Father of the Duck Creek Jet Fly-Over
To Address South Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce
The regularly scheduled meeting of the South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce is scheduled for Thursday, June 18th in the Grand Hall of the GRDA Eco-Systems Building at the west end of the Pensacola Dam. The meeting will feature an optional lunch catered by the Artichoke Restaurant. Things will get underway at 11:30am
Ron Turner
In great news for the entire Grand Lake area, the fly-over of F-16 jets from the Oklahoma Air National Guard has been reinstated and will play a significant role in this year’s Duck Creek Fireworks Show. The guest speaker for the organization’s June general membership meeting, retired Brigadier General Ron Turner, is as responsible as anyone for the jets originally being incorporated in to the big show. Several key Grand Lakers were involved in lobbying efforts to secure the jets, but Turner, who is a long-time Grand Laker, worked behind the scenes to seal the deal. The jets have always been a very popular part of the show and when they kick in those afterburners, which Turner describes simply as “The Sound of Freedom,” it’s truly a sight to see.
When Turner retired in 2003, he was the assistant adjutant general and also served as the commander, Oklahoma Air National Guard, Headquarters Oklahoma Air National Guard, Oklahoma City, Okla. He was directly responsible to the adjutant general of Oklahoma for the supervision and continuity of all units of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.
The General entered the Oklahoma Air National Guard in March 1960. He was commissioned in March 1966 as second lieutenant. He entered undergraduate pilot training in October 1966 at Williams Air Force Base, Ariz., and was then assigned to the 125th Military Airlift Squadron as a C-97/C-124 transport pilot. Between the periods of 1968 and 1972 he flew C-97 and C-124 transport missions in and out of Southeast Asia.
The general is rated as a Command Pilot, logged more than 4000 hours
and qualified to fly the T-37, T-38, C-97, C-124, T-33, F-100 D/F, A-7 D/K, and F-16 C/D. His insight into the freedom our country enjoys, the importance of the independence celebration to Grand Lake and all of America, should make for a very interesting meeting. Though Turner is retired from the guard, he is still active in the business sector with Tulsa Truck Manufacturing and can often be found spending weekends on Grand Lake.
The chamber will also hear fund-raising update reports from the Duck Creek and Grand Lake Fireworks shows. Join us in honoring our Independence Day celebration and all those who have made it possible at the June meeting.
Reservation are essential to provide adequate food for those planning to have lunch and can be made online at www.grandlakechamber.org, e-mailed to Grandlakechamber@gmail.com or called in to the office at 918-782-3214.
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