The thirteenth reunion of the Flying Circus was held in Missoula, Montana. Steve Rossiter again took up the reigns to organise this reunion; and though only a relatively small group managed to get there, everyone kept the spirit of these reunions alive and kicking.
Weather presented some interesting
challenges for the 13th reunion of the of the Flying Circus gang.
Smoke from the many forest fires in the northwest hampered visibility of the
magnificent mountains surrounding Missoula for the first day. The rains
came and cleared the air, but then clouds obscured the mountain tops.
Neither phenomenon dampened the camaraderie and high spirits of the gathering.
Tom “Preacher” Wiktorek was the
first to sign in on Monday night with a plan to meet Tuesday morning at the HQ
Homewood Suites Hotel. Harold Siems, wife Debbie, and daughter Kim
joined Tom and Steve early Tuesday morning, followed about noon time by Charlie
McAllister. Keith and Deb, Zuhlke arrived later in the afternoon.
Last but not least, Bill and Lydia Conway winged in around 2100 hours.
The character of this gathering was
quite different from previous reunions. On Tuesday we all hung together
and got to know each other since there were so few of us. The day ended
with us doing an all hands dinner at the Montana Club except for the Conways.
Wednesday the Zuhlkes, Wiktorek, and
McAllister checked out the Miracle of America Museum in nearby Polson, MT.
Rossiters and Conways explored the Bitterroot Valley, while the Siems met with
friends in Missoula. We later gathered in the hotel lounge for more war stories
and other lies. Wednesday evening Bill Conway entertained his wife and the
Rossiters by breaking a front tooth. When he smiled, he looked like he was
from the hills of South Carolina.
Thursday one group visited the
Garnet Ghost town 30 miles east of Missoula, and Steve delivered Bill to a his
local dentist, so Bill’s tooth could be glued back together. Mission
accomplished. Thursday night we gathered at the local Famous Dave’s for
a mighty fine meal. We remembered our compatriots who are no longer with
us. An Army Vietnam veteran from Connecticut (the husband of friend of
Sherry Rossiter) bought all the adult beverages for the Flying Circus gang at
dinner.
Friday all out of town attendees
signed out of the hotel and were gone from Missoula by 1300 hours. We
weren’t many, but we had a great time.
by S. Rossiter
The following members attended the reunion :
|
Conway, Bill & Lydia |
"Swamp Fox" |
|
McAllister, Charlie |
"Taters" |
|
Rossiter, Steve & Sherry |
"King Nine" |
|
Siems, Harold & Debbie + daughter Kim |
"Weird Harold" |
|
Wiktorek, Tom |
"Preacher" |
|
Zuhlke, Keith & Deb |
"Zonk" |