449TH BG CONSTITUTION AMENDED

Constitution of the 449th Bomb Group Association, World War II. Presented and adopted by the membership at the first reunion of the 449th BGA on March 14-16, 1983, Tucson, Arizona

• Rational for Changes: Existing language dates to BGA’s founding in 1983 and has not been amended as new officers have been appointed.

• Strike the text of Article IV and insert the following: The officers of the Association [hereafter referred to as the Board of Directors] shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Historian, a Chaplain, an Executive Assistant; and Managers for the following functions: Archives, Museum, Public Relations, PX, Veterans Correspondence, and Social Media Research.

• Approved by a majority vote of the membership present.

• Rationale for Change: Existing language dates to BGA’s founding in 1983. Change needed to facilitate decision making and prepare for contingencies.

• Strike the text of Article VI and insert the following: The Association shall be governed by this constitution and any bylaws that may be appended to this constitution. The constitution and bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members attending called meetings and reunions of the Association; or if in the opinion of the Board of Directors a called meeting or reunion is impractical, by a majority vote of the members returning a ballot via mail or email.

• Approved by a majority vote of the membership present.

Reunions: Reflective of Article V Originally, reunions were held every 18 months. Members nominate/voted on the location east of MS River, originally rotated east/west. For the last eleven years, due to the decline of Veterans in attendance due to health and/or travel, the membership voted to have the reunions held every year to accommodate the wishes of the remaining Veterans. (Exceptions for two reunions; postponed due to a hurricane and the pandemic.)

Secondly, hosting a reunion yearly has had a direct impact on the 449th BGA financially. A vote from the membership was called to allow the Board to select the site for the next reunion that would be financially feasible. The Board, in good faith, would take into consideration the proposed/suggested locations presented by the membership.

Third, a reunion needs to meet a minimum number of participants to financially break even. Example: meeting the quota for block hotel rooms, catering/number of dinners, bus transportation and banquet venue. Unfortunately, there is no crystal ball to determine reunion attendance. Thus far, because the attendance numbers have held, we have been fortunate.

• Because of the above crucial and restrictive criteria to hold future reunions, a consideration was proposed by the Board to have our next reunion be held in conjunction with the 15th Air Force, Wichita, KS / September 2022. And that the 449th BGA would keep its individual existence intact by holding its own Squadron dinner and Saturday, Red Rose Memorial service. 449th BGA members would participate by joining group tours and attending the all-encompassing banquet dinner on Saturday night. The membership approved this proposal by a majority vote of the membership present.