Summer 2014 Flyer - Order of Daedalians

D AEDALUS
FLYER
Doolittle Awards
Nick Kehoe, Order of Daedalians Commander, and 23rd Flight Captain Richard Fairlamb.
Order of Daedalians Commmander Nick
Kehoe and 9th Flight Captain Kathy
Staiger.
Nick Kehoe, Commander of the Order
of Daedalians, and Col Larry Warmoth,
52nd Flight Adjutant.
Spencer Awards
Annual General
Membership Meeting
Randolph AFB, Texas
4 April 2014
Jerry Allen, Daedalian Foundation
Chairman, and Les Dyer, 102nd
Flight Representative.
Daedalian Foundation Chairman Jerry Allen and 61st Flight Representative Jim Wolff.
Summer 2014
Daedalian Foundation Chairman Jerry Allen,
59th Flight Treasurer Capt Tim Vedra, and
Summer 2014
Membership Chairman 1st Lt Kevin Rohrberb.
Jerry Allen, Daedalian Foundation Chairman, and 9th Flight Captain Kathy Staiger.
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D aedalus Flyer
Summer 2014, Vol. LV No.2
FEATURES
12 So Ya Wanna Be A Carier Pilot?
Unknown
DEPARTMENTS
03 Commander’s Perspective
04 Adjutant Sez...
14 Bill Bower and Dooittle Raiders Remembered
By Col Dale Boggie, USAF (Ret)
05 Newsbeat
15 Flightline
29 New/Rejoining Daedalians
America’s Premier Fraternal
Order of Military Pilots
30 In Memoriam
30 Reunions
31 Flight Addresses
Promoting Leadership
in Air and Space
www.GuideStar.org
DIRECTORS
Lt Gen Loyd Utterback Maj Gen Marné Peterson
Col Eric Hastings
COL Charles F. Densford, Jr.
Lt Col Leslie R. Dyer, III
06 Awards
32 Mischief And Other Fond SAC Memories
By Col Jack Pledger, USAF (Ret)
COMMANDER
Lt Gen Nicholas B. Kehoe III*
VICE COMMANDER
MG Ronald K. Andreson*
PAST COMMANDER
Lt Gen Steven R. Polk*
ADJUTANT
Col James W. Kellogg*
CHAPLAIN
Lt Gen Richard E. Brown, III
HISTORIAN
Col Donald Robison
JUDGE ADVOCATE
Lt Col J. Tod Hedgepeth
PROVOST MARSHAL
Col Ronald R. Ellis*
SECRETARY
Col Gary Walston*
TREASURER
Col Randall B. Putz*
* Director Also
USAF (Ret)
USA (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
ANG (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret) USAF (Ret) USMC (Ret)
USA (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
Maureen DeFelice
EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR
Kristi Cavenaugh
MEMBERSHIP ASSISTANT
Caitlin Cavenaugh
BOOKKEEPER
Perry Deckard
FOUNDATON CHAIRMAN
Maj Gen Jerrold P. Allen*
VICE CHAIRMAN
Vacant*
TREASURER
Col Luis M. Rodriguez*
SECRETARY
Col Wayne Mudge*
JUDGE ADVOCATE
Vacant*
* Trustee Also
TRUSTEES
Maj Gen Davis Rohr
Col Edward J. Sheeran
Col Robert H. Karre
Col Frank Kapp
Col John DiPiero
COL Dan Meyers
Lt Col John Larrison
Lt Col Michael Buck
Mr. Will C. Hendrix, Jr.
EDITOR EMERITUS
Col Robert H. Karre EDITOR
Carole Thompson
CONSULTING EDITOR
Maj Gen Jerrold P. Allen
FOUNDATION SECRETARY
Kristi Cavenaugh
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USA (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (RET)
USAF (Ret)
USAF (Ret)
THE ORDER OF DAEDALIANS was organized on 26 March 1934 by a representative group of American World War I pilots to perpetuate the spirit of patriotism, the love of
country, and the high ideals of sacrifice which place service to nation above personal safety or position. The Order is dedicated to: insuring that America will always be preeminent
in air and space—the encouragement of flight safety—fostering an esprit de corps in the military air forces—promoting the adoption of military service as a career—and aiding
deserving young individuals in specialized higher education through the establishment of scholarships.
THE DAEDALIAN FOUNDATION was incorporated in 1959 as a non-profit organization to carry on activities in furtherance of the ideals and purposes of the Order. The Foundation publishes the Daedalus Flyer and sponsors the Daedalian Scholarship Program. The Foundation is a GuideStar Exchange member. The Scholarship Program recognizes
scholars who indicate a desire to become military pilots and pursue a career in the military. Other scholarships are presented to younger individuals interested in aviation but not
enrolled in college. Voluntary contributions to the Foundation are used for these purposes.
ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP in the Order of Daedalians is limited to: (1) Founder Members—those individuals of the Armed Services of the United States who held a commission and
a rating of heavier-than-air pilot prior to November 12, 1918 (the last Founder Member made his last flight in 2003); (2) Named Members—those rated heavier-than-air pilot commissioned, warrant, flight officers or WASP, in a component of the United States Armed Services, named in honor of a Founder Member; (3) Hereditary Members—the descendants
of Founder Members; (4) Honorary Members—A distinguished person not otherwise eligible for membership.
Daedalus Flyer, (ISSN 10832831) the official Daedalian journal, is published quarterly by the
Daedalian Foundation, 55 Main Circle, Building #676, Randolph AFB TX 78148-0249.
Periodical Postage is paid at Universal City, TX and additional offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Daedalian Foundation
P. O. Box 249, Randolph AFB, TX 78148-0249.
Carole Thompson, Editor
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Address all editorial communications to:
Daedalian Foundation—P.O. Box 249—Randolph AFB, TX 78148-0249
Phone Number: (210) 945-2113—FAX: (210) 945-2112
E-MAIL: icarus@daedalians.org
DAEDALIAN HOME PAGE: http://www.daedalians.org
Daedalus Flyer
ORDER OF DAEDALIANS: (210) 945-2111 E-MAIL: daedalus@daedalians.org
COMMANDER’S PERSPECTIVE
We also presented internal Daedalian Awards at our annual
We have a new
Daedalian
centenarian….
membership meeting held at Randolph AFB in April. The winners
Henry Poplawski, a member
of Spencer Scholarship Awards for top recruiting and Doolittle
of Frank P. Lahm Flight #9.
Awards to the top flights in each category adorn the cover of this
Like everyone who achieves
Flyer. Only San Diego Flight #13 was not present to receive the
this marvelous milestone,
top flight in its category and top overall Daedalian Flight of 2013.
Henry has many amazing
We’ll recognize them in the next edition of the Flyer. Congratulamemories of his days in miltions to each flight for the great work that makes you a standout!
Daedalian Commander Nick Kehoe, itary aviation and is happy to
See photos and other details for the above awards on the covHenry Poplawski, and Flight Captain share them. I was honored
er
and
in the AWARDS section of this magazine.
Kathy Staiger.
to read him birthday greetI
complemented
the above with some great flight visits. At Air
ings on your behalf. Happy Birthday, “Pop,” from your fellow
Capital Flight in Wichita, Kansas, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing
Daedalians! Henry is the second oldest Daedalian to Ollie Cellini,
commander, Joel Jackson (an intern in my office when I was the
now 101, from Falcon Flight in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Tis the season for presenting
prestigious Daedalian awards and
giving well-deserved recognition
to the best of our military aviation
community—one of most gratifying things we do as Daedalians.
As you know, we go to the units
to present awards in front of commanders, supervisors, peers and Flight Captain Bill Uptmor presents check to Gen Kehoe. Col Joel Jackson is on Uptmor’s right and Col
family in years when there is no Jennifer Uptmor is on Kehoe’s left, along with active duty support.
convention.
AF/IG) and his Ops Group ComIt’s an exhilarating experience because of the excitement
generated at unit-level and the appreciation they show for our inimander, Jennifer Uptmor, along
tiative to recognize outstanding performance. So far this year, we
with a number of active duty flight
have presented awards to: the exceptional pilots of the US Army
members attended the meeting.
at Fort Riley, KS and US Navy at Oceana NAS, Virginia; the Top
Jennifer’s husband, Bill Uptmor
Graduate at the USAF Academy (Harmon Award); command
is the flight captain. In the photo,
safety awards to Air Force Special Operations Command at HurlBill is presenting a donation from
burt Field, Florida (Foulois Award) and the 1st Battalion, 160th
Toby Elster, who recently passed
Gen Kehoe presents Spencer
Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) (Airborne) at Fort
away and included the Order of Award to Ryan McGuire at
Campbell, Kentucky (Hutton Award); and the Wolfe Weapon SysDaedalians in his estate.
Laughlin AFB.
tems Development Award, also to the 1st Battalion, 160th SOAR
I presented a Spencer Award to
at Fort Campbell. The 160th SOAR is better known as the Night
Ryan McGuire during the meeting of George Beverly Flight in
Stalkers. There are more awards to present!
Del Rio, Texas, on the eve of graduating 20 new Air Force pilots.
In presenting the awards on your behalf, I accentuate the importance of rewarding outstanding performance. If a commander
or supervisor had not taken the time to nominate an outstanding
individual or unit, I wouldn’t have been there to put the icing on
the cake. Rewards are the way we thank our troops for doing an
Volabamus
Volamus
outstanding job and the way we inspire others to do their best.
I also emphasize that the prestigious awards we sponsor are selected by the leadership of the service or someone designated in
the chain of command. More than one commander has done a
double-take when I invite him or her to take the trophy and present it to the outstanding individual or unit that they nominated for
the award.
In separate visits, I was privileged to address Specialized
Undergraduate Pilot Training graduating classes at Laughlin
Lieutenant General Nicholas B. Kehoe III, USAF (Ret)
AFB and Vance AFB and present the Daedalian-sponsored AETC
National Commander, Order of Daedalians
Commander’s trophies to the top graduates in each track.
Summer 2014
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CHAIRMAN’S CORNER
Great Feedback On Young Pilots
Maureen DeFelice, Daedalian Foundation Director of Administration, sends monthly email messages to all Daedalians
for whom we have email addresses and she posts information
on Facebook to spread the good news on successful Daedalian
programs. Maureen gets great feedback from grateful recipients of Daedalian awards and from members who enjoy seeing
the faces and hearing the stories of the young people who benefit from our scholarships and the flight instruction program.
Following are two examples of recent feedback.
Lieutenant Bryan Smith wrote to tell us how thankful he
is for the opportunity he had to learn to fly in CFIP with Flight
13, San Diego. He explained that CFIP reinforced his commitment to earn a commission and a flying training slot. CFIP
also gave him valuable flying experience and he entered pilot training with a big head start. He excelled in training and
earned an assignment to the F-16. Bryan is grateful to the Order of Daedalians for putting him on track to flying the Viper.
On Memorial Day Maureen sent an email with photos of
three Daedalian scholarship winners and a few words about
each recipient. Following is the response she got from Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Donald M. MacWillie, Jr.
“My grandson, Donald “Kyle” M. MacWillie IV, was
awarded a Daedalian Foundation Scholarship by Flight 103,
Fort Hood, while at Texas A&M University in 2008. As a
member of Flight 103, I was honored to make the presentation
to him. He graduated from Texas A&M in August 2010 and
was assigned to the intelligence basic course at Fort Huachuca,
AZ. He applied for Special Forces and deployed to Afghanistan. During his one-year deployment he was awarded the
Bronze Star Medal. Upon redeployment he applied for and
was granted a transfer to Aviation Branch and helicopter training. Kyle will graduate from Flight School in early July.
His parents, Brigadier General (Retired) and Mrs. Donald
M. MacWillie,III, and my wife and I will attend. This must be
a first. Three direct generations of Army aviators, all with the
same name. Makes me proud on this Memorial Day.”
All Daedalians can be proud of the service to the Nation
by scholarship recipient and Army Aviator Kyle MacWillie IV.
Many thanks to all of you for supporting the Daedalian
programs that awarded a flying training opportunity to F-16
pilot Bryan Smith and a scholarship to helicopter pilot Kyle
MacWillie, IV.
Volabamus
Volamus
FOUNDATON CHAIRMAN
Maj Gen Jerrold P. Allen, USAF (Ret
Daedalian Awards
Daedalians are familiar with the many awards we research,
approve and present at our conventions and other venues. However, there are three unique awards which are lesser known and infrequently approved and presented. The first two, The Daedalian
Citation of Honor and The Daedalian Distinguished Achievement
Award have existed for a number of years beginning in the 1960’s.
The third award, The Brigadier General Joe Foss Award for Excellence in Aerial Flight. is new and has been awarded only once.
The Daedalian Citation of Honor is presented to individuals
for extraordinary achievements or contributions that further the
Tenets and Objectives of the Order of Daedalians. This award has
been presented only nine times beginning in 1967. The awardees
include Milton Caniff, Burt Rutan, Yvonne de Ridder Files and
Major Rhonda Cornum, USA.
The Daedalian Distinguished Achievement Award has been
awarded five times. Recipients include Eileen Collins and Joe Kittinger.
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The Brigadier General Joe Foss Award for Excellence in Aerial Flight has been awarded to Captain Ashly Barnes.
The intent of the above listings is to give all Daedalians an appreciation of the level of contributions which have been approved
in the past. Awardees, in general, are people with nationally recognized names in the world of aviation. They are people who have
gone above and beyond in their involvement in aviation.
The specific criteria for each award are available for reviewing on the Order of Daedalians website at www.daedalians.org/
awards. A review of each award is listed along with a link to
the recipients and the criteria for these awards; just click on the
name of the award. Daedalians who believe they have a candidate
for one of these three awards are encouraged to read the criteria
and, further, converse with the Order’s award chairman and/or the
National Adjutant for assistance in researching and writing your
recommendation.
Daedalus Flyer
NEWSBEAT
Hal Confer Honored With Name On Canopy Rail Of B-58
In April a ceremony at the former Kelly AFB, Texas, honored Brigadier General (Ret) Hal Confer. More than 25 members
of Stinsons Flight, plus several other folks, were present for the
unveiling of Hal’s name on the canopy rail of the B-58 that is on
display near the main gate.
Hal flew the B-29 on 26 combat missions in Korea and then
went on to a remarkable career flying high-speed aircraft and commanding units that operated them. He was the second Air Force
pilot to check out in the Mach 2 B-58. Hal earned the Thompson
Trophy for setting three world speed records in the aircraft and he
and his crew won the SAC bombing competition. He served as
a B-58 squadron commander and then flew the Mach 3+ SR-71.
He advanced through several leadership positions and eventually
commanded the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. After his
promotion to Brigadier General, Hal served as commander of the
45th Air Division. In this position he led five wings, including
two that flew the Mach 2 FB-111. Hal is an outstanding pilot with
remarkably broad experience in supersonic aircraft.
Major General (Ret) Bill Acker, also a Stinsons Flight member, initiated the effort to honor Hal, and led the planning and
execution of the event. The Founding Members of the Order of
(l - r) Hal Confer and Bill Acker admire the name
emblazoned on the B-58.
Daedalians stated in the preamble to the Order’s constitution that
one of the purposes of our organization is to “cement the ties of
comradeship” which link those who selflessly served our nation
as military pilots. Bill Acker certainly achieved this purpose; he
demonstrated outstanding brotherhood and camaraderie by working hard to honor Hal Confer.
We salute both Hal and Bill. They are exemplary Daedalians.
Big Give And Open House Net Daedalians More Than 10 Grand
It was great to see everyone at the open house
and enjoy good company. We opened the doors a
bit early and had quite a few members stop by for
food and fellowship. Lt Col Miles Watkins, named
member, and his wife Margaret Ramey Watkins,
the oldest daughter of Howard Ramey and a hereditary member, donated a picture to the Order of
Daedalians of our original 35 charter members.
Thank you also to all who participated in the
Big Give SA electronically. Through the Big Give
SA website, we raised $9,675. We also received another $125 in pledges and $1,125 in checks donated
that day for a total of $10,925. There were 468 foundations participating and our Daedalian Foundation
was in the top 10% for funds raised. It truly was a
Daedalian host Frank Kapp with named member Lt Col Miles Watkins and his
giving holiday.
wife, hereditary member Margaret Ramey Watkins.
Summer 2014
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AWARDS
2013 U.S. Navy
Exceptional Pilot Award
Presenting the 2013 U.S. Navy Exceptional
Pilot Award to Navy Lieutenant Aaron “Ocho”
Ochalek, Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-106, at
NAS Oceana, Virginia, is VFA-106 Commander
(Skipper), Navy Commander Brent “Stretch”
Blackmer. Ochalek is now assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group/SEAL
Team 6 at Dam Neck Annex, Virginia. Looking
on is Lt Gen Nick Kehoe, Commander of the Order of Daedalians.
