The Magazine of Aviation Warriors - Red River Valley Fighter Pilots

Transcription

The Magazine of Aviation Warriors
RED RIVER VALLEY FIGHTER PILOTS ASSOCIATION
Issue No. 158 FALL 2012
Inside:
Fall 2012-13 Scholarship Program Update
River Rats in the News
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Hawgsmoke 2012
...and much more
(Cover: from painting by Jack Fellows, High Road to Hanoi, used with permission)
Page 1
From the CinC
G
QUIZMO BROWN
reetings from the CinC! I hope everyone is having a great
summer, and while we are between major evolutions, I
thought this was a good time to cover an area I’ve been pondering.
It concerns the length of our leadership track (Vice, CinC, and
EXFish), and some ideas on changes.
Like any aviator, I’m not a fan of change. I fear change. This
means that I have to REALLY think something needs changing
for me to bring it up, and I’m there with the leadership track.
We established the current system after many years of one year
CinCs, and the current Vice-to-CinC-to-EXFish solved the lack
of continuity. However, six years is a stretch to ask an active duty
aviator to serve, and I’m very interested in looking at a change.
Both Teek and I know what we signed up for, but as I talk to our
active duty folks about their interest to serve in the leadership
track, the length of the term consistently comes up as a big
negative. I believe we need to be able to offer shorter terms to be
more attractive.
From the CinC.................................................................... 1
From the Vice..................................................................... 2
Fall 2012-13 Scholarship Program Update..................... 3-4
Story Time.......................................................................... 4
River Rats in the News.................................................... 5-7
River Rat Rick Drury Receives Master Pilot Award........ 5
Vietnam Fund for Education, Music & Infrastructure..... 5
Double Ace Ralph Parr Honored .................................... 6
CWU AFROTC Commencement Address....................... 7
Induction into Oklahoma Military Hall of Fame............. 7
USAFA Class of ‘62 50th Reunion, October 2012........... 7
Firing Circle........................................................................ 7
Do you know where these lost Rats are?............................ 8
Tactics Conferences....................................................... 9-10
2012 Western Washington River Rats Annual BBQ... 9-10
Here are a couple of suggestions. The first and easiest would
be to eliminate the EXFish position. This would leave the current
two year terms in place for Vice and CinC, giving the Vice the two
years ‘on the wing’ prior to fleeting-up to CinC. An issue with this
plan would be the impact on the EXCOM in that an odd number of
members is preferable for tie-breaking purposes. Not a huge deal,
but something to consider.
Another option would entail holding elections for both CinC and
Vice positions, while eliminating the automatic ascension of the
Vice to the CinC. I would recommend three year tours, and this
option would allow for our membership to run for either position
(I’ve talked to several people who wouldn’t mind being the Vice
but have no interest in CinC), but a serving Vice could run for
CinC if they desired. An issue with this option would be the lack
of the time on the wing prior to serving as CinC.
This will be a discussion topic at the mid-year board meeting,
but I wanted to get this in front of our membership prior to our
discussions. If you have an opinion on either of my suggestions,
and particularly if you have a better idea, I really want, and need,
to hear from you. I know there has to be a way to adjust our command track, whether a little or a lot, to make running for office
attractive for active duty and full time career Rats. If we have to
make a change, and I believe we do, I want to have a ton of suggestions from our membership to pick from. This will entail a bylaw
change and a vote from the membership, so I’m looking forward
to hearing from you in advance.
-Quiz
My Two Bits...................................................................... 10
The Twelve Days of Christmas................................... 11-13
The Unexpected Good Deal............................................. 14
Hawgsmoke 2012........................................................ 15-16
Air Warrior Courage Foundation News....................... 17-18
River Rat Donations......................................................... 17
Air Warrior Courage Foundation Donations.................... 19
Welcome New River Rats................................................. 19
Rejoining River Rats........................................................ 19
Final Sweep...................................................................... 20
National Board of Directors............................................. 21
Local Force Cinc Roster.............................................. 21-22
2013 National Reunion...................................... Back Cover
COPYRIGHT © by RRVA, 2012. All rights reserved.
This newsletter and its contents, unless otherwise credited, are copyrighted by the Red River Valley Association, Inc. (RRVA), d.b.a. the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association.
Page 2
From the Vice
H
ello from the Vice!
Well, I am now Mr. Teek “Hooker” Dorsett. I had a great retirement
and have our local pack to thank for a large portion of my retirement
week. Probably the coolest event of the week was a “Rat Call” in the 43
FS F-22 Squadron “Heritage” room. The Rats showed up in force and
told stories in the bar all night to the young guys to include the TDY 333
FS F-15E Lancers, from Seymour Johnson AFB, who were in town for
DACT support. Thanks to Rats George Peacock, Jumbo Wray, Tracy
Dorsett Jr (My Dad), Panky Pankhurst, Gene McCormack, Mace
Mason, Holy Chitmon, Bluto Blount, Mach Weidner and everyone else
who showed up and told great stories. It was a great last night of being on
active duty. On retirement day, I was fortunate enough to fly a T-38 4-ship
in the morning and the F-4 4-ship in the afternoon with my presiding
officer Gen “Jobu” McMullen, Rats Holy Chitmon and Thumper
Carson, as well as many other great Americans. Weather held out just
long enough for us to get both flights in and then we had a wild party at the
club. Again, I’d like to thank many River Rats for celebrating this evening
with us (Pooh and Arnie Hedges, Tracy and Linda Dorsett, Tom and
Phyllis Mason, Panky and Teri Pankhurst, Jumbo Wray, Derf Clark,
Lisa Morris, Mike Rogers, Jim and Anna Stumpf, George and Bobbie
Peacock, Clint and Leslie Torres, Shaka and Fuj Fujimoto, Holy and
HOOKER DORSETT
Ashley Chitmon, Bluto and Donna Blount, Thumpher and Keyna
Carson, Tara Airhart, Bam-Bam Wees, Jeremy Renkin, Merc Frana
and Monte Recker to name a few as I’m sure I’ve forgotten many). The
musical stylings of Tonto Bird, Pinz Koch and their band, Post Stall,
really made the party complete with their brilliant play list. I especially
want to send a big thanks to all the guys who drove down from Eglin and
flew in from all over CONUS to give us a great send off.
Enough reminiscing about the good ol’ days in the active duty, now I
must get serious about working. Last MIG SWEEP I mentioned building
a 3-5 year look for the organization. This is actually required by the
bylaws. I am very serious about that endeavor now. You can expect me
to get a more organizational climate survey out and directly email some
of you for candid feedback on the best three things you’ve seen out of
the organization in the last 10 years and the three biggest things you
think could be improved upon from the same period. Additionally, I want
everyone to think seriously about where you want the organization to go
over the next 3-5 years. In the next MIG SWEEP I will have some facts
and statistics to explain where we were 10, 20, 30 years ago along with the
current situation with regards to membership demographics. Hopefully,
after analyzing the data, we can determine where we are headed and
decide if we need any course corrections. Obviously, this statistical data
will only paint a very small picture. The membership’s impressions and
desires can’t be revealed in demographics or data. Please weigh in and
send me an email or leave a message regarding ideas and concepts for
our future (teekandashley@knology.net / hooker@river-rats.org or 919440-0474)
I cannot begin to express my gratitude to this great organization for
the work you do while on active duty and afterwards. Thanks for your
dedication to country and your steadfast support of our military. Please do
not forget to have fun along the way.
God bless the Rats and God bless this great country,
Respectfully, your Vice – Teek “Hooker” Dorsett
Start Planning for
Pensacola!
-Hooker
Page 3
Fall 2012-13 Scholarship Program Update
Ken Posey, Director Scholarship Program
F
or the 2012-13 academic years, the
Scholarship Committee awarded education
grants of $67,250 to 20 of 20 applicants. The
grant total equals the budget allocated by the
Board of Directors. I would like to personally
thank those individuals, corporations, and
groups that have steadfastly supported the
Scholarship Program.
Scholarship eligibility, per the RRVA By-laws
is as follows:
1)
Kinship Requirement: Scholarship grant
recipients must be immediate dependent
(legal son, daughter or spouse) of:
a)
b)
c)
2)
A U.S. aircrew member listed as
Killed in Action (KIA) or Missing
in Action (MIA) from any combat
situation involving U.S. military
from August 1964 (Vietnam Era)
through the present; or
A military aircrew member killed
as the result of performing aircrew
duties during a non-combat mission;
or
A RRVA member who is currently
in good standing or was in good
standing at the time of their death.
Kinship Not Required: To provide
assistance in the education of persons in
the fields related to aviation and space
(Kinship to deceased aviator not required)
Our goal was to fully fund as many
undergraduates, then as many graduates based
on financial need. The undergraduate funding,
in priority order, was amount of need, loss of
a parent/spouse, amount of loan, legacy (prior
recipient), academic progress, and proximity to
graduation.
freshman at The University of Alabama, which
also carries a $1000 award. The 3 Founding
Father Award selectees, each of whom will be
awarded $500, are as follows:
Scrappy Johnson Award:
Nathaniel Burgess, Senior, Weber State
Robin Olds Award:
Kathryn Maguire, Senior, Clark University
Larry Pickett Award:
The grant breakdown is $18,000 to seven (7)
graduate students and $49,250 to thirteen (13)
undergraduate students. Total amount awarded
to undergraduate students, including the grants,
two endowments, and Founding Fathers
Awards, was 75% of the total grant amount
for this year.
The 2011 Pierre Levy Wild Weasel
selectee is Kathryn Maguire, a Senior at Clark
University who will be awarded $1,000. The
2011 Alexander (‘Ali’) D. Bache Memorial
Scholarship Award goes to Jacie Levens, a
Ali Frolich:
Junior, Univ. of South
FL., Criminology
Ali Frolich, Junior, Univ. of South FL
By augmenting, and in some cases fully
funding the student’s financial need, we help
them stay in school and avoid taking out large
loans. You are truly making a big difference in
the lives of these young men and women and
can all be extremely proud of what the River
Rats are doing to prepare them for both their
working career and life in general.
Lastly, this will be my final MIG SWEEP
article as the Chairman. Pepe Soto, a former “atlarge” committee member has been appointed
by the Board to take the position. During my
6-year tenure, I had the privilege and pleasure
of working alongside Gordy and Cyndi Jones,
Pepe Soto, Fred Wall, Jeff Tice, and Karl Brandt.
These Rats, who represent various military
services, along with our Financial Aid Advisor
Dr. Herm Davis, did all the heavy lifting for the
Scholarship Committee.
The following are the undergraduate and
graduate grant recipients for the 2012-2013
academic year.
Undergraduate Awards
Sarah Bivona:
Sophomore, The College
of St. Scholastica,
Nursing
Eight of the 20 had suffered the loss of a
parent, one had a parent who was a POW, and
2 applicants were “non-kinship” recipients IAW
Article I of the by-laws.
Financial need for ALL eligible applicants
was $143,856.
Jonathan Erickson:
Sophomore, Univ. of
California, Neuroscience
Nathaniel Burgess:
Senior, Weber St. Univ.
