Annual Air Commando Association (ACA) Reunion
10-13 October 2002

USAF Air Commando/Special Operations Veterans Reunion

(EXCERPT) Subject: Annual Air Commando Association (ACA) Reunion 10-13 October 2002.

Please run the announcement on the ACA Annual Reunion in your publication.

The Air Commando Association Annual Reunion will be held in Fort Walton Beach, FL 10-13 October 2002. Tel 850-581-0099, fax 850-581-8988, e-mail aircomando@aol.com  or check the web site for more information:  http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eaircommando1/

Eugene D. Rossel 6083 Rosa Ct, Chino, CA 91710 ACA Public Relations Officer Tel 909-930-5700 work, Tel/Fax 909-591-7342 home, e-mail...

Background/History

The Air Commando Association (ACA) is an organization formed during the Vietnam war by Air Force personnel who served in Jungle Jim, 4400 CCTS, Air Commando Units from all wars, Special Operations units, Special Air Warfare Center, Combat Application Groups, Project 404, Raven FACS, Combat Control Team, and all members who served with units equipped with the following aircraft performing special operations missions:

• A-1,
• A-26,
• A-37,
• U-10,
• FT-28,
• C-47,
• C-7,
• C-130,
• C-123,
• C-119,
• O-1,
• O-2,
• OV-10,
• L-1 UC-64,
• L-5,
• B-25,
• P-51,
• C-46,
• Waco Gliders,
• all gun ships,
• Helicopters,
•  etc.

The purpose of the ACA was to keep alive the Air Commando spirit, to rekindle comradeship of wartime relationship, to honor the dead and the living that participated in our wartime effort and to promote the utilization of low-key peacekeeping activities of special operations. As the ACA matured it also contributed to nation building and healing by providing medical supplies and personnel in countries which we had served in, promoted the children of our members, both deceased and living, by offering scholarship, offered our experience to the US Air Force, contributed to the history of our units and made the world aware of our sacrifices for our country by our members. There were over 300,000 personnel who served in these units from 1961-1980. The ACA has over 3000 active members. It has a history of over 59 years with the first Air Commando unit established in 1943 and commanded by Col Phil Cochran immortalized by Milton Coif in his comic strip Terry & the Pirates as Steve Canyon from 1944-1988.

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Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library

http://www.americanwarlibrary.com