2013 U.S. Army
Exceptional Pilot Award
The 2013 U.S. Army Exceptional Pilot Award
was presented to CW4 Bradley Nelson, 1st Squadron,
6th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Combat Aviation Brigade,
1st Infantry Division (Big Red One) at Fort Riley,
Kansas. Presenting the award was Lt Gen Nick Kehoe, Commander, Order of Daedalians, Nelson’s commander, Lt Col Matt Weinshel, is on the right. Nelson
is being reassigned to Fort Rucker, Alabama.
The Order of Daedalians Sponsored AETC Commander’s Trophies
Presented To Laughlin And Vance SUPT Graduates
The top graduate in both
tracks at the Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at
Laughlin AFB were presented
AETC Commander’s Trophies
by Lt Gen Nick Kehoe. Shown
at left is Lt Brady Amack who
will go to Tyndall AFB for
training in the F-22..
Laughlin
Completing his pilot
training in a KC-10 at Travis AFB is Lt Justin Greenway, who is selected for the
AETC Commander’s Trophy at Laughlin AFB. Presenting the trophy is Lt Gen
Nick Kehoe, who also gave
the graduation address.
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The top graduate of
Specialized Undergraduate
Pilot Training Class 14-08
at Vance AFB is Lt Michael
Fallon. He was presented the
AETC Commander’s Trophy by Lt Gen Nick Kehoe.
He will go to Tyndall AFB
for training in the T-38.
Vance
Lt Cory Willliams has
completed SUPT at Vance AFB,
where he was selcted to receive
the AETC Commander’s Trophy. He will to go Charleston
AFB for training in the KC- 10.
Presenting the trophy is Lt Gen
Nick Kehoe.
Daedalus Flyer
AWARDS
Annual Foulois Award Presented To AF Special Operations Command
The 2013 Major General Benjamin D. Foulois Award was
presented to the Air Force Special Operations Command on April
23. Presenting the award to Colonel Kevin Gordey, AFSOC’s
Chief of Safety, was Daedalian Commander Lt Gen Nick Kehoe.
with Lt Gen Eric Fiel, AFSOC/CC, looking on.
The Foulois Award is presented to the Air Force major command determined by the Chief of Staff to have achieved the best
flying safety record during the award period. AFSOC has received
the award nine times. The award is sponsored by the Order of
Daedalians and presented since 1938.
48th Flight Recognizes Two Cadets With Scholarships
AAS chapter was recognized in Fall 2013 for its
outstanding training program in our three state
region. Cadet Kirkwood has always dreamed of
being a fighter pilot. Both his parents served as
career Air Force navigators. His father served
as an F-15 E back-seater and Ops Group Commander at Seymour Johnson AFB. Nolan has
completed private pilot ground school and
logged 8 hours of flying time.
Cadet Patrick Falaro attends North Carolina State University (NCSU), Detachment 595,
(j - r) Flight Scholarship Chairman Col (Ret) Joe Fitzpatrick, Det 595 CC Lt Col Jayson Allen, majoring in aerospace engineering, maintaining
Cadet Patrick Falaro, Flight Captain Maj (Ret) Mike Reid, Cadet Nolan Kirkwood, Det 590 CC a 2.8 GPA. Patrick is ranked number 1 of 16
Lt Col Brad Green.
cadets in the detachment’s FY2015 graduating
class. He was lauded for putting on a fantastic event as the 2012
Our April meeting each year is one of the most anticipated
Coordinator for the Combat Dining-In and as team leader for the
and exciting events that our members look forward to. It is when
2013 Detachment’s Field Training Preparation. His leadership as
the flight presents a $1000 check to each of our two ROTC scholteam leader contributed to Detachment 595 earning a 100% first
arship recipients. We were also pleased to announce each cadet
look Enrollment Allocation selection rate for 19 eligible Aeroreceived a matching scholarship from National. Each cadet was
space Science 200 cadets. Patrick has been interested in pursuing
presented with a Daedalian Challenge Coin engraved with the
a military career since joining Army JROTC at his high school.
year 2014 as a remembrance of this event and our organization.
He has always been interested in becoming a pilot, leading him
Both cadets were selected for pilot slots at the February AFROTC
to join Air Force ROTC in college. He is very much interested in
rated board.
pursuing a flying career in the Air Force.
Cadet Nolan Kirkwood attends the University of North CarBoth candidates were nominated by their detachment comolina-Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Detachment 590, majoring in envimander for demonstrated performance and leadership qualities.
ronmental science and maintaining better than a GPA of 3.0. He
The Flight was glad to have both detachment commanders in atwill graduate in May of 2015. Nolan served in and commanded
tendance as our guests, Lt Col Brad Green the Commander of
the Color Guard. He has been a member of the Arnold Air Society
AFROTC Detachment 590, UNC-CH, and Lt Col Jayson Allen
(AAS) since his freshman year. As AAS Squadron Commander
the Commander of AFROTC Detachment 595, NCSU. Their outthe membership under his leadership tripled and the chapter comstanding leadership and mentoring have produced two fine young
pleted over 1200 hours of community service supporting various
men to fill the shoes and cockpits of those who have gone before.
charities and local food pantries. His efforts garnered him recog(Source: Walt Dietrich)
nition as the most outstanding cadet for Fall Semester 2012. The
Summer 2014
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AWARDS
27th Flight Supports Sacramento
State AFROTC Detachment
Lt Col Jennifer Stokes, Commamder of the AFROTC Detatchment at Sacramento State, presented the flight with an update on the AFROTC program at CSU Sacramento and the AF
pilot acquisition program. The state of the program has left the
cadets with little exposure to actual flying and airplanes. In order
to give the cadets some exposure to the joy of flying, Sierra Flight
member Chuck Coffman volunteered to fly some cadets on local
orientation flights in his Club Cessna 182. Lt Col Stokes offered
the first ride to two of her outstanding cadets, Melanie Devera and
Troy Anderson. The flight departed Sacramento Executive Airport in Sacramento, flew over Lake Berryessa, landed at the Davis
Airport to switch seats and returned to Executive Airport after
overflying the state capital and the Sac State campus.
In April, another outstanding opportunity presented itself
when the Bonanzas to Oshkosh group conducted their annual formation training clinic. Several of the participants offered seats to
observe both two-ship and four-ship training, and cadets Collin
(l - r) Daedalian Chuck Coffman, Cadet Troy Anderson, Cadet Melanie
Devera, and Det 88 CC, Lt Col Jennifer Stokes in front of N2629R prior
to the March flight.
Goodman, Savanah San Nicolas, Kyle Ford, and Evan Yanagihara got to experience military-style flying under controlled conditions. The feedback from this unique opportunity was enthusiastic and will ripple through the Corps encouraging more cadets
to consider a flying career path.
(Source: Chuck Cojfman)
Minuteman Flight Honors Seventh Winner Of Christensen Scholarship
Lt Gen Bob Kelley, USAF (Ret), and AFROTC Cadet Lisa
Ventura of Wellesley College.
One of Minuteman Flight’s very special members was Fred
Christensen, who flew P-47s in WW II and was one of the nation’s top-ranking aces--credited with 21 ½ victories, including
Me 110s, Bf 109s, and Fw 190s. Fred grew up in Watertown,
Massachusetts and attended Boston University, Harvard, and
MIT. He died in 2006, and the flight decided to honor his memory
with a scholarship, each year, for deserving Massachusetts college ROTC cadets who aspire to military aviation careers.
Flight 15’s seventh award of the Christensen Scholarship
was given recently to AFROTC Cadet Lisa Ventura, a Junior at
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Wellesley College,,taking AFROTC at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lisa is majoring in computer science, with a
minor in electrical engineering.
Lisa is currently the AFROTC Wing Commander. She is the
captain of the ice hockey team, has earned leadership awards in
the Girl Scouts, and also works in community programs such as
Habitat for Humanity and in tutoring underprivileged kids from
the inner city of Boston.
She started as a freshman in Army ROTC, but realized in her
sophomore year that the Air Force would be a better fit for her. A
summer tour at Moffett Field in California, where she got to fly in
C-130s and HH-60s, convinced her that she wanted to be a pilot.
She has been selected for pilot training and has passed the flight
physical.
Lisa has been preceded by equally capable and motivated
young people. Our sixth Christensen scholarship awardee (Lt
Victoria Snow) is in pilot training, and the fourth (Lt Brittany
Trimble) has just completed Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot training
and is assigned to F-16s. Lt Brijen Patel, our third awardee, is on
active duty as a C-12 pilot.
We are exceptionally grateful to the contributors to our 501(c)
(3) Scholarship Fund--whose generosity makes these awards possible. First and foremost are our flight members, and we have
also had excellent support from Lockheed Martin, the Hanscom
Federal Credit Union, Northrop-Grumman, and the Boeing Corporation. The flight’s award was matched by the Daedalian Foundation.
(Source: Eric Nelson.)
Daedalus Flyer
AWARDS
Ben T. Epps 102nd Flight Honors Two Students
AFROTC Cadet Scott Strebel, Lt Col Bevens, LT Purofoy, and Midshipman
Ashleigh Forte.
The Ben T. Epps Flight’s first meeting each year is
clearly their most important and most rewarding meeting. These February meetings are traditionally the
event when flight scholarships are presented to college
ROTC cadets slated for pilot training. In keeping with
this flight tradition and the perpetual effort to promote
the rewards of a career in military aviation, Flight 102
presented two “matching” scholarships at their February
meeting. Scholarship recipients were USAF ROTC cadet Scott Strebel and USN ROTC midshipman Ashleigh
Forte. You would be very proud of these most deserving
individuals headed for a precious military pilot training
billet.
(Source: Bill Rial.)
Flight 9 Scores More AFROTC Cadet Glider Flights
As the soaring season came
to an end in Ohio,
three more cadets
from AFROTC
Det 643 participated in Flight 9’s
cadet glider flight
program. Cadets
Joshua Schoettelkotte and Murad
Cadet Joshua Schoettelkotte
Abdullah from
Wright State University along with Cadet Logan Mauk from Cedarville University
flew with Flight 9 member and sailplane pilot Col Bernie Fullenkamp, USAF (Ret). This completes the 5th year that Flight 9 has
sponsored sailplane flights for selected cadets at the historic Caesar Creek Soaring Club near Waynesville, Ohio. Daedalian Flight
9 has several members who are active pilots at the soaring club
including Don Green, Charlie DeBerry, and Bernie Fullenkamp.
During the Flight 9 sponsored flights the cadets experience
prebrief and aircraft preflight, aerotow to 4000 AGL, thermal
climbs if weather conditions permit, in-flight maneuvers such as
normal turns, steep turns, slow flight, and stall series, normal pattern and landing, and flight debrief. The flights are performed in
the Grob-103, a relatively high-performance fiberglass ship with
Summer 2014
Cadet Murad Abdullah with Bernie Fullenkamp.
Cadet Logan Mauk and Bernie Fullenkamp.
an approximate 38/1 glide ratio. Cadets control the aircraft in all
phases of flight when it is safe to do so. Bernie reported that these
three recent flights enjoyed superb weather conditions resulting in
flight times exceeding one hour of soaring flight and a lot of “stick
time” for the cadets.
(Source: Bernie Fullenkamp.)
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AWARDS
(l - r) Cadet H. Na a Vietnam refugee attending CU and a AFROTC cadet, Dan Beatty Flight 11 Flight Captain, Cadet Tyler Starkman, CU, and
Cadet Matthew Johnson, UCCS.
Cadet Vincent Wood (r) accepts his Harding Scholarship
from Col Wayne Jones, Scholarship and Awards Chairman.
13th Flight Awards Academic
And CFIP Scholarships
Flight 13 awarded $1,000 Harding Scholarships to Cadet
Vincent Wood and Cadet Derek Coleman, both from AFROTC
Det. 075 at SDSU. Cadet Vincent Wood joined us for lunch at our
May meeting to receive his scholarship from Wayne Jones, our
Awards and Scholarship Chairman. Cadet Derek Coleman was
taking a final and not able to join us.
CFIP flight scholarships went to Cadet Josh Hardin, AFROTC
at San Diego State University, and Midshipman Scott Crowder,
NROTC at San Diego University. Both will begin flying this summer and join us for lunch this fall when the program is compete.
(Source: Rich Martindell)
Ed Sheeran, Daedalian Foundation Trustee and member
of 2nd (Stinsons) Flight, presents the Order of Daedalian
JROTC Award to Judson High School, Converse, Texas, Cadet Daniel Domiguez..
10
Falcon Flight
Presents Scholarships
To Three Cadets
Flight 11 presented three scholarships of $1000 each to three
ROTC Cadets at the May 2014 meeting at the Falcon Club AFA.
The three cadets receiving scholarships are: Tyler Starkman,
Colorado University, Boulder,Colorado; Tyler Nading, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Matthew Johnson,
University of Colorado Colorado Springs. All three are pilot qualified and ranked high in their respective units. Cadets Starkman
and Nading will be going to AF pilot training and Cadet Johnson
is going Army Helicopter training. Cadet Nading was unable to
attend the presentation due to final exams.
(Source: Jerry Davenport, Flight 11 Adjutant and Scholarship Chairman 2014)
(l - r) Jerry. Davenport, Flight Scholarship Chairman, Cadet Tyler Starkman, Ollie Cellini, the oldest active Daedalian, and Cadet H. Na.
Daedalus Flyer
AWARDS
On the eve of addressing the graduation of 22 new Air
Force pilots at Vance AFB, Daedalian Commander Lt Gen
Nick Kehoe helped present scholarships to three outstanding
Oklahoma State University AFROTC cadets for Cherokee Strip
Flight. Shown (l - r) Wing Vice Commander Menzoni, cadets
Frechette, Painter, Leisy, and McNeally, Lt Gen Kehoe, and
ROTC Det 670 Commander Lt Col Cherrington.
Mt. Rushmore Flight Awards
JROTC Medal to Cadet
Col Howard Rice, USAF (Ret), from Flight 14,
presents the Order of Daedalians JROTC Achievement
Medal to Cadet Samuel E. Sorrell during ceremonies
at Douglas High School in Box Elder, South Dakota. Cadet Sorrell is a member of SD-061 AFJROTC
Group which has been a Distinguished Unit with Merit
for three years. It is the only AFJROTC unit in South
Dakota.
At Stinsons Flight in San Antonio, Commander Lt
Gen Nick Kehoe, third from right, enjoyed a great turnout and reunion with old warriors, including flight captains
dating back to the 1970s
At Atomic Flight Order of Daealian Commander Lt Gen
At National Capital Flight in Washington, DC, Lt Gen Kehoe
inducted three more new Daedalians in addition to presenting an
update on the Order, which he does for all flight visits. (l - r)
Maj Markus Halbritter, Maj Brian Wallace, Rick Kaufman, and
Lt Gen Kehoe.
Summer 2014
Nick Kehoe met Ashly Barnes, the first recipient of our Joe
Foss Award for Excellence in Aerial Flight. Ashly is now in initial training for the Air Force Special Operations CV-22 Osprey.
On the left is Vice Flight Captain Fred Harsany.
11
ARDS
This is why you get those extra $s for flight pay
Ya say ya wanna be
a carrier pilot????
Author Unknown
Greetings Slacker Landlubbers,
Hey, I felt the need to share with you all the exciting night
I had on the 23rd. It has nothing to do with me wanting to talk
about me. It has everything to do with sharing what will no doubt
become a better story as the years go by.
So, there I was... Manned up a hot seat for the 2030 launch
about 500 miles north of Hawaii (insert visions of many mai tais
here). Spotted just forward of the nav pole and eventually taxied
off toward the island where I do a 180 and get spotted to be the
first one off cat I (insert foreboding music here). There’s another
Hornet from our sister squadron parked ass over the track about a
quarter of the way down the cat. Eventually he gets a move on and
they lower my launch bar and start the launch cycle. All systems
are go on the runup and after waiting the requisite five seconds
or so to make sure my flight controls are good to go (there’s a lot
to be said for good old cables and pulleys), I turn on my lights.
As is my habit, I shift my eyes to the catwalk and watch the deck
edge dude, and as he starts his routine of looking left then right,
I put my head back. As the cat fires, I stage the blowers and am
along for the ride. Just prior to the end of the stroke there’s a huge
flash and a simultaneous boom! and my world is in turmoil. My
little pink body is doing 145 knots or so and is 100 feet above the
Black Pacific. And there it stays - except for the airspeed, which
decreases to 140 knots.
The throttles aren’t going any farther forward despite my
Schwarzzenegerian efforts to make them do so. From out of the
ether I hear a voice say one word, “Jettison.” Roger that! A nanosecond later, my two drops and single MER - about 4500 pounds
in all - are Black Pacific bound. The airplane leapt up a bit, but not
enough. I’m now about a mile in front of the boat at 160 feet and
fluctuating from 135 to 140 knots. The next command out of the
ether is another one-worder, “Eject!” I’m still flying so I respond,
“Not yet, I’ve still got it.”