Michael Curry:
Freshman, Coastal
Carolina Univ., Marine
Science
Mary Allison Johnson:
Sophomore, Texas
Women’s University,
Nursing
Jacie Levens:
Freshman, Univ. of
Alabama, Pre-Med
Kathryn Maguire:
Senior, Clark University,
Environmental Science
Natasha Mounsey:
Senior, California State
University, Graphic
Design
Melissa O’Sullivan:
Freshman, Columbia
University, Engineering
Samantha Parks:
Freshman, Embry
Riddle, Aerospace
Engineering
Brian Warsaw:
Freshman, Florida
Institute of Tech., Aero
Science
Connor Welch:
Freshman, Marquette
University,
Communications
Graduate Students
James Bivona:
Univ. of Southern
Illinois, Pharmacy
Jessica Bush:
Med. University
of South Carolina,
Medicine
McKenzie Butler:
Johns Hopkins, Nursing
Page 4
Story Time
a·poc·ry·pha [uh-pok-ruh-fuh] - noun ( often used with a singular verb );
writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.
“Bitching Betty”
Entering a classroom at MCAS Yuma a female Marine captain
encountered a clearly apathetic audience. She was selected to provide
a full hour’s instruction in Iranian electronic warfare capabilities to 150
Marine aviators who showed by their body language deep skepticism
about her ability to teach war fighting skills to an all-male class.
She began by noting that her voice had just been tested to see if it was
suitable for some new cockpit recorder messages for Marine aircraft.
Unfortunately she had not been selected to be the new “Bitching Betty.”
She thought it was only fair to warn the audience that an analysis of
her voice pattern revealed her particular voice had a tendency to lull to
sleep any male homosexual within earshot.
The assembled officers shot upright in their chairs. 150 sets of eyes
were wide open and locked on her and stayed that way for the rest of
the period.
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:
Liesl Drew:
Uppsala Univ. of
Sweden, Cultural
Anthropology
Christina Harduvel:
Univ. of South Florida
Nominations are now open for the
positions of National Vice President &
General Secretary
For more information, please contact Ex-Officio
Swede Seagren at:
SwedeBear@gmail.com or 570-451-4854
No Photo
Provided
Deadline: 21 January 2013
Joshua Lancaster:
Temple University,
Medicine
Dawn Nophsker:
Texas Women’s
University, Physical
Therapy
Nominations may be submitted
by letter, fax, or email to:
RRVA Executive Director
P.O. Box 1553
Front Royal, VA, 22630
FAX: (540)636-9776
Email RRVARiverRats@aol.com
Page 5
River Rats in the News
River Rat Rick Drury Receives
Master Pilot Award
O
n July 13th at the annual Arlington Air
Show in Washington State, River Rat
Rick Drury received the FAA’s Wright
Brothers Master Pilot Award. This honor
is reserved for those select few aviators
who have distinguished themselves during
their careers as pilots. The criterion for this
award is a minimum of fifty years of safe
operations. Rick actually exceeded the 50year figure by flying for 53 years without
a mishap. This was despite flying many
combat sorties as “Sandy 01”, the on scene
SAR commander in his A-1 Skyraider.
Rick’s beautiful wife Carol was there to
watch him receive the Master Pilot Award.
Also in attendance were Evan “Peewee”
Reese, an A-6 pilot who Rick rescued
along with his B/N Don Fraser on February
7, 1970. Western Washington Local Force
CinC Joe Crecca was also in attendance.
Carol whose devotion to Rick and love of
flying herself is the icing on the cake.
This was a fitting recognition of a
brilliant flying career.
Rick is the author of many books
including, My Secret War, which was
followed by three more, all dealing with
low altitude close-in air combat. Another
is Flightlines, an interesting, inspiring, and
philosophical collection of short stories
about his myriad of flying experiences.
From nose cone to empennage Rick
Drury is totally aviation. His last 53 years
of flying in Skyraiders, F/A-18s, C-130s,
bi-planes, 747s and MD-11s with all of
its challenges, extreme risks and rewards
was topped off by Rick’s meeting his wife
Vietnam Fund for Education, Music & Infrastructure
O
n Friday, July 27th, the
Association of the 173rd Airborne
Brigade held a fundraiser for the
Vietnamese Children’s Library Project.
In attendance were two Western
Washington River Rats and their wives:
Mike & Judy Canorro and Joe &
Joan Crecca. Steve Konek, his wife
Song and his 173rd volunteers along
with Thai Phan, Vietnamese Special
Forces Ranger who served along side
Steve in Vietnam, were able to reach
half their goal for their fourth library
installation.
Joe threw the first pitch. Despite
sweating steel peanuts that he would
make a flub the ball landed in the
catcher’s mitt over the plate. Phew!
It was inspiring for us to see what
these brave soldiers, who faced
such harrowing conditions in SEA,
are doing for the Vietnamese and
Montagnard children. If you would be
interested in helping in this cause, even
a small donation would help Steve and
his volunteers to achieve their very
worthwhile goal.
Thank you.
Joe Crecca
Donation information:
Please visit the VFEMI website:
<http://www.vietnamemifund.org>
Checks should be made out to:
VFEMI Fund Note: Library Project
Mail Directly to:
L-R Mike Cannoro, Joe & Joan
Crecca, and Judy Cannoro
L-R Steve Konek, Joe Crecca, Jerry
?? & Thai Phan
Vietnam Fund for Education,
Music & Infrastructure
ATTN: Jayne Coyle
4148 Howe Street
Oakland, CA 94611
Double Ace Ralph Parr Honored
Page 6
Ralph Parr in front of an F-86 with
the paint scheme of his Korean War
Sabre.
Inscription on plaque:
Doctor James “Doctor D” Duncan
stands by the sculpture he made
honoring Ralph Parr
T
he San Antonio Ralph Parr Pack
teamed with the 37 Training Wing
at Lackland AFB and the 12 Flight
Training Wing at Randolph AFB for a
special tribute to Colonel (ret) Ralph
S. Parr. Ralph recently celebrated his
88th birthday. The tribute took place
on 3 August at the Airmen Heritage
Museum located at Lackland. Retired
Navy Captain and Parr Pack River Rat
James “Doctor D” Duncan worked for
months on a sculpture of Ralph Parr
that reflected his appearance during the
Korean War where he shot down 10
enemy airplanes. In addition, “Goldie”
Goldfein coordinated a project with the
37th TW to repaint the Saber Jet on static
display at the museum with the same
markings that adorned the F-86 that
Ralph flew in Korea.
A crowd of over a hundred people
including Ralph’s wife Margaret and
his children Sheryl McLaughlin, Paul
McLaughlin, and Linda Capps attended
the ceremony. The master of ceremony
was Major Dan “Moose” Johnson for the
560th FTS at Randolph AFB. Welcoming
remarks were given by Colonel Eric
Axelbank, Commander of the 37th TW.
Colonel Ralph S. Parr
Double Ace
Distinguished Service Cross
Air Force Cross
Silver Star
3 Legion of Merit Medals
10 Distinguished Flying Crosses
641 Combat Missions
Sculptor: Doctor James Duncan
Captain, USN (Ret)
Colonel Gerald Goodfellow, Commander
of the 12 FTW, his wife Kristine, and
many other dignitaries were in attendance.
Following a recap of Ralph’s illustrious
list of decorations for valor, his bronze
sculpture was unveiled by “Doctor D” and
Colonel Axelbank. The event was capped
by a reception in the Heritage Museum
hosted by the 37th TW where Ralph took
great pleasure in greeting his many friends
and admirers
Funds to complete this project were
donated by 37 Ralph Parr River Rats.
The Ralph Parr bronze is being mounted
on a mahogany pedestal and will go on
permanent display in the lobby of the
Ralph Parr Officers Club at Randolph
in early September.
Ralph Parr here surrounded by members of his namesake Pack.
Page 7
Induction into
Oklahoma
Military Hall of
Fame
River Rat Colonel Charles B.
DeBellevue, USAF (Ret), will
be inducted into the Oklahoma
Military Hall of Fame at a ceremony
on November 9, 2012. Each year
the Oklahoma Military Heritage
Foundation selects 10 Oklahomans to
be inducted. He was the first Air Force
weapon systems officer to become an
Ace in Vietnam, after shooting down
six MiGs.
CWU AFROTC
Commencement
Address
USAFA Class of ‘62 50th
Reunion, October 2012
Seeking information regarding
classmate Jeff Hornaday.
J
eff Hornaday was killed at Korat
in 1968, believed to be a takeoff
abort situation. Jeff’s AFA Class
(1962) is having its 50th reunion in
Oct. Jeff’s daughter, who was three
when he died, is attending and would
like to meet anyone who flew with
her dad. Can anyone help me out—
River Rat Joe Crecca was invited particularly if you are a classmate and
by the 895th AFROTC Detachment will be attending the reunion?
O
n June 9th, 2012 a select few
graduating seniors of Central
Washington University in Ellensburg,
Washington received more than just
their diplomas. Ten of the graduates
completed their Air Science courses in
USAF ROTC and were awarded their
commissions as 2nd Lieutenants.
Commander, Lt. Colonel Jason A.
Densley, to address those gathered
at Peterson Hall on the CWU
campus for their commencement and
commissioning ceremony.
Joe’s delivery focused on the
challenges each of the new 2nd Louies
were going to face and made a special
point of telling them that joining the Air
Force and getting their commissions as
officers was the first big, and best step,
they could have taken. Three of the 2nd
Lieutenants are going to pilot training.
Contact:
Butch Viccellio
yeomalt1@aol.com
When you send in your
articles don’t forget to
include photos, preferably the
originals, and PLEASE turn
off your camera’s date stamp.
The Nite Owl reunions are for all
squadron mates who flew with the
497th TFS during the 9+ years
we had flight ops in Ubon RTAB,
December 1965 - July 1974.
Preliminary plans are already
made for the next reunion to be at
the Pensacola Grand Hotel with
the River Rats, April 3-7, 2013.
If you haven’t already, please
check in with Gordie Tushek at
OWLFAC@aol.com
I
am not
FIRING
getting
enough
support
from members mainCIR E
taining
CL
their personal information in the database.
Each Mig Sweep can cost over $3
when it is returned to me because of
a bad address. Issues that can be forwarded, are fowarded, but the Post
Office charges the Rats up to $1
for the forwarding info. Please help
the Rat budget by maintaining your
own portion of the database.
Basically, you log in using your
email address and password (PW).
If you gave me two email addresses,
I tried to list the personal address as
the login address. The first time you
log in, you should use redriver1
as a PW. It will then require you
to change your PW. When you
make that change, remember that
redriver1 is your old address. The
former Name/ZIP system from the
OLD members only section has
NOTHING to do with this database.
8th TFW Reunion
Ft. Worth, TX
10-14 OCT 2012
For further information contact:
Johnnie Eller
(jeller3639@sbcglobal.net 817-426-5345)
Page 8
Do you know where these lost Rats are?
