Compatriots and Friends:

We look forward to a wonderful reunion in Williamsburg. Touring the Colonial Area and taking part in the tours arranged by Pat should be most enjoyable and allow us to renew our Colonial Roots.

We must ask a favor of all of you taking pictures for the December issue. We are very short of money for color in THE FLYING CIRCUS because of the high use of it for last year's Reunion issue -- more than twice our expected cost. Our printer will not give us an estimate of the final cost so we have no way of knowing the final expenditure until presented with the bill. As a result, we cannot use color in the December 2003 issue.

Therefore, I would like to ask that you take lots of outdoor group pictures instead of the banquet shots we have emphasized to date. In black and white, these are too dark to distinguish faces of your subjects. The better light outdoors should result in a much better FLYING CIRCUS for you. Colonial Williamsburg should provide many opportunities for good backgrounds.

We expect to have the Philippines aircraft and the Ground Staff Rosters plus all the Mission maps there for all you 380th history buffs to review.

See you all in Williamsburg!

To preserve the memory of the 380th.

Sincerely,


Theodore J. (Ted) Williams