Finally, at four miles, I take a peek at my engine instruments
and notice my left engine doesn’t match the right (funny how
quick glimpses at instruments get burned into your brain). The
left rpm is at 48% even though I’m still doing the Ah-Nold thing.
I bring it back to mil. About now I get another “Eject!” call.
“Nope, still flying.” Deputy Cag was watching and the further
I got from the boat, the lower I looked. About five miles, I asked
tower to please get the helo headed my way as I truly thought
I was going to be shelling out. At this point I thought it would
probably be a good idea to start dumping some gas. As my hand
reached down for the dump switch I actually remembered that we
have a NATOPS prohibition regarding dumping while in burner.
12
After a second or two I decided, “hell with that” and turned them
on. I was later told I had a 60-foot Roman candle going.
At seven miles I eventually started a (very slight) climb. A
little breathing room. CATCC chimes in with a downwind heading and I’m like: “Ooh. Good idea,” and throw down my hook.
Eventually I get headed downwind at 900 feet and ask for a rep.
While waiting I shut down the left engine. In short order I hear
“Fuzz’s” voice.
I tell him the following, “OK Fuzz, my gear’s up, my left motor’s off and I’m only able to stay level with min blower. Every
time I pull it to mil I start about a hundred feet per minute down.”
I continue trucking downwind trying to stay level and keep
dumping. I think I must have been in blower for about fifteen
minutes. At ten miles or so I’m down to 5000 pounds of gas and
start a turn back toward the ship. Don’t intend to land, but don’t
want to get too far away, either. Of course, as soon I as I start in
an angle of bank, I start dropping like a stone so I end up doing a
five-mile circle around the ship. Meanwhile, Fuzz is reading me
the single engine rate-of-climb numbers from the PCL based on
temperature, etc. It doesn’t take us long to figure out that things
aren’t adding up. So why the hell do I need blower to stay level!?
By this time I’m talking to Fuzz (CATCC), Deputy (turning on the
flight deck), and CAG who’s on the bridge with the Captain. We
decide that the thing to do is climb to three thousand feet and dirty
up. I get headed downwind, go full burner on my remaining motor, and eventually make it to 2000 feet before leveling out below
a scattered layer of puffies. There’s a half a moon above which
was really, really cool. Start a turn back toward the ship, and when
I get pointed in the right direction, I throw the gear down and pull
the throttle out of AB.
Remember that flash/boom! that started this little tale? Repeat it here. Holy shit! I jam it back into AB and after three or four
huge compressor stalls and accompanying decel the right motor
comes back. This next part is great. You know those stories about
guys who deadstick crippled airplanes away from orphanages
and puppy stores and stuff and get all this great media attention?
Well, at this point I’m looking at the picket ship at my left 11 at
about two miles and I say on departure freq to no one in particular,
“You need to have the picket ship hang a left right now. I think
I’m gonna be outta here in a second.” I said it very calmly but
with meaning. The LSO’s said that the picket immediately started
pitching out of the fight. Ha! I scored major points with the heavies afterwards for this. Anyway, it’s funny how your mind works
in these situations.
OK, so I’m dirty and I get it back level and pass a couple
miles up the starboard side of the ship. I’m still in min blower and
Daedalus Flyer
my fuel state is now about 2500 pounds. Hmmm. I hadn’t really
thought about running out of gas. I muster up the nads to pull it
out of blower again and sure enough...flash, BOOM! YGTBSM! I
leave it in mil and it seems to settle out. Eventually discover that
even the tiniest throttle movements cause the flash/boom thing to
happen so I’m trying to be as smooth as I can. I’m downwind a
couple miles when CAG comes up and says, “Oyster, we’re going
to rig the barricade.”
Remember, CAG’s up on the bridge watching me fly around
doing blower donuts in the sky and he’s thinking I’m gonna run
outta JP-5 too. By now I’ve told everyone who’s listening that
there a better than average chance that I’m going to be ejecting—
the helo bubbas, god bless ‘em, have been following me around
this entire time. I continue downwind and again, sounding more
calm than I probably was. I call paddles. “Paddles, you up?” “Go
ahead,” replies “Max,” one of our CAG LSOs.
“Max, I probably know most of it but you wanna shoot me
the barricade brief?” (Insert long pause here). After the fact, Max
told me they went from expecting me to eject to me asking for the
barricade brief in about a minute and he was hyperventilating. He
was awesome on the radio though, just the kind of voice you’d
want to hear in this situation. He gives me the brief and at nine
miles I say, “If I turn now, will it be up when I get there? I don’t
want to have to go around again.”
“It’s going up now, Oyster, go ahead and turn.”
“Turning in, say final bearing.”
“Zero-six-three,” replies the voice in CATCC. (Another number I remember - go figure.) OK, we’re on a four-degree glideslope and I’m at 800 feet or so. I intercept glideslope at about a
mile and three quarters and pull power. Flash/boom! Add power
out of fear. Going high. Pull power. Flash/boom! Add power out
of fear. Going higher. (Flashback to LSO school.... All right class,
today’s lecture will be on the single engine barricade approach.
Remember, the one place you really, REALLY don’t want to be is
high. Are there any questions?) The PLAT video is most excellent
as each series of flash/booms shows up nicely along with the appropriate reflections on the water. “Flats,” our other CAG paddles
is backing up and as I start to set up a higher than desired sink rate
he hits the “Eat At Joe’s” lights. Very timely too. (Note: wave-off
lights— a guts-ball decision.)
I stroke AB and cross the flight deck with my right hand on
the stick and my left thinking about the little yellow and black
handle between my legs. No worries. I cleared that sucker by at
least ten feet. By the way my state at the ball call was 1.1. As I
slowly climb out I say, again to no one in particular, “I can do
this.” Max and Flats heard this and told me later it made them
feel much better about my state of mind. I’m in blower still and
CAG says, “Turn downwind.” Again, good idea. After I get turned
around he says, “Oyster, this is gonna be your last look, so turn in
again as soon as you’re comfortable.” I lose about 200 feet in the
turn and like a total dumbshit I look out as I get on centerline and
that night thing about feeling high gets me and I descend further
to 400 feet. I got kinda pissed at myself then as I realized I would
now be intercepting the four-degree glideslope in the middle.
Summer 2014
No shit, fellas, flash/boom every several seconds all the way
down. Last look at my gas was 600-and-some pounds at a mile
and a half.
“Where am I on the glideslope Max?” I ask and hear a calm,
“Roger Ball.” I know I’m low because the ILS is waaay up there
and I call “Clara.” Can’t remember what the response was but by
now the ball’s shooting up from the depths. I start flying it and before I get a chance to spot the deck. I hear, “Cut, cut, cut!” I’m really glad I was a paddles for so long because my mind said to me,
“Do what he says, Oyster,” and I pulled it back to idle. The reason
I mention this is that I felt like I was a LONG F$#@! WAYS OUT
THERE - if you know what I mean (my hook hit 11 Oyster paces
from the ramp, as I discovered during FOD walkdown today).
The rest is pretty tame. I hit the deck, skipped the one, the
two, and snagged the three and rolled into the barricade about
a foot right of centerline. Once stopped my vocal chords involuntarily yelled “Victory!” on button 2. (The 14 guys who were
listening in marshal said it was pretty cool. After the fact I wish I
had done the Austin Powers “Yeah Baby!” thing.) The lights came
up and off to my right there must have been a ga-zillion cranials.
Paddles said that with my shutdown you could hear a huge cheer
across the flight deck. I open the canopy and start putting my shit
in my helmet bag and the first guy I see is our Flight Deck Chief,
huge guy named Chief Richards and he gives me the coolest look
and then two thumbs up. I will remember it forever. Especially
since I’m the Maintenance Officer. I climb down and people are
gathering around patting me on the back when one of the boat’s
crusty yellow-shirt chiefs interrupts and says, “Gentlemen, great
job but fourteen of your good buddies are still up there and we
need to get them aboard.” Again, priceless.
So there you have it, fellas. Here I sit with my little pink body
in a ready room chair on the same tub I did my first cruise in 10
years and 7 months ago. And I thought it was exciting back then.
P.S. You’re probably wondering what made my motors shit
themselves and I almost forgot to tell you. Remember the scene
with the foreboding music? When they taxied that last Hornet the one that was ass over the cat track - they forgot to remove a
section or two of the cat seal. The board’s not finished yet, but
it’s a done deal. As the shuttle came back it removed the cat seal
which went down both motors during the stroke. During the waveoff, one of the LSOs saw “about thirty feet” of black rubber
hanging off the left side of the airplane. The whole left side, including inside the intake is basically black where the rubber was
beating on it in the breeze.
The right motor, the one that kept running, had 340 major hits
to all stages. The compressor section is trashed and best of all, it
had two pieces of the cat seal—one about two feet and the other
about four feet long, sticking out of the first stage and into the
intake. God Bless General Electric!
P.P.S. By the way, the data showed that I was fat - had 380
pounds of gas when I shut down. Again, remember this number
as in ten years I will surely be claiming, FUMES, MAN, FUMES
I TELL YOU!
Oyster out...
13
Mile High Flight
Bill Bower and Doolittle Raiders Remembered
Some 20
years ago,
in
March
1994, Mile
High Flight
18 luncheon
speaker was
flight member ColonelWilliam M.
“Bill” Bower,
USAF,
(Ret), who
Crew 12 of the Doolittle Raiders including its pilot in
had flown as
pilot in com- command Bill Bower, second from left.
mand of Crew 12 during the legendary Doolittle Raid. Bill died
in 2011 at age 93. The timing of Bill’s 1994 presentation occurred
six months after General Jimmy Doolittle’s passing and three
weeks prior to the Raider’s first reunion following the loss of their
beloved leader. Thankfully, Bill’s historic talk was captured on
audio tape. CAPT Ger Spaulding, USN, (Ret), combined that audio with nearly 100 photos to create a unique audio-visual Power
Point show which he presented at our 18 April 2014 luncheon.
18 April was the 72nd anniversary of the Doolittle Raid. Bower
described how he’d been inspired to pursue a career in military
aviation by civilian Jim Doolittle, especially after sneaking under
the fence at the 1932 National Air Races in Cleveland to watch
his air racing hero win flying the infamously stubby “Gee Bee.”
It would be ten more years before Bower would actually meet
Doolittle —after Bill had earned his wings at Kelly in 1940, after
he’d accrued 1,000 hours in his squadron’s new B-25s, and after
waking up to the news of Pearl Harbor.
With America now in the war, it would be another three
months until Bower’s second fateful encounter with Doolittle. His
bomb squadron (the 37th) was first sent to Pendleton, Oregon, to
patrol for submarines off the West Coast. When a request seeking volunteers for a secret mission came down, Bill was among
many members of the squadron to sign up. They did not know
that Jimmy Doolittle would be in charge or that the mission would
involve launching B-25s from the deck of an aircraft carrier. On
March 3rd, 24 B-25 crews were convened in a building at Eglin
and told that the officer in charge was coming in to speak to them.
Bower was flabbergasted when in walked his former racing idol
Jim Doolittle wearing a uniform and the insignia of a lieutenant
colonel. What he said to the group about secrecy, danger and opting out is well known; it was fairly depicted in 30 Seconds Over
Tokyo. The film was based on a book of the same title written
by Ted Lawson, one of the pilots on the receiving end of that
briefing. As we know, no one opted out. Introduced to the group
was Navy instructor pilot LT Hank Miller, who had arrived from
Pensacola the day before to tutor Bower and the other B-25 pilots
in short take offs­­—even though Miller had never flown or even
seen a B-25 in person. The training lasted three weeks. As training
14
14
commenced at Eglin, the USS Hornet got underway from the East
Coast bound for NAS Alameda by way of the Panama Canal and
NAS San Diego (North Island), where five of her squadrons would
acquire new aircraft, only to stow them below to leave room for
the B-25s. The Hornet reached Alameda on the last day of March,
as did Doolittle’s B-25s. After 16 of them were hoisted aboard,
the ship was moved to an anchorage in San Francisco Bay. Hornet
weighed anchor the next morning, passed under the Oakland Bay
and Golden Gate bridges and sailed into history. Eight ships left
Alameda and joined with eight more north of Hawaii to complete
a 16-ship task force commanded by ADM “Bull” Halsey aboard
a second carrier, USS Enterprise. The second carrier was needed
for air cover because, until the B-25s were launched, no flight
operations could be conducted from the deck of the Hornet. It was
understood that if the task force should be spotted beyond B-25
range of Japan or Midway, Doolittle’s aircraft would have to be
pushed over the side. They were spotted by a Japanese patrol boat
early on 18 April - within range of Japan, but over 200 miles short
of the intended launch point. The B-25s launched and the Raid
had begun. Bill Bower’s 1994 account of the Raid was reported
fully in the Winter 2001 edition of the Daedalus Flyer magazine
and in other aviation-related publications across the country. In it
he described bailing out at midnight over the rugged mountains
of China, landing on a side hill, wrapping up in his chute, going to sleep and awaking 30 feet from a sheer 400 foot drop. He
went on the summarize the casualties (about 10 percent captured
or killed), and to explain that most of the 80 Raiders made it back
to the States in relatively short order to be reunited with Doolittle
in Washington, D.C. Doolittle, now a brigadier general, told them
to go sell some bonds and that he’d “see them again somewhere
or other.” After selling war bonds and marrying the late Lorraine
Amman, Bower led 14 B-25s to England, where he again joined
Doolittle and went with him to North Africa. He would follow
Doolittle’s career through the rest of the war and afterward, would
see him at annual Raider Reunions and at fishing and hunting parties in Colorado hosted by Bower. Bill concluded his 1994 remarks briefly recounting the 1917 marriage of Jim and Josephine
Doolittle in Los Angeles, how they took the train to San Diego,
checked into the Coronado Hotel, then went to the Salvation
Army soup kitchen for dinner to stretch their meager funds—$20
in Jo’s purse. He talked about Jo’s death exactly 71 years later,
and the general’s death and Arlington funeral in September 1993.
In all 22 Raiders attended the funeral at which Bill had been asked
by the family to sound Taps on the Raider’s old bugle. He tried
but choked up after three bars and handed the bugle to Doolittle’s
great grandson, who finished sounding Taps. Following the slide
presentation on 18 April 2014, its creator, CAPT Ger Spaulding
pointed out that Bill is also interred at Arlington and then led Mile
High Flight 18 in an anniversary toast in the Raider’s favorite
Hennessey Very Special cognac:
“To Bill Bower and his fellow Doolittle Raiders; Fair winds,
blue skies and following seas.”
(Source::Col Dale Boggie)
Daedalus
DaedalusFlyer
Flyer
FLIGHTLINE
48th (Harley H. Pope) Flight
Pope AFB, North Carolina
The February meeting of the
Harley H. Pope
Flight began with
a reunion and tribute to our former
Flight
Captain,
Dale Stevens. The
Flight Adjutant
Dale Stevens and Mike Reed.
read a letter from
our National Commander lauding the many accomplishments during Dale’s 18-year
tenure as our Flight Captain. As Lt Gen Nicholas Kehoe, USAF
(Ret) stated in his letter, “ That’s an amazing record of dedicated
service and leadership in our unique organization of commissioned military pilots.” Under Dale’s leadership the Flight hosted
the 1997 National Convention at Pope AFB, North Carolina. Our
current Flight Captain, Mike Reid, then presented Dale with the
letter and an engraved silver serving plate from the flight to show
our appreciation for his dedication and service sustaining 48th
Flight.
Our
guest
speaker was Phil
Turner, president
of Turner Marketing. He discovered
his mission in life
was to interview
WW II veterans.
He has done over
100 interviews with Flight Captain Mike Reid and Phil Turner.
several having significant historical value. Phil has been a featured speaker at the
Virginia Military Institute, Georgia State Capitol, the Traveling
Vietnam Memorial Wall, and the Statuary Hall in Washington
D.C. His poetry is on display in the Fisher House at Ft. Gordon,
Georgia.
About eight years ago, Phil began this “life enhancing experience” of conducting and recording interviews with WW II aircrew
veterans and has recorded 40-50 hours of interview material. His
passion to do this started several years after his father’s death with
Phil recalling his dad, Lt L. J. Turner, stories of his part in WW II.
Lt. Turner was one of three Air Control Officers at RAF Greenham
Common, UK on the night of June 5, 1944. He witnessed General
Eisenhower in front of the tower addressing the men in the 82nd
and 101st Airborne Units assembled there. At 2300 hours 15 green
flares initiated Operation Neptune. The next morning Lt. Turner
was in the control tower during the launching of 94 C-47 aircraft
carrying airborne troops and towing gliders. He remained on duty
during the day awaiting the recovery of the aircraft launched in
the morning.
Summer 2014
Phil related stories recorded in diaries and interviews from
pilots, navigators, bombardiers, and turret gunners who participated in some of the bloodiest air combat over Europe in WW II.
