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A message from the President
Greetings 444th Bomb Group B-29ers!
It has been a trying couple of years for the Administration of the 444th. We have experienced many life changing issues including cancer, Alzheimers, a near-death traffic accident, as well as loss of employment and changes in income. Unfortunately, we have been unable to update the website and our Newsletter has been on forced hiatus. However, the rumors of our death have been greatly exaggerated! We are once again behind the controls of the greatest Bomb Group of WW-II and look forward to our continued growth as an organization. We also have very big news regarding the 444th Museum Project, but we will save that for the Newsletter.
As always we thank you for your continued support of the 444th BG Association.
Ding Hao! (Very Best)
Bill Howe
President / Founder
444th Bomb Group Association
444th Bomb Group Museum Project Update:
As many of you know we only had one prerequisite to the donation of the 444th BG collection; our items must under NO circumstances ever be sold or transferred. All we were asking for was a guarantee that the items would be cared for and available for our members and the public to view. It didnt seem like too much to ask from large, successful museums supposedly dedicated to preserving WW-II history. To our great surprise, there was no Museum that would give us any assurances as to what would be done with the items after they were donated. This was completely unacceptable to us. So we kept looking.
After ten years of hard work and persistence we have finally found a wonderful home for the 444th BG records and artifacts. We are excited to announce that the Bombers on the Prairie Museum in Pratt Kansas (B-29 Museum, Inc. 501c3) as the new home of the 444th Bomb Group Association museum collection. In addition, we would like to announce our partnership with B-29 Museum, Inc. This collaboration will allow us to reach a broader audience through shared resources and larger public awareness campaigns for both organizations.
The 444th Bomb Group Association also wishes to extend our deepest gratitude to B-29 Museum, Inc. for their hard work, and for being willing to do the right thing in a world of sharks in suits. We are proud to be associated with such a fine organization.
http://prattveteransmemorial.org/
Your Association needs your help and it wont cost you a dime; Only some time:
The main reason that things get done so slowly with our organization and website is lack of people willing to help. The time has come for our members to step up and share some of the load. Specifically, there are two positions that we have been trying to fill for over five years. The details of each are listed below.
Membership Director: Responsible for maintaining membership records and sending basic email membership correspondence; requires intermediate web browsing abilities and working knowledge of MS Office Suite. Private 444th BG email address will be provided.
Digital Archivist: Convert photos and documents to the digital medium including back up of existing digital records and current online content. Also includes maintaining the off-line digital archive for the Association (i.e. storage of digital material on external media). Position requires strong computer skills. 444th BG email address will be provided.
If you are interested in performing either of these functions for the Association please contact President Bill Howe: billhowe@444thbg.org
Barracks Jam
Here is a great article about our own Homer G. Dickenson. However, It would have been nice if they had spelled his name right.
Please help us welcome our newest recruits!
Charles R. Burgess 444th BG Veteran, Full
Member
crayburgess@aol.com
Georgetown, KY
Vet, 676th Sqd.
Randall A. LaFoy 444th Bomb
Group Veteran, Associate Member
alafoy@gmail.com
Mesa, AZ
I was assigned to the 6th Bomb Maintenance Sqd that serviced the 444th B-29s.
Went overseas on USS Mount Vernon to Bombay via train to airbase in Spring
1944.
Owen Ashurst Squadron Member
oashurst1@comcast.net
Seattle, WA 98102
My uncle, 1st Lt Owen P Walls, was a B-29 pilot in the 678th Bomb Squad. His
crew is featured in the article supplied by Betty Gracie about "Pete
Sabo." I provided some of the photographs that are used on the site. Is it
possible to contact other members thru this site? Like to contact vet's who may
have known my uncle under these circumstances.
Bill Farnum Squadron Member
Billdi@optonline.net
Westhampton Beach N.Y.
My Father, George Farnum was the navigator on the Lucky Lady.
Mary Pless Squadron Member
mary.pless@prodigy.net
Atherton, CA
Daughter of veteran, Col. Ralph J. Pearson.
Ryan Parr Full Member
rparr007@gmail.com
Thunder Bay, Canada
Paternal uncle, Lawrence Hunt, was the tail gunner in "Satan's Angel"
of the 676th.
William H. Snyder Full Member
msgsnyder@aol.com
McKinney, TX 75060
Son of Harold C. Snyder who navigated
Deacons Desciples II and Cajun Queen for Robert Thatcher.
(New Members continued )
Karen Miller Full Member
karenmiller51@verizon.net
Lorton VA 22079
My father, Richard O Austin, was a pilot on Maiden USA.
Bob Stevens Associate Member
bsuscwmse@aol.com
Raleigh, NC 27617
My dad, Alfonse A. Stevens was ground engineer in the 444th. He passed away on
May 5, 2010. I wish we had known about this website so dad could have seen it. I
saw dad's name on the register. Do you know which squadron he was assigned to?
Willard Roseberry Associate Member
wroseberry@austin.rr.com
Fredericksburg, TX
My brother Staff/sgt. Earl m. Roseberry was the provost sgt. at Kharagpur and
Chakulia, India and also at West field Tinian.
Would anyone like a 444th Bomb Group Association t-shirt or hat? Me too! If enough people are interested we will have some made. Please let us know whether you would prefer to have t-shirts or hats made.
The complete Pictorial History of the 444th Bombardment Group Very Heavy Special (Blue Book) is now available to read online! This is very cool, be sure to check it out: http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/128/