You are cordially invited to attend the 2024 Open Mess of the Michigan Company of Military Historians and Collectors.  Join us for a unique social evening patterned after a traditional British regimental “Ladies Dining-In-Night,” with a bit of ceremony, a piper and a round of toasts, along with a great dinner, good company and an entertaining guest speaker.


THE DATE:
Saturday, November 9, 2024

THE PLACE:
Boulder Creek Golf Club
5750 Brewer NE
Belmont, Michigan 49306
(616) 363-1330

THE TIME:
Cocktails at 6:00 PM
Dinner at 7:00 PM

THE PIPER:
Rev. Thomas Bradley

THE DRESS:
Gentlemen: Suit or Jacket
Ladies: Semi-Formal Attire

THE SPEAKER:
Claire Kitchen Dahl-Yankee Air Museum, a/k/a: ‘Rosie the Riveter’

One of the consequences of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 was, in the purported words of Admiral Yamamoto, to have “awaken(ed) a sleeping giant and fill(ed) him with a terrible resolve”. That indeed would be the case. The United States undertook a massive allocation of industrial resources towards the war effort. Part of the effort was the innovative assembly line production of military aircraft which had never been done before and was thought to be impossible. But under the direction of Ford production chief Charles ‘Cast Iron Charlie’ Sorenson the impossible was achieved at the Willow Run B-24 production plant in suburban Detroit. At peak production, one B-24 rolled out of the factory doors every hour! The B-24 ‘Liberator’ 4 engine bomber was the mount of two of our departed members: Bill Conolly (Pacific) and Dick Essenwein (ETO).

Our speaker, Claire Kitchen Dahl is currently an outreach speaker for the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run. She is a retired history teacher and will present an audio-visual informative talk on the Willow Run contribution in World War II. She will do so in an entertaining style while dressed up as the iconic ‘Rosie the Riveter’! Don’t miss it.

Download Invite Form


Past Open Mess Speakers

  • 1978 – Steve Richie – Vietnam Ace
  • 1979 – Shigeo Imamura – Imperial Japanese Navy, Kamikaze Pilot
  • 1980 – George Gay – Sole Survivor, Torpedo Squadron 8, Battle of Midway
  • 1981 – Jack Hilger – Deputy Commander Doolittle Raid
  • 1982 – Matt Urban – Most decorated US Serviceman
  • 1983 – John Singlaub – USA Chief of Staff, Korea
  • 1984 – Hanns Scharff – Chief Interrogator, Luftwaffe, WWII
  • 1985 – Edwards Park – P-39 Pilot, Pacific Campaign
  • 1986 – Werner Prange – Wehrmacht Infantryman, Eastern Front
  • 1987 – William Billings – RAF Spitfire Pilot
  • 1988 – Walter Scott – Battery Commander on Corregidor
  • 1989 – William Sefton – 501st PIR, 101st Airborne, Normandy and Bastogne
  • 1990 – Rev. George Wood – Chaplain – 82nd Airborne
  • 1991 – Robert Ross – Dive Bomber Pilot, Pacific Campaign
  • 1992 – Berendina Eman – Member of Dutch Resistance WWII
  • 1993 – Ed Foster – 32nd Division, Buna Campaign, New Guinea
  • 1994 – Ralph Hauenstein – Chief of Intelligence SHAEF
  • 1995 – Don Jandernoa – USAAF, B-24 Pilot, 454th Bomber Group
  • 1996 – Robert Johnson – USAAF, P-47 Ace, 56th Fighter Group
  • 1997 – Joe Beyrle – 101st Airborne, Normandy, POW Escapee
  • 1998 – Doug Canning – USAAF, P-38 Pilot, Admiral Yamamoto Mission
  • 1999 – Horst Petzschler – Luftwaffe, ME-109 & FW-190A Ace
  • 2000 – Walter J. Konantz – USAAF, P-51 Pilot, 55th Fighter Group
  • 2001 – Donald R. Burgett – 101st Airborne, Normandy and Germany
  • 2002 – Gordon J. Van Wylen – USN, USS Hardhead, Pacific 
  • 2003 – David “Tex” Hill – USAAF, P-40 Flying Tiger Ace, AVG
  • 2004 – Milo Flaten – USA, E Company, 116th Regiment, 29th Inf. Div, ETO
  • 2005 – Joe Volmar – AHY, Luftwaffenhelfer, ME-163 Trainee
  • 2006 – Roger Hall – OSS Instructor and Operative, ETO
  • 2007 – James Campbell – author of The Ghost Mountain Boys
  • 2008 – Mike Kuryla – USN, Coxswain and survivor of the USS Indianapolis
  • 2009 – Karl Gelbke – 7th Fallschirmjäger Division, WWII
  • 2010 – Chuck Pfarrer -USN, member SEAL TEAM 4 and 6, 1980s
  • 2011 – Al Johnson – OSS Operative, ETO and China
  • 2012 – Benjamin Busch – USMC, 4th LARB, Iraq 2003-2005
  • 2013 – Brian Castner – USAF, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Officer, Iraq
  • 2014 – Lieutenant Colonel Wickliffe “Wick” Walker (U.S. Army, retired)
  • 2015 – Felix Rodriguez, former CIA operative.
  • 2016 – Jack D. Segal-Major-USA (ret.) and Consul-General of the USA (ret.)
  • 2017 – Lt. Col. Charles Kettles, Medal of Honor winner, UH-1D helicopter pilot.
  • 2018 – Steve Snyder, author of ‘Shot Down”
  • 2019 – Eric S. Kafka- Master Chief U.S. Navy U.S.S. Cole terrorist attack 2000
  • 2023 – Bill Blair-U.S. Army