The 1st Fighter Association consists of present and past members of the 1st Fighter Group/1st Fighter Wing with the mission of preserving the heritage of the 1st Fighter Group/Wing. 

1st Fighter Association Reunion was held at the Crown Plaza Dayton Hotel, Dayton, Ohio from September 7th to the 10th, 2017 

Thursday, September 7th was arrival day with a casual cocktail hour and dinner.  Friday, September 8th the group went to the National Museum of the United States Air Force.   The evening they meet at the Dublin Pub, in the newly redeveloped part of Dayton.  Saturday, September 9th we had our Association Business Meeting which will include the election of the Association Officers for the 2017-2019 term. That evening they went back to the Museum for a ceremony at the 1st Fighter Wing Memorial. 
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​Saturday night we had the banquet and closing ceremonies under the wings in the heart of the museum and featured Wright-Patterson’s Air Force Band of Flight.  The banquet's guest speaker was General (Ret.) Frank “Gork” Gorenc, former 1st FW Wing Commander and member of the 94th Fighter Squadron.

1st Fighter Wing Centennial Celebration
Honoring 100 Years of Air Dominance

Thursday, 26 October 2017:
•    Specialized LFE flown by the Wing's aircraft (AM)
•    Official Dining Out (w/Spouse) (PM)

Friday, 27 October 2017:
•    1 FW Golf Tourney (AM)
•    Wing Award Ceremony and Monument Unveiling (PM)

Saturday, 28 October 2017:
•    AF A-Sponsored 5k Run
•    F-22 DEMO along with Heritage Flight aircraft
•    Fall Festival Family Day
•    Photo Opportunities with Aircraft
•    BBQ

More Details and Events to Follow.  For more info, contact:
1st Fighter Association POC: Jim "Racquet" Hardenbrook, ejhbrook@me.com
                                             : Rich "Moto" Shook, richshook3@cox.net
1st Fighter Wing POC: Joshua Lashley, lfw.ho@us.af.mil 

Lt Robert "Bob" McIntosh Comes Home

On 12 May 1944, 1st Lt Robert L. McIntosh, of the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, disappeared during a combat mission in Italy.  His P-38 aircraft, departed Foggia Airfield #3 on a strafing mission against a target in Piacenza, Italy.  After a brief air battle over Bologna, which 1st Lt McIntosh emerged apparently unscathed, the weather worsened and the flight began to climb through the overcast. Although flight leader instructions were acknowledged by 1st Lt McIntosh, his aircraft was observed to dive through the clouds, and he was not seen or heard from again. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 4765 documented that he was last seen near Imola, Italy.

After the cessation of hostilities, American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) searches failed to locate his crash site and his remains were declared non-recoverable. In September 2013, Italian citizens excavated a crash site in Santa Cristana, Italy, and found material evidence which correlated with MACR 4765.  Possible human remains, consisting of a single bone fragment, were turned over to U.S. representatives on 11/19/13, and positively identified on 2/12/14.  A DPAA team excavated the site with assistance from an Italian non-profit group in August-September 2015 and the DPAA Lab ultimately identified the additional remains of 1Lt McIntosh on 3/22/16.

​1Lt McIntosh was brought back to his home town of Tiptin Indiana and buried next to his parents on Aug 13 2016, with full military honors.