386th Air Service Group (386th asg) at Iwo Jima

Welcome to the website for the 386th Air Service Group

All-Comers Reunion of the 386th Air Service Group and Pilots

All-Comers Reunion
Las Vegas, NV
November 12-15, 2009

Dear Vets, Families, and Friends of the 386th,

I am excited to tell you that the 386th ASG has been invited to attend an all-comers reunion (386th and pilots) in Las Vegas, with ceremonies at Nellis AFB. The reunion will be from November 12 to 15, 2009.

Mark Stevens is co-coordinating the event with the 7th Fighter Group. He is putting together a hotel package in Las Vegas.

Rickie Feuille will be sending out notices with all the details. If you want to be on the mailing list, contact me and I will get your contact info to Rickie. So, if you'd like more info please contact me at:

Ron Villi
2425 E. Wood Ave
Laton, CA, 93242
559-923-4235

Blessings to you all,
Ron Villi

P.S. If you would like to contact me about 386th ASG veterans and families, feel free. My phone is 559-923-4235. I take great pleasure in connecting people with each other.

This website has been developed for the family, friends, and men of the 386th ASG and all those appreciative of the men and women that sacrificed a part of their lives assuring that freedom and our way of life could continue. This website celebrates just one very small part of the struggle that was WWII. While doing research for the site, I found that the 386th ASG was a microcosm of the whole, and portrayed the willingness of the service people to do more than just the job that they had been trained to do.

What was envisioned as a 72 hour battle turned into a struggle that would take nearly 7,000 American lives and wound more than 20,000 others. Trained to service aircraft, the 386th ASG disembarked onto Iwo Jima on D + 5 and found themselves in the middle of an epic battle. They were then enjoined to aid the Marines by helping resupply, take the wounded out to aid stations, and do whatever other task developed. The men of the 386th worked well beyond the call of duty. Major Richard Feuille reports that the 386th was the only non-Marine or Naval unit on Iwo Jima to receive an award from the Marines. A copy of the commendation and award can be found on the Mission page.

This site is designed to enable the men of the 386th ASG, their families, and friends to communicate with one another if they so desire, using the Message Board. We have attempted to describe the Mission in terms understandable to the children and grandchildren of veterans. The History page is filled with descriptions written by the men themselves.

I will be forever grateful to the following for their time and gracious understanding to someone that needed a hand (several hands!) in this endeavor:

A. J. (Westy) Westheimer, 1st Lt. 611th Materiel Squadron
Richard (Rickie) Feuille, Major, Headquarters Squadron
Melinda Zipin, daughter-in-law, 1st Lt. Martin Zipin, deceased, HQ Squadron
Sandra Brown, daughter, Corporal Raymond Minton Jr., HQ Squadron

and to my uncle, T/Sgt. Oswald (Ossie) Villi, 490th AES, deceased, for his time and gracious understanding when I needed it.

---Ron Villi
I welcome your mail at:
2425 E. WOOD AVE.
LATON, CA, 93242

and your phone calls at 559-923-4235

Click photo for larger image with names of men.

We believe in America and Americans.
We believe that Americans have a sense of what
has been sacrificed in the past for our Freedom today.
We believe that Americans are heroes-in-waiting,
and that given a particular moment in time,
will step forward and demonstrate that innate ability.
We believe that as Americans we should reflect often upon
the heroes-in-waiting that did step forward on Sept. 11,
and to those men and women who have
done the same throughout our history.

Home | Mission | History | Roster | Message Board