An Oak Harbor group of veterans of P-2 Neptune aircraft is working to build a memorial for the patrol aircraft that was stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station from the 1940s to the 1970s.

The project will obtain an aircraft, have a display site prepared, and oversee the maintenance of the airplane and site as a symbol of the maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare communities as well as the heritage of Whidbey Island NAS, said Don Grove, a retired Navy master chief, in a prepared statement.

A kick-off meeting for the project will be held at Oak Harbor Lutheran Church, near the corner of NW Second Avenue and Heller Road on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002, at 7 p.m. Anyone who served with P-2s anywhere at any time are invited to attend.