I have lost comms with the following Rat members. Dewey Holt, E-4 USA
If you can provide me any update on the status or
Erik ‘BamBam’ Hutchins, Major USAF
communications with any of these members, please
Dick Kavanough
contact me:
SHADOW
PO Box 1553
Front Royal, VA 22630-0033
RRVARiverRats@aol.com
(866) 401-7287
Robert ‘Bob’ Abbott, Colonel USAF
Richard ‘Dick’ Abel, Brig Gen USAF
Jonathan ‘Capone’ Airhart, Capt USAF
Kay Kenworthy, Lt Col USAF
Melvin ‘Mel’ Matsui
George McSwain, LCDR USN
William McVey, CAPT USN
James ‘Jim’ Meyers, Major USAF
Roger Miller
Melvin Mueller, Capt USAF
Thomas Omera, Capt USAF
Ralph ‘Ralph’ Albright, Lt Col USAF
Norris Overly, Colonel USAF
Jose ‘Jose’ Astorga
Ann Penney, Mrs
Allen ‘Al’ Brady, CAPT USN
W Larry Pigg, MD USAF
Donald ‘KD’ Bringle, CDR USN
Sally Prather, Mrs
Margarite Burns, Mrs
Jim ‘JIMBO’ Preston, Capt. USAF
Timothy ‘Tim’ Butler, CWO USA
John Randle Jr, Capt USAF
Peter Carrow, Capt USAF
Frank Sailes, LT USN
Erik ‘Frodo’ Cobbs, Capt. USAF
Raymond ‘Ray’ Sanders, Lt Col USAF
Dayer Commun, CAPT USN
Roni Sawhill, Mrs.
Thomas Curtis, Colonel USAF
D.C. David, RADM USN
William ‘Bill’ Davis, Colonel USAF
J. Dennison
Gale Despiegler, Lt Col USAF
Leonard ‘Len’ Eastman, CDR USN
Rick ‘Magneto’ Erkkila, Major USAF
David Everett, LT USN
Raymond ‘Ray’ Schrump, LTC USA
Martin ‘Slip’ Slapikas, Major USAF
S. ‘Michael’ Smith, LT USN
Richard Springman USA
H. Streeper, CAPT USN
William ‘Bill’ Stroud, Lt Col USAF
Francis ‘Frank’ Sugrue, Colonel USAF
Fred Everett
Russ Thornwell, USN
Frederick Frizzell, Major USAF
Gordon Walcott, Lt Col USAF
Edwin Hawley, USAF
James ‘Jim’ Walsh, Capt USMC
Peter Hebert, Capt USAF
Ronald Wolfe, LCDR USN
Nathan ‘Nat’ Henry, SSG USA
Scott ‘Zobe’ Zobrist, Colonel USAF
Page 9
Tactics Conferences (TCs)
It was a tactics conference that started the River Rats and it’s a TC
whenever two or more River Rats gather. So, when you have a TC send
in your pictures and a write-up and we’ll publish it here.
2012 Western Washington River
Rats Annual BBQ
F
ollowing some recent days in
the mid-nineties, the Western
Washington River Rats in the Pacific
Northwest enjoyed their annual
BBQ by the Snoqualmie River on a
sunny but cooler day.
USAAF where he first flew Bristol
“Beaufighters.” His motivation to
become a night fighter pilot was that
he was almost shot down himself by
a Luftwaffe night fighter. Later, his
unit received the new P-61 “Black
Widows.” After shooting down one
Stuka with his Beaufighter Al went
on to shoot down a JU-88 and an
ME-110 with his P-61.
grill offerings consisted of garlicsoy flank steaks and lemon-garlic
marinated chicken.
The appetizers, salads, side dishes
& desserts also demonstrated that
the WW RRs not only like to eat
& drink, they know how to cook!
Of special note was the flavorenhancing preparation of Prik
Nahm Pla, a concoction offered by
RR Rick Drury consisting of Thai
chilies, minced garlic, lime juice
and Thai fish sauce. One spoonful
of that stuff was enough to set your
taste buds aflame. Happily, this
called for lots of beer, ale and wine
to cool things down and soothe the
nerve endings. After the feast we
enjoyed Bill Wilson’s homemade
ice cream and other delights.
Al Jones enjoyed himself so much
he requested an application to join
the River Rats. He made it a point
to make sure I put him on the list
for the next WW RR social event.
Credit for suggesting Al as a WWII
guest for our BBQ came from close
friend Greg Pierce, Boeing engineer
and frequent emcee at the Boeing
We were delighted to have Field Museum of Flight.
There were 15 RRs attending
a special guest, WWII nightThis year’s event was the sixth
this
year’s BBQ: 13 USAF: 6 F-4,
fighter pilot Al Jones, 93, who annual River Rat BBQ hosted, as
flew Wellington bombers with before, at the home of Joe & Joan 2 F-105, 2 B-52, 1 F-111, 1 A-1
& 1 USAAF P-61. US Army: 2
the RCAF, then transferred to the Crecca in North Bend. This year the
chopper jocks. Representing the
US Navy was Christine “Peach”
Lerseth widow of the late Roger
Lerseth, former “Blue Two” who
started our gatherings and flew west
in 2004. Also, sorely missed, was
Al Siebecke, “The Dancing Bear,”
who passed away earlier this year.
Peach also donated six RR polos to
be raffled off. Al Jones “won” the
first polo shirt.
We also continued a tradition
begun last year; everyone answered
Joan’s request to donate food items
for those less fortunate. They were
My Two Bits
Page 10
I
want to thank those of you who take
the time to submit articles and stories
for the MIG SWEEP. It’s tough enough
to put this puzzle together every quarter,
but it would be impossible without
content. I’m sorry I can’t always get
whatever you’ve sent into the next
issue. Some issues are already packed
with or are dedicated to something else.
But I keep what you’ve submitted and
try to plug it in a subsequent issue.
L-R Greg Pierce, Rick Drury, Al Jones & Bill Wilson
God bless our brave service men
gratefully received the next day
when Joe brought everything over & women; comfort the families
to the local food bank.
of those who have perished in
God willing, our next social event defending the USA and God Bless
will be in late January or early America!
February 2013 when we celebrate cảm ơn lắm!
the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Hết
Tết Nguyên Đán, The Year of the Joe Crecca
Snake, Quý Tỵ
Western Washington LFC
There is a method to my madness. I
try to match the content to River Rat
history or to our current activities. Thus,
the Fall issue has the annual Scholarship
report and list of scholarship recipients.
The Winter issue contains the National
Reunion information and registration
form. The Spring issue has information
regarding voting issues such as ByLaw
changes and Board elections. The
Summer issue contains stories and
photographs from the National Reunion
and features the River Rat of the Year
and the AWCF Humanitarian of the
Year. All of the issues have both River
Rat and AWCF donations. Because you
all are a generous bunch, those lists
generally take up several pages—in
very small type. Because of year end
tax advantages, the lists in the Spring
issue can cover four or five pages. So,
some of the issues start full of required
content and are easy to work, while
others don’t.
This issue fell in the latter category
and it was a bear! So I want to express
my heartfelt thanks to: Gary Baber,
Joe Crecca, “Scraps” Leyden, and
Ken Schanke. Thanks for saving my
bacon.
L-R Bill Wilson, Peach Lerseth, and Joe Crecca
-Lurch
Page 11
They say the difference between
war stories & Fairy Tales
is, a fairy tale starts, “Once upon a time...” while a war story begins,
“This is no sh...”
TINS:
Forty years ago this fall Linebacker I came to a close on 23 October 1972. A few days
later, Henry Kissinger declared, “Peace is at hand.” As I strapped on my F-4 the
night of the announcement I hoped I wouldn’t be the last casualty of the war. Both of
us had it wrong. The last great battle of the Vietnam War was yet to come…
The Twelve Days of Christmas
By Joe “Lurch” Richardson
O
n 18 December 1972, Ubon Royal
Thai AFB, Thailand, Major
B.V. Johnson, Operations Officer of
the 497 TFS “Nite Owls,” shook me
awake. There were two things odd in
that: B.V. wasn’t one to play human
alarm clock and it was only 2 PM in
the afternoon. Considering I hadn’t
been up before 5 PM in almost a year,
this was disturbing. Even worse, he
wouldn’t tell me why. He just hustled
me out to his little Japanese pickup and
headed for Wing Headquarters.
It was there he told me we would be
B.V. Johnson in the Owl’s Nest after
his sawadi party
laying a chaff corridor to downtown
Hanoi in support of B-52 strikes.
It would seem someone had finally
gotten serious about taking the fight
to the enemy. Unfortunately it seemed
the same planners were at work—the
B-52s were to come in three waves,
four hours apart, using the same route
each time. If you wanted to give the
enemy an edge and a chance to reload,
that was the way to do it.
With a little over a month left on
my tour I can’t say I was tickled at the
prospect of participating. After all, the
Nite Owls had some experience laying
chaff for Buffs (slang for the B-52, it
stood for big ugly fat fellow—or worse).
Several times during Linebacker I we
had flown such missions to Thanh
Hoa, Vinh, and Haiphong. They were
damned scary missions. It was nothing
to take 20 or more Surface-to-Air
Missiles (SAMs) in the target area.
As a matter of fact, the Strategic Air
Command (SAC) counted more than
200 SAMs fired at our chaff flights
the night we went to Haiphong. Since
we had to lay the chaff corridors on
precise routes and at specific altitutes,
we were unable to apply normal SAM
evasive maneuvers. We flew in 1,500
foot spread formation, trusting in our
electronic jamming pods, and God, to
get us through. There’s not one of us
who hadn’t seen a SAM up close and
personal. I’d even seen a few pass
between me and my wingman while in
pod formation. The North Vietnamese
hadn’t figured out that tin foil wasn’t
going to hurt nearly as much as high
explosive. On the other hand, it seemed
a good deal for SAC since the enemy
had few SAMs left after targeting the
Page 12
chaff flight. But for us, laying chaff was
the sort of mission that caused your
sphincter muscle to eat seat cushions.
To compound having to play sitting
duck in the SAM shooting gallery, we
only had a few ALE-38 chaff dispensers.
They were streamlined to be low in drag
and could be programmed to dispense
the chaff precisely as required. I think
we had three on base; not enough to
lay a proper chaff corridor. They gave
them to the flight leads as well as chaff
bombs. In order to do the job we had to
load CBU canisters with chaff and drop
those (one at a time) 6 seconds apart.
The backseaters would have to keep
the count as the lead cycled through
his load, then number two would pick
up the drop with his chaff bombs,
then number three, and so on through
the flight. With their heads down,
concentrating on the count and the
pickle button, more than one backseater
was to ask what the flash was that lit up
their cockpit when a SAM detonated
close above us.
So I wasn’t looking forward to
this mission for starters, but then we
Carol “CD” Davis
had the mission brief and I felt less
inclined to participate. We learned the
Paris peace talks had broken down...
something about the shape of a table?...
and Nixon was about to give the
North Vietnamese a lesson in applied
diplomacy. The offensive was to go on
for three days. There would be no SAR
(Search and Rescue) for three days. If
you were shot down you were to find a
refueling; everyone got on, got their
fuel, and got off without incident. It was
a beautiful clear night with a full moon.
