We are heading to a time when the descendants will have a greater role in the Association. If we start ahead of time, there will be a smoother passing of the baton. Many seem willing to keep the objectives of the Association alive for years to come. The main idea is to see to it that historians and others have the opportunity to recognize the the role of the Combat Team in winning World War II. We are fortunate to have had Astor, Ambrose and others emphasize the gutsy bravery of those early parachutists. If the revisionists and those who rewrite history take off in the wrong direction, our website will be there to set the record straight.

One of the things that troubled Merle McMorrow and his predecessor is keeping the roster up to date with correct addresses etc. Doing so saves postage and publication costs. Bob Christie, Ben & Bob Barrett, Tom Reber and others have pitched into the job of combining the information we have, including what Clark Archer has accumulated. Tom has devised a way to code the names and information for different purposes such as the Thunderbolt mailing list. We hope through this process and Thunderbolt to encourage prompt address changes.

We want all to know that this work is going on and that everyone may be contacted in some way (on behalf of the Association) for verification of information and desire to get, or continue to get, Thunderbolt. The most economical way is via email. Obviously not all our members use it, so phone and mail may be used also. There may be some expense involved, but we will keep it to a minimum and get the most bang for the buck.

No one should have any reservations about this work, but I want to keep all informed on all important matters relating to the operation of the Association. If you do have comments or wish your descendants to be listed on the roster, let us hear from you. Ben Barrett may be able to handle this through Mail Call or you could give information to Tom Reber at reber83@insightbb.com . We recognize that some descendants are very interested and some not at all. For those that are, we would like names, addresses (snail and email), phone #s, whether they would like to receive Thunderbolt and/or Mail Call; add whatever seems appropriate.

Let’s keep the ball rolling, Howard Hensleigh