He read excerpts of their personal experiences as aircrew on missions flown by the 388th Bomb Group and the 100th Bomb Group
known as the “Bloody 100th.” Some had related their survival of
bailouts and serving as POWs for the remainder of the conflict.
Mr. Turner’s presentation was well received with great interest. When Phil mentioned the bombing targets of the Ruhr Valley,
Schweinfurt and Berlin, one of our members, Lt Col (Ret) Mark
Gilles, said, “been there, done that.” Mark completed his tour in
the European Theater in B-17s and then was transitioned to the
B-29 to serve in the South Pacific. Truly this was the Greatest
Generation.
(Source: Walt Dietrich and Joe Fitzpatrick)
The Harley H. Pope Flight March meeting was extremely
successful with 38 attending including 13 guests. We already have
commitments from some of these guests to join the flight.
After the initial flight business was conducted, the “Oath of a
Daedalian” was administered to LTC (USA) Michael Flowers and
Capt (USAFR) Dave Gentile. This was followed with a presentation of a “Certificate of Achievement” to Maj (Ret) Mark Patton, Senior Aerospace Science Instructor (SASI) at Terry Sanford
High School JROTC program. This year our flight received great
support from Terry Sanford High School AFJROTC NC-032 cadets distributing our JROTC Achievements Medals in a timely
manner. Cadet Wing Commander Taylor Williams lead a group
of 75 cadets using their personal weekend time to ensure their
fellow JROTC cadets across the State of North Carolina and Tennessee received their medals in time for their award ceremonies.
The cadets spent over four hours packaging, labeling and doublechecking. As our flight’s responsibilities continue to grow to well
over 60 units the support from these cadets is much appreciated.
Without the NC-032 cadets it would have been a challenge mailing and hand delivering the medals. As our support to units across
the state continues to increase, our hats are off to the Terry Sanford cadets under the leadership of Maj Mark Patton (SASI) and
CMSgt Tom Bridgers (ASI) for a job well done.
Our guest speaker was Col (Ret) Dave Roeder who had a
very interesting Air Force career and a recipient of many decorations and awards. One of his notable assignments was flying 148
combat missions over Vietnam in the F-105D, Thunderchief, of
which 102 missions were over North Vietnam. His other notable
assignment, and the one which was the subject of his presentation,
was as Assistant Air Force Attaché to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
He arrived at the Tehran Embassy on 27 October 1979. Eight days
later he was taken hostage by Iranian militants and held for 444
days before being released with 51 other Americans on 20 January 1981.
Col Roeder related his experiences over the days in captivity,
which included harsh interrogation sessions while attempting to
resist their demands. The first Christmas there, a militant guard
delivered a Christmas card. The guard tossed it into his cell like
a Frisbee. This guard was one who conducted his interrogations.
The words inside the card along with the irony of the situation re15
FLIGHTLINE
(l - r) Maj (Ret) Mark Patton, Capt Dave Gentile, Col (Ret) Dave Roeder,
LTC Michael Flowers and Mike Reid.
stored his Christian faith, which sustained him during his days of
captivity. Another incident involved the tragic failure of EAGLE
CLAW, the hostage rescue mission on 24-25 April 1980, which
was not mentioned to them. However, that night all the captives
were moved off the embassy grounds and underwent unpleasant interrogations. They were moved 26 times in the next several
months. The captives did not find out about the rescue attempt
until two months later. They obtained an old Newsweek magazine with pages ripped out of it. However, the table of contents
remained intact. After his release on January 21, 1981, he participated in many events across this nation. One was most symbolic
of his freedom and return to this country, and occurred in Iowa
with the rehabilitation and release of a bald eagle named “Freedom,” which had been injured from being shot by a hunter.
Since his release he has had many speaking engagements. He
reflects on his experiences and some of the events, such as 9/11
and the USA hockey team defeat of the USSR at Lake Placid that
have impacted this nation. He observed after these events how
the American people pulled together and reunited again with increased national pride.
(Source: Walt Dietrich)
38th (Longhorn) Flight
Austin, Texas
The Longhorn Flight February luncheon was held at the
Crowne Plaza. The flight captain encouraged all to visit the Apollo site. https://apollo.daedalians.org/. You will be able to see your
dues status, telephone number, and email for all our members plus
our newsletter.
Tim Black announced the Central Texas Wing of the Commemorative Air Force’s Casino Night with a classic car show afternoon at the San Marcos Airport on April 26. You could win a
flight on their B-25. There was also an AOPA regional fly-in at the
airport that day.
Ron Butler introduced Jim Lux, a history buff, who has
organized many airshows for the Confederate Air Force. He
became interested in the B-24, “Hot Stuff” which crashed in
1943. Andrews AFB was named after the co-pilot on the last
flight. Jake Jacobson missed this flight, but he was the bombardier on the last combat mission and flew on a B-29 on
the last combat mission of the war on August 14th, 1945.
Hot Stuff, a member of the 93rd Bomb Group, was the first heavy
bomber to fly 25 missions. On Feb 7, 1943 after completing 31,
16
it was decided to return it and its crew to the U. S. to promote the
war effort. The tail gunner had six official kills and may have shot
down 30 more. This undoubtedly contributed to their success.
Three and a half months later, the B-17 Memphis Bell completed
her 25 missions, and was sent home to promote war bonds.
Lt Gen Andrews was the commander of all US forces in Europe and had been chosen to become the Supreme Allied Commander until he died and was replaced by General Eisenhower.
He had been requested to return to the states and chose Hot Stuff
for the trip. He also bumped some of the assigned crew for seats
for his staff. The plane flew from England to Iceland, but when
they arrived, the snow and rain prevented a landing at the destination airfield. They flew to another, but it turned out to be worse.
While maneuvering back to the destination field, they ran into a
mountain about 150 feet from the top. The impact killed fourteen
people. The tail gunner was the only person to survive the impact,
but soon, there was a fire and some of the munitions cooked off.
He was trapped in the tail, but was rescued 24 hours later.
The mountain has no vegetation higher than 12 inches and
is covered in loose rock. The slope appeared to be less than 40
degrees and there is still some wreckage in the area after 69 years.
When Jim visited the site, he brought back several pieces, which
he had on display. The Icelanders made implements and tools
from the material.
The Icelandic president was at the dedication of a plaque in
2013 for the 70th anniversary of the crash. Jim is coordinating
donations for a memorial to be installed for the 75th anniversary.
They have $13,000 and need about $70,000. Jim has made many
presentations at World War II and aviation museums and at the
military academies. On March 9th there was a memorial charity
golf match.
(Source: J. Robert Howard )
23rd (Dallas/Ft Worth) Flight
Dallas, Texas
COL Sid “Doc” Bradshaw,
USA (Ret.) recently spoke to
23rd Flight. He shared his downand-dirty helicopter pilot experiences at Lai Khe, Vietnam. He
presented photos of some of his
downed aircraft and his unit’s
“basic” living conditions. His
Sid “Doc” Bradshaw.
operating area included Route
13/Thunder Road/Ho Chi Minh Trail where the Viet Cong lived
underground in several layers of tunnels. With rockets and mortars
coming in every night, 50% of the helicopter fleet was destroyed
either on the ground or during a mission so it is understandable
that Doc had been shot down five times during his combat tours.
That says a lot for his character and concept of duty. Sid believes
sharing such experiences is part of the combat healing process,
particularly following the Vietnam War.
Col (Ret) Ray Janes recently spoke to 23rd Flight in DallasFort Worth. He flew the F-86, F-102, and F-106. Ray spoke of his
Daedalus Flyer
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assignment flying the OV-10 at NKP,
Thailand. His daylight VFR duty was
to “plant” sensors to monitor truck traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail through
Laos. Ray was also the first forward air
controller to call in fighters carrying the
very accurate laser guided bombs. He
loved weapons able to go directly down
cave openings! Ray served in many ar- Ray Janes.
eas of “no known enemy activity,” and
we all know what that means. After service, Ray retired to Ft
Worth and taught for 16 years!
(Source: Col Bob Pavelko)
24th (Maj Gen Franklin A. Nichols) Flight
El Paso, Texas
In February, 24th Flight Vice Captain Maj Charlie Overstreet
presented an extremely interesting and entertaining account of his
experiences flying the B-52 aircraft. Charlie converted from the
B-47 to the B-52 at Castle AFB, California, in 1964. He began his
comments by describing the Pratt and Whitney J-47 engine and
the difference between the water burners and the non-water burning H model. Charlie then discussed the peculiarities of the B-52
flight controls emphasizing crosswind takeoffs and landings. He
later told of his worst landing in the B-52, which occurred at Anderson Air Base. Guam,, where the runway had a pronounced,
elongated V-shape making takeoffs and landings extremely difficult. Charlie then recounted his Vietnam combat missions out
of Guam pointing out that the B-52D
was equipped with radar bomb control and that a ground radar bomb
controller determined the release
point of the bombs. He concluded by
stating that the B-52 was very stable
during air-to-air refueling and that
boom operators were extremely professional.
Following his presentation,
Charlie Overstreet..
Charlie showed two short videos. The
first depicted Minimum Interval Takeoffs (MITO)—15 seconds
between similar aircraft and 30 seconds between different aircraft.
The second video was of a B-52, which crashed in 1994 during an
airshow rehearsal at Fairchild AFB, Washington.
Throughout his presentation and videos, Charlie passed out
B-52 checklists and other B-52 material for the members to peruse.
(Source: Article, Col Bob Pitt; Photo, Maj Dale Frost)
For our March meeting, Sheriff Richard D. Wiles presented
an extremely informative synopsis of the El Paso County Sheriff’s
Department. Sheriff Wiles was raised and educated in El Paso. He
joined the El Paso Police Department (EPPD) in 1982 and became Chief of Police in 2004. He retired from the department in
2007 and was subsequently elected El Paso County Sheriff, taking
office in January 2009.
Summer 2014
Sheriff Wiles began his remarks by pointing out that the chief
of the EPPD is an appointed position and the department has more
than 11,000 officers. The County Sheriff, on the other hand, is an
elected position and the department has approximately 250 deputies. The department’s primary responsibility is the operation of
two large jails—one downtown and the other in east El Paso—
with a combined total of 2440 beds. Extra income is derived by
selling empty beds to federal agencies.
Sheriff Wiles then stated that he has access to federal agencies such as the FBI, DEA, and Border Patrol and that they all
work well together. He then remarked that as El Paso—and particularly Fort Bliss—grow, unfortunately, more law enforcement
problems will arise.
He added that the downtown jail is thirty years old and in
poor condition The cost of housing a prisoner in the east El Paso
jail is $50 per day compared
to $125 per day downtown. A
study is currently being conducted to determine whether
to demolish the downtown jail
and rebuild or repair the current facility.
Sheriff Wiles commented
that his predecessor, Leo Samaniego, did a magnificent job
during his 23 years as sheriff
and that current County Judge
Sheriff Richard Wiles and Virg
Veronica Escobar is very supHephill.
portive of the department and
has the welfare of the citizens of El Paso County at heart.
Concerning border security Sheriff Wiles indicated that cartel
violence is much less than two years ago because there is now
only one cartel whereas two were battling in the past. The cartel is
not going to infiltrate El Paso because they don’t want problems
with U.S. law enforcement; they would rather operate in Mexico
where they are less accountable.
He concluded by saying that his department does not have
any aviation assets, but does have access to the two aircraft of the
EPPD as well as Border Patrol and DEA aircraft.
(Source: Article, Col Bob Pitt; Photo, CMDR Roger Springstead)
During the April meeting, flight member Paul Rauderbush
celebrated the birthday of Maj Gen Franklin A. Nichols, who was
born on 18 April 1918 and died on 16 Sept 2002. Paul, who had
been very close to Gen Nick since 1964, gave a poignant and nostalgic account of their times together. Paul began by saying that
Gen Nick was the son of an attorney who wanted him to become
an attorney too. However, after graduating from Washington and
Lee University, Nick entered the Aviation Cadet Program.
Paul stated that he became Gen Nick’s instructor pilot in the
F-100 in 1964. Later Gen Nick became Paul’s mentor and finally
his client when Paul retired from the Air Force and became a CPA
in El Paso. Paul also recalled that Nick and his wife Harriet were
stationed at Wheeler Field, Hawaii on 7 Dec 1941. Nick was sub17
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sequently credited with five kills flying the P-40 Warhawk and
P-38 Lightening. Paul revealed that he was somewhat dubious
when his new wing commander arrived in a B-66 in 1964, but
was assured Nick was a fighter pilot when he performed a series
of aileron rolls after taking off on his first flight in the F-100. Paul
stated that Nick’s philosophy was, “Take care of the troops and
they’ll take care of you.”
Following his tour as Paul’s wing commander, Nick made
general and became Commander, 833rd Air Division at Seymour
Johnson AFB. He then deployed to Southeast Asia as Chief of
Staff for the 7th Air Force at Tan Son Nhut AB, Republic of Vietnam, and finally as Commander of the Ground Electric Agency at
Griffis AFB, New York. Nick retired on 1 June 1970 and moved
to El Paso.
Paul retired from the Air Force after a tour as Commander,
7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Holloman AFB,New Mexico. He
moved to El Paso and was soon recruited to join the Daedalians
by Nick. In later years the twosome and other flight members
enjoyed golf and other social activities. Then General Nick came
down with throat cancer and he lost his voice box and an eye.
Speaking with a microphone he continued giving speaches and
telling war stories whenever he could. He often told people that
“his fake eye is his sincere one.”
they rushed to Southeast France to assist
the French Army in
driving the German
Army back across
the Rhine River into
what is now known
as the Colmar Pocket. This action resulted in Frank being
Flight Captain Jim Maloney, right, presents
awarded the French
Mr. Frank Chambers with the LeMay Flight
Legion of Honor, an Memorial Coin. Mr. Chambers is holding the
award instituted by French Legion of Honor.
Napoleon Bonaparte
in 1802.
Mr. Chambers entertained us with lively firsthand accounts
of his experiences. He now lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his
wife of 63 years.
Our speaker at the LeMay
Flight 16 April luncheon meeting
was an original “Rosie the Riveter.”
Mrs. Kathryn Narmi Shudak from
Underwood, Iowa, was 19 when
the U.S. entered WW-II and immediately volunteered to work in
the Martin Bomber plant at Offutt
Kathryn Shudak and Jim Ma- AFB. She was trained at Tech
loney.
High School in Omaha, and earned
$0.60 per hour as a riveter (which was more than her dad earned
as a railroad engineer). Kathryn worked full-time until V-J Day.
(Source: Jim Maloney)
102nd (Ben T. Epps) Flight
Atlanta, Georgia
(l - r) Paul Raudenbush, Virg Hemphill, Bob Pitt, and Charlie
Overstreet.
Following his presentation, Paul invited other members of
the flight who had known Nick to say a few words. Larry Spradlin, Rod Thompson, and Bob Pitt responded with a few brief
stories.
Paul concluded by suggesting the flight have a special program in April 2018, the 100th anniversary of General Nick’s birth.
(Source: Article, Bob Pitt; Photo, Dale Frost)
16th (Curtis E. LeMay) Flight
Offutt AFB, Nebraska
World War II Battle of the Bulge veteran Mr. Frank Chambers (90) was the March guest of LeMay Flight #16. Mr. Chambers served three years (1943-46) in World War II with action in
the European Theater. His Cannon Company, 291st Infantry Regt
of the 75th Infantry Division fired their first shots on Christmas
Eve, 1944, in the Battle of the Bulge and later, in January, 1945,
18
Phil Turner, son of a WWII veteran, was the flight’s guest
speaker. Phil’s father, Lt L.J. Turner was an air traffic controller
in WW II. Get this—Phil’s father actually fired the flares launching the D-Day invasion
fleet stationed at RAF
Greenham
Common!
Phil has pursued a lifelong passion for chronicling WWII history by
conducting over 120
interviews with WWII
heroes. Through his Phil Turner.
hobby, Flight members
and guests enjoyed numerous stories from not only Phil’s own father’s diary, but stories from many WWII veteran diaries as well.
Phil narrated recorded tales of air battles and even of accounts
evading the enemy after shoot down. This was a most fascinating
“storytelling” event for all.
(Source:
Bill Rial)
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34th (Samuel P. Langley) Flight
Langley AFB, Virginia
At the March luncheon meeting Flight 34 hosted Lt Col
James “Deauce” Cooper, an F-15E WSO working in Air Combat Command’s A-10 Directorate. No, not that A-10, but the
Nuclear A-10 Directorate. Deauce is the Dual Capable Aircraft
(DCA) & Weapons Integration Branch Chief in
ACC/A-10. He is responsible for the development
and coordination of requirements, plans, and
policy guidance to support worldwide DCA nuclear capabilities. He is a
1998 OTS grad and has
flown the F-15E at Seymour Johnson, Mountain (l - r) Lt Col Steve “Chi Chi” Rodriquez,
Home, and Lakenheath. acting Flight Captain, and Lt Col James
He has flown over 1,000 “Deauce” Cooper. Our Flight Captain,
hours of combat time Maj Joe Stallings, is deployed to the Horn
of Africa region.
in the F-15E and was
awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on one of his combat
missions. Deauce gave an awe-inspiring description of that combat sortie and held everyone’s attention during his presentation.