The cloud tops were at about 10,000
feet, brightly lit and with an eerie tinge
of turquoise. As we began our climb
to 35,000 after departing the tanker,
Red Crown, the Navy’s ship-based
GCI (ground-controlled interception),
began calling a Blue Bandit (MiG-21)
on a vector to intercept us. We saw him
pass us on a parallel course, high and
to our right. We saw his single-engine
burner light as he began his attack, but
just about then we turned right to go
Pete Peterson
hole and hide until the bombs stopped
falling. That first night, SAC was to put
more than a hundred Buffs over Hanoi
in three waves. They were ordered to
do that whether they had chaff support
or not. We were told we would fly chaff
support, period. If we lost an engine
enroute to target, we were to go on
anyway. Things were real serious.
B.V. was to lead the 20-ship gaggle
of chaffers for the first wave and I
was to be his deputy lead. We were
organized into five flights of four. B.V.
was leading Outfox with Pete Peterson
in his back seat. Carol Davis (CD) was
in number two, I was number three,
and John Doere was number four. The
second flight was Fenway, but I don’t
recall the call signs of any of the others,
nor do I remember any other crew
members. We were to lay a corridor
coming from the west into Hanoi, do
a tight 135-degree left turn over the
city and exit westbound. We were to
lay the chaff at 35,000 feet altitude,
a mere 8,000 feet above the combat
ceiling of the F-4s configured with
CBU canisters and three bags of gas. In
order to flounder around at that altitude
we were going to have to be in at least
stage one or two burner. So much for
hiding from the MiGs under the cloak
of darkness. The route of flight called
for us to head north from Ubon, refuel
east of Vientiene on the White Anchor,
continue north to the Barrel Roll, in
northern Laos, and then turn 90 degrees
right and head downtown.
Things
went
well
through
the
downtown. He was unable to convert
his attack and was flushed out by our
turn. One of the Udorn MiG CAP birds
kept him busy after that. I don’t think
he tagged him but I’m sure the gomer’s
laundress had to spend extra time on
the stain.
We figured the fun was just about to
begin as we passed into North Vietnam
and expected to see many of the 35foot long telephone poles with fire on
one end coming up to greet us. We were
all surprised when they didn’t. B.V.
even commented to Pete Peterson, his
backseater, that it was looking like a
milk run. I’ll take 85 and 100mm AntiAircraft Artillery (AAA) and MiGs
over a sky full of SAMs.
Although it didn’t look like we were
going to be bothered by SAMS, we
had two more MiGs heading our way.
One began his attack just as we started
our 135-degree left turn over Hanoi.
Unfortunately, we had to fly a track set
by SAC (the 135-degree turn was their
standard nuclear escape maneuver),
and to make the turn tight enough to
follow that track we needed 45 degrees
of bank. We were already hanging on
min-burner on one engine. That meant
Continued on page 13
Continued on page 13
four and I had to plug both engines in
burner to stay in position on the outside
of the turn. It makes one feel exposed at
night with a MiG on the attack to have
one’s butt lit up like that. But again we
got lucky. He got spit out and lost us
while Hobo, our air-to-air cover, wound
up chasing him off. Red Crown called
the Blue Bandit returning to Phuc Yen,
a base northwest of Hanoi. I’ve always
hoped he was in the de-arm area when
the bombs began to rain.
Page 13
When we were about 40 miles
west of Hanoi they finally started
shooting SAMs. We took three in
quick succession and got our collective
heart-rates pumped. Still, three SAMs
was FAR fewer than we’d expected. It
looked like we were going to waltz out
of this one unscathed. Then we came
nose to nose with the Buffs.
John Doere suiting up in PE
The Buffs were totally blacked out
and trying to enter Indian territory
cloaked in chaff. We were pulling
the cloak. John Doere came within
inches of becoming a hood ornament
on a Buff. He said afterward he felt his
aircraft pushed out of the way by the
slipstream over the Buff.
We had enough fuel to forego
postflight refueling. As we turned
for home the fireworks over North
Vietnam began in earnest. I watched a
Buff get hit and break in two. As the
two sections were falling, what I took
to be the nose-section was hit by two
more SAMs. The gomers had broken
the code. They had waited for the real
threat, the Buffs, before unleashing
their defensive might. It wasn’t until
years later, after reading Marshall
L. Michael’s book, The 11 Days of
Christmas, that I learned the chaff
corridor we’d laid had been blown out
of position. The forecast winds we’d
used to plot our course were wrong.
Instead of being a cloak it had been a
finger, pointing their attack axis.
When I watch the annual fireworks
display on Labor Day each year here in
Cincinnati, it reminds me of that night.
Coming back from one of the later
missions, after crossing the Thai border
and in friendly territory, my backseater
was able to break out airborne targets
ahead of us. Given the scope had
been all but useless with the heavy
jamming from the Buffs, EB-66s, and
other sundry jamming devices, I was
surprised to see targets let alone see one
locked up complete with a full attack
display. I almost shit when the Atolls
launched. They turned out to be flares,
but the hooch laundress would still
require extra care with my shorts. Then
the range gate on the attack display
slammed hard left, then right, and
broke lock. Before I could say anything
other than, “SHIT!,” my backseater
tried another lock. The same thing
happened, but was followed by the
scope blooming like the sun, shrinking
to a dot, and then shutting down all
together. The Buff Electronic Warfare
Officer (EWO) was in no mood to mess
around and had given us all the power
he had. It occurred to me I had been
rendered sterile, but four boys born to
me after the war disproved that.
I led four more 20-ship chaff flights
over the remainder of the “Twelve
Days,” flying a total of 6 missions during
the operation. Three days had turned
into 12—some say 11 since we took
Christmas day off. Each of the missions
was similar. The MiGs would come up
to play with us and the big AAA guns
would fill the sky with flak; they would
fire a few SAMs, but they held
back most of the SAMs for the
Buffs. The Buff drivers were
having to pay their dues and
it was making them anxious.
You couldn’t blame them,
the Buff makes a VERY big
target. I wouldn’t have traded
places with them. There was a
rumor that a couple of the Buff
aircrew members had turned
in their wings and refused to
fly, but, even if true, that can’t
take away from the rest, who
saddled-up each night and
went “downtown.” However,
you could tell they were on the L-R Lurch Richardson & Mac McBride aircrew of the month of October. AF Photograph
ragged edge.
Do you have a story to tell? Submit them to the MIG SWEEP Editor:
MIGSWEEP@river-rats.org
The Unexpected Good Deal
By Sean “Scraps” Leyden
I
t was the spring of 2000 and I was on my second deployment. I was the most senior JO (junior officer) in VFA-131, The Wildcats—AIRLANT’s First and Finest—F/A-18 squadron. We
were on station in the Adriatic embarked aboard
the U.S.S Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) conducting flight operations in support of Operation
Allied Force into Kosovo.
I was getting short; soon I would roll to my
shore duty while the rest of the Wildcats remained on deployment. I had received orders
to join the Flying Eagles of VFA-122, the U.S.
Navy’s first Super Hornet squadron—the F/A18E/F Fleet Replacement Squadron, or RAG.
The Wildcat’s Operations Officer, LCDR
“Wedge” Wallace, had made it clear that I would
receive no more good deals. He told me that I
was way ahead of everyone else in the number of
good deals I had snapped up and he considered
it his personal mission to redress this injustice
in the few days that remained in my time with
VFA-131.
True to his word, I was assigned every mundane training mission that found its way on the
flight schedule. Meanwhile, everyone else got to
go feet dry to do their part in the fragged ATO
missions over Kosovo... that was until an unexpected mission popped up on Wedge’s assignments for the squadron the next day.
When the schedule showed up at my stateroom after MIDRATS (midnight rations for
those of you have never had the pleasure of life
aboard an aircraft carrier) the mystery mission
showed up as a single-ship taking off late morning and acting as flight lead for a jet from our
sister squadron: VFA-136, The Nighthawks. As
I tried not to wake my roommate, I squinted to
read the flight schedule in the red light used to illuminate the inside of the ship at night. I couldn’t
believe my eyes—the notes said something like
“MiG-21 Low Level!” Where you would normally see the assigned pilot’s name, the letters
TBD were there instead.
Depressed that my name didn’t make the flight
schedule, and despondent that I would obviously
have to miss out on this EXTRA Good Deal
MiG-21 hop because of the Ops O’s vendetta
against me, I retired for the night. The next morning I found my way to the ready room to find
Wedge scratching his head, trying to figure out
who he was going to get to lead the mission to
join two MiG-21s on a low level around Croatia.
The mission was a part of an initiative to improve coordination between U.S. and Croatian
military forces. The objective was to start out
by flying simple training missions together. This
would be coupled with exchange visits of Croa-
tian Air Force pilots to the IKE and U.S. Navy
pilots to their base in Pula, Croatia.
Wedge had a problem; all of his flight leads
had been assigned to ATO missions over the
beach aside from me. He had done everything
possible to avoid it, but he had no other option.
He had to make me the lead of the MiG-21 flight!
He looked up at me from his Ready Room chair
and told me, incredulously, and with a hint of
despair, that I would get yet another good deal...
and perhaps the best one of all for a JO strike
fighter pilot at the end of his first sea tour!
I got busy; I called in a marker with the S-3
Viking bubbas and got them to agree to slip my
wingie and me a sly 2000 lbs of gas each at the
start of the mission. Without this squirt of gas,
there was a high chance that I would have to turn
the flight back around to the ship before we finished the low level.
I leveraged my relationship with the Maintenance Master Chief to make sure I was assigned
412, the jet with my name on the side. I planned
out every detail and carefully briefed my wingman on the many steps we would take to ensure
mission success. Success on this mission would
be achieved by making it safely back to the ship
on time, with photos to prove for all time that we
had flown next to MiG-21s!
Start, launch and rendezvous went as briefed.
We got our promised give from the S-3 as he
drug us north toward Pula Croatia.
As we approached Pula and got on tower frequency for the MiG-21’s airfield, we spotted the
MiGs sitting on the runway ready for a formation
takeoff. They waited until we were over the field
to start up their engines because they would be
essentially fuel critical from takeoff.
I have to admit, having been trained on a daily
basis to recognize threat aircraft, and to do what
Page 14
fighter pilots do when they see one, I had to fight
an itchy trigger finger and an urge to reverse my
turn and pull lead for a shot as the MiGs joined
on us after their take-off (note the live AIM-9Ms
and AIM-120 loaded on my aircraft in the pictures). Instead, however, I allowed the MiGs to
join and then passed them the lead and set my
two-ship flight in formation as -3 and 4.
It was a really special flight, and the weather
was perfect. The MiGs led us around a local lowlevel while we snapped shots of each other in
formation. I then took the lead and led the flight
while the MiG pilots took shots of us. It was all
over so quickly; the MiGs were out of gas, and
we were out of time to get back to the ship. I
kissed them off over their airfield and my wingie
and I headed for Mom.
