American military pilot organization holds meeting at Fairchild

Published Sept. 25, 2013
By Airman 1st Class Sam Fogleman
92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs

FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The local chapter of the Order of the Daedalians held its annual on-base meeting here Sept. 18 to retell old war stories and provide outreach to potential members.

The Order of the Daedalians was established in 1934 by commissioned aviation veterans of World War I. The order is a fraternal society of past and present American military pilots, with the purpose of both reflection on the past and outreach to prospective and potential members.

The Daedalians take their name from Daedalus, the character from Greek mythology who was the legendary inventor of heavier-than-air flight.

"This is a great fraternal organization" said retired Maj. Frank Condefer. "There is great camaraderie."

Condefer was enlisted before receiving his commission and retired in 1988. He was one of many different eras of the American military who were represented by the attendees.

Col. Steve Kempf, Order of the Daedalian chapter member, who retired from the Air Force in 2010 with 27 years of service, agreed regarding the importance of the organization.

"This is an opportunity to get together with living history," Kempf said. "There are a lot of amazing stories to tell."

The benefits of the order were echoed by active duty members, as well.

"Daedalians is an outstanding organization that provides a rich heritage of military aviation," said Capt. Jacob Parker, 92nd Air Refueling Wing executive officer and Daedalians member. "The group is composed of pilots from every conflict dating to World War I. Each meeting is like reading an exciting wartime novel: you never quite know what story you will get drawn into. It has been an honor to be a member and the experiences that I have had with the group have been truly amazing."

During the meeting, the organization had a special guest speaker, retired Lt. Gen. Nicholas Kehoe. As a former fighter pilot of the Vietnam War era, Kehoe left active duty after 34 years while serving as the secretary of the Air Force inspector general. Following his military retirement in 2000, Kehoe served as the assistant inspector general of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2003, he became the president of the board of directors of the Medal of Honor Foundation.

During his speech, Kehoe took the opportunity to speak to ways that the Daedalians can increase their outreach. He said that other non-pilot service members, particularly those connected with Daedalians members, are free to attend the meetings. He said that often the way that future members hear about the Daedalians is when they are recognized by the organization.

Camaraderie is why the U.S. military is such a dominant force for good for our nation, said Col. Brian Newberry, who expressed his appreciation of the president of this national organization visiting Fairchild.

"We do stand on the choulders of giants, and enriching those bonds with past generations of aviation giants makes us stronger," said Newberry. "Organizations like the Daedalians promote esprit de corps--Lt. Gen. Kehoe's visit put an exclamation mark on the importance of maintaining those strong bonds!"

"We have a history of excellence, particularly in honoring aviation," said Kehoe. "We represent the wings of the United States military."