We thanked him for taking time out of his busy day and attending
the luncheon.
The April meeting of Flight 34 hosted a special guest from
the NASA Langley Research Center. Howard J. “Howie” Lewis
Jr., Col (Ret) gave a presentation of the flight activities going on
over at our next-door neighbor, the Langley Research Center. He
is also a long-standing member of our Daedalian flight. He is the
Director of the Flight Research Services Directorate at NASA’s
Langley Research Center. He plans, directs and coordinates flight
and simulation research and development activities within a broad
range of space, aeronautical and laboratory research objectives.
He has been serving as Flight Research Services director since
October 3, 2004. He retired from the Air Force in 2004 after 30
years of service. As the vice commander at the 412th Test Wing
at Edwards Air Force Base, he led the largest, most complex test
unit in the Air Force, a 4,500-person organization.
Howie gave us a look into the various flight activities going
on at NASA. The Langley aircraft fleet consists of a Beechcraft
B-200 and UC-12B, HU-25 Falcons, a Cessna Caravan, a Cirrus
SR-22, a couple of OV-10s and a UH-1H helicopter. Langley
also has 4 simulators on station. The Langley pilots participate
and fly in various other aircraft throughout NASA.
Among the projects Howie mentioned were this year’s Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise Emissions flight tests,
known as ACCESS II for short. In early May, Langley’s HU-25C
will take to the skies with a DC-8 and other aircraft to conduct
another series of flight tests designed to study the effects on emissions and contrail formation of burning alternative fuels in jet enSummer 2014
gines. ACCESS II involves flying NASA’s workhorse DC-8 as
high as 40,000 feet while its four CFM56 engines burn either JP-8
jet fuel, or a 50-50 blend of JP-8 and renewable alternative fuel
of hydro-processed esters and fatty acids produced from camelina
plant oil. Langley’s HU-25C Guardian will fly behind the DC-8
taking measurements of the emissions.
Next up was DISCOVER-AQ. That stands for Deriving
Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically
Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality. It is a four-year
campaign led by NASA to improve the use of satellites to monitor
air quality for public health and to better understand what’s happening with the air quality at the surface of the Earth where we
breathe. The DISCOVER-AQ mission features systematic and
concurrent observations of column-integrated, surface and trace
gases relevant to air quality as they evolve throughout the day.
These instruments are carried aboard NASA’s P3B aircraft to test
and calibrate the instruments before they are installed on satellites
that are launched into space.
Next he talked
about one of NASA’s special 747s,
the
Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy
or SOFIA. SOFIA
is the world’s largest airborne astronomical
observatory, complementing NASA’s space
telescopes as well as (l - r) Lt Col Steve “Chi Chi” Rodriquez, actmajor Earth-based ing Flight Captain and “Howie” Lewis.
telescopes. SOFIA
features a German-built far-infrared telescope with an effective
diameter of 100-inches (2.5 meters). The telescope weighs 19 tons
(38,000 pounds) and is mounted in the rear fuselage of a highly
modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. SOFIA made its first official science flight on Nov. 30, 2010. The FORCAST instrument collected
data on a number of celestial targets including Comet Hartley, the
star-forming nebulae Messier 42 in the Orion constellation and
massive clouds of interstellar gas and dust in which hundreds of
stars are forming such as W3 IRS5 and Sharpless 140. These and
other forthcoming data will help astronomers answer many fundamental questions about the creation and evolution of the universe.
By using SOFIA, scientists hope to better understand how stars
and planets are formed, how organic materials necessary for life
form and evolve in space, and how the black hole at the center of
our Milky Way galaxy influences its surroundings.
He then briefly talked about one of NASA’s C-20 aircraft that
is measuring the thickness of the Artic ice caps. A high precision
radar instrument is used to create detailed maps of how glaciers
move. Using the C-20A airborne science aircraft and support
crew, researchers made four flights from Keflavik International
Airport near Reykjavik, Iceland, between Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 dur19
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ing the few Arctic daylight hours. Each flight followed precisely
the same complicated path. The crisscrossing flight legs allowed
the JPL-developed instrument, called the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), to map the full extent
of both ice caps from multiple angles to capture flows in every direction. The movement of the ice between one flight and the next
allows scientists to calculate flow speeds. NASA develops new
ways to observe and study Earth’s interconnected natural systems
with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better
see how our planet is changing
From Howie’s presentation, the flight gained an understanding of all the interesting and varied flight operations NASA is
conducting.
(Source: Eric “ET” Theisen)
33rd (Thunderbird) Flight
Luke AFB, Arizona
The March meeting of Thunderbird flight was held in the
62nd Fighter Squadron on Luke AFB, Arizona. We had about 25
members in attendance plus 62nd pilots and instructor pilots. The
gathering perpetuated fighter pilot legend and lore as well as the
singing of song.
Shifty Miller got the ball rolling with a tall (but true) tale of
an F-106A Delta Dart that survived pilot ejection and was later
returned to service. On Feb 2, 1970, this particular F-106, nicknamed the Cornfield Bomber, entered a flat spin while flying a
routine training mission.
The pilot attempted to recover the aircraft; however
recovery proved to be impossible, and he ejected at
an altitude of 15,000 feet.
The reduction in weight
and change in center of
gravity caused by the ejecThe Cornfield Bomber.
tion, however, caused the
aircraft to successfully recover itself from the spin. One of the other pilots on the mission is reported to have radioed the pilot during his descent under his parachute that “you’d better get back in
it!” See: Wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornfield.Bomber- cite_note-Magazine-2. They watched incredulously as the now-pilotless aircraft
descended, landed nicely and skidded to a halt in a farmer’s field
near Big Sandy, Montana. Shortly thereafter, the sheriff arrived
at the scene of the crash, and was surprised when he observed
the aircraft—the jet engine was still running. Having contacted
the air base, he was informed that he should simply allow the jet
to run out of fuel, which occurred an hour and forty-five minutes
later. The damage to the aircraft was minimal. Following its misadventure, the “Cornfield Bomber” was repaired and returned to
service, operating with the 49th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, the
final USAF unit to operate the F-106. Shifty had the pleasure to
be among those who flew the aircraft. Upon its retirement, it was
presented to the National Museum of the United States Air Force,
where it remains on display.
20
Following Shifty’s story, Air Force pilot Ron Lord gave us an
amazing recount of his exchange tour flying Navy fighters during
the Vietnam War. From F-8 Crusader carrier ops, to wing rocks
over the Hanoi Hilton, Ron conveyed the raw emotion of this war.
From his MiG kill to SAM encounters, Ron captured the drama
and shared it
with our group
through
the
amazing detail
of the journal he
kept during the
war. One journal
entry included
a first-hand account about the
fire on the USS
Ron Lord in his F-8.
Forrestal. On 29
July 1967, on the deck of the Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin,
while preparations for the second strike of the day were being
made, an unguided Mk-32 “Zuni” rocket, mounted on an F-4B
Phantom II, accidentally fired. The rocket flew across the flight
deck, striking an external fuel tank on an A-4E Skyhawk awaiting launch, piloted by LCDR Fred White. The impact tore the
tank off the wing and ignited the escaping jet fuel, causing a flash
fire. Within seconds, other external fuel tanks on White’s aircraft
ruptured, releasing more jet fuel to feed the flames, which began
spreading along the flight deck. The impact of the Zuni had also
dislodged two of the 1000-lb bombs, which fell to the deck and
lay in the pool of burning fuel between White and neighboring
aircraft. The pilots, still strapped into their aircraft, were immediately aware that a disaster was unfolding. LCDR John McCain,
pilot of an A-4 next to White’s was among the first to notice the
flames and escaped by scrambling down the nose of his Skyhawk
and jumping off the refueling probe shortly before the explosions
began. Nine bomb explosions eventually occurred on the flight
deck, caused by bombs cooking off under the heat of the fuel fires.
All in all, the incident claimed the lives of 134 sailors and injured
161 others.
Bob Harcrow, a fighter pilot with 2,000 hours in the F-4 and
2,000 hours in the F-15A talked next. Hark served three tours in
the war in Vietnam, including operations in both Rolling Thunder
and Linebacker. He has been awarded four Distinguished Flying
Crosses. Hark regaled the pilots with a story about the MiG kill
that almost was. Col John “Face” Hanna, the 56th Ops Group
Commander, connected with the audience about how the lessons you learn in combat may haunt you years after the sortie
was flown. And there was music… Trip Raymond, a distinguished
member of the world famous/highly regarded musical group “Dos
Gringos” brought the house down with “Dear Mom” and “Two’s
Blind”… classic songs! All in all…a great evening…a great
event…and a great opportunity to connect our past, present and
future combat warriors.
(Source: Article, Jim “Hook” Lentzkow and Col Jeremy
“Kid” Sloane, Photo by Shifty Miller)
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(l - r) Face Hanna, Trip Raymond and Hark Harcrow.
The April meeting of Thunderbird flight was held in Club 56,
the collocated club on Luke AFB. We had 42 in attendance including 13 Willie flight members who made the trip across town
to attend. There were only a couple of guests, so the rest were
our own faithful attendees. Thunderbird flight and Willie flight
are possibly two of only a few Daedalian flights who can say they
have Women’s AirForce Service Pilots (WASPs) as members. For
Thunderbird flight it’s Betty Blake. For Willie flight it’s Lee Doerr
and we were very happy to have her in attendance at this meeting.
She always patiently answers our questions and tolerates the extra
attention.
Our speaker was Lt Col Sean “Lamont” Routier. He is a 1994
USAFA graduate with 2700+ hours in the F-16 (Blocks 20, 25,
30, 32, 40, 42, 50, and 52). He has flown for 16 of his 20 years on
active duty. His assignments include Shaw, Kunsan, Cannon, Nellis (the Aggressors), Staff at SAF/IA (Pentagon), and Luke, He is
PCS-ing to Aviano for another flying tour this summer. He has been
the 310th Fighter Squadron DO (Jan
2010-Jun 2011) and the 21st Fighter
Squadron CC (Jun 2011-Apr 2013).
He is still officially on R&R after
completing a one-year tour in Afghanistan. He was actually sent to
fill a Chief of Staff position for the
ranking USAF two-star. However,
because the USAF had experienced
eight in-theater Class-A mishaps Lt Col Sean “Lamont” Routier.
(with non-combat fatalities) in the
preceding six months, the General decided he needed a Chief of
Safety more than he needed a Chief of Staff. So he created a new
position for Lamont, asking him to observe operations, identify
problem areas and help prevent the next mishap. Lamont did just
that, traveling to every location and participating in missions
when possible. As is always the case in combat, operators take
risks to accomplish the mission. But Lamont found cases where
folks were taking the wrong risks at the wrong time, leading to
some poor decisions. He described specific difficulties with the
combat environment and ops tempo that increased physiological
risks, and explained that it’s only getting worse as we begin to
pull out of the theater leaving much more austere support for those
Summer 2014
remaining. Other risk factors he identified included marginal
airspace control (too many players and too many cooks mixing
the stew), restrictive ROE, and political/public relations complications caused by the current regime. Most missions now are in
support of ground ops conducted by the locals and, by the end of
the year, our mission will have evolved to providing training and
advisory assistance to the Afghans.
One of the other items of discussion was the fact that Luke
AFB is about to get a little more international. We already have the
21st Fighter Squadron, the Gamblers, an F-16 squadron charged
with developing Taiwan fighter pilots versed in all facets of F-16
employment. We also have the 425th Fighter Squadron, the Spiders, who do the same for Republic of Singapore F-16 fighter pilots. But soon they will be joined by Airmen from another country
as the buildup of F-35 operations at Luke Air Force Base has begun and the Royal Australian Air Force will soon be Luke’s first
international partner to train here on the F-35A Lightning II. The
61st Fighter Squadron and 61st Aircraft Maintenance Unit will
house the RAAF personnel. The goal is to build a cohesive, working understanding of the F-35A program with Luke’s international
partners for increased success in joint operations. (Taken from an
article in the Luke Air Force Base Thunderbolt. Story by SSgt
Luther Mitchell Jr.)
27th (Sierra) Flight
Sacramento, California
At the March Sierra Flight 27 meeting Vice Flight Capt. Gary
Shepherd administered the Oath of a Daedalian to new Sierra
Flight members, John Donoghue, Larry Winchell, and Jennifer
Stokes. Lt Col Stokes then presented an update on the AFROTC
program at CSU Sacramento and the AF pilot acquisition program.
Stokes, who is the Professor of Aerospace Studies at California State University, Sacramento, leads a program with over
150 students supporting 13 schools in the area. With sequestration
and budget cutbacks the AFROTC program has been severely affected. Air Force manning is planned to draw down to 300,000,
reducing the need for graduates. Lt Col Stokes then went on to
brief the flight about the rated officer program. Undergraduate Pilot Training is only one track with Combat Systems Operator (the
former WSO navigator track), Air Battle Manager (back of the
(l - r) John Donoghue, Larry Winchell, Lt Col Jennifer Stokes, and Vice
Flight Captain Gary Shepherd.
21
FLIGHTLINE
AWACS) and the RPA track or remotely piloted aircraft operator.
Although last year there were no Sac State candidates for UPT,
this year there are four. There are no funds for the optional activities like base visits or leadership laboratory, so the cadets raise
money through their “booster club.” Field training slots have been
reduced and plans are in the works to eliminate 300 senior cadets
nationwide.
61st (George “Bud” Day) Flight
Ft Walton Beach, Florida
Our January program was an excellent overview of the mission and operations of the 7th Special Forces Group (SFG) by
COL Robert Kirila, Deputy Commander, 7th SFG. COL Kirila
graduated from the University of Richmond and was commissioned in the U. S. Army as an Infantry officer in May 1991. COL
Kirila held numerous assignments including Battalion Commander prior to his current assignment. His degree in Spanish makes
him uniquely qualified for his current job. He holds a Bronze star,
the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal.
COL
Kirila
polled the audience
to see what type of
pilots were in the
audience, and said
he is always happy
to be in the company of close air
support pilots. He
opened with a five- Flight Captain Charlie Browm and COL Robert
minute video with Kirila.
great scenes of the
Special Forces in action. COL Kirila said they have 2500 soldiers
in the 7th SFG, and his briefing would look at their organization
and mission as well as a review of their AOR (Area of Responsibility).
COL Kirila said there are two types of Special Forces in the
Army. The first is the surgical strike forces which conduct raids
like the one that killed Osama Bin Laden. The rest are special
warfare types who for more than twenty years have been conducting long-term persistent operations all over the world. There
are five Special Forces Groups, each with a separate area of responsibility. They call themselves the “quiet professionals”. On a
typical day, these five groups have 5500 people deployed on 137
missions in 70 different countries. The 7th SFG’s area of responsibility is everything south of Texas in this hemisphere. They are
currently in every country in Central and South America except
Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela and Argentina.
The Special Forces selection process focuses on language aptitude. Over 30% are native speakers for the area assigned. COL
Kirila said they all have a high IQ, and on average the Special
Forces’ IQs are higher than the Army average. A typical team has
twelve people with an officer, a warrant officer and 10 enlisted.
22
All enlisted are E-6 or higher. There are usually two weapons
experts, two engineers, two communication experts, two medical, one intelligence expert and one operations person. The teams
typically live in local villages and train indigenous Battalion-size
forces.
COL Kirila said there are two primary threats in the 7th
SFG’s Area of Responsibility. The most dramatic of these is instability due to narcotics trafficking from Venezuela, Columbia
and Peru. The Columbia drug cartel has moved its operations into
Mexico, and more people have been killed in Mexico by the drug
cartels than were killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The 7th
SFG has supported Columbia’s efforts to defeat the FARC which
has been trying to overthrow the government for many years. The
7th SFG has also done important work in helping Peru against
the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). The second threat comes
from the Bolivian revolutionaries. Former President Chavez in
Venezuela used a lot of his oil money to support the activities of
these revolutionaries. COL Kirila said we are not currently in Argentina. Their government is not agreeable to improving relations
with the United States.
COL Kirila said there are five truths about Special Forces.
First, the focus must be on the people. Humans are more important than hardware. Secondly, it is better to have quality than
quantity. Third, Special Forces cannot be mass-produced. Fourth,
a competent Special Operation Force cannot be created following
an emergency. And lastly, most Special Operations Forces require
non Special Operations assistance. COL Kirila said their interaction with the Air Force has gotten better over the last several
years. He said the current focus with rules of engagement makes
it difficult for the Air Force to use weapons that may kill “innocents.”