We were in a tough situation that can happen
sometimes in carrier-based operations—we were
low on gas and low on time to get home for our
recovery window. I did what flight leads have to
do sometimes and made a judgment call. I sacrificed fuel, and went fast to make it home before
our recovery window closed. I cut every corner
and came scorching into the break with perfect
interval on the last fixed wing aircraft to recover,
an EA-6B Prowler. This wasn’t a great result, but
at least the carrier didn’t have to wait for us. We
landed with enough fuel to keep my wingman
from getting nervous. Mission Accomplished!
My Ops O, Wedge, read me the riot act for
bringing my flight back so late that I landed after
the Prowler, but I happily took his verbal lashing
in stride as I mentally reviewed the 30 minutes
of sheer flying-bliss spent in formation with two
very real MiG-21s. I was truly the undisputed
Good Deal Boy of VFA-131!
Page 15
Hawgsmoke 2012
Tucson, AZ
H
awgsmoke is a biennial
worldwide A-10 bombing,
missile, and tactical gunnery
competition. Hosted by the winners
of the previous competition,
Hawgsmoke
is
an
intense
competition and an opportunity
to share in the camaraderie and
fellowship of the world’s premier
Close Air Support fighter, as well as
the legacy of its pilots and support
crews.
Hawgsmoke History
Hawgsmoke traces its heritage
back to the now discontinued
“Gunsmoke” event. Gunsmoke was
the USAF’s air-to-ground gunnery
and bombing competition with
multiple airframes held at Nellis
AFB. The last Gunsmoke event was
held in 1995.
The inaugural Hawgsmoke was
in 2000 at the Alpena Combat
Readiness Training Center in
Michigan. It was hosted by the
Michigan ANG’s 172nd Fighter
Squadron from Battle Creek. Top
Team honors went to the Connecticut
ANG and they in turn hosted the
next event, Hawgsmoke 2002, at
the Fort Drum Forward Operating
Location in New York State. There,
17 teams and 62 aircraft competed,
with the overall winner was the four
member team from the 47th Fighter
Squadron at Barksdale AFB,
Louisianna. Hawgsmoke 2002
focused on accurately dropping
BDU-33s practice bombs, firing the
AGM-65 “Maverick” missile, and
strafing proficiency with the 30 mm
Gatling gun. Much emphasis was
placed on target acquisition as well.
The
third
event,
2004
Hawgsmoke, was hosted by the
47th FS “Dogpatchers” and held
at England Air Park, formerly
England AFB, in central Louisiana.
Unfortunately, the competition was
undone by forces of Mother Nature
and the bad weather resulted in
Hawgsmoke 2004 becoming known
as Hawgwash 2004. Nevertheless,
it was declared a success for the
opportunity of the Hog community
to get together, share experiences
and party like rock stars. With no
winner from “Hawgwash”, the
355th Fighter Wing picked up the
slack. Hawgsmoke 2006 was held
at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson,
Arizona. Adding to the luster of
Hawgsmoke, the 2006 installment
marked the 30th Anniversary of the
A-10 and served as a homecoming
for all Hawgdrivers since initial
A-10 training is carried out at DM.
With over 140 aircraft on the ramp,
the event went off without a hitch.
After the scores had been tallied,
the 303d Fighter Squadron from
Whiteman AFB, Missouri emerged
the winner.
The Boys from Boise took the
title at the 4th event, so they hosted
an outstanding event in 2010.
Practicing at their home range for
months on end, they were able to
walk away victorious yet again,
but not without the 354th Bulldogs
hot on their heels. By regulation
11-202 vol 69, the hosting team is
not allowed to host twice in a row,
therefore this year’s event was held
at Davis-Monthan hosted by the
354th FS the BULLDOGS. Again
this year, 17 teams participated,
including Spangdahlem and Osan
(flying borrowed aircraft). Since
2012 Hawgsmoke lacked a major
sponsor, the RRVA stepped in and
agreed to cover the cost of the
trophies awarded to the winning
individuals and teams.
Wednesday was arrival day,
briefings, and a great memorial
service at Warrior Park on base
(Warrior Park was established in
1984 with significant help from
the River Rats). Fallen warrior
recognition was held with the
reading of the names of all A-10
drivers who died flying the
aircraft. After the reading, all A-10
pilots were then led in drinking
a shot of Jeremiah Weed by Col
Kevin Blanchard, the 355th Wing
Commander. They then smashed
their shot glasses in a fireplace built
for the event.
Thursday had all squadrons flying
their competition missions on Gila
Bend Gunnery range. The weather
cooperated so all the flying was
completed on schedule. Thursday
night was a wild one at the club.
Page 16
Hawgsmoke 2012 Mission Complete!
Thursday evening Crud
Tournement
next Hawgsmoke will take place at
Nellis in 2014.
Results are as follows:
For us it was a great recruiting Top Attack Team:
opportunity with about 30 new 1. 357th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
members signing up—not just from 2. 66 WPS, Nellis AFB, NV
3. 104th FS, Baltimore, MD
Davis-Monthan, but from squadrons
worldwide. We challenged all Top Attack Pilot:
the new members to work hard to 1. Capt Eric “Elmer” Hart, 357th FS
2. Capt Sam “Syndrome” Moreland,
recruit many more new members
357th FS
from their respective squadrons. 3. Maj Bill “Zuter” Zutell, 104th FS
For all the new members, welcome GPS Out Maverick:
to the River Rats.
357th FS, Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
The Crud tournament was complete
Ken Schanke
by around 2230, but as I heard
Local Tucson CinC
the last revelers didn’t depart till
almost 0500 the next morning. It
didn’t help the turnout for the golf
tournament scheduled for 0830 on
Friday morning.
Friday evening were the awards
presentations and roasts of errors
committed during the event. When
all was said and done, the 357th FS
(Dragons) from home base DavisMonthan won the overall event.
The 66th FWS from Nellis was a
close second. This means that the
Moving Lieutenant Strafe:
1. Maj Curt “Kid” Martin, 163rd FS
2. Capt Marcus “Nestle” Flagg, 25th
FS
3. Capt Aaron “Geezus” Cavazos,
358th FS
30 High Angle Strafe HARS:
1. Lt Col Todd “Hitch” Hitchcock,
CEP: 0 meters, 190th FS
2. Lt Col Rob “Sweetness” Sweet,
CEP: 0.8 meters, 76th FS
3. Maj Bryan “Stoner” Stone, CEP:
1.15 meters, 303rd FS
The last place team trophy for 30 Dive Bomb:
Gross Baffoonery: 75th FS, 1. Mag Andy “Diggler” Kamataris, 0
meters (tiebreaker: 17pts), 104th FS
Moody AFB
2.
3.
Capt James “PETA” Kappes, CEA 0
meters (tiebreaker: 68pts), 81st FS
Maj James “McGruff” Hunt, CEA:
1.4 meters, 45th FS
20 Low-Angle Low Drag:
1. Capt Jeff “Sweaty” Negrette, CEA:
2.0 meters, 47th FS
2. Capt Ryan “Coppa” Allen, CEA:
2.45 meters, 74th FS
3. Maj James “McGruff” Hunt, CEA:
10 Pop HARS
1. Capt Aaron “Boom” Bohn, CEA:
2. Capt Jaret “Jaws” Biggers, CEA:
15.7 meters, 81st FS
3. Capt David “Fife” Nagle, CEA:
Gross Baffoonery:
75th FS Tiger Sharks, Moody AFB, GA
L-R Half of the winning team: 357th FS, Davis-Monthon, Major
Matt Lackey, Capt David Nagle, and Wing Commander Col Kevin
Blanchard
Crud Tournament:
107th FS, Selfridge ANG Base, MI
Golf Tournament:
355th Ops Group, Davis-Monthan AFB,
AZ
Page 17
Air Warrior Courage Foundation News
By Dave Brog
T
his has been a swift turn around since
the last Sweep, but the AWCF has
not been idle. Our major effort has been
to secure a free place on the upcoming 1719 September 2012 Air Force Association
(AFA) convention exposition floor. We
have received approval for a joint AWCF/
RRVA booth as we did last year. This year
it will be booth number 1313. Friends at the
AFA have assured us that it is an ideal spot.
It is in an area where there are a couple of
big AFA sponsors. This assures us of being
close to where the food and refreshments
are served and thus, heavy traffic. We plan
to staff the booth with DC Area River Rats.
However, if any of you are in the DC area
during 16-19 September this year, feel free
to come by and join us.
We are also proud to report the continuing
success of our programs whereby we “care
for our own.” In particular, our programs to
help children of active duty service families
and our Wounded Warrior Troop Support.
The Therapeutic
Riding
Program
is
our
longest
running
major
family program. We
promote therapeutic
horseback riding as
a valuable program
to help children of
active duty military families who have
certain mental, physical or developmental
challenges. These include problems such as
autism, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, and
other physical and learning disabilities. The
Therapeutic Riding Program has enabled
those children to more ably adapt to society
and the environment in which they live.
Therapeutic Riding is not covered under
TRICARE. Therefore, the AWCF provides
financial assistance to active duty families
whose children need this therapy. We have
our own medical adviser, River Rat Dr.
Mike Herndon, who certifies that each of
our riders has a condition that could benefit
from therapeutic riding. We either pay a
portion of the cost of this therapy or, for
stables/programs that do not charge, we
make a donation to them to help defray
their costs. Over the years, since 1993,
we have spent $472,865 in helping 755
riders in riding stables/programs all over
L - R standing: Hank Cloutier, Dave Brog, Rich Shook, Sheila Mulhern and
Tom Goffus (Seated in front is an unknown carver)
the country. This has been a great outreach
to military families, including children of
some River Rats.
Another of our programs, the largest
of our Wounded Warrior Troop Support
programs, has been continuing in San
Antonio. The troops, at what was called
Brook Army Medical Center (BAMC) and
now called San Antonio Military Medical
Center (SAMMC), are the recipients of this
support. This chart, on page 18, shows the
support that has been given there since we
began in 2005.
Finally, I reported in the last Sweep that
on 23 June, we hosted our 5th annual Katz’s
Deli lunch at Walter Reed Bathesda (WRB).
This is an event run by Gene Russell, one of
our locals, that serves around 400 Wounded
Warriors and their families. Katz’s Deli
sends down its tasty delicatessen spread
from New York City and our locals serve
it up. It is always a great success. Here are
a few pictures from that lunch in which we
presented canes to the Wounded Warriors.
Again, thanks for your support of the
AWCF. We in the DC Area will look
forward to seeing any/all of you at the AFA
and at our booth.
Check 6,
Dave
Bob Worley presents a cane to
wounded warrior Mike as Rich
Shook observes while Bob Ranck
reads the certificate accompanying
the cane.
Four members of the wounded
warrior’s family along with Rich
Shook & Bob Worley stand by
as he shows off his new cane and
certificate.
