2025 Reunion

Firebirds,

Due to downtown Chattanooga crowding, hotel rates and parking fees, during their October “High (Foliage?) Season," the Reunion dates have been moved back to 29 September--2 October 2025, we've moved off the weekend to the middle of the week and we've changed from staying downtown to outside of town.  At this point, there is no information about rates if you wish to arrive early or extend your stay, but we'll inquire about that and let you know,

The “site survey team” was recently able to strike a very good deal ($139/night) with a hotel, the Hampton Inn West/Lookout Mountain. It's just outside of town with a great view of Lookout Mountain, free parking, and complimentary breakfast. There is already a one-liner announcement about the date change on our firebirds dot org website, under the Reunion button on the left menu, and more information to follow there, plus on our Firebirds Facebook Page.   

Below, you will find the Hotel Reservation Link, followed by a strawman, draft, non-binding itinerary ideas created by Firebird Dick Dodge. Some of the events, such as the river cruise, will require prior reservations and you'll receive more information about that in the future. 

We hope those of you who expressed interest in attending during the previous dates can still make these dates, and perhaps even more Firebirds can participate with the new dates.  

We'll keep you informed as plans gel and we will probably be asking for another RSVP reply, number in your party, and interest in particular events. We are asking you to make your hotel reservations AND event reservations (when selected) directly with the hotel and the event vendor(s). Thanks.

Take care,

Firebird Reunion Committee

https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=CHALMHX&groupCode=CHH90A&arrivaldate=2025-09-29&departuredate=2025-10-02&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT

FIREBIRD MINI REUNION 2025

September 29 – October 2
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Attention All Firebirds:

It’s time to reconnect, reminisce, and relight the fire! Whether you served one tour or many with the legendary Firebird Squadron, this is your invitation to reunite with those who wore the patch and flew the mission.

Where We’re Landing:

Hampton Inn – West Lookout Mountain

• Newly renovated in 2025

• $139/night – includes free breakfast & parking

• Convenient location near major attractions

• September 29 – October 2

Mission Highlights:

• Tennessee River Dinner Cruise – Great views, great food, even better company

• Lookout Mountain Incline Railway – Ride the historic railway to breathtaking vistas

• Rock City Gardens & Ruby Falls – Explore scenic trails and a 145-ft underground waterfall

• Tennessee Riverwalk – Enjoy a relaxing stroll along Chattanooga’s scenic riverfront

Why You Should Be There:

• Reconnect with your fellow Firebirds

• Share stories, memories, and a few laughs

• Celebrate the legacy we helped build—together

Don’t miss this chance to reunite with your squadron family.
Bring your stories, your photos, and that unmistakable Firebird spirit.

Mark your calendar now!

RSVP details coming soon.
Firebird Proud. Firebird Forever.

Suggested 2-Day Itinerary

Day 1 – Scenic Sights & Downtown Delights

Morning: Lookout Mountain Adventures

• Incline Railway – Ride to the top of Lookout Mountain for sweeping views.

• Rock City Gardens – Walk the Enchanted Trail, see “Lover’s Leap,” and view 7 states.

• Ruby Falls – Guided tour of a stunning 145-foot underground waterfall.
  8:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Lunch: Café on the Corner

• A cozy spot near Lookout Mountain with Southern-inspired dishes.
  1:00 PM

Afternoon: Downtown Stroll & Aquarium

• Tennessee Aquarium – Explore River Journey (freshwater) & Ocean Journey (saltwater).

• Walnut Street Bridge – Walk across for great photo ops and river views.

• Coolidge Park – Ride the carousel or relax by the fountains.
  2:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Dinner: STIR Chattanooga (Southside)

• Upscale atmosphere with artisan cocktails and raw bar, in a historic train station setting.
  6:00 PM

Evening (Optional):

• Live music at Songbirds Guitar & Music Museum or a show at The Tivoli Theatre

• OR enjoy a relaxed evening in the Bluff View Art District
  8:00 PM onward

Day 2 – Nature, History & Local Culture

Morning: Raccoon Mountain or Arboretum

• Option A: Raccoon Mountain Caverns – Underground tour and hiking.

• Option B: Reflection Riding Arboretum – Hiking, native wildlife, and peaceful trails.
  9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Brunch: The Daily Ration or Bluegrass Grill

• Local favorites with hearty Southern breakfast/brunch fare.
  12:00 PM

Afternoon: Art & History

• Hunter Museum of American Art – Stunning riverside art museum

• Bluff View Art District – Galleries, sculpture gardens, and scenic views

• Walk or bike the Riverwalk – Beautiful path along the Tennessee River
  1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Optional Stop: Chattanooga Choo Choo Complex

• Historic train terminal turned hotel and shops

• Explore the gardens and enjoy coffee or drinks at Frothy Monkey
  4:30 PM

Dinner: Alleia or Public House

• Alleia – Rustic Italian with Southern flair

• Public House – Modern Southern cuisine in a relaxed, stylish setting
  6:30 PM

Evening Option: Riverboat Cruise

• Take a sunset or dinner cruise on the Southern Belle Riverboat to wrap up your visit in style.

