Kong” Van Loon
F-16 Fighter Pilot
8FW Chief of Safety
DSN 782-5490
mailto:willem.vanloon@us.af.mil
-
Click Here for price/sizing info:
I admire and appreciate the enthusiasm and investment (both emotional and financial) on the part of the creators to create the shirt, but simplifying the squadron’s heritage to two aircraft (a P-38 with European invasion stripes?) does a disservice to the memory of “the rest” of the squadron, regardless of which members actually invest the time, finances and energy in “showing up” at the reunions. I probably don’t really have a dog in this hunt, since I’m just an associate, but I think it’s important to point that out. I recently went through this exercise with the 3rd Flying Training Squadron, commemorating their centennial (they began as the 3rd Aero Squadron), including all 14 of the major types they’ve operated. The Lightning and Viper may be at yhe top of the “Sexy” list, but there’s a lot more meat on that bone… and I believe it’s important that we remember the WHOLE story.
nice shirt….if it had a F-105 on it I would buy it. You guys always seem to forget the 105 era…the greatest part of the 80th. How many F-16s or F-4s from the 80th were lost in combat???
Good point, Dave.
On the other hand, except for you, Huggy Bear and Ed Jones (Flown West, now) we rarely see or hear from any of the 105 or F-4 guys. I don’t mean to lecture you or anyone else, but we have only 5 stories and 6 photos in the Viet Nam section of the website and not even one picture in the “Photos” section. When Vic’s “Spring High” video comes (so to speak) out I’ll put that on the site.
But it’s like Kirby said that “if you don’t write it down, you weren’t really there and it never happened.”
These 20-something kids have no institutional memory about 105’s or Phantoms except, mostly, through of Dick Jonas’ songs and their own Juvat Boys Choir performances.
Sad, that…
Hell’s bells, Viet Nam was well over before any of them , save probably Juvat Lead and some of the Wing Kings, were even born.
However, I’m going to buy one simply because it’s an 80th item that is sure to be a collector’s piece my kids can sell on ebay for big bucks when I’m gone. Plus, it does represent the Squadron from its inception -Lightnings to the present day Vipers. And finally it’s bright enough to double as a safety vest at night when I’m staggering home from the VFW.