BYOB 2013 the AAA Tour June 20th-30th

See ya there! :jose whether you like it or not.

Not to worry.

Been associated with surlier persons than youse

got a jar of pie ta share with you ,think we can tend the fire till 5:00am???

There's only one way to find out!

Not to crowd your bromance, but I'm in.

We're like a close knit family without the sibling rivalries.


Silke's handiwork

imagine how it could be, if I would have tried to make it look decent

I'll try and track you down too.
Might try a swig of pie

Then it would have no character.

well sir step on up. Maggie and I will be easy to find.


is Keith ready to travel?

You will regret this





gsweave

Talked to him today he took a short ride on his Harley today and said he's feeling good but still gets tired pretty quick. But done with his treatments so maybe He'll be able to make an appearance at BYOB.
He just got a new granddaughter last week so things are looking up.:)

Good to hear...

Grand babies always sweeten the pot

He is in our prayers

Somebody PM me and let me know what's up with Keith, if you don't want to make it public.

sent

Scott, tell Keith I send my regards and hope he continues to improve.

Thanks!

:

Same goes for me.

Does anyone know do the tee-pees have a fire ring, or should we figure on cooking at the pavillian?
I'm starting to get the itch for this trip, (the good itch) Not the bad one when you leave one of these events.

snowman

I believe that each site has a fire ring.

Where the hell is your primus stove


The Moran Nation happens to posses a certain device that will cook food instantly in a flash of brilliant light.

Ask Hawk and the Butt brothers nicely and I am sure they will see to all of your food cooking needs

It has been almost a year now since we lost Robble. For those unfamiliar, Master Sgt Robert Cannon was killed along with three of his crew mates when their C-130 crashed fighting the White Draw Fire in South Dakota last July. Robbie was a friend to every Inmate he ever met.

The White Draw Memorial Fund has been established to pay for the upkeep of the memorial located near the site of the fire. Would anyone be offended if we passed a hat at BYOB to make a donation to the fund? I can hand deliver a check to the bank in Custer next month. I plan to donate what I can regardless but if some of you would like to kick in a bit, that would be great.




An article from The Charlotte Observer:


From their ranks, strangers salute North Carolina airmen

By Mark Washburn mwashburn@charlotteobserver.com

Posted: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 A modest memorial will soon rise in the rugged scrublands of South Dakota’s famed Black Hills, a tribute to four Charlotte airmen who died battling a wildfire last year.

But the site will be symbolic of something more: intangible bonds that connect those in service to their country, the invisible union that knots strangers for all their days.

That part of the story began last summer, after a Charlotte-based, N.C. Air National Guard C-130 crashed July 1 while dumping flame retardant on what was known as the White Draw Fire, an inferno that blackened 9,000 acres in the tinder-dry West.

Charles Najacht is publisher of the Custer County Chronicle, a weekly with a circulation of about 2,000. He is also retired military – he spent 31 years in the Army National Guard, retiring as a colonel.

“They came here to help us and they lost their lives doing it,” Najacht says. “Whenever anything like this happens, the Guard community comes together.”

Killed in the crash were Lt. Col. Paul Mikeal of Mooresville, Maj. Joseph McCormick of Belmont, Maj. Ryan David of Boone, and Senior Master Sgt. Robert Cannon of Charlotte. Seriously hurt were Chief Master Sgt. Andy Huneycutt and Sgt. Josh Marlowe, who were in the rear of the aircraft.

After the crash, Najacht wrote an editorial for the Chronicle suggesting that something be done to remember the strangers who fell from the sky:

The six risked their lives trying to save lives and property by fighting the White Draw Fire from the air. The least we can do is recognize their valiant efforts and memorialize their names, lest we forget the high cost they paid.

It just seems like the right thing for us to do.

Action came quickly

Najacht’s editorial got results.

In weeks, officials from the Black Hills National Forest and South Dakota National Guard were standing beside South Dakota Highway 18, about 5 miles north of Edgemont, where the White Draw Fire began when a motor home caught fire. Najacht says you can still see the burn marks there on the road.

They decided to build a gravel pull-off next to the two-lane highway with space for five or six cars. Two signs would go up: one about the historic fire, the other commemorating the fallen airmen.

With the Forest Service donating the land and National Guard doing the grading, it wouldn’t cost much – about $2,500.

Najacht put in $100 of his own money, quickly matched by Lynn Kolund, a Navy veteran and Hell Canyon district ranger for the Black Hills National Forest.

Najacht then appealed to his readers to donate what they could:

We urge everyone to consider donating what they can to this most worthy cause. … This air crew came a long way to help us in our time of need and four of them gave their lives. … A “thank you” hardly seems sufficient.

His words reached far

Hank Whitney spent 24 years in the Air Force, retiring as a captain. He spent an additional 20 years working for the government at the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, Md.

As a Russian linguist, Whitney spent a good chunk of his Cold War military service aboard C-130s, skirting the boundaries of the Soviet Union to intercept communications.

Now 72, he spends most of the year in his home in Custer and winters in Arizona. He was there when his Custer County Chronicle arrived in the mail with the appeal for donations.

“It immediately struck my heart when I saw the article. I knew we needed to get this rolling,” Whitney says.

“I called Charley Najacht from Arizona. I told him I’d flown on C-130s and asked how much they’d gotten. He said, ‘Well, we only have $200 so far.’ People around the area here in Custer have good hearts, but for a lot of the people it’s not the high-rent district,” Whitney says.

“Well, you know, this country has been good to me. I told him I’d make up whatever shortfalls.”

Whitney mailed a check that day for $2,300.

Project goes on

On May 13, work will begin at the site. When completed, visitors will be able to look 4 miles northwest to the mesa where the plane was found.

On July 1, the anniversary of the crash, the memorial will be dedicated. Families of the fallen have been invited along with other dignitaries, including South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who last July ordered flags across his state to fly at half staff to honor the airmen.

All that’s left to do is find some money for upkeep of the site, which will be tended to by volunteer firefighters from Edgemont.

If necessary, Whitney told Najacht, he’ll pay for it himself. He knows something about invisible bonds.

Whitney came home safely from all his missions. He knew men who didn’t.

WANT TO HELP?

If you want to donate for upkeep of the Black Hills memorial to N.C. Air National Guard members, you can send a check to:

White Draw Memorial Fund, First Interstate Bank, 648 Mount Rushmore Road, Custer, S.D., 57730.