Our February program was an excellent discussion by Lt Gen
James Sherrard on the Air Force Reserve in today’s Air Force.
Lt Gen Sherrard was a distinguished graduate of the University
of Mississippi’s Reserve Officer Training Corps program and
entered active duty in July 1965. He commanded an Air Force
Reserve Group, two wings and two numbered air forces. Lt Gen
Sherrard served as the Chief of the Air Force Reserve, HQ USAF,
Washington, D.C. and Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, GA. In October 2005, Lt Gen Sherrard was appointed
by the Chairman,
House Armed Service Committee to
serve on the Commission on the
National
Guard
and Reserves. The
Commission
is
conducting a full
review of all National Guard and
Reserve matters. Lt Gen James Sherrard amd Flight Captain
He is a command Charlie Brown.
Daedalus Flyer
FLIGHTLINE
graph of an article from the Daedalus Flyer, Winter 1995. The
pilot with more than 5000 flying hours, and a life member of the
article commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Son Tay Raid.
Order of Daedalians.
The article said “At Udorn AB, Thailand, 56 special operations
The Air Force Reserve was established April 14, 1948, and
personnel boarded helicopters for a mission to rescue 75 Ameribecame a MAJCOM in 1997. The commander’s grade of Lt Gencans. The total force included 116 people under the command of
eral was established in May 2001. The Air Force Reserve consists
Brig Gen Leroy Manor. The Red Rocket message was received
of three numbered air forces, and is located at nine installations
and the mission began.”
as the host unit and at 58 locations as a tenant. The Reserves have
General Manor said he wanted to look at three questions;
3.3% ($4.91B) of the total Air Force obligation authority, and
why was the mission undertaken, how was it planned and exehave 14% (70,400) of the total Air Force manpower for FY2014.
cuted, and were the results worthwhile? General Manor said the
AFRC demographics show they are 74% male and 26% female
story began back on August 5, 1964 with the first air strike in
with a force composition of 20% officers and 80% enlisted. The
North Vietnam by the U.S. forces. Until that time, the strikes were
hallmark of the Reserves is shown in their FY2014 retention rate
confined to targets in South Vietnam. These strikes were a result
of 99.1% for officers and 98.8% for the enlisted force. Twenty
of the attack by a North Vietnamese gunboat on U.S. Naval forces
four percent of the officer force are mobility pilots. This equates
in the Gulf of Tonkin. General Manor was in the Pentagon at the
to 17.2% of the total Air Force pilot force, and the Reserves have
time and helped develop a target list. The initial list was not ap349 unit assigned aircraft. The Reserves contribute manpower to
proved by the SecDef. The first pilot shot down during these atall of the MAJCOMs with the highest contributions to the Air Motacks was LCDR Everett Alverez, who became the longest held
bility Command (48,832) and Air Combat Command (11,634).
POW of the war. By 1970, there were 515 Americans held capToday the Air Force Reserve has 2168 members deployed in suptive, and 333 of these were Air Force. Many more were lost to
port of Air Force missions and 98.6% of these are volunteers.
enemy action.
Although the future is unpredictable, budget challenges are
What was being done to rescue the prisoners during this
probably not over. Influencing the decisions are several studies
time? We were only negotiating, and without any good results.
regarding the composition of the reserve component and the Air
Some trades were made for prisoners held
Force. One of these is the National Commisby the South Vietnamese. We were not even
sion on the Structure of the Air Force. Conplanning while negotiating. Prior to the
gress established the commission to underraid, we had even initiated a bombing pause
take a comprehensive study of the structure of
north of 39 degrees north. General Manor
the Air Force to determine how the structure
said it was very difficult to negotiate with
should be modified to best accomplish the
the communists. Admiral Moore, Chairman
anticipated mission requirements in a manner
of the JCS, was concerned about the morale
consistent with available resources. The comof the POWs. He discussed this with Secremission’s final report is due in early 2014.
Our March program was an outstanding (l - r) Former NAMPOWs Mel Bryant and tary Laird, who in turn discussed the matter
discussion by Lt Gen Leroy Manor on the Ron Webb, Lt Gen Leroy Manor, and NAM- with President Nixon. A unit at Fort Belvoir
came up with the idea to try and go to the
events leading to the Son Tay Raid in 1970. POW John Strait..
camps outside of Hanoi; maybe even drop
Lt Gen Manor enlisted in the U.S. Army Resomething inside the camps to let the POWs know they hadn’t
serve in June 1942, and entered the Aviation Cadet Program. He
been forgotten.
completed pilot training and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. at
General Manor was commander of the Air Force Special OpSpence Field, Georgia in August 1943. After completing P-47
erations Forces at Eglin in 1970 when he was ordered to report to
training he was assigned to the 365th Fighter Squadron in Europe.
General Allen on August 8th. On the way up, his plane also picked
General Manor held numerous positions following the war until
up Bull Simons at Fort Bragg. Neither knew why they were go1968, when he was assigned to command the 37th Fighter Wing
ing to Washington. They were ushered in to see Admiral Moore,
at Phu Cat AB, RVN. During this time he flew 275 combat misand after a short meeting were told the SecDef had authorized
sions in the F-100. In February 1970, he became commander of
the formation of a task force to raid a POW camp near Hanoi.
the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Force at Eglin AFB, FL.
General Manor was selected to be commander, and Bull Simons
While there, General Manor commanded Operation Ivory Coast,
was named vice commander. Admiral Moore asked them to let
the Son Tay Raid to rescue American Prisoners of War held in
him know if it was feasible, and did not give any timetable, or
North Vietnam on November 21, 1970. Following this, General
tell them how to do the mission. They were told they could have
Manor was commander of the 13th Air Force and later Chief of
any resource they needed. They decided it should be a joint effort
Staff of the U.S. Pacific Command, where he retired in June 1978.
using the Green Berets and Air Force Special Ops forces, and Son
General Manor began by thanking the flight for the opportuTay was included as a possible target. It would be a helicopter opnity to tell us the story of how the Son Tay Raid was conceived,
eration to move the army troops. Training for the mission would
planned and executed by all the brave men who participated in
be conducted at Eglin.
that undertaking. General Manor began by reading the first paraSummer 2014
23
FLIGHTLINE
Everyone involved had to be a volunteer. They decided one
hundred Green Berets would be needed. Five hundred volunteered. General Manor’s philosophy was “if you think you need
one, get two.” After selection, the Green Berets were transferred
to Duke Field. They decided they would use five HH-53 helicopters and two C-130 Combat Talons to guide the operation. The
helicopters were owned by MAC. When General Manor contacted General Catton, he had already been directed to provide any
resource that was needed. At the time, there were only 12 Combat
Talons in the Air Force, and four of these were in Europe. General
Manor selected one from Europe and one from the U.S. By the
end of August, all assets were in place at Eglin and in training. A
replica of the camp was set up at Eglin.
Assets would be deployed to Takhli AB in Thailand, and the
mission would deploy out of Udorn AB. Son Tay was 22 miles
NNW of Hanoi, and 400 miles from Udorn. After studying the
drawing of the camp, an HH-3 was added to the formation to land
inside the compound. The HH-3 is slower, and considerable formation training was conducted. Five A-1s from Clark AB were
added to the mix. Intelligence was very important for the mission.
Photos provided by SR-71s were the primary source. A single intelligence contact was established in all agencies. The CIA built a
model of the camp which is still in the Air Force Museum today.
The task force assumed the North Vietnamese did not know, but
they had a very good air defense. The main considerations were:
the need for surprise, flexibility of response, equipment and techniques, and enemy ground and air responses.
The force deployed to Vietnam on November 1st. Until now,
General Abrams, the commander in Vietnam, had not been briefed
on the operation. General Manor went to Saigon and briefed him
and was told he could have any resource he needed to complete
the mission. By November 17th, the force had closed at the staging base at Takhli. General Manor made arrangements for five
F-105s to suppress any missile defenses, and the Navy agreed to
provide a diversionary operation during the mission. The team
was closely watching a typhoon in the Philippines. On November
21st, the force with 28 aircraft and 148 people received the Red
Rocket message to go.
General Manor said he received the most disappointing message he had ever received. There were no POWs present at the
camp. The North Vietnamese reported we had bombed the camp,
and lost 200 men. Neither was true. One F-105 was hit by a missile. The pilot ejected and was rescued. The force had no losses,
and estimated killing 50 North Vietnamese. General Manor returned to Washington and briefed President Nixon. The President’s response was good, and he believed the mission would
have a positive effect on POW morale. He was pleased that we
did not lose anyone. The word spread to the POWs by rumor and
reports from newly captured pilots. Robbie Risner said it was the
biggest morale builder ever. Was the mission worth it? General
Manor says yes. Within days most of the POWs knew. General
Manor said we should have done it earlier, and we should have
done it again. General Manor said the four and a half months he
was involved with the mission was the highlight of his career.
24
Many of our POWs from that era said it best, “Thanks for trying.”
(Source: Ron Hamilton)
46th (Wiley Post) Flight
Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
Three letters, which are so descriptive of an airman’s dedication, perseverance, and sacrifice, are found in both POW and
ACE. Three notable Daedalians attended the May meeting of
Wiley Post Flight 46 out of Tinker AFB, Oklahoma. Speaker for
the evening was William R. “Shortfinger” Schwertfeger, Lt Col,
USAF (Ret), who spent 407 days as a prisoner of war in North
Vietnam. Col Schwertfeger’s story is one of survival through
teamwork, principles of military discipline, and devotion to fellow POWs. Adding his own comments from the audience was
fellow prisoner of war Leroy W. Stutz, Col, USAF (Ret), who
spent six years, two months, and four days in captivity. Also, in
the audience was Flight 46 life member Charles B. “Chuck” DeBellevue, Col, USAF (Ret), America’s leading ace in the Vietnam
War.
(l - r) Col Leroy Stutz, Col Chuck DeBellevue, Lt Col Bill Schwertfeger, and Col Floyd Badsky.
In the past two months Wiley Post Flight 46 reinvented itself,
as a response to years of flagging attendance. Electing to change
both the flight’s meeting venue and its day of the week, attendance has doubled. Leading the successful effort is Flight Captain
Floyd A. Badsky, Col, USAF (Ret).
(Source: Kent McInnis)
13th (San Diego) Flight
San Diego,California
Paul Robinson, Vice Chairman of the San Diego Regional
Airport Authority, gave us an update on the new terminal facilities
recently completed at Lindbergh Field as well as future plans for
San Diego International Airport including a new terminus on the
north side of the runway that will consolidate rental car facilities,
allow trolley passengers to access the terminal via a pedestrian
bridge/shuttle and eliminate traffic on Harbor Drive.
(Source: Rich Martindell)
Daedalus Flyer
FLIGHTLINE
22nd (Cascade) Flight
McChord AFB, Washington
The March meeting of the Cascade Flight at the 8th Air Lift
Squadron of the 62nd Airlft Wing at McChord Field featured
Robert ‘Bob’ Dempster, an adventurer who, with his wife, also
a pilot, flew their Super Piper Cub from Seattle to Japan in the
late 1990s. Their near aerial circumnavigation was curtailed by
difficulty in arranging reliable fuel for their Pacific crossing. That
experience inspired Bob to immerse
in a twelve-year research of the very
first aerial circumnavigation which
was achieved in 1924 by Army Air
Service aviators, four of whom
later became Daedalian Founders;
Bob Dempster and Flight Lowell Smith, Leslie Arnold, Leigh
Wade and Erik Nelson. Bob told of
Captain Col Jeff Philippart.
their epic story which is chronicled
in many books and on line. Four Douglas World Cruiser biplanes
departed Seattle in April, 1924, each with a crew of two in open
cockpits. Two of the aircraft landed back at Seattle 175 days later after successfully circling the globe. Two aircraft were lost,
one in Alaska and one in the Atlantic, but there was no loss of
life. The national commitment, logistics and diplomacy involving many agencies, in addition to the performance of the aircraft
and resourcefulness and skill of the crews, resulted in the United
States being first in air round the world. Incredibly, Mr. Dempster
has reproduced the original Douglas World Cruiser. He rolled out
this near replica in Seattle in 2013 and intends to fly it around
the globe, hopefully in 2015. After that, his stated intention is to
gift the bird to a Museum of Flight. Flight Captain Jeff Phillipart,
Airlift Wing Vice Commander, wished Bob clear skies. Meanwhile, Flight members are assisting Seattle citizens in arranging a
public celebration of the 90th anniversary of the first flight around
the world later this year. For more information, visit www.seattleworldcruiser.org and www.sandptnavsta.org.
Our flight’s reverence of past aeronautical achievements
continued on 18 April 2014. We gathered at McChord Field to
honor, to the day, the 1942 mission in which the Doolittle Raiders heroically and successfully bombed Tokyo from the aircraft
carrier Hornet trumpeting
our nation’s resolve to prevail after the Pearl Harbor
attack. Guided adroitly
by Master of Ceremonies
Major SueAnn Lemia,
USAF, 230 individuals
representing the flight and (l - r) Doolittle Raider Ed Saylor and
their guests, Airmen, and Cascade Flight WWII vets Al Jones,
family members of Raider Ray Smalley, and Merle Schuder.
survivor Lt Col Ed Saylor,
USAF (Ret.), gathered to honor the Raiders and Col. Saylor, one
of the four remaining Raiders. Moving slowly but confidently to
the podium, Saylor recounted, as he had many times before, his
Summer 2014
extraordinary story of mission preparation, execution, and survival. Following his inspiring talk, with
continuing and admirable
support from Hennessy
distributors, all present
stood and raised a glass to
toast the Doolittle Raiders
and all our fallen heroes.
(l - r) New Flight Captain Col Andrew
As part of our meeting,
Hird and outgoing Flight Captain Col
we also saluted our World
Jeff Pillippart.
War II members present.
In May, Colonel Andrew Hird, USAF, 62nd Operations
Group Commander,accepted Cascade Flight Captain duties from
Colonel Jeff Philippart, 62nd AW Vice Commander.
(Source: Ray Copin)
37th (Yosemite) Flight
Atwater/Merced, CA
Our January meeting was held on the 28th,
at DiCicco’s Restaurant,
with wives as honored
guests. The program,
“How we obtained a
Presidental Aircraft,” was
delivered by Joe Pruzzo,
Chief Exec. Officer of the
Castle Air Museum. Mr.
(l - r) Flight Capt Al Peterson and Mr. Pruzzo clearly explained
the circumstances that led
Joe Pruzzo.
to the arrival of 73-1681,
a Douglas VC-9C. This aircraft served the administrations of
Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and
George W. Bush. The aircraft was flown to Castle Airport on Oct.
21st 2013, and tours are now available.
Our April meeting was held at the Castle Air Museum. The
invocation, given by Col John Laughlin, contained an excellent
tribute to Lt Col Mike Tanzillo who recently made his Last Flight.
The program speakers were two members of Flight 37, Maj Wayne
Aircraft 73-1681, a Douglas VC-9C, that served six presidents.
Bradley and Lt Col Ray Young. Wayne related his tale of woe that
happened on a B-52 Arc Light return flight to March AFB. Just
about all the things bad that can happen, did, and the flight finally
recovered with much less than minimum fuel. Ray told us of his
25
FLIGHTLINE
experience being
the Task Force
Commander of
a flight of 36,
12 tankers, 24
F-104s, crossing
the Atlantic during the Cuban
Missile Crisis.
The flight was (l – r) Flight Captain Al Peterson, Wayne Bradley,
and Ray Young.
successfully
completed, but the inexperience of some personnel, and some
F-104 pilots, led to many humorous stories.
(Source: Larry King)
99th (Big Sky) Flight
Great Falls, Montana
This has been a great stretch for Big Sky Flight 99. Each
month we have had outstanding presentations with solid flight
turnouts. Since last fall we have added nine new names to our
flight roster, an increase of 15 percent above the same time last
year.
Flight 99 received a rare treat at the November meeting when
Lieutenant Loren C. Rice spoke to us of his experiences during
the Second World War. He attended navigator training at MacDill
Army Air Field in Tampa, Florida, preparing for the hazardous
bombing missions over Germany. On his seventh combat mission, somewhere over Austria, a Messerschmitt 109 fighter plane
attacked his B-17, damaging the tail and one wing. The decision
was made to bail out. The pilots, unable to open the lower forward
hatch, headed aft to find another exit. They never got out. Lt Rice
was one of only five of the bomber’s ten crewmen to escape. His
parachute did not open completely, resulting in a “streamer.” The
thick pine forest in that part of Austria broke his fall and saved his
life, but he broke multiple bones, including his collar bone and
both arms. Captured by civilians, he was placed in an Austrian
hospital and treated for his injuries. Once he was well enough to
travel, he was shipped by rail to Stalag Luft 1 in Barth, Germany,
near the Baltic Sea. He described the life of POWs in the prison
camp: the crowded conditions,
the cold winters, the twicemonthly showers (with only
cold water), and the monotony
of the daily routine. At night,
one secret radio provided information on the progress of
the war; this information was
passed throughout the camp.
