Ramstien Reunion

Posted by Jolly on August 17, 2014

I wanted to pass along all the reunion gouge from Mike for the Ramstien gathering in the Springs.  Mike said there was confusion on ordering shirts.   REMEMBER - CUSTOMIZE your shirt when you order by 1) clicking on customize, 2) Edit Text where it says "Callsign" on the sleeve, 3) put in your call sign on the sleeve and select place order.  if there is confusion or you want a particular product, email me at JollyF15@gmail.com.   Here are the links to t-shirts, hats, and embroiders polos in the store for the reunion:

 a.       Some have asked what to wear for the various reunion events.  Frankly, no one is going to be tossed out of an event because of what they’re wearing (with the possible exception of wearing a flight suit with a Bitburg patch)   However, to reduce the stress about having a “fashion violation”, coat and tie is suggested for the banquet on Monday night so the ladies can dress up, and “business casual” (slacks and a collared shirt) for the German dinner on Sunday night. Otherwise, whatever you want to wear for all the other activities will be fine.

 b.      I haven’t finalized the menus for the dinners on Sunday and Monday night but you can anticipate having a choice between beef, chicken or fish.  However, if anyone has any specific diet constraints or restrictions, please let me know and I can arrange for you to have whatever meets your needs. (NOTE: A “lobster only” diet doesn’t count!)

 3.      As I hope you are already aware, all the rooms we had blocked at the Antler Hilton have now been reserved. 

 a.       If you still plan on coming to the reunion but have not yet reserved a hotel room, I have blocked an additional number of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express-Colorado Springs Central.  It’s a brand new hotel and is about half a mile from the Antlers.  The rooms are nice, the rate is about $10/nite less than the Antlers and includes breakfast.  However, it’s just not as convenient for the reunion activities.  The best way to make a reservation is to call the hotel at (719) 424-4300 and make your reservation under the group name: “Ramstein Fighter Squadrons”.  They’ll take your credit card number to reserve the room, but won’t charge you at this time.  Cancellation policy is that as long as you cancel 24 hours in advance you won’t be charged anything.

 b.      Finally, if you have already reserved room at the Antlers, and need to cancel that reservation for any reason, please contact me first so that I can offer someone now staying at the Holiday Inn the opportunity to take your room at the Antlers.  Otherwise, if you simply cancel the reservation through the hotel and I’m not aware of it, I can’t make the switch.  So, please be considerate if you do decide to cancel your reservation at the Antlers.

 4.      We currently have more than a dozen folks interested in playing golf on Monday morning, so we will definitely be having that event with room for more folks to join, if interested.  Dean Jones has graciously volunteered to run the golf outing for us and has made arrangements at the Air Force Academy golf course.  The cost to participate (green fees and cart) will be $75 for non-members and $45 for club members.   Clubs can be rented for $20 to $30 depending on quality.  Dean will need final numbers for the golf outing NLT 22 September, so if you haven’t already signed up and wish to participate, please let me know.

 5.      We currently have 45 folks signed up for the optional bus tour on Sunday to the World War II Aviation Museum, USAFA and the Garden of the Gods Park, so we still have room for 10 more folks on the bus.  It’s a great way to see the Colorado Springs area for folks who aren’t familiar with the area.  In addition, even if you are familiar with the area, but haven’t been to the WW II Aviation Museum, I recommend it highly.  If you would like to go there, but NOT participate in the rest of the tour, I can make those arrangements (normally they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, but will open for our group) but you will have to provide your own transportation.  Tickets just for the Museum are $10/person.  If you are interested, please drop me a note so I can make the arrangements for additional people.  

 6.      Just a few clarifications:

 a.       If you cannot attend all the events listed on the Registration Form, simply reduce your registration fee to pay only for the events you will attend.  Sorry, but the registration fee is non-negotiable.

 b.      You are welcome to bring guests to an individual event.  No registration fee needed for them, but payment for the individual event is required…naturally.

 d.      If you have made reservations at the Antlers and received a confirmation that indicated that you would be charged for parking, please just ignore it!  I have reconfirmed with the hotel that parking will be complimentary for everyone staying at the hotel for the reunion.

