IT RAINED CHRISTMAS CHEER into our mail and email boxes from you folks. Lots of good stuff, so I won't belay the showering upon you:

East Coast. Ricki (SMITH) and Paul SELVA are still in northern Virginia, have become garden farmers in their spare time, fell in love with the beach, and filled the year with mini-vacations and reunions. Ricki is into big-time quilting as a staff member with Jinny Beyer, and Paul has been stricken with a disease of some sort -- it's my only conclusion since he says he's "really enjoying" his time in the Pentagon.

Just before tax time, Dave (Cindy) PRAHST announced it's a tie: they have three of each gender of children in the house now. (I'd say it's time to take a rest, but I think the work - and fun - has just begun!)

Can't-keep-her-away-from-the-action-Mo (TRITLE) VACARRO has gone active with the Reserves, which is almost like going postal. She enjoying ICAF with the likes of Doc WARR, Sue MASHIKO, JC DODSON, Joe LANNI (actually at NWC) and CD MOORE. "ICAF is absolutely the best-kept secret. I'm, of course, studying very hard and also taking advantage of my athletic scholarship to major in volleyball, basketball, softball, and racquetball!" She was working with Joe WEBSTER at Reserve Requirements in the Pentagon before school. Her daughter is interested in USAFA, "but I'm trying to help keep her options open." Mo had thanksgiving with Bonnie HOUCHEN. She retired in August after being the military assistant for the VP and is now at the Citadel as the commandant of cadets and is overseeing the integration of women there. As Bonnie says, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

When Oscar (Elena plus two) MACK found us on the web, I asked him to provide an update. He gave me a stat sheet complete with the squadrons he frequented at the Zoo (Wolfpack 5 and RebEleven). He's living in the Bronx and works at Sumitomo Bank Securities as VP Systems.

I have a direct quote from a trained public relations expert, Mace CARPENTER. As a group of his F-117s was on their way through Langley to Kuwait when our Iraqi friend wanted attention, pilot Mace said, "If (Iraqi forces) are posing a hazard to our forces ... and to the rest of the world with their weapons of mass destruction ... we're ready to do what it takes. HOO-YAH!"

Middle East. A greeting from those '80 Defenders of the Sky. And an email photo from Dave FRANCIS, who says, "Greeting from Kuwait, where the Class of '80 is helping to enforce the no-fly zone over Iraq as part of Operation Southern Watch. The attached picture shows (from left) Dave FRANCIS, Mike ANGARAOLE, and Dan GILL. Dan and I are here with the 74th Fighter Squadron out of Pope, flying the A-10. Mike is here with the 176th Fighter Squadron, (Madison) WIANG, flying the F-16. We are surviving monsoon rains, freezing cold, and even a small earthquake during our 45-day rotation at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base -- only 75 miles from the Iraqi border. It's a living." Thanks Dave, and regarding photos, please send me hard copies if you can.

The West. Tony (Deb plus one) WOLUSKY is skating out of helping at the 20th by PCSing this summer. He's leaving USAFA as a professor of law and will be the SJA at Osan. Deb will rejoin the Blue Suits as a JAG Reservist. it sounds as if they'll miss the semi-secluded house on base, complete with coyotes in the backyard.

Bill PETERSON sent me an ecstatic email saying he and Frank KARL were picked up for O-5 and that he was leaving Indian Springs for the CENTAF staff. I'm still trying to figure out if the excitement was mostly because he was leaving Indian Springs.

Dan ADAMS, missile squadron CC at Grand Forks, got an email from Susan HELMS that he had to share. Not much in the content, same ol' astronaut training stuff -- but this one came across the corroded copper phone lines in Rooskie Land, where she was training for her flight aboard the International Space Station. Susan says, "This place used to be so secret that it wasn't on any map. amazing when you think of how things were just a few years ago. I am about an hour our of Moscow, in Star City."

West Coast. For those with 20 on their mind, Jerry DEVILLE let us know "three years as enlisted does count for something." He retired in August and works software integration at Boeing.

The South. Gwen KNUCKLES resurfaced in time to let us know: "Twenty year reunion? You must be mistaken. I couldn't possibly be that old." I hear ya, except my skin, bones, and hairline all tell me different. Gwen is transitioning to another practice and the "hot and heavy contract negotiations regarding my partnership are about to get underway. the ugly underbelly of medicine to be exposed." She says she has no social life and that "I have a five-year-old and a minivan. I could probably be just about anywhere and it would not matter."

Steve PRILESKY is a C-12 IP at Keesler and is training diplomats going to the field, making sure the O-6s do it by the book. He says he "reached escape velocity from the HQ AETC staff and got back to flying instead of a threatened command post job in Japan." His wife is an active duty nurse there and three kids "make all our plans for us, so our life is on hold for the foreseeable future."

Luke HOWARD voted for quality of life, turned down the Vance T-1 squadron, and will be Mr ROTC at Charleston Southern University this summer. He also sent me one of those pictures made up of thousands of electronic dots. It was of Luke and CD MOORE with big grins at the Promise Keepers convention last fall in D.C. CD's hoping for a follow-on return to Edwards to test the limits of more envelopes. (You'd think they would leave that to the Post Office.)

At a Randolph Daedalian meeting, Peggy (DENNIS) CARNAHAN met the parents of Mike LOFTUS and Lindsey LEAVOY. Mike's chief of Safety at Little Rock and Lindsey is practicing law in Baton Rouge. Peggy was east for the dedication of the women in Military Service for America Memorial, where she popped in on a few folks. some who we haven't heard from in a while: Joanne GURETSKY (J-8 on Pentagon Joint Staff) and Margie (CLARK) VARUSKA (back with BJ from the Ivory Coast and teaching at DIA in the attache school).

Jerry CORBETT was trying to hop back to Hotlanta from the Springs. He'd already missed three flights. ("The downside to the free travel benefits of airline employees is that it is space-available.") While waiting for the fourth, he spotted Jim RICE. Jim works for a computer consulting firm in Dallas and was waiting for the same flight Jerry was now trying to get on. They had a chance to chat -- but Jerry didn't say whether or not he made the flight.

Nancy (MARIANO) (Frank) KUDLA zapped me from Nacholand. Her software engineering company, Research Dynamics, was the fastest growing San Antonio company in '96 and was recently in the top 10. She says she's been blessed with four boys, but I think the real reason for the brood is she and Frank are training them to take over the company so they can retire in leisure. About the company, she hinted .. Ok, she stated, "and we are always looking for good folks!" They also love to show off their town.

REACH OUT X. I forgot to add this section to my last input. Especially since we're getting close to the 20th, I want to make sure as many of us as possible are plugged in. Tom "Mitch" MITCHELL got word that John "Rudy" RUDOLPH was living/working in the Springs somewhere, so the detective net is working. By the way, I get these names by looking at the Register and seeing when the AOG got the last update. Let me (us) know about: Stephen L. ROODHOUSE, Thomas E. RITCHIE, Daniel L. RECHART, Robert L. REEVES, Daniel G. REES, and Daniel L. RANDOLPH.

I Look forward to hearing from you almost as much as I like seeing a snowless driveway. Take care and God bless. Don.

Don Myers
AOG members: 41 percent