Roy

Doesn't look that way. There are 12 retiree paydays this year. The date for the December check is 31 December because the 1st of January is a holiday. The schedule for retiree paydays is here: http://www.dfas.mil/retiredmilitary/manage/payschedule.html

They may or may not have captured any aircraft with US markings but they did indeed capture many operational VNAF aircraft, which we had supplied. Some were even brand new, such as the A-37s at Da Nang.

According to this - http://www.3389thpts.com/3389thpts/S_2.html - and this - http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19890039000 - AF serial number 57-0460, the first to excape, is stored at the Smithsonian Museum.

A large number were flown out to Thailand by South Vietnamese crews trying to escape with as many people as they could carry. By the end of the day on April 29, 1975, 165 VNAF aircraft were at U Tapao, including 31 F-5s, 27 A-37 Dragonflys, nine C-130A Hercules transports, 45 UH-1 Bell helicopters, 16 C-47s, 11 A-1E and H Skyraiders, six C-7A Caribou transports, three AC-119 gunships, 14 Cessna U-17 Skywagons, three O-1 Bird Dogs, and a handful of civilian aircraft.

The change from TCW/TCS to TAW/TAS was officially in 1966. It took some time to take hold in each unit, changing patches, letterhead, etc. The "Objective Wing organization" effort, which was the change from TAS/TAG/TAW to AS/AG/AW, started in 1991 and was supposedly complete in 1992. This was not a mass change all at one time.

The Air Force changed from AF Serial Number to SSN on July 1, 1969. Army OV-1 Mohawks.

Is this it, Don? Crazy-assed loadmasters - never know what they will do next.

As a loadmaster, the only thing that really scared