22 May 2023

Dear Firebirds,

The final "official" flight of the Firebirds (i.e., Reunion 2023) is now in the record books. It was a grand time on the beach in Biloxi. We missed many of you but the hardy souls who ventured down were a sight for sore eyes. Many old friends and some new ones.

So many thanks to so many are warranted but wanted you to know that the board this year outdid themselves. Honi and Patty Garvin were stellar with margarita machine hauling and operating, money matters, and Firebird glasses, to name only a few. Warren Miller performed his usual outstanding services as Secretary and all-around "Firebird for the ages". He and Doris are about the last of the originals who still attended reunions and his tenure as Secretary has aided us for so many years. We gave him a Feather Award in 2018 but he deserves so many more.

Gordon and Susan Mills hauled most of the previous year's "leftovers" back to us and made sure the fishermen had their day as well as taking care of the hospitality suite. Chuck Lavoie was instrumental in assisting Carolyn and I with the planning of the venue, dragging the memorabilia down for one more "look see", and numerous other duties from last fall until the end of the reunion. Bob Mattingly, our Vice President ensured a great day on the Keesler golf course and was there for whatever we needed. Gene and Kathy Ramsay made it down this year and, as usual, boosted us all with stories, connection remembrances and then orchestrated three nights of Zoom meetings with so many of you unable to attend. It was great to see your faces and to do a little catching up.

Gene also generously acquiesced to our using his "Last Firebird Standing" bottle of schnapps to open the Wednesday Dinner with a toast to our memorial observance. Finally, Bob Schellenberger and Margaret graced us with their attendance and our former commander once again led us in the "proper" pledge of allegiance to our beloved flag. He also wowed the dinner crowd with his outstanding rendition of The Cremation of Sam MaGee!

Your association board thanks you all for your support the past several years and are now glad to be just like you, retired. Our business meeting was well attended. They decided to end the official Association as of Wednesday night, 26 May 2023. From now on, we are just a band of brothers and their spouses gathering somewherei in the world from year to year. Warren’s final meeting minutes should be posted somewhere on the website so you can see the details but suffice to say each year we will decide on the next venue and who the "stuckee" is. In that vein, we opted to gather in Tucson, AZ, next year in October, exact dates TBD. Email and Facebook and maybe the website will be our means of informing you all. So, we need you to keep us updated on your contact info.

And, yes, there will be some of us still around. Honi will manage the small treasury we have remaining to maintain the website and other incidentals that may arise. Gene Ramsay will continue to manage our membership email contacts and be our broadcast manager. I will hang around to badger our erstwhile web master and store a small box of memorabilia and final records of the association until we find a suitable repository for it all.

Finally, we ain’t dead yet just morphing into something much less formal but still us. We need you to stay in touch, stay engaged, and help us steer the group to good venues for each year's gathering. Perhaps we will have many more schnapps toasts and story telling to come.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Tucson come next October!

Ken and Carolyn,

Ken Pribyla, Col, USAF (Ret)
Past President
Firebird Association
(703) 328-2835
www.firebirds.org

November 2024

Dear One and All Firebirds,

Last month’s mini-reunion in Tucson was highly successful and good times were had by all. We thank Lynn Alsbury for researching and setting up the hotel for us which was exactly what we were looking for. It was a non-structured free-for-all as designed and we all took care of entertainment ideas. Small groups drove to the top of Mount Lemmon, others to museums and most to PIMA as addressed below.

Attendees update: Dan and Jo Brooks, Ken and Carolyn Pribyla, Honi Garvin, Jerry and Diane Drennan, Bruce (the Wedge) and Debbie Kronberg, Gregg and Laurie Fitzer, Kathy and Gene Ramsay, Dave (Tank) and Sue Frank. Steve Passmore, Bob Snyder, Chuck Lavoie, Bob and Margaret Shellenberger (Sq Commander after the late Jim Waldman), JJ Nicholaus, Chuck Donahue, Stet Palmer and Frank Allen. Also the C-130 Pilot son of Jim Waldman, Jeff Waldman attended. We told tall tales, shared stories about each other and a highlight was visiting C-130D 493 in the Pima Air and Space Museum. It was unseasonably hot and reached 103* every day we were there. The Zoom get-togethers were a bit disappointing as we had quite a good turn-out on them two years ago, only about 6 on each call. This year we had two initial cadre guys on the calls who brought the Ds from Dyess up to Elmendorf in 1964, people on the zoom calls were Jim Banas, Fred Cooper, Mike Steele, Alan Anderson, Jack Cayton, JC Arrington, Charles Hefner and our last Brit RAF Exchange Officer, who succeeded Jerry King, Felix Maguire.

Several of the “newest” firebird clan came as well to include Jeffrey Sherman, Kirk Shaw, Rob Staples, Jim Summers, and Mark Hirmer.