Lt Loren Rice’s POW ID card.
Cooking for themselves, they
relied on Red Cross parcels
to augment the bread and frozen potatoes that they were given
by their captors. The men were finally liberated- by the Russian
Army. Concerns over the Russian’s intent to remove Lt. Rice and
26
his fellow prisoners to the U.S.S.R. led the U.S. Eighth Air Force
to dispatch an armada of B-17s to fly the 6,500 Airmen to France.
Upon landing in France, Lt. Rice and several of his friends slipped
away for a three day tour of Paris- before they were found and
were returned to base.
In February, we enjoyed a superb presentation given by our
guest speaker, Dr. Vernon Pedersen, Professor of History and Political Science with the University of Great Falls, and a specialist in Soviet History. Big Sky Flight members were intrigued by
the story of the many Russian soldiers and aviators stationed in
Great Falls, Montana, during World War Two. Dr. Pedersen began his lecture with a review of the “Lend-Lease” program instituted by the U.S. in 1941,
first to assist England in its
war against Germany, and
after Pearl Harbor to assist
the Russians as well. A Siberian air route was established, the shortest of all
the Lend-Lease air routes,
with Great Falls as the
American anchor. Facilities were created for a main
base, which is now Malmstrom AFB. The Soviets
approved the proposed air Dr. Vernon Pedersen.
route on 3 August 1942.
Aircraft were completely inspected before leaving Great Falls.
Some Women Air Service Pilots were among those who ferried
aircraft to Great Falls, but only male aviators flew north to Nome,
Alaska. There they turned the aircraft over to Russian pilots for
the flight to Siberia. The program was extremely successful: of
the over the 8,000 aircraft sent to Russia, 93 percent made it. The
total supply tonnage sent by air, not including the aircraft, was
3,964,000. This accounted for one-fifth of all shipments to Russia.
During the Lend-Lease program there were approximately 200
Russians in Great Falls at any one time. Soviet leaders typically
placed tight restrictions on their own citizens in foreign lands,
but these Russians were free to move around town and engaged
in a high degree of fraternization with locals. Not all the Russians were engaged in bettering U.S.-Soviet relations. Post-war
research has proved that Great Falls was the node of one of largest Soviet espionage programs, “Project Enormous”, which was
the Soviet Union’s successful attempt to penetrate the Manhattan Project. A significant part of the Soviet intelligence product,
and supplies purchased by Soviets as a result of that intelligence,
were flown to Russia from Great Falls inside diplomatic pouches
aboard Lend-Lease aircraft.
In March our own Big Sky Flight 99 Daedalian, Lt Col Mat
“Mackie” Contreras, gave a very entertaining and informative
presentation about his USAF flying career to date. Born in San
Antonio, Texas, and raised in Houston, Mackie attended the Air
Force Academy and volunteered for helicopter duty out of pilot training. His first operational assignment was to F. E. WarDaedalus Flyer
FLIGHTLINE
ren AFB, where he was introduced
to the world of Nuclear Security.
He next went to Andrews AFB to
support the “Continuity of Government” mission, then on to Iraq to fly
the Russian-built MiG-17 “Hip” as a
Combat Air Advisor, flying over 120
combat air missions in his capacity
as an instructor in vertical lift to the
Iraqi Forces. One particular mission
on 3 March 2008 was a “milk run”
that turned out to be anything but Lt Col Mathew Contreras
that. This mission was the first time
that the Iraqi pilots took the lead. On the return to base the flight
encountered an un-forecast “Shamal,” or sandstorm. The lead
Iraqi pilot decided to climb into the weather, and Mackie’s pilot
began to follow him. Mackie assumed control of the aircraft in
order to remain in visual conditions. Their aircraft was unable to
reestablish visual or radio contact with the lead helicopter during
the remainder of the flight back to base. Despite encouraging reports suggesting that the missing helicopter’s crew had survived,
the truth was revealed at 1130L by a UAV which discovered the
wreckage of the missing aircraft. Seven Iraqis and one American,
a Public Affairs specialist named SSgt Eric Frost, had been killed.
Mackie noted that the Iraqis deeply mourned their lost comrades
for three long days, and then they “moved on.” Mackie attributes
his crew’s survival to the tradition of excellence that U.S. mili-
tary aviation has maintained over the years. After his Iraq tour he
earned his masters’ degree at the Air Force Academy, and then
served two years as an Air Officer Commanding, working directly
with USAFA cadets. He was then selected to become the Director of Operations, and one year later the Commander, of the 40th
Helicopter Squadron.
In April, at the invitation of Lt Col Mathew Contreras, Big Sky
Flight met for a social hour in the Heritage Room of the 40th Helicopter Squadron on Malmstrom AFB. This event was a smashing
success! Our Flight 99 members interacting with, and getting to
know, all of the pilots and flight engineers of the 40th was a great
experience
for the group.
We will miss
Lt Col Mat
Contreras after his PCS
in May, but
we welcome
his successor,
Lt Col John
Beurer, and
all of his team. (l - r) Lt Col Scotty Rae and Captains Williams and
We
already Perry.
have added six of these great young Americans to our flight’s roster, and hope to bring the rest on board soon.
99th Big Sky Flight at the 40th Helicopter Squadron at Malmstrom AFB.
Summer 2014
27
82nd (Willie) Flight
Mesa, Arizona
On 8 May, we held
our monthly meeting at
the Dobson’s Restaurant, Dobson Ranch Golf
Course, in Mesa, Arizona. Our speaker was
Flight 82 member, Lt Col
Gabrielle “Gabi” Thorp
(call sign “Rusty”) who
spoke about her experiences as a Remotely PiLt Col Gabrielle “Gabi” Thorp and
loted Aircraft (RPA) pilot
Flight Captain Art Stark.
and Mission Commander
at Creech AFB, Nevada. She has spent the past four years flying the MQ-1 “Predator” and the newer, more capable, MQ-9
“Reaper.”
Lt Col Gabi Thorp graduated from Arizona State University in 1978 with a BS degree in Business Administration (Cum
Laude). She also earned an MBA from University of Phoenix. She obtained her private pilot’s license while at ASU. Later, as
a professional civilian pilot, she worked as a flight instructor at
Falcon Field in Mesa, AZ. In the summers, Gabi flew large scale
spray missions in C-54s and PV-2s. In 1982, she was commissioned through the Air National Guard’s Academy of Military
Science, and attended UPT at Williams AFB. After UPT, Gabi
received KC-135 Initial Training at Castle AFB, then flew KC135s with the 161st ARW, 197th ARS, located at the Sky Harbor
Airport in Phoenix, Arizona. She had a two year stint with United
Airlines in 1985-1987. In 1992, she attended the KC-135 Instructor Course at Altus AFB, and shortly after became an Evaluator
Pilot. She was activated for Desert Storm in 1990, and again in
1999 when she deployed to Germany for the Kosovo crisis. In
2002, Gabi retired from the Air National Guard to spend more
time with her family and build her real estate business.
In April 2010, she returned to USAF Active Duty through
RRORP (Retired Rated Officer Recall Program) and was assigned
to Creech AFB, Nevada. She served as a Command Pilot in the
MQ-1 “Predator” & MQ-9 “Reaper” Remotely Piloted Aircraft
(RPA), Mission Commander, and the ADO of Training for the
17th & 867th Reconnaissance Squadrons. Lt Col Thorp retired
again on 31 March 2014. At our May meeting, Gabi discussed her
four year adventure as a Predator and Reaper pilot -- the various
missions, the expanding capabilities, and how different it was to
fly a Remotely Piloted Aircraft compared with a regular aircraft
-- time lag, limited visibility, weather constraints, lack of physical
sensations, and very difficult cross-check. Gabi talked about the
importance of and challenges with RPA deconfliction and communications. She also emphasized the very thorough command
and control process that is utilized with RPA weapons employment.
(Source: Col Pat Dooley, US AF Retired)
“… Sir, I assume command.” A Daedalian Flight Success Story
After nearly fading away, Texoma Flight 29
experienced a resurgence in 2012-2013, thanks to
the efforts of Lt Col (Ret) Greg Findley and a handful of ‘hard core’ Daedalians. “We’re going to have
monthly meetings, have quality programs, and press
all of these pilots at Sheppard to come join us!” So:
Monthly meetings—Check!
Quality programs:
Col Dieter Barheis, Commander 80th Flight (l - r) Lt Col (Ret) Greg Findlay Outgoing Flight Captain, 2014 Treasurer, Membership
Training Wing (ENJJPT)—Check! Jay Carter, Chairman, and Program Chairman, Col (Ret) Jack Stephenson Provost Marshall, Col Mark
Founder and CEO of Carter Copters (innovative McGeorge Vice Flight Captain, Lt Col (Ret) Frank Ducos Flight Captain, Maj (Ret) Mark
Giglio Adjutant, Lt Col Marc Himelhoch Scholarship Chairman, Col (Ret) Robert Franklin
rotorcraft technologies)—Check! Col Om Prakash,
Flight Chaplain. Not present for the photo: Lt Col (Ret) Mike Winslow Publicity, Capt
Vice Commander 82nd Training Wing. Experi- Frank Baumann Historian.
ences as a test pilot.—Check! Lt Col (Ret) Brad
Pilots at Sheppard AFB—the word is out and spreading.
O’Connor, Author of Stealth Fighter: A Year in the Life of an
The efforts and enthusiasm have paid off. For the first time
F-117.—Check! Lt Col Devon McCollough, 80th OG Stan Eval,
in many years, all of the Flight’s leadership positions have been
U-2 Operational Experience.—Check! Maj John Blocher, 80th
filled and ”the staff’ has proudly taken their oath of office.
FTW Exec. Experiences as a Forward Air Controller embedded
Conclusion: Sheppard AFB? Pilot Training Wing? Rated
with the Army during combat operations in Iraq.—Check! Jim
pilots in abundance in both host and tenant Wings? The “fuel”
Hirsch, President Air Tractor. Crop Dusters as rugged Close Air
is there; the “spark” of dedicated Daedalians provided the energy
Support aircraft.—Check! Briefings from our NATO allies on
for success.
(Source: Mike Winslow)
their respective air forces—Check! And much more.
28
Daedalus Flyer
New/Rejoining Daedalians
March
LTC Carl Allen, USA (Ret)
Lt Col Craig D. Allen, USAF
CDR Joel L. Andrews, USN
Capt George Balazs, USAF (Ret)
Dr John Barker
Col Kevin Berkompas, USAF
Maj Raymond Bevivino, USAF
2nd Lt Kyle Bradford, USAF
2nd Lt Donovan L. Carroll, USAF
LT Jerry Church, USN (Ret)
CDR Peter Cole, USN (Ret)
2nd Lt Nick Cooley, USAF
CDR Thomas L. Creekmore Jr., USNR (Ret)
Lt Col Doug Crumrine, ANG (Ret)
Col Mark J. Doria, USAF
CDR Victor Ehlers, USN
2nd Lt Eric M. Gilpatrick, USAF
Maj Markus Halbritter, USAF
Capt Michael Heddinger, USAF
2nd Lt Christopher Cole Hicks, ANG
LCDR Donald Jordan, USN (Ret)
Capt Clayton Martin, USAF
Capt Gary Olkowski ,USAF
2nd Lt Timothy William Robertson, USAFR
Capt Jim Rubalcaba, USAF (Ret)
Maj Richard M. Rusnok Jr., USMC
Capt Dan Sabatelli, USAF
Capt Benjamin Schaftel, USAF
Col Richard Martin Sharp, USAF
Maj Robert G. Simmons, USAF (Ret)
Maj Carl Svendsen, USAF (Ret)
Capt Zachariah Thuli, USAF
Lt Col Scott Weston, USAF
Capt Jon White, USAF
Lt Col Michael Whyte, USAF
Capt Mark Wilson, USAF
April
2nd Lt Brianna N. Adams, USAF
2nd Lt Christopher E. Armstrong, USAF
Maj Donn T. Borden, USAF
2nd Lt David P. Bown, USAF
Capt Adam B Boyd, USAF
Col Edward Brewer, USAF
Summer
2014
Summer 2014
2nd Lt Benjamin L. Brown, USAF
2nd Lt Spencer H. Buck, USAF
2nd Lt Edward D. Camacho, USAF
2nd Lt John W. Cowen, USAF
2nd Lt Patrick James Day, USAF
Capt Ian Doneski, USAF
2nd Lt Shawn T. Emery, USAF
CW5 Douglas M. Englen, USA
2nd Lt Nickolas G. Ernandes, USAF
Lt Col Dale Flick, USAF
2nd Lt Michael P. Fournier, USAF
2nd Lt Joshua H. Freeman, USAF
2nd Lt Justin H. Greenway, USAFR
CW5 Charles S. Hamilton III, USA (Ret)
1st Lt Philip Hedrich, USAF (Ret)
2nd Lt Robert A. Herbold, USAF
CW3 Robert Hernandez, USA (Ret)
2nd Lt David G. Ince, USAF
1st Lt Jacob B. Jensen, USAF
2nd Lt Patrick H. Joseph, USAF
2nd Lt Kevin A. Kirschke, USAF
2nd Lt Alexis A. Laleman, USAF
2nd Lt Justin Leachman, USAF
Maj Andrew Joseph Lueckenhoff, USAF
Maj Jacob Lawrence Lukens, USAF
2nd Lt Katelyn C. Maffei, USAF
2nd Lt Brian J. Monga, ANG
2nd Lt Johnathan A. Parker, USAF
2nd Lt Anthony J. Pergola, USAF
Capt Frank W. Perry, USAF
2nd Lt Ryan S. Phaneuf, USAF
2nd Lt Kyle L Phillips, USAF
2nd Lt Leo Ricciotti, USAF
2nd Lt David H. Rice, USAF
Maj Gen L. Scott Rice, USAF
Capt Bryce J. Sager, USAFR
Lt Col Robert M. Schmidt, USAF
Capt Matthew S. Scholz, USAFR
Capt Nicholas A. Suppa, USAF
2nd Lt Taylor H. Swope, USAF
1st Lt Casey Watts, USAF
CDR Gary Nathan Wax, USN (Ret)
Lt Col Robert Whelan, USAF (Ret)
Mr Stanley Curtis Wiley
2nd Lt Ryan J. Williams, USAF
May
2nd Lt Emily K. Barkemeyer, USAF
Mr. Jack D. Barnwell
Lt Col John R. Beurer, USAF
Maj Mitzi L. Braswell, USAF
Capt Robert M. Couch, USAF
Mr. Calvert Crawford, CIV
Col Ernest C. Cunningham, Jr., USAF (Ret)
1st Lt Curtis Dejaco, USAF
Col James Destout, USAF (Ret)
LCDR John F. Dobbins, USN
Col Ronald L. Garhart, USAF
LTC Marcus A. Gengler, USA
Col James E. Gilliland, USAF
Gen Frank G. Gorenc, USAF
Capt Jordan G. Grant, USAF
Capt Jason Greer, USAF
Col James D. Harford, USAF
Capt James T. Hollin, Jr., USAF (Ret)
Col Allen D. Holt, Jr., USAF (Ret)
Capt James J. Hoogerwerf, USAF
COL James T. Huey, USA (Ret)
Lt Col Elton Humphreys, USAF
CW4 William R. Hutchison, USA (Ret)
CDR Richard R. Jackson Jr., USCG (Ret )
Brig Gen Duane Joseph Lodrige, USAF
Michelle A. Miller
CW5 Richard L. Miller, USA
Capt Jeff Monsalve, USAF
Capt Christopher A. Prentiss, USAF
Maj Jason Redlin, USAF
MAJ Kristina Richardson, USA
COL Alfred Rushatz, USA (Ret)
1st Lt Kyle R. Sanders, USAF
Lt Col Peter J. Sarda, USAF (Ret)
1st Lt Courtney M. Schaer, USAF
Mr. Richard I. Selberg,
LTC Michael E. Slonike, USA (Ret)
Capt James Sprys, USAF
Lt Col Christopher M. Stuhldreher, USAF (Ret)
Mr. Raymond Thomas, Jr.
