Figure 1 Fifteenth Army Air Force Reunion Color Guard: Forrest Crain, Fairfax Resolves Chapter; Ed Clendenin, Alexander Hamilton Chapter; Dave Cook, Fairfax Resolves Chapter; and Dale Corey, Col. James Wood II Chapter. 

On 14 October, members of the Virginia and Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution where honored to present the colors at the All-Groups Banquet held at the reunion of the Fifteen Army Air Force Bomber Group.  Participating from the Fairfax Resolves Chapter were President Forrest Crain, Past President David Cook and dual member (Col James Wood II Chapter) Dale Corey.  The Group holds reunions at different locations annually.  This year’s three-day event was held in Herndon.  Group activities included visits to Mt Vernon, the National US Army Museum, the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, the Air Force Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial. 

The Fifteenth Air Force was constituted on 30 Oct 1943 in the Mediterranean Theater under the command of MG James H Doolittle.  Its nine bombardment wings engaged targets in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary and the Balkans.  Its combat personnel made 148,995 heavy bomber sorties and 87,732 fighter sorties. It lost 3,364 aircraft and 21,671 personnel killed, wounded, missing and taken prisoner.

Attending the reunion were the veterans, their children and grandchildren.  They displayed their appreciation for the color guard by repeated requests for photographs,  applause and singing a rousing rendition of the national anthem.  The Fairfax Resolves presented a Certificate of Appreciation and Virginia Society SAR challenge coin to Ed Clendenin, a member of the Alexander Hamilton Chapter Texas Society SAR and historian for the 376^th HBG Veterans Association.  A COA and challenge coin was also given to David Blake, 461^st Bombardment Group Association Fifteenth Army Air Force Reunion Committee Chair.