Dear Golden Eagles,

                As of April 1, 2015, the Board of Governors Resolution 1-2013 (Adopted 25 May 2013), on page 10 of The Golden Eagles Membership Directory 2014-2015, is final. The Northeast and Southeast Flight Leaders have identified the members of the Northeast Flight who will be transferred to the Southeast Flight and the Board of Governors has approved the list. The Executive Assistant has been provided the list of changes and he will update all rosters by April 1, 2015, and the moves will be official at that time.

                We are all looking forward to The Golden Eagle 2015 Reunion in Pensacola, FL, from 10 through 12 May. Everyone should have received their invitations by this time, so please return your responses as soon as possible.

NEW MEMBERS:

Col Gary Elsten, USMC (Ret), 2/26/2015
CAPT Theodore “Ted” Trieble, USN (Ret)

EMERITUS TRANSFER: 

Col Paul K. German, USMC (Ret), 2/20/2015
CAPT Roscoe Trout, USN (Ret), 3/17/2015

LAST TAKE-OFF:

CAPT John A. Chalbeck, USN (Ret), Emeritus 7/15/2014
Col Murray M. Staples, USMC (Ret), Emeritus 01/06/2015
CAPT Richard J. Schulte, USN (Ret), Emeritus 01/22/2015
CAPT Roger E. Sheets, USN (Ret), 03/15/2015 NOTAM 04-2015

SPOUSE DEATHS:

Mary Zoe Staples 02/6/2014 – wife of Col Murray M. Staples LTO 01/6/2015
Patricia C. Pearson 01/111/2015-widow of MajGen Jerimiah W. Pearson, USMC (Ret) LTO 6/01/2012 and sister of Col Gary R. VanGysel, USMC (Ret)
Nell Grieve Swanson 02/08/2015-wife of CAPT Charles A. L. Swanson, USN (Ret)

MINI FLIGHT REUNIONS:

Northeast Flight Luncheon cancelled in March, due to heavy  snow, and rescheduled for 8 April 2015 at Mount Vernon Country Club.
West Flight had a luncheon hosted by Riley Mixon at the San Diego Yacht Club on 2/12/2015 with  83 Golden Eagles and wives attending. GE, Bob Belter, took many photos.

MISCELLANEOUS: As of 3/18/2015, there are 13 Golden Eagles who have not sent in their 2015 dues to the Radio Officer, RADM Ron Jesberg. If you are one of the 13, please send in your dues payment.
MajGen Joe Anderson is one of the only Golden Eagles I know of who is still flying the same model aircraft that he flew during active duty. See his air show flying the AV-8 Harrier at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv5J_szYQAo
                       
During the early February 2015 presentation of The Tommy Tomlinson, Test Pilot of the Year Award at NAS Patuxent River, I met the wife of The Test Pilot School Instructor of the Year Award winner, who works at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. She works for Mr. Robert Patrick, Director, Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. She mentioned my name to Mr. Patrick and he sent me the following information: "The Veterans History Project <www.loc.gov/vets> is a congressionally mandated effort to collect and preserve the wartime memories of America's veterans. This is done through the recording of oral histories and collection of original materials such as photographs, letters, journals, diaries and personal military documents. It focuses on the human experience of war through the first-hand accounts of those who lived it. We are the largest oral project in America with over 96,000 individual collections that make accessible to researchers, educators and the general public here at the Library of Congress." You can go online to view all of the material that is collected. Mr. Patrick hopes to get some oral histories from members of The Golden Eagles.

Medical update on Paul Gillcrist forwarded by Jay Campbell, West Flight Leader from Paul's son Jim. "To the Gillcrist clan, friends and shipmates--Good evening and happy St. Patricks Day to one and all! We certainly had the luck'o the Irish on our side beause Dad had his trach removed from his throat this morning, He has clawed from a terrible place on Dec 27th and has overcome pneumonia, a staph infection in his blood, the influenza virus, weaned off kidney dialysis, weaned off the trach in his throat, and is almost ready for a high power turn up. We moved Dad to the Somerset Sub Acute and Rehabilitation Facility in El Cajon, CA, last week. It is a boot camp all over to help Dad build his core and muscle mass. The goal is to get him vertical and strong enough to use his walker for mission complete to be able to take him home."
Diz Laird has left his Coronado residence and moved into a retirement facility in Walnut Creek, CA, near his daughter's home. His new address will be in the new Directory.
Don Shelton has been hospitalized for a lower tract infection and we hope his condition quickly improves.
That is all for now. I look forward to being with you at our 2015 Pensacola Reunion.