ARIA
Alert Message
This is an “ARIA all hands” for widest dissemination. Please forward to the
entire ARIA family.
There’s good news and bad news!
The good news is:
1.
Our ARIA Alumni family roster
currently exceeds 840 alumni.
2.
We have a tremendous web site
at: www.flyaria.com --due the heart felt efforts, first by
Jere McLucas and now continued by Randy Losey.
3.
ARIA 374, which includes a
complete PMEE suite, currently resides at the USAF Museum.
4.
Over 500 friends and family
attended the 20th year Memorial Service for ARIA 328 and ARIA Reunion on May
5-6, 2001, to include over 100 surviving ARIA 328 family members.
5.
Major General Bob Raggio summed
it up when he proclaimed “WE ARE FAMILY.” There’s no doubt that we all feel
great pride and comradeship in knowing that he was right on target.
The bad news is:
1.
The original commitment by USAF
museum senior leadership to include ARIA 374, as an open display, inside the
new “Cold War Hangar” has evaporated.
2.
ARIA 374 has sat untouched in
the elements since it’s arrival at the USAF Museum, now almost two and a
half years ago. Mold, mildew and corrosion are commencing to attack the
PMEE suite and interior.
3.
The unlimited potential of our
alumni group has neither been recognized nor tapped as a resource for the
Museum.
4.
There’s no visible ground swell,
or grass roots movement, to conduct future ARIA reunions.
It is unconscionable, and heart breaking, to watch ARIA 374 struggle to
survive, when she has the potential to be the “premier” open display at the
Museum for generations to come.
What should we do?
1.
Stand up a formal ARIA
Organization Strategy (AOS) board to manage and implement current and future
ARIA initiatives, to include reunions, website administration, lobbying
efforts to get ARIA 374 under roof, volunteers to support ARIA museum
restoration efforts, etc.
2.
Recruit an “ARIA Champion”…an
individual that can, and will, work closely with USAF and museum senior
leadership to fulfill our collective desire to fully tell the ARIA story
through a hands-on, and open, ARIA display under roof.
New blood and ideas are needed. We are in
dire need of help and relief, and every single ARIA family member has the
ability to make a real and valuable contribution and difference.
We know you care, so it’s
time to join hands with your ARIA family. If we do nothing, there’s a real
possibility ARIA 374 will become ‘ramp junk’. Call/email your ARIA friends
and family, and overwhelm us with suggestions, volunteers and ideas to keep
our ARIA dream alive.
An ARIA ‘chat room’ has
been set up on the www.flyaria.com web site. It can be accessed from the
main
www.flyARIA.com home page under Forums or directly at
http://www.flyaria.com/board/index.php. You must register to participate
and you must provide a valid email address for the registration process. If
you have any problems with the registration process you can contact Randy
Losey at
randy@flyARIA.com. FlyARIA.com will keep you up to date with the latest
developments.
WE NEED TO ACT
BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!!!
|
