Col. Adrian C. Pone' December 20, 1964 - January 20, 2010
Colonel Adrian C. Pone', formerly of New Paltz, NY died Wednesday, January 20, 2010 in Ferrara, Italy. Known in the military community as "Kermit", and having served over 22 years in the USAF, Colonel Pone' was the Director of Operations, NATO Combined Air Operations Center Five, at Poggio Renatico, Italy.
Adrian was born December 20, 1964 in Kingston, NY, the son the late Gundaris and Karen (Larson) Pone'. He was raised in New Paltz where he grew to love hunting, camping, and weight training. A devote Catholic, Adrian founded the Aviano AB chapter of the Knights of Columbus.
by 1st Lt. Kim Schaerdel 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
1/27/2010 - AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy -- A memorial service was held Jan. 25 at the Church of Aviano for a fallen Airman.
U.S. and Italian family and friends paid their respects and remembered the life of Col. Adrian "KERMIT" Poné. Colonel Poné was assigned to NATO Combined Air Operations Center Five, Poggio Renatico, Italy, and was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work Jan. 20.
Reflecting back on an 18-year friendship, which included operational tours and travelling the world together, Col. Patrick McClelland, 31st Fighter Wing vice commander, was the first to pay tribute.
"Early on, I would have described Kermit as a child in a man's body. His was a gentle nature though, one that was not to be underestimated," Colonel McClelland said. "He was hard working, determined, affable and genuinely sincere...all the time. You only have to look back at his career and count the number of lives he has touched to know this is true."
Here are the upcoming calendar events for the Association.
2010: 21-26 Sept Washington D.C Focus on WWII and Vietnam Planning on going Includes visits to WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Museums, Pentagon…. Senior Active Duty person as guest speaker
Lt. John Drummond's photo collection was recently added to the 510th Fighter Squadron Gallery. The collection contains 180 photos of Lt. Drummond's time in the Military to include with the 510th Fighter Squadron.
Lt. Drummond was captured by the German Army when his P-47 named "Raid Hot Mama" was shot down. He was taken to the Stalag Luft I camp where he remained for the rest of the war.
Lt. Ben Hartley served with the 510th Fighter Squadron during WWII and wrote numerous letters home during those years. We are please to publish those letters in chronological order for you to read. The letters span from February 24th 1943 to October 12th 1945. In all, there are approximately 120 letters and about 600 pages of hand written 510th history. From a Civilian's first encounter with the Army, training as a Fighter Pilot to winning the war.
Over the course of the next couple of Months, those letters and images will be posted to the website. Click "Read More..." to read the first letter in the collection.
CMSgt Michael T. Barrowman received some unexpected news from Mrs. Margaret Ream, Historian, Organizational History Branch, Air Force Historical Research Agency. The 510th Fighter Bomber Squadron changed the 510th emblem in 1953, and there is no other record of modification until now.
The following is the transcribed order for modification.
Some years ago, the 510th Fighter Squadron Association merged with the 509th, the 511th, and the 405th Associations to become a single larger organization. As the 510th had the majority of members participating in the Annual Reunions, the members decided to retain the 510th Fighter Squadron Association name.
Over the past five years, members of the Association have submitted their photos, memories and achievements to this website, allowing us to share our continuously growing catalog to the general public. Today marks the first day where a member of the 509th has furnished their collection. View the 509th Collection.
The 510th Fighter Squadron Association was organized to preserve the illustrious history of the squadron and to continue by membership in this organization the brotherhood and camaraderie that we expressed during military service and to promote friendship among the members, their families and survivors.
Annual and Lifetime Membership is extended to all active, retired or honorably discharged personnel who have served with the 509th, 510th or 511th Fighter Squadrons or with the 405th Fighter Group/Wing .
Col. Adrian C. Pone'
U.S. and Italian family and friends paid their respects and remembered the life of Col. Adrian "KERMIT" Poné. Colonel Poné was assigned to NATO Combined Air Operations Center Five, Poggio Renatico, Italy, and was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work Jan. 20. 
Some years ago, the 510th Fighter Squadron Association merged with the 509th, the 511th, and the 405th Associations to become a single larger organization. As the 510th had the majority of members participating in the Annual Reunions, the members decided to retain the 510th Fighter Squadron Association name.