Lt Col Richard M. Thompson, ANG
apt William White, USAF
Capt William D. White, USAF
CW4 Troy Zwirblia, USA
2nd Lt Andrew P. Zwirlein, USAF
Welcome
2929
IN MEMORIAM
Mr. Barrows, Thomas S CDR Blackwell, Jr., James A USN (Ret)
Lt Col Campbell, Robert T USAF (Ret) Lt Col Comontofski, Eugene J USAF (Ret) Col Conover, Charles Bruce USAF (Ret)
Maj Countryman, Sammy F (USA, Ret)
Maj Daniels, William J USAF (Ret) Maj Dixon Jr., Walter L USAF (Ret) Col Doyle, William A USAF (Ret) Col Dunlap, Jack R USAF (Ret) Eaton, Wyley E USAF (Ret)
Col Lt Col Foley, James M USAF (Ret)
Lt Col Fontaine, Richard C USAF (Ret)
Lt Col Frank, Richard H USAF (Ret)
Lt Col Frymire, Randolph W USAF (Ret) Lt Col Gile, Franklyn D USAF (Ret) Lt Col Gomes, Vernon L USAF (Ret) WASP Grasso, Holly H Lt Col Haffeman, Gordon J USAF (Ret)
Col Hugo, Jr., Vane USAF (Ret) Big GenKeller,Kenneth, USAF (Ret)
25 Jan 14
8 Mar 14
30 Mar 14
22 Mar 14
7 Apr 14
25 Feb 14
23 Feb 14
3 Feb 14
29 Oct 13
22 Mar 14
21 Mar 14
8 Mar 14
5 Mar 14
11 Mar 14
11 Mar 14
Mar
14
11 Apr 14
9 Mar 14
16 Mar 14
28 Feb 14
14 May 14
Col Lt Col Lt Col
Col Lt Col Col Col Col Lt Col
Lt Col Col Col Col Lt Col
Lt Co
Col Lt Col Col Col Col LTG Krause, Jr., Lester L USAF (Ret)
Lange, Gerald J USAF (Ret) Liniger, Vaun N USAF (Ret) McMakin, Grover S USAF (Ret) Meyer, William G USAF (Ret) Neilson, Herbert E USAF (Ret)
Ohrt, Leroy L USAF (Ret) Palmer, William F USAF (Ret)
Robertson, Edward D USAF (Ret) Schwarting, Bland H USAF (Ret)
Shook, Abraham E USAF (Ret) Stone, Frederic A USAF (Ret) Suggs, Jack W USAF (Ret) Tanzillo Jr., Michael USAF (Ret) Tate, Lawrence H USAF (Ret) Upson, Jr., Linus F USAF (Ret) Von Kleist, Robert V USAF (Ret) Varvi, Jr., Charles J USAF (Ret) Whitney, Jay A USAF (Ret)
Wildman, Winthrop W USAF (Ret)
Wright, Jr., John M (USA, Ret) 10 Apr 14
26 Jun 13
18 Mar 14
2 Sep 11
5 Mar 14
11 April 13
2 Feb 14
8 Mar 14
19 Mar 14
27 Mar 14
25 Feb 14
11 Apr 14
3 Apr 14
12 Apr 14
18 Feb 14
2 May 14
27 Mar 14
8 Apr 14
22 Mar 14
4 Feb 14
26 Jan 14
REUNIONS
5th Bomber Command, 5th Army Air
Force’s 43rd Bomb Group (H)
The 34th Reunion of the group comprised of 63rd, 64th, 65th,
and 403rd squadrons, will be held Aug. 27 - 31, 2014 in Washington, D.C. For additional information, go to website http://www.
Kensmen.com or contact Nancy Solomon, 43rd Bomb Group
Association Vice President, Huntingpoint Drive on the Palmer
Ranch, 8972 Huntington Pointe Drive, Sarasota, FL 34238-3207;
e-mail, nansolo.sra@gmail.com; or phone, 941-966-9212.
Distinguished Flying Cross Society
Clearwater Beach/St Peetersburg, FL, will be the site of the
Distinguished Flying Cross Society’s Reunion Sept. 21 - 25,
2014. For more information, go to their webiste www.dfcsociety.
org or contact The Reunion BRAT at 360-663-2521 or by e-mail
at thereunionbrat@hotmail.com.
30
19th Air Refueling Sq (SAC)
All personnel who served at Homestead and Otis AFB. Reunion Sept 28 - Oct 1, 2014 at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey, PA.
Contact Fred/Shirley Ruppenthal,717-644-2840/2841, (fred.ruppenthal@gmail.com) or Frank Szemere, 850-862-4279, (fiszemere@cox.net).
Air Rescue Association
Charleston, South Carolina, will be the site of the 2014 Air
Rescue Association Reunion 26 through 30 Oct. For more information, contact Al Gailey, ARA Dr. Public Relations at 1591 Pine
Lake Ranch Road, Cascade, ID 83611, phone, (208)382-6395 or
(208) 630-3509, email, cagailey@yahoo.com, website, http://airrescueassn.org, For info about prereunion cruise Oct 21 -26, contact Mary Severns at (843) 363-0600/3669 or email arareunion@
hotmail.com.
Daedalus Flyer
ADDRESSES
MEMBERS: Flight addresses are shown here by geographic area. Look for a Flight near you and sign up. Flights are where the action is!
FLIGHTS: Please check your address as listed. Send changes to: Daedalian Foundation, P.O. Box 249, Randolph AFB, TX 78150-0249, or telephone (210)
945-2113 or E-MAIL: icarus@daedalians.org.
NORTH EAST
4th (NAT’L CAPITAL)
15th (MINUTEMAN)
42nd (FIRST STATE)
43rd (GARDEN STATE)
53rd (GRANITE STATE)
c/o Col Bob Grosvenor, 20088 Northville Hills Terr....Ashburn, VA 20147
c/o Col (Ret) Chris Hitchcock, 49 Thomas Str........... Belmont, MA 02478
204 Liberty Way..........................................................Dover AFB DE 19902
c/o Dan Todd, 21 Northumberland Dr. ...................Eastampton, NJ 08060
P O Box 8531.............................................................Portsmouth, NH 03802
SOUTH EAST
1st (FOUNDERS)
6th (SPACE)
8th (KITTY HAWK)
21st (SHANGRI-LA)
25th (SUNCOAST)
34th (S. P. LANGLEY)
39th (EAGLE)
40th (HURRICANE)
48th (HARLEY H. POPE)
58th (GATOR)
61st (BUD DAY)
70th (PALMETTO)
74th (POSSUM TOWN)
77th (E. W. SPRINGS)
89th (PELICAN)
100th(SILVER WINGS)
102nd (BEN T. EPPS)
P O Box 11485...........................................................Montgomery, AL 36111
P O Box 254182.........................................................Patrick AFB, FL 32925
PO Box 10001..............................................................Goldsboro, NC 27532
P O Box 33310.......................................................NAS Pensacola, FL 32508
c/o 6 OG, 7601 Hanger Loop Dr., Bldg. 55.............MacDill AFB FL 33621
P O Box 65796..........................................................Langley AFB, VA 23665
P O Box 98557 South Base Branch.........................Robins AFB, GA 31098
c/o Lt Col Jim Foster, P O Box 5071......................Keesler AFB, MS 39534
c/o Maj Robert Reid, 909 W. Rowan St.,.................Fayetteville, NC 28309
c/o Timothy Oliver, 5632 Cypress Lake Trail ..........Lake Park, GA 31636
901 Shavon Point Dr..........................................Ft Walton Beach, FL 32547
P O Box 3192......................................................................Sumter, SC 29151
P O Box 8875................................................................Columbus, MS 39701
c/o Lt Col (Ret) Dwight Roach, 218 Loblolly Ln...Myrtle Beach, SC 29579
P O Box 40096...........................................................Tyndall AFB, FL 32403
c/o Larry Castagneto, 1979 Enon Road.............................Webb, AL 36376
c/o Maj Bradley Wright, 311 Lakestone Landing...Woodstock, GA 30188
10th (POLAR)
11th (FALCON)
18th (MILE HIGH)
20th (BEN EIELSON)
22nd (CASCADE)
32nd (PIONEER)
41st (INLAND EMPIRE)
54th (FORT WARREN)
93rd (GUNFIGHTER)
99th (BIG SKY)
121st (JOE FOSS
SKYHAWKS)
P O Box 6246......................................................Elmendorf AFB, AK 99506
P O Box 63234................................................Colorado Springs, CO 80962
P O Box 472976................................................................Aurora, CO 80047
c/o Maj Jack Schnurr, 1174 Vasi Way.......................North Pole, AK 99705
P O Box 4370........................................................McChord AFB, WA 98438
P O Box 93....................................................................Clearfield, UT 84089
Frank Condefer, 7410 E. Columbia Dr........................Spokane, WA 99212
P O Box 9647..................................................F. E. Warren AFB, WY 82003
c/o Robert Jones, 2053 S. Wilde Creek Way.......................Boise, ID 83709
7025 Goddard Dr.............................................Malmstrom AFB, MT 59402
c/o Col Eric Hastings, 4432 Annette Park Drive........Bozeman, MT 59715
NORTH WEST
37th (YOSEMITE)
50th (GOLD RUSH)
56th (GLEN EDWARDS)
62nd (FIGHTER)
82nd (WILLIE)
88th (J. K. CANNON)
c/o Larry King, 1179 Oregon Dr......................................Merced, CA 95340
PO Box 1465..........................................................Wheatlland, CA 95692
PO Box 424........................................................Edwards AFB, CA 93523
4972 Pansier St.......................................................Las Vegas, NV 89135
PO Box 11262...........................................................Chandler, AZ 85248
Col Michael Connolly, 3513 Lew Wallace Dr.............Clovis, NM 88101
9th (FRANK P. LAHM)
14th (MT. RUSHMORE)
16th (CURTIS E. LEMAY)
26th (GATEWAY)
49th (C J JACOBSON)
68th (SPIRIT)
83rd (AIR CAPITAL)
P O Box 33564...................................Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433
P O Box 968...............................................................Box Elder, SD 57719
P O Box 13195........................................................Offutt AFB, NE 68113
John P. Almind, 3726 Boatman’s Pt..........................Belleville, IL 62221
c/o Lt Col (Ret) Patrick L. Travnicek 100 7th St SE...Minot, ND 58701
P O Box 7134................................................ Whiteman AFB, MO 65305
Frosty Sheridan, 2233 N. Penstemon.........................Wichita. KS 67226
2nd (STINSONS)
23rd (DALLAS/FT WORTH)
29th (TEXOMA)
38th (LONGHORN)
44th (ARK. TRAVELER)
46th (WILEY POST)
51st (CHENNAULT)
52nd (CAPROCK)
59th (GEORGE BEVERLEY)
60th (FLYING TIGER)
73rd (KUTER)
75th (JAMES CONNALLY)
78th (CHEROKEE STRIP)
103rd (FORT HOOD)
P O Box 121.....................................................Randolph AFB, TX 78148
P O Box 8236.........................................................Fort Worth, TX 76124
P O Box 6101....................................................Sheppard AFB, TX 76311
P O Box 200193..............................................................Austin, TX 78750
Box 1001........................................................Little Rock AFB, AR 72078
Box 45911.............................................................Tinker AFB, OK 73145
Box 51...............................................................Barksdale AFB, LA 71110
4501 62nd St..................................................................Lubbock, TX 79414
Lt Col Scott Allison, 520 Barnes St., Bldg. 307...Laughlin AFB, TX 78840
c/o Lt Col Tom Gallagher, 5920 Peppertree Dr..Alexandria, LA 71303
PO Box 277.....................................................................Altus, OK 73522
c/o Mark Dribell. 1204 S. Haven.................................Hewitt, TX 76643
P O Box 9012............................................... ....................Enid, OK 73705
c/o LTC Cory Smith, 224 Lottie Lane..........Harker Heights, TX 76548
NORTH CENTRAL
SOUTH CENTRAL
EUROPE & MIDDLE EAST
19th (BILLY MITCHELL)
Order of Daedalians, PSC 2, Box 14655..........................APO AE 09012
PACIFIC
28th (ALOHA)
c/o Jack DeTour, Hickam Officers’ Open Mess.....Hickam AFB, HI 96853
SOUTH WEST
5th (GOLDEN GATE)
7th (HAL GEORGE)
12th (OLD PUEBLO)
13th (SAN DIEGO)
17th (ATOMIC)
24th (MG FRANK A.
NICHOLS)
27th (SIERRA)
30th (HAP ARNOLD)
33rd (THUNDERBIRD)
Summer 2014
611 E Street................................................................Travis AFB, CA 94535
P O Box 88051...........................................................Los Angeles, CA 90009
P O Box 15010............................................Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ 85708
P O Box 45217..............................................................San Diego, CA 92145
P O Box 18066.......................................................Kirtland AFB, NM 87185
6 Mina Perdida.................................................................El Paso, TX 79902
P O Box 214785.........................................................Sacramento, CA 95821
17050 Arnold Dr Box H-101.........................................Riverside, CA 92518
P O Box 369........................................Litchfield Park, AZ 85340
31
Mischief And Other Fond SAC Memories
By Col Jack Pledger, USAF (Ret)
Long ago in the cold war days of Strategic Air Command,
SAC alert was an every third week ritual for line aircrew members. At the now boarded up Pease AFB, New Hampshire, in the
1970s and ‘80s, FB-111A and KC-135 crews began their weeklong alert tours on Thursday mornings. A briefing and changeover with the departing crews would occur first, followed by the
preflight inspection of the weapons and aircraft. Once all of the
necessary changeover activities were accomplished and the endless reams of paperwork finished, the crews would file into the
alert facility chow hall for lunch and begin plotting for the week’s
extracurricular activities to break the monotony and boredom of
base imprisonment.
SAC set up most of the required classified training at the alert
facility along with endless simulator missions (either receiving or
giving instruction) and ground evaluations to keep everyone busy
while on alert. However, with 24 hours in each day and 7 days
in the week, there was plenty of time for mischief. I don’t want
to give the impression that all alert extracurricular activities were
mischievous. The first personal computer I ever saw was built on
alert in a crewmember’s room. One of the FB-111 radar navigators at Pease began writing fiction while on alert…you may have
read some of Dale Brown’s novels. One of the FB-111 pilots built
doll house furniture in his room. A new digital bomb timer was
designed on alert at Pease and a prototype built in one of the crew
rooms. All industrious and exciting activities, but what most of us
got the greatest pleasure from was the mischief.
There were the average frat house pranks of stealing squadron mascots, filling desk drawers with silly string and packing
the interior of someone’s sports car with styrofoam shipping peanuts. However, some pranks were legendary like the time the
alert facility was fumigated in an effort to kill off the colony of
roaches that had lived there since the days of Curtis LeMay. The
alert crews were temporarily housed in the base Transient Living
Quarters while the operation took place. Crewmembers quickly
determined that this could bring an end to the roach races being held in the alert facility below-ground living quarters, so top
performing specimens were taken to the TLQ in match boxes and
brought back later to the freshly fumigated alert facility to continue to propagate.
However, the prank that came to mind recently dealt with the
history of the famed 509th Bomb Wing then stationed at Pease.
As Air Force history buffs know, the 509tth Composite Group was
organized by Paul Tibbets to carry out the atomic missions that
ended World War II and was the genesis that Strategic Air Command was formed around. The 509th Composite Group grew into
the 509th Bomb Wing which is now stationed at Whiteman AFB,
Missouri; home of the B-2. In the closing years of the 1970s,
some building renovations were underway at Pease and the Officers’ Club was remodeled. Not only did we have an independent
32
Officers’ Club in those days, but we also had base commanders,
and one of the base commander’s responsibilities was the Officers’ Club.
The casual bar at the Pease Officers’ Club was completely
redone during the base remodel and the proud base commander
wanted to commemorate it by naming the newly remodeled bar.
His mistake was asking the crewmembers to suggest names. A
box was placed in the club with a sign stating “Name the Bar”
and club members were to drop slips of paper with their suggestions into the box. As soon as the alert crews saw this, a plan was
hatched to “stuff the box” and name the bar. Being mischievous
aircrews, of course they had to pick a name sure to be memorable.
After several suggestions and reviews, a name was selected reflecting the 509th Bomb Wing’s distinguished past—the “Enola
Gay Bar.”
For the entire time the box hung in the club, crewmembers
stuffed slips of paper with “Enola Gay Bar” written on them into
the box. Finally, the evening came when the naming of the bar
was to take place. The base commander had letters made to spell
out the bar’s new name over the door. At the ceremony, he spoke
at length over the rich heritage of the 509th and its origin at Wendover Field, Utah, emphasizing the role it played in ending World
War II whereupon the banner masking the name was pulled down
clearly displaying the new bar name—“Wendover Room.”
The alert crews now had a challenge and quickly assembled
at the alert facility to plot their next move. A scouting team took
a close look at the Wendover Room sign and in particular the letters noting the material they were cut from, the color of the paint
and a rubbing was made to get the exact dimensions. Back at the
alert facility, some of the same material used in the sign letters
was obtained and a new letter was cut by hand.
That night as the club staff was busy cleaning up after the
patrons had left; some crewmembers removed a single letter from
the new bar sign and replaced it with the letter they had just fashioned. It was a couple of days before the base commander was
showing some dignitaries around the newly remodeled club and
pointed to the sign denoting the name of the bar when it hit him—
he was about to enter the “Bendover Room.”
Daedalus Flyer