Page 18
AIR WARRIOR COURAGE FOUNDATION
BAMC TROOP SUPPORT PROJECT
(ADMINISTERED BY THE RALPH PARR RIVER RAT PACK)
Summary
May 2005 through June 30, 2012
1. BILLETING BILLS
• 379 CASES
• $65,854 EXPENDED
2. MEDICAL/DENTAL EMERGENCIES
• 76 CASES
3. BASE EXCHANGE GIFT CARDS
• 1590 $50 GIFT CARDS
4. EMERGENCY CASH GRANTS
• 371 CASES
5. CHRISTMAS GRANTS
• 260 FAMILIES
• 553 CHILDREN
6. LAWN SERVICE
• FOR THE SEVERLY WOUNDED
• 565 LAWN CUTS
7. SCUBA TRAINING
• 255 WOUNDED WARRIORS OPEN WATER CERTIFIED
8. ARCHERY TRAINING
• RECREATION and COMPETITION LEVEL TRAINING
• EQUIPMENT AND TOURNAMENT TRAVEL EXPENSES
• TWO WARRIORS NOW ON US PARAOLYMPICS TEAM
9. MORALE AND RECREATION TRAVEL
• 39 EVENTS
• SKIING, SURFING, FISHING, SPORTING EVENTS, ETC
10. OTHER BAMC PROJECTS
• 45 PROJECTS
• PLAYGROUND PAD, FISHER HOUSE PAINT, FAMILY
READINESS GROUP SUPPORT, FISHER HOUSE
FUNDRAISER, ETC
TOTAL AWCF EXPENDITURES ON BAMC WOUNDED WARRIORS
$939,498
Bob
Ranck
(left).
Bob Worley
presents the cane and certificate
to the wounded warrior as his wife
proudly watches. Observing on the
right are Rich Shook, Tom Goffus
and Hank Cloutier.
River Rat Donations
(as of 8/15/2012)
William Arcuri..............................................$100.00
(In Memory of Capts Warren Spencer & Craig Paul, and SSGt
Roy Madden)
Carolyn Chandler (Brown).............................$50.00
(In Memory of Col David L. Brown, USAF-Ret)
Brad Chesson..................................................$50.00
(In Memory of Roger T. Chesson, Jr.)
Paul Guzowski................................................$50.00
(In Memory of Major Daniel F. Guzowski, USAF-Ret)
Alan Iverson....................................................$50.00
Howard Johnson.........................................$1,000.00
(In Honor of Scrappy’s book sales)
Robert Jones..................................................$850.00
(In Honor of Severts Family (Scholarship))
Sandra Joy.......................................................$50.00
(In Honor of my brother’s birthday - Ken Posey)
Bob Lackner....................................................$25.00
(In Memory of Fred ‘GrafFred’Lackner. In memory of my Dad
on his birthday.)
Phillip Murphy..............................................$500.00
(In Memory of Eugene R. (Fud) Fudala, Lt Col USAF (Ret.))
Phoenix Rats.................................................$600.00
(Scholarship Fund)
Randall Robinson..........................................$172.55
Judith Smyth.................................................$250.00
(In Memory of Chuck Smyth)
Bernard Talley.................................................$50.00
(In Memory of Bob Purcell)
Bernard Talley.................................................$50.00
(In Memory of Bob ‘Irish’Casey)
David Temple..................................................$30.00
Tucson River Rats.........................................$100.00
(In Memory of Lu Hummon)
Lewis Weiland.................................................$20.00
River Rats
Combined Federal
Campaign #10510
Air Warrior Courage
Foundation
CFC #11450
Page 19
Air Warrior Courage
Foundation Donations
(as of August 15, 2012)
Jan Lockhart....................................................$50.00
Seth Nehring.................................................$200.00
Lewis Weiland.................................................$30.00
Jennifer Kaiser................................................$30.00
CAPT J.R. Davis...........................................$200.00
Scrappy Johnson........................................$1,000.00
John Page........................................................$50.00
Microsoft Matching Gifts Program...............$200.00
Ron Shepard..................................................$100.00
Col. David and Kathryn Snell.......................$100.00
RRVA Phoenix Pack......................................$800.00
David Walling...............................................$100.00
Bette King.......................................................$15.00
Michael Terry O’Neil....................................$100.00
(In Honor of Marriage of John and Shaina Rogers)
James Horton................................................$100.00
(In Honor of Marriage of John and Shaina Rogers)
L/C William Martin.......................................$600.00
(In Honor of Lt. Col. Charles Martin)
Robert Graham..............................................$100.00
(In Memory of William Douglass)
Alley Family
(In Memory of John Alley)
Craig Good......................................................$10.00
BAMC Troop Support
Army Residence Community Protestant Chapel...$1,500.00
Erin Detwiler...................................................$50.00
Brodeur Family
(In Memory of Major David Brodeur)
Travis Board.................................................$300.00
Bryant Family
(In Memory of L/C Frank Bryant)
James and Barbara Sitton................................$50.00
Lori Klindera..............................................$1,200.00
Mary E. Rocco..............................................$500.00
Christmas Hope
Gail Huineker................................................$200.00
Joe and Marie McShane................................$250.00
Don Taylor....................................................$131.00
(In Honor of Maria van Dalen)
Nancy Gregor..................................................$30.00
Robert Pashby...............................................$100.00
Christina Tobin................................................$25.00
Mrs. Robert Morford.....................................$100.00
Bill Grass........................................................$50.00
Seth Curl.........................................................$50.00
Tyler Guenzel................................................$800.00
Connie Whitmore..........................................$100.00
Richard Horton..............................................$200.00
Patrick Cassidy..............................................$600.00
Cynthia Grosvenor........................................$100.00
John and Sunshine Burgess...........................$453.00
John B. Burgess............................................$100.00
Katz Deli Project
Bruce Gerrity................................................$100.00
Ivan Ivanov...................................................$100.00
Frederick Barrett.............................................$50.00
Tracy Flick......................................................$50.00
D. A. Richwine................................................$50.00
Special Forces Association Chapter XI..........$1,000.00
John Sandoz...............................................$1,000.00
Samuel Morthland.........................................$325.00
John Craig.......................................................$50.00
Floyd Marsteller..............................................$50.00
William Moore..............................................$100.00
A. James Diehl..............................................$100.00
Hoffmasters Marina......................................$400.00
Edward Maloney...........................................$500.00
White Family
Michelle Linn................................................$100.00
Young Family
Todd Moore...................................................$800.00
Ziegler Family
(In Memory of Captain Eric Ziegler)
Denise Lahav..................................................$25.00
Jan Suttlemeyer.............................................$422.00
Hayley Hartstein.............................................$50.00
Thank you for your generosity
ONE
G
CLUB
Rejoining River Rats
Capt. Robert ‘Bob’ Bush (Frmr) USAF
Lt Col Lawrence ‘Larry’ Devine (Ret) USAF
CDR Daniel ‘Grumpy’ Graham (Ret) USN
Colonel Scott ‘Flex’ Patten USAF-ANG
Major Jeffrey ‘LJ’ Rivers USAF
Lt Col Brent ‘Spaite’ Vosseller USAF
Col Robert ‘Scott’ Weichert USAFR
TSgt Rollan ‘Yoke’ Yocum (Ret) USAF
Martha Ettinger
Tom Halley....................................................$105.00
Billy and Dell Sparks......................................$25.00
Patti and Frosty Sheridan .............................$200.00
Glenn Vorres.................................................$100.00
Dave and Arnie Hedges................................$110.00
Edwin and Maggie Baumann..........................$30.00
Jack and Anita McEncroe.............................$200.00
Bob and Sunny Gadd......................................$50.00
Haney Family
(In Memory of Captain Jeff Haney)
Bryan Dick......................................................$20.00
Imlay Family
(In Memory of Captain Francis Imlay)
Gina Radovich..............................................$300.00
Julie Cummings..............................................$10.00
David Cochran..............................................$100.00
Charlie and Kristin Finley.............................$200.00
Erika Kelly......................................................$20.00
Major John ‘Shrek’ Cobb USAF-ANG
Lt Col John ‘The Dude’ Cole USAF
Colonel David ‘Knotso’ Cool USAF
Mr. Jeffrey ‘Wally’ Davidson (Frmr) USAF
Capt. Adam R. Desy USMC
Major Rick ‘Magneto’ Erkkila USAF
Captain Adam ‘SWAT’ Erlandson USAF
Major Tara J. Erlandson USAF
Colonel Leonard R. Fuchs Jr. USMC
Lt Col Lance ‘Zap’ Glidden USAF
Colonel Gerald ‘Krusty’ Goodfellow USAF
1Lt Andrew R. Griffin USAF
Major Matthew ‘Crater’ Hannon USAF
1Lt Lauren C. Hettich USAF
1Lt Everett E. Hite USAF
Major Cody ‘Buckle’ Hoagland USAF
Capt. Jason ‘Crack’ Holmes USAF
Maj Thomas ‘Mikey’ Isenberg USAF-ANG
1Lt Meggan ‘Newton’ Jacobsma USAF
1Lt Nathan W. Johnson USAF
Maj William ‘Quatro’ Johnson USAF
Lt Col Christopher ‘Fatty’ Jones USAF-ANG
LT Ian ‘Slick’ Kemp USN
Colonel Roger ‘Doc’ Kemp (Ret) USAF-ANG
Capt. John ‘Rocket’ Koegel III USAF
Lt Col Marshall ‘War Dog’ Lefavor (Ret) USMC
Ms Cathy S. Levins (Surviving Spouse)
LCDR Sean ‘Scraps’ Leyden (Frmr) USN
LTJG Matthew ‘Matt’ Manship USN
1Lt Matthew J. Martinez USAF
Colonel Terrance ‘Marco’ McCaffrey USAF
Capt. Wayne R. Merrill USAF
Col John W. Meservey USAF
1Lt Thomas D Meyer USAF
Lt Col Kenneth ‘Murdock’ Murray (Ret) USAF
1Lt Andrew K. Olson USAF
MSgt Robert ‘Rio’ Owen USAF-ANG
LtCdr David ‘Hey Joe’ Parsons USN
Colonel Jonathan ‘Pigeon’ Payne USAF-ANG
Capt. Richard ‘Sheriff’ Peace USAF-ANG
Mrs. Nadine S. Pearish (Surviving Spouse)
1Lt Christopher ‘Walleye’ Pezzini USAF
1Lt Eric C. Purkett USAF
Lt Col Jeffrey ‘Rudy’ Randolph (Ret) USAFR
Capt. Anne ‘THEAGS’ Ridlon USAF
Capt. Jacob E Rieth USAF
Major Travis ‘Posum’ Ruhl USAF
Colonel A. ‘Flounder’ Rutherford (Ret) USAF
Capt. Steven ‘Smash’ Shallenberger USAF
Colonel Harry ‘Ron’ Squiers (Ret) USAF
Colonel William ‘Bill’ Stewart (Ret) USAF
Col Kenneth ‘Tot’ Tatum Jr. USAF
Lt Col John ‘Jet’ Thompson (Ret) USAF
Lt Col Jeff ‘Mute’ Tidwell USAF-ANG
Colonel Raymond ‘Buzz’ Toth USAF
1Lt Zachary ‘Zach’ Wallace USAF-ANG
Colonel John H. Wambough Jr. USAF
Lt Col James C. Warren USAF
Capt. Matthew H. Yarrington USAF
Welcome New River Rats
Lt Col Gordon ‘Gordo’ Amsler (Ret) USAF
Maj Del Belanger (Ret) US Army
Col John ‘JC’ Carter Jr. (Ret) USAF
Capt. Matthew ‘BTK’ Clark USAF
CDR Phillip ‘Convoy’ Clay USN
Winter (2013)
MIG SWEEP
Close Date:
15 November 2012
Page 20
Russell Bartlett
USAF Colonel (Ret)
6/27/12
FINAL SWEEP
Nevin Heiser
USAF Major (Ret)
6/24/12
Robert Holt
USN CAPT (Ret)
6/30/12
Robert ‘Irish’ Casey
USAF Colonel (Ret)
7/24/12
Russ Bartlett
Colonel Russell Henry
‘Russ’ Bartlett, USAF retired, flew west on Wednesday, June 27, 2012, at his
home in Hanover, NH, with
his loving wife and family
in attendance.
