Past Air Force Academy Teacher & Portland Oregon ROTC Commander Jim Boyle will talk at the Oregon 8th Air Force Historical Society Quarterly Meeting on November 3, 2007

WW II pilot Jim Boyle, who had learned to fly B-25s by May of 1945 and subsequentially went onto a career in the Air Force flying fighters, bombers and transports. He spent two years teaching at the Air Force Academy in Colorado in the early 1960s before going on a tour in Vietnam flying C123s. Jim will be the guest speaker at the November 3, 2007 meeting of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society of Oregon quarterly meeting.

(PRWEB) September 22, 2007 -- WWII Pilot Jim Boyle, who had learned to fly B-25s by May of 1945, went onto a career in the Air Force flying fighters, transports and bombers. He spent two years teaching at the Air Force Academy in Colorado in the early 1960s before going on a tour in Vietnam flying C123s. Jim will be the guest speaker at the November 3, 2007 meeting of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society of Oregon quarterly meeting.

Jim Boyle joined Army Air Corps in August 1943 and received primary and secondary pilot's training at Good Fellow Base in Texas. He then went onto advanced twin engine training flying B-25's in Tampa, Florida, destined for operations in the Pacific. Graduated as a 2nd Lieutenant in May 1945. In October 1945 he was told to go home.

Lt Jim Boyle was recalled to active duty in March 1951 due to the Korean War and was sent to England. When the war officially ended in 1955 he was sent to Moody Air Force Base in Oxnard, California for transition training to fly the F-94C "Starfire" interceptor from January 1956 to July 1958. After training he was sent to McClellan AFB just northeast of Sacramento, California, where he flew a C-121A "Super Connie," the Lockheed Constellation equipped with a radome until June 1960.

After that assignment was completed Jim was assigned to the History Department of the Air Force Academy as an instructor. In 1961 he was granted permission to take off a few years to obtain his PhD and after obtaining it he went back to the Academy in 1963 where taught as a full Professor until he was sent to Viet Nam in June 1968.

In Viet Nam, he was assigned to the 315th Special Operations Wing at Phan Rang Air Base, where he flew C-123's until July 1969, when he left to become the Commandant of the ROTC program at the University of Portland. Jim retired from this position as a Lt. Colonel on July 31, 1973.

Meetings are free and open to the public. You do not have to be a member to attend any meeting.

Doors open at 10:00 and the meeting adjourns at 2 p.m. Call to order of the meeting starts at 11:15. Lunch starts at Noon and the presentation starts at 12:45 p.m.

The meeting room in on the North side of the building. Drive past the main entrance to park in the rear and enter through the rear entrance into the meeting room.

Lunch can be purchased at the Elks Lodge and costs $9.50 per person (price may be lower). Lunch will be a buffet style hot lunch. Only contact Tom Philo at 503-591-3227 if you plan to eat at the meeting so he can get an accurate headcount. You can also notify him via e-mail at secretary @ 8thafhsoregon.com

The Beaverton Elks Lodge address is:

3500 SW 104th Avenue

Beaverton, Oregon 97005-1941

Elks Lodge web site: http://www.teleport.com/~elks1989

The National 8th AFHS web site is at: http://www.8thafhs.org

The Oregon Chapter web site is at: http://www.8thafhsoregon.com/ and contains driving directions and maps to the Beaverton Elks Lodge.

Meetings are held on the first Saturday of the first full week of February, May, August, & November. (Exception: due to Veterans Day falling on Sunday the November meeting in 2007 will be held on the 3th.)

The "Mighty Eighth" is the United States Army Air Forces Bomber and Fighter Command that flew strategic precision daylight bombing missions against Germany in World War II from July 4, 1942 until May 8, 1945 -- VE Day -- in Europe.

There is no entry cost and you do not have to be a member to attend any meeting.

People interested in learning more about the 8th Air Force, to pass on what they know to others concerning the 8th AF contribution that brought victory to the Allies in the European theatre of war (ETO) and other combat theatres from any war the United States has engaged in like Korean, Vietname, Iraq, Afganistan or the various other operations are encouraged to come to the Oregon Chapter meetings.

Please fill out a membership form at the meeting or download the application from the organization's web site http://www.8thafhsoregon.com/application.aspx . The annual dues is $10. In addition, you have to join the national organization whose dues are $25 a year. The national chapter puts out a quarterly magazine while the Oregon chapter puts out a quarterly newsletter.

The Oregon Chapter of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society is a registered non-profit corporation in the State of Oregon. Money contributed above the annual dues is normally tax-deductible.

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