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- [Narrator] Once an Okie, always an Okie.

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It's a mantra spoken by a
group of several hundred

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former members of the
507th Air Refueling Wing.

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This group of Okies met
at Tinker Air Force Base

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Oklahoma September 28th and 29th.

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Realistically there was
over a thousand years of

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experience in the hangar
during the social hour.

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Many generations of Okies
were present at the gathering,

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but the bulk of men and women
there served in the 507th

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Tactical Fighter Group,
directly after the Vietnam War.

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Many of these retired
citizen airmen spoke time and

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time again about the
camaraderie of the union.

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They may have been flying
the F-105 thunderchief

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or F-4 phans, but just
like any day is was about

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people and the relationships.

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- [Maj. Gen. Lou Ferraro]
We've enjoyed it, you'll find

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a lot of proud people work
here and come back here

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because they make things happen.
They're true professionals.

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- [Narrator] The Okie
reunion group meets at

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Tinker Air Force Base
every 2 years to reflect

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on their service, catch
up with old friends,

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and meet new ones, serving
right here in the 507th.

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Current Okie, Lieutenant
Colonel Ken Humphrey,

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operations group commander,
said it was fun and

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very humbling to spend time
with the retired Okies.

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- [Lt. Col. Ken Humphrey] You
think you're one of the old

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guys and you've got the
experience and you realize that

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you've got folks that have
got twice, three times

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as much experience than
you'll ever have in

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multiple different weapon systems so.

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The stories that they've
got just tell the funny

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challenging, so, it's fun
to hear how things work.

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- [Narrator] One of
these special Okie vets,

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and group organizer of the reunion,

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had this to say about the gathering.

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- [Col. John Russell] We have
a long history, the fighter

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guys I think maybe more
so than, what's going on

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with a lot of units at the moment.

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Just a different breed
of cath runnin' around.

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We stay together a lot,
we deploy together a lot,

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and we enjoy doing things, and
the unit like the 507th here,

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we live in the same
area for the most part,

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and just had a great time.

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- [Narrator] Reporting for
the 507th Air Refueling Wing,

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I'm Major John Quinton.

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(Ending News Music)