7.       Miscellaneous:

 a.       Please bring any memorabilia you may have from your tour at Ramstein so we can display it in the Hospitality Suite.

b.      We’ve completed building the video presentation for the banquet (it’s freakin’ awesome!) so we don’t need any additional pictures or videos.  Many thanks to all who sent me their photos. 

 c.       For those who may be interested, there are several special events taking place in Colorado Springs around the time of the reunion which may be of interest:

i.      Sunday 28 September is the final day of an exhibit of Dale Chihuly art works at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center which is located about half a mile from our hotel.  Honestly, I don’t know enough about “fine art” to say anything smart about it.  However, Chihuly is world famous, primarily for his glassworks, and it really is stunning.  I highly recommend the exhibit especially if you have never seen his artwork before. You can find more details at :  http://www.csfineartscenter.org/Exhibitions/Chihuly-Rediscovered.asp

ii.      The Air Force Academy football team is playing Boise State at the Academy on Saturday starting at 5 PM.  Tickets run from $20 to $45 each.  Unfortunately, the game overlaps with our Saturday evening reception, but wanted everyone to be aware. 

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For the benefit of those who may be receiving this update on the reunion for the first time, or those who may have misplaced/deleted the previous update, here is a summary of all you may want to know about the event.

Please make out your personal check for the cost of the event to me, and send your Registration Forms to:

Where:  The Antlers Hilton Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO

When:  27 to 29 September 2014

Saturday 27 September: 

3:00 to 5:30 PM:  Registration Desk will open in the Hospitality Suite

Sunday 28 September: 

The Reunion Hospitality Suite will be open and available at all times except when other Reunion events are in progress.  Beer, wine and non-alcoholic refreshments will be provided when the Hospitality Suite is open.

For additional info things to do in Colorado Springs, go to the web site at:

http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/colorado/antlers-hilton-colorado-springs-COSCSHF/index.html?WT.mc_id=EPEMHHResconfEN

You can purchase all sorts of clothing and other items, customized almost any way you want.  Jolly has uploaded the patches for all our squadrons so you can order items customized by size, color, squadron, type aircraft, name/callsign, aeronautical rating, etc…etc…

VIDEO:  We are in the process of preparing a video for the Reunion Banquet (in lieu of a guest speaker).  I have received some pictures and videos from several of you, but would still like to have more.  Pictures from all squadrons and eras of folks at work or at play while you were stationed at Ramstein are especially welcome. Otherwise, be prepared for seeing a lot of F4 pictures/videos…

Cheers!

Mike (Ingo) Ingelido

526TFS (1976-1979)

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Here are two great videos showing Zulu Alert Scrambles during the 80's when the Cold War was in full swing.  Zulu Alert was for Air-to-Air scrambles to identify unknown aircraft in West Germany.  Most of the time it was unknown aircraft flying in or near the buffer zone on the east border of Germany.  I was stationed with the 526 TFS "Black Knights" in the 80's where we sat Zulu Alert.  We had to be airborne in less than 5 minutes from the horn going off in our alert facility.  We had a fire pole that went from the third floor to the first floor and the jets we would jump in, strap in, light the fires, receive/verify our scramble orders, take the high speed taxiway, and then blast off to intercept our target.  It was a real adrenaline rush.  We would go from watching a movie to breaking ground in less than 3.5 minutes.

The first video is from my old squadron, the 526 TFS, at Ramstein.  It shows a scramble in real time, and you can hear the lead WSO check in as "Lima Mike 01" when they get the scramble order.  The second video is from a news program done on Zulu Alert at Bitburg.  

Ramstein Zulu Scramble

Bitburg Zulu Scramble

15% Off everything! Get Your Reunion Garb NOW!   

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Do all your Ramstein Reunion shopping in the FU Gucci Store

  

Don't forget about our Original Store for great fighter pilot shirts and cool squadron golf shirts

FU GUCCI STORE - Customize Your FU Gear

If you have a specific design combination you want, just e-mail us at Jolly@fighterpilotuniversity.com and we will get it loaded up for you.  Additionally, there will always be discounts if you have a large order.  Before placing your order, call our vendor at 1-888-8ZAZZLE (892-9953) or (408) 983-2800 to see if there are any discounts available.

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