Russ was born December
2, 1936 in Bellows Falls,
VT. He enlisted in the Air
Force on February 12, 1957
and was commissioned a second lieutenant on May
6, 1958 upon graduating in Navigator training class
58-08C at Harlingen AFB, TX. After Radar Intercept
Officer training at James Connally AFB, TX he was
assigned to Hamilton AFB, CA where he flew the F89J and later upgraded to the F-101B. While stationed
at Hamilton, Russ went TDY to Florida and became a
member of the ‘Caterpillar Club’ after ejecting from
his F-101B into the Gulf of Mexico. He then served
a tour in Iceland which was cut short when he was
selected to attend pilot training.
After graduating from pilot training at Moody
AFB, GA as a Distinguished Graduate, he went to
the 557th TFS at MacDill AFB, FL where he flew
the F-4C and quickly upgraded to the front cockpit.
In November 1965, his squadron deployed with the
12th TFW to Cam Rahn AB, South Vietnam for about
six months before being reassigned to the 555th TFS
at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. Russ then served as the
Chief of Stan-Eval at Homestead AFB, FL before being selected for Air Command and Staff. He then attended F-105D training at McConnell AFB, KS before
being assigned to the 355th TFS at Tahkli, Thailand in
June 1970. When the F-105’s were withdrawn from
combat, he was assigned to the 8th TFW at Ubon
RTAFB, Thailand as the Wing Weapons and Tactics
Officer. While at Ubon, Russ was awarded his fifth
Distinguished Flying Cross. He was then assigned as
Special Assistant for Operations, Logistics and Personnel at Headquarters TAC and from there to Air War
College at Maxwell AFB, AL. In September 1976,
after getting his B.A. from Troy State University, he
became the Squadron Commander of the 563rd TFS
at George AFB, CA, which trained all of the F-105G
‘Wild Weasel’ crews. After bringing the F-4G on-line,
he was promoted to Colonel and became the Assistant
Director of Operations for the F-4 training squadrons
at George AFB. After a tour as Group and Air Base
Commander at Tyndall AFB, FL, he was assigned to
Langley AFB, VA as the Director of Assignments.
His last duty assignment was Vice Commander of the
49th TFW at Holloman AFB, NM where he flew the
F-15A/B.
Russ was an avid fisherman and hunter and enjoyed
the beauty of New England. He was also a voracious
reader with a particular interest in biographies, politics, and Civil War history.
James Light
USAF Lt Gen (Ret)
6/6/12
Russ was cremated and his remains will be strewn
on Blood Mountain in NH, one of his favorite hunting
grounds, following a gathering in celebration of his
life on September 29th in Hanover, NH.
tirement, the family moved back to Great Falls where
Nevin flew corporate for 18 years. He and his family
later moved to Farmington, UT. He flew airplanes for
41 years and even flew helicopters for some time.
Bob ‘Irish’ Casey
Nevin enjoyed fishing, hunting and playing cribbage.
Robert James Casey, 70,
died Tuesday, July 24, 2012.
Mr. Casey was born in
Madison, Wis., and moved
to The Villages, FL, from
Atlanta, Ga., in 2007. He
was a member of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church,
Rotary Club of The Villages-Evening; Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association; Knights of Columbus;
and the Jazz Lovers Club. He served on the board of
directors at Cornerstone Hospice; enjoyed golf, dancing and traveling; was a decorated Air Force veteran
who flew the F-102, F-4, F-105 and F-15.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Frank; sons Robert J. Jr., Morgantown, W.Va., and Quinn, Phoenix,
Ariz.; five brothers and sisters; and two grandchildren.
Nebin Heiser
Nevin Dean Heiser passed
away peacefully while
playing Cribbage with a
friend on April 24, 2012.
Nevin was born in Winfield, PA, June 22, 1935, in
the upstairs of the family
farmhouse to George and
Thelma Heiser. He was
the third of five boys. The
family owned 18 acres in
the country where they raised two cows, two horses,
chickens and pigs.
In 1956, he joined the United States Air Force.
Nevin was an aviation cadet and went to navigation
school in Harlington, TX. He spent four years in the
backseat of an F-94, F-89, and F-101. He was then
stationed and flew backseat in the F-89 and F-101 at
Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, MT.
He and his wife Opal were married December 15,
1962. After the honeymoon, they learned Nevin had
been accepted to pilot training school in Oklahoma.
He later graduated top in his class in flying. From
1968 - 1971 he was stationed in Goldsboro, NC. In
1971 he was sent to Phu Cat, Vietnam for nearly a
year. During that time he helped turn the base back
over to the Vietnamese. He flew 222 missions in an
F-4. Six airplanes in his squadron were shot down and
Nevin was the Escort Officer for one of the prisoners
in China. From there Nevin, Opal, and their daughter Janice, went to Clark Air Base in the Philippines.
From 1974 - 1979 Nevin was an F-4 instructor in the
310th Squadron at Luke AFB in Phoenix.
Nevin retired from the Air Force in 1979. After re-
Robert Holt
CAPT Robert Edwin Holt,
US Navy Retired, 82, passed
away on June 30, 2012, after
a long fight with cancer.
He is survived by his
ever faithful and loving wife
of 61 years, Peggy L. Holt,
of Virginia Beach; daughter
Marilyn Holt of Vicksburg,
MS; daughter Connie L. Anderson (husband Brian) of Virginia Beach; son Edwin
W. Holt of Valhalla, NY; and granddaughter Caitlin
V. Holt of Zephyrhills, FL, daughter of deceased son
David W. Holt (Viveca).
CAPT Holt served his country with honor and pride
for 35 years earning many medals and honors from the
time he enlisted as a 17-year-old Marine until his retirement as a respected Navy Captain in 1981. Receiving his wings in 1951, he went on to serve in several
capacities including being CO of VA-55 flying combat
missions in Vietnam; as the first CAG of Reserve Air
Wing 20; serving on the staff of COMNAVAIRLANT;
then as CO of the oiler USS Mississinewa; and ending his career as Chief of Staff for COMOPTEVFOR.
His greatest joy was serving his Lord studying and
teaching God’s word and living his faith, serving as a
deacon and a very outspoken member of several committees at Thalia Lynn Baptist Church. He was loved
and respected by many and will be missed for his
knowledge and unique sense of humor.
James Light
Lt. Gen. James E. Light Jr.,
USAF Retired, a Shalimar,
Fla., resident since 1988
died June 6, 2012.
He was born Sept. 25,
1927, in Anderson, Ind., and
grew up in Lansing, Mich.
He served 38 years of active
duty in the U.S. Air Force
and was awarded three
Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, a
Bronze Star and 19 Air Medals.
Take unto Thyself, O Lord,
the souls of the valiant.
Page 21
President
Craig “Quizmo” Brown
National Board of Directors
7664 Bex Hill Court
Gainesville, VA, 20155
QUIZMO@river-rats.org
(571) 261-1722
Treasurer
Don Totten
7 Ashley Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805
Treasurer@river-rat.org
(828) 298-9075
Director - Scholarship Program
Ken Posey
Secretary - Navy Affairs
Tom “Natty” Clark
Vice President
Teek “Hooker” Dorsett
Ex-Officio
Swede Seagren
Chairman - Recruiting &
Retention Committee
Terry Stine
Secretary - Marine Affairs
Benjamin “Bono” Hinz
3521 Rosewood Circle
Lynn Haven, FL, 32444
Hooker@river-rats.org
(919) 440-0474
General Secretary
Ken Schanke
7821 N Eunice St.
Tucson, AZ 85741
kenintucson@comcast.net
(520) 744-4852
1711Hemlock Dr.
