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Greetings Fellow Reapers,

I hope this message finds you well as summer nears an end in 2025. I would like to provide a status update on recent 13th Bomb Squadron Association activities. Since the last issue of the Invader, many initiatives have been going on behind the scenes to reinvigorate the 13th Bomb Squadron Association to include: website modernization; the introduction of the Neon Constituent Resource Manager web tools to facilitate communication, membership, and fundraising; revision of the Association bylaws; a membership drive to replenish the Association’s finances; and, a call for volunteers to reconstitute the Board of Directors. The Association also hosted a reunion in Kansas City in September 2024 and, as usual, the 13th Bomb Squadron and 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB rolled out the red carpet for the 30 Reapers in attendance. This issue of the Invader includes the revised bylaws and a reunion recap among other recent happenings with the Association and 13th Bomb Squadron. As always, our heartfelt thanks goes out to Don Henderson who continues to edit the INVADER which we envision the INVADER will be published twice per year per recent guidance.

The most significant change in the updated bylaws is that Active Association Membership will now be defined by a tiered membership structure as a necessity to raise the funds required to sustain the Association. The lowest tier is the Black Membership requiring a minimum of a $13 annual donation with the option to donate up to $49 annually. The middle tier is the Blue Membership requiring a minimum of a $50 annual donation with the option to donate up to $112 annually. And, the highest tier is the Red Membership is for members who donate $113 or more annually. Current Active-Duty Squadron Members and Honorary Members are not required to maintain a minimum membership tier to be considered Active Members. Full details on the new membership structure can be referenced in Article IV of the bylaws. The Association kicked off a 113-day membership drive on March 1, 2025 which concluded on June 21, 2025 and I pleased to announce we raised over $6,500. I would like to express my gratitude for the generous donations of our new active members and donors. It is never late to join and I encourage you to consider doing so click here. If you do not want to sign up for an active membership, but wish to make a donation, you can do so, click here.

I am also pleased to announce that the Association was able to reconstitute the Board of Directors via an election held during a virtual meeting on July 26, 2025. The updated bylaws streamline the Board consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Korea/Vietnam/GWOT era representatives. The President will direct the overall vision and execution of board activities. The Vice-President will act on the President’s behalf in his absence. The Secretary will manage the membership registry within Neon CRM. The Treasurer will manage Association finances through Neon Pay. The Historian will edit and publish future issues of the INVADER. The GWOT era representative will help with recruiting and fundraising efforts through the website, Neon CRM, and social media. Finally, the Vietnam and Korean era representatives will be honorary board members with voting rights but no expectation to actively conduct Association business. I would like to introduce the new Board of Directors shown on the following page of the Invader and posted on the Association website. New Board members include Jim Cone, Tim Hale, and Charles Cone in addition to Charlie Brietzke, Bob Parks, Dan Pipkins, Don Henderson, and myself who have served in various capacities over the years. Thank you to both our new and previous Board members for stepping up to volunteer in our commitment to preserve the legacy of the 13th Bomb Squadron through our Association. Based on our recent efforts, I am confident the Association can thrive and we look forward to introducing future initiatives to include quarterly newsletters between issues of the INVADER, expanded social media presence on Instagram and LinkedIn, more frequent website updates, and active membership incentives. The Board of Directors plans to meet monthly over the remainder of 2025 to do some housekeeping, work on the aforementioned initiatives, and, most importantly, start planning the 2026 reunion. I sincerely appreciate those who have supported the Association over the years, and I am hopeful we will have a continued resurgence of active members to help sustain the 13th Bomb Squadron Association in its mission to promote and preserve the heritage and history of the 13th Bomb Squadron.

Reaper Pride,
Brian “Pico” Gallo, Colonel, USAF Retired
13th Bomb Squadron Association President