October 10, 2013 meeting

Time - Noon to 2:00 pm.

Where –Amenities Room,
Embassy of Australia,
1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20036

Our guest speaker will be R&SL Life Member Major Edward Connor, USAF (Rtd).  Edward will describe the WWII Battle of the Bismarck Sea from his viewpoint as a Radio Gunner flying in a North American B25 Mitchell Medium Bomber.

Charge - $15.00, including buffet lunch and sodas. Alcoholic beverages- $2.00 each.

Attire: Business casual

RSVP by noon on Wednesday October 9, to David Ward at 202-352-8550 or via e-mail to dmward1973@gmail.com

NOTE: Valid photo ID required

Parking: While there is no parking at the Embassy, paid off street parking is available behind and under the Airline Pilots Association- 17th and Mass, and at 15th and Mass (1240 15th street). On street two hour metered parking is also available.

Short Biography:  Edward Conner enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps - the predecessor to the U.S. Air Force--in 1940 at age 18. Unable to qualify for pilot training because he was color blind,  Edward became a radio gunner.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Conner was shipped out to the Pacific on a 26-day boat ride that eventually landed in Brisbane, Australia.  Conner was eventually dispatched to New Guinea, where he was awarded the Silver Star as part of the 13th Bomb Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Corps.
Conner flew a total of 67 combat missions against the Japanese from New Guinea, including a bombing mission during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in 1942, for which he received an Air Medal. He then became a communications officer in the U.S. Air Force and flew an additional 16 missions against North Korea during the Korean conflict with the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing.
After his 22-year Air Force service, USAF Major Conner joined the Central Intelligence Agency and flew missions in Laos with Air America. Following his missions leading up to the Vietnam War, he continued working for the CIA for a total of 12 years.
He then embarked upon another 15-year career with the Corvus Group, supplying advance communications equipment for U.S. Presidential convoys.
Edward Connor joined the Returned & Services League of Australia on January 1, 1979. He was elected by the National Executive to the class of Life Member for his outstanding service to the league.
The above information was extracted from a wonderful article written by Mr, Greg MacDonald and published in the Washington Times on May 5, 2013.  The article can be found at -  http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20130521/NEWS/130529944/mclean-veteran-has-a-colorful- story-to-share&template=fairfaxTimes

·         World War II veteran Edward Connor tells students at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, Va., stories about his time with the U.S. Army Air Corps in Papua New Guinea, Guadalcanal and the Bismarck Sea Battle during the school's annual World War II Day, called "The Latest Generation Meets the Greatest Generation," on Thursday, June 9, 2011.

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