P.O. Box 324
Pocono Summit, PA, 18346
Swede@river-rats.org
(570) 851-4854
General Counsel
Ron Lamb
900 47th St
Sacramento, CA 95819
counsel@river-rats.org
(916) 454-0212
H: 478-477-7766; C: 478-731-9827
108 Corsica Dr.
Cibolo, TX 78108
r2c@river-rats.org
(210) 269-8243
Secretary - Army Affairs
Mike Sloniker
3909 Creek Bank Road
Edmond, OK 73003
army@river-rats.org
(405) 509-6784
Executive Director
John “SHADOW” Hope
RRVARiverRats@aol.com
Phone (540) 636-9798
FAX (540) 636-9776
VISIT THE RIVER RATS
ON OUR HOME PAGE:
www.river-rats.org
AIR WARRIOR COURAGE
FOUNDATION
www.airwarriorcourage.org
P.O. Box 1553
Country Store
Shawn “Fritter” Fritz
142 Broadleaf Drive
Macon, GA 31210
82 Glentrace Circle
The Woodlands, TX 77382
Scholarships@river-rats.org
(703) 863-1417
www. av8rstuff.com/rrva1.html
17313 Cimarron Ln
Bellingham, WA 98229
navy@river-rats.org
(757) 515-9051
10655 Wexford St., Unit 2
San Diego, CA 92131
marines@river-rats.org
(858) 414-6729
Secretary - Air Force Affairs
Greg “Hoser” Craven
104 Thomick Pl
Goldsboro, NC 27530
airforce@river-rats.org
(919) 735-1257
Historian
Dr. Gary “Moe” Lester
1005 Rocky Point Ct NE
Albuquerque, NM 87123
historian@river-rats.org
(505) 323-4245
Editor: Mig Sweep & Rat Net
Joe “Lurch” Richardson
10174 Hamlet Court
Union, KY 41091-7181
(859) 817-1941
MIGSWEEP@river-rats.org
Local Force Cinc Roster
AK – Kevin “Showtime” Sutterfield, 8731 Sonora Cir, Eagle River, AK 99577 (907) 854-6120, showtimef22@gmail.com
AL – Ed “Hertz” Vaughan, 3126 Southview Ave, Montgomery, AL 36106, (334) 303-9997, hertz.vaughan@gmail.com
AZ - Phoenix - Lee Alton, 23651 N 112th Place, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, (480) 585-2487, leealton@cox.net
Luke AFB – Capt Patrick “Phats” Kennedy, Attn: 309FS/Weapons, 309th FS, 14392 W Spad St Bldg 905, Luke AFB, AZ 85309, (702) 241-1769, pkennedy2003@hotmail.com
Tucson - Ken Schanke, 7821 N Eunice St, Tucson, AZ 85741, (520) 744-4852, kenintucson@comcast.net
CA - Fresno – John “JC” Cotter, 1441 N Clovis # 49, Fresno, CA 93727, (559) 355-0396, John.Cotter@cafres.ang.af.mil
Sacramento/Grass Valley - Mike Thompson, 17028 Oscar Dr, Grass Valley, CA 95949, (530) 274-8862, mikensheila@sbcglobal.net
CO – Colorado Springs – Rollan Yocum, 6640 Park Ridge Ct, CO Springs, CO 80915, (719) 439-3259, rollan.yocum1@us.af.mil
FL - Eglin/Hurlburt Fld - Al Borchik, 31 Pebble Beach Dr, Shalimar, FL 32579, (850) 651-2435, AlBorchik@aol.com
NAS Pensacola – Vacant
Orlando - Stan Goldstein, 403 Mossy Stone Ct, Longwood, FL 32779, (407) 790-7163, thud424@yahoo.com
Patrick AFB/Melbourne – Tank Sherman, 2210 Clairmont Dr, Cocoa, FL 32922, (321) 631-3439, TANKS111@att.net
Pensacola - Bob Flynn, 4024 Teal Way, Pensacola, FL 32507, (850) 492-1287
Tyndall AFB/Panama City – Tom Mason, 2661 Island View Dr, Panama City, FL 32405, (850) 769-7024, tpmace@knology.net
GA - Peachtree City - Gordie Tushek, 605 Embassy Ct, Peachtree City, GA 30269, (770) 842-4615 OWLFAC@aol.com
Moody AFB/ Valdosta – Tim “Nabber” Oliver, 5632 Cypress Lake Trl, Lake Park, GA 31636, 229 561-5251(c), timothyaoliver@bellsouth.net
Warner Robbins – “Smoka” Dubee, 1144 Thornblade Dr, Warner Robins, GA 31088, (478) 225-4758, Scott.Dubee@ang.af.mil
HI - Putt Richards, 59-427 Kawowo Place, Haleiwa, HI 96712, (808)-635-0288, GRZLYPUTT@AOL.COM
ID – Fitz & Pamela Fitzsimmons, 2100 Wapiti Ln, Mountain Home, ID 83647, (208) 590-0650, fitzf15e@clearwire.net
IL - Richard McDowell, 57 Selden St, Galesburg, IL 61401, (309) 344-7747, mathematic@grics.net
KS - McConnell/KS, Jim Bell, 14011 W Cavit St, Wichita, KS 67235, (316) 239-1492, RHINORAT@aol.com
LA - Harmon Dungan, 4110 Wellington Blvd, Alexandria, LA 71303, (318) 443-3363, harmona@earthlink.net
MA - John Harris, 107 James Cir, Mashpee, MA 02649, (508) 477-9841 FAAJohn@aol.com
MD - Ace Acree, 15 Linstead Rd, Severna Park, MD 21146, (410) 812-9803, gacree@comcast.net
MI – Denny Sevakis, 1716 Bewllwood Ct, Bloomfield, MI 48302, (248) 851-0795, dsevakis@sbcglobal.net
MN - Bob Jasperson, 76 Garden Drive, Burnsville, MN 55337, (952) 432-7722, mnriverrat@frontier.com
MS - Jim Stanley, 3940 Eastwood Dr, Jackson, MS 39211, (601) 362-0040, jim.stanley@ergon.com
MO - Bob Cranston, 967 Aspennetter View Dr, Wright City, MO 63390, (636) 745-3220, BCCRAN@swbell.net
MT - Arch Lorentzen, 406 Blaine Lakeshore Dr, Kalispell, MT 59901, (406) 755-1132, PhantomPilot@CENTURYTEL.NET
NC - Seymour Johnson AFB, Steven Bofferding, 406 Adler Ln, Goldsboro, NC 27530, (919) 648-2626, Steven.Bofferding@seymourjohnson.af.mil
Goldsboro - Mike Cooper, 246 S Hillcrest Dr, Goldsboro, NC 27534, (919) 736-4116, mcooper8@nc.rr.com
Goldsboro - Richard “Saskwatch” Horton, 404 S. Cottonwood Dr., Goldsboro, NC 27530, (919) 734-3512, rhorton5@nc.rr.com
Pope AFB - Screech Craib, 408 Shawcroft Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28311, (910) 482-3830, kcraib@aol.com
NJ - Bill Milcarek, 78 Essex Street, Jersey City, NJ 07302, (646) 251-3624, JetVet2@gmail.com
NM - Albuquerque – John Wiebner, PO Box 3485, Edgewood, NM 87015, (505) 980-7069, ABQRiverRat@gmail.com
NV - Las Vegas/Nellis AFB - Jack Redmond, 3497 La Paloma Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89121, (702) 458-3277, jbredrat@aol.com
Page 22
Local Force Cinc Roster (Con’t)
Nellis AFB – “LJ” Rivers, 221 Coral Mist Pl, N. Las Vegas, NV 89084, (702) 497-8697, jefferica@msn.com
NY - Jerry Kochman, 290 Harned Rd, Commack, NY 11725, (631) 864-3064, jerry.kochman@gmail.com
OH - Wright Patterson AFB/Dayton - Chuck Rouhier, 716 Oakview Dr, Kettering OH 45429, (937) 293-7626, jollyfe@sbcglobal.net
OK – Tulsa -- Mike Michael, 2937 E 77th St, Tulsa, OK 74136, (918) 494-0797, amic328@sbcglobal.net
Vance AFB – Lt Col Darin “Bulldog” Booth, 5602 Pheasant Run Drive, Enid, OK 73703, (580) 478-7016, gobooths@gmail.com
OR – Portland - Alphabet Szymkowicz, 20750 NW Highland Ct, Portland, OR 97229, (503) 645-3917, philszy@frontier.com
Klamath Falls – Wes French, 4306 El Cerrito Way, Klamath Falls OR 97603, (541) 892-7784, wfrench15@aol.com
PA - Swede Seagren, PO Box 324 Pocono Summit PA 18346, (570) 839-8192, SwedeBear@gmail.com
SC - Shaw AFB/Sumter - Bob Connelly, 5844 Fish Rd, Dalzell, SC 29040, (803) 499-2732, BC13TFS@aol.com
TN - J.C. Jones, 1015 Edgewater Cir, Gallatin, TN 37066, (615) 206-9083, thud241@comcast.net
TX - Lubbock/West TX - Ken Hite, 3701 75th St, Lubbock, TX 79423, (806) 799-3660, KenFtrPlt@aol.com
Dallas/Fort Worth – Todd (Toad) Almand, 513 Ironwood Dr, Keller, TX 76248, (817) 379-7912, tpalmand@aol.com
Austin -Andy Olman, 7602 Parkview Cir, Austin, TX 78731, (512) 345-9157, rustytex@sbcglobal.net
San Antonio - Gary Baber, 8531 Phoenix Ave, Selma, TX 78154, (210) 659-4240, gbaber@satx.rr.com
UT – SLC/Hill AFB - Bob Brickey, 2314 S 2200 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84109, (801) 484-7308, rebjrb@comcast.net
VA/DC - Dave Brog, PO Box 877, Silver Spring, MD 20918, (301) 588-1592, davebrog@comcast.net
Pentagon/DC Active Duty – “Juice” Bowen, 529 N Alfred St, Alexandria, VA 22314, (703) 347-3798, jim-bowen@hotmail.com
WA - Seattle Joe Crecca, PO Box 2296, North Bend, WA 98045, (425) 888-2212, dogwood2@centurytel.net
Spokane - R.J. Smith, 3547 S Croydon Ct, Spokane, WA 99203, (509) 747-4070, linebacker11@earthlink.net
England - Lakenheath, James “Trace” Hayward, PSC 41 Box 5612, APO, AE 09464, jdhayward83@gmail.com
Germany – Ramstein, Mark “Harpo” Hayes, PSC 2 Box 12181, APO, AE 09012, F15Harpo@aol.com
Korea – Seoul, Chris “Cliff” Ridlon, PSC 303 Box 27, APO, AP 96204, ridlonc@hotmail.com
American Air Lines – Jeff “Tico” Tice, 8263 E Knollwood Ter, Tucson, AZ, 85750, 520 886-0811, tico0248@comcast.net
Buffs/Tanks – Ed Wildeboor, 17714 162nd Ave, Renton, WA 98058, (425) 271-8154, e.wildeboor@comcast.net
Southwest Air Lines - Steve Miller, 623 W 250 S, Hebron, IN 46341, miller623@comcast.net
JetBlue – Lefty Leatham, 304 Tonya Dr, Goldsboro, NC 27534, (919) 751-1940, dleatham@nc.rr.com
RIVER RAT DUES
O
DONATIONS
O
CHANGE OF ADDRESS
Mail To:
RRVA National Office
PO Box 1553
Dues
One-Year Renewal ($30): _______________
Three-Year Renewal ($70): ______________
Life Membership (Contact National Office)
Donations
Scholarship Fund: _____________________
Contact numbers for the National Office of the River Rats are:
Phone: (540) 636-9798
Toll Free: (866) 401-RATS
Dues & Donations may be made
Fax: (540) 636-9776
by credit card by contacting the
Email: RRVARiverRats@aol.com
National Office.
General Fund: ________________________
1G Fund: ____________________________
In memory of: ________________________
In honor of: __________________________
Change of Address
Name: Branch of Service: Active Duty: Guard: Rank:
Reserve: Retired: DoB: Present Occupation/Company: Address: Tel(s) Res: Work: Fax: E-Mail: For NEW MEMBER and REJOIN forms contact the National Office
RED RIVER VALLEY ASSOCIATION, INC.TM
RIVER RATS - RED RIVER VALLEY FIGHTER PILOTS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 1553
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. Postage
PAID
San Antonio, TX
Permit No. 1773
Address SERVICE Requested
2013 National Reunion
3-7 Apr 2013
Pensacola, FL
This is end of the Spring Break timeframe and lodging will be
tight. We have 185 rooms reserved and they are guaranteed
through February 15th but don’t wait until the last minute.
MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS
NOW!
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 200 E Gregory St, Pensacola FL
Call the hotel directly at: (850) 433-3336
Room rates start at $135/night for single or double occupancy.
Ask for the “Red River Valley Association” rate.
Watch the home page <http://www.river-rats.org/> for
the 2013 Reunion link on the menu bar for the latest
instructions and information.
See you all there!

The Magazine of Aviation Warriors - Red River Valley Fighter Pilots

Transcription

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