It occurred to us that not everyone got the message posted on our web page about our decision to stop organizing large reunions after nobody signed up to take any of the officer’s positions two reunions in a row. It was decided to make things easier and have mini-reunions every two years with no advance planning for activities, pay-as-you-go bar, and just get together and plan on the run. It worked out great. We only need a volunteer POC at the chosen sight to coordinate accommodations. Our next mini-reunion was discussed and suggested that we have it every year because we are dropping like flies. Thoughts were for a central location with several suggestions:

Tennessee - cheaper and central-ish but would require some research for city and things to do

San Antonio -Possible activities include a rodeo dinner with a live band; a tour of the San Antonio missions and the Alamo; plenty of time to meander along the River Walk, which features tons of restaurants, shops and bars. There are also some great spas for those needing a good rub down! You can do as much (or as little) as you'd like, and we'll plan to stay at a downtown hotel, so a lot of this would be within walking distance.

Colorado Springs- Lots to do like cog railroad to top of Pikes peak, or you can drive up, sports events at the Air Force Academy depending on the season, Pioneer Museum and Olympic Museum etc. The only draw-back is the altitude. Many people get altitude sickness with bad headaches. Honi’s mother-in-law, visiting from Michigan, passed out. Anyone with breathing conditions should think twice about it.

Open to any other suggestions.

Regards,

Honi Garvin - honij@mac.com
Gene Ramsay - glramsay@yahoo.com
Ken Pribyla - kprib@verizon.net

This is a feeler to see what the group wants so if you could please answer the following questions and reply to the group of three of us listed above so we can consolidate the inputs:

Suggested location_______________________________________

Month/week of the event__________________________________

Frequency of mini-reunions ( one or two years )________________

Heads up for the 2024 Reunion

It is scheduled to be from Thursday Oct 3, 2024, through Saturday Oct 5, 2024

To Firebirds and Significant Others One and All,

The first informal Firebird get-together (Reunion), which will be in Tucson AZ this October, is being finalized. We need to know how many people to plan for. There are no registration fees and drinks, meals and tours will be pay as-you-go at whatever venue we decide to visit. There will be no formal dinner, speaker or program. It will be a gathering for fellowship and tall tales.

We have chosen the “Sonesta Select Tucson Airport Hotel” (a former Hyatt) which is convenient for all who are flying in. The dates will be Thursday Oct 3, 2024, through Saturday Oct 5, 2024, with checkout on Sunday Oct 6. Depending on the size of our group, we may qualify for a free meeting room at the hotel for our tall tale telling.

The hotel rates, which Tucson Firebird Lynn Alsbury negotiated for us, are very good at $109 per night for a King and $119 for a Double (not including taxes and fees of 12%).

Please contact the hotel for reservations PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 25 for our final head count, after which they will release the extra rooms back to general sales. Thank you Lynn!

For hotel reservations, call: 520-295-0405. When the phone menu comes on, select '0' for the Front Desk. Do not select the Reservations extension, because they do not handle special events like ours and won't know what you're talking about. Use Event name: FIREBIRD24

You are also invited to attend and to show up early and/or depart later OR to arrange your own lodging at other hotels or with friends. But all group tour, meal, museum, and social beverage sorties will launch from the hotel.

As a group, we plan to tour the Pima Air and Space Museum, which has ski bird C-130D 493 on display. We had also hoped to arrange a Davis-Monthan Boneyard Tour, but sadly Gene Ramsay has confirmed that, since COVID and a gate closure, Boneyard tours are absolutely no longer available.

Please provide the following information for our planning to Honi Garvin at Honij@mac.com and Gene Ramsay at glramsay@yahoo.com

Name
Number of people
Dates attending

As you know, the Firebird Association was founded as a C-130D ski bird-centric organization. We ski bird guys of the 1960s and 1970s are now all in our 70s-90s. The 17th/517th has a storied history dating back to WWII, which you can view on the Firebird website, (firebirds dot org). That website contains a wealth of information. (Ignore past reunion registration information). We would like the Association to continue on, so we are asking you post-1970s and later C-130 Firebirds to step-up, get more involved, become familiar with the e-mail and snail mailing lists, attend this reunion and join us in planning the next reunion. Another HUGE contribution you younger Firebirds can make is to invite and recruit your Firebird comrades and those who followed you, to get on the lists and to attend this and future Reunions. We believe the current C-17 Firebirds are not interested.

Thank You.

We hope to see you in Tucson! The Firebird Reunion Committee

2023 Reunion

Need to WARM UP and have some great COMRADESHIP after a LONG winter?

Announcing the 2023 FIREBIRD REUNION in Biloxi, MS. The Reunion is scheduled for Sunday, April 23, 2023 - Wednesday, April 26, 2023, with departure on Thursday, April 27th. It will be held at Quality Inn, 2414 Beach Blvd, Biloxi, MS 39531, Phone is (228) 388-1000. Hotel rate is $95 per day plus tax. This may be our last organized reunion.

The hotel will accommodate early arrivals as well as later departures at the same rate. Hotel will take our reservations up to a week prior, if members need to delay their decision. For refunds, reservation cancellations must be received by 3 days prior (April 20).

23 Apr 2023	Sun:	Arrival
24 Apr 2023	Mon:	Social free time
25 Apr 2023	Tues:	7am Fishing, 8am Golf Tee Time
26 Apr 2023	Wed:	Night Buffet dinner
27 Apr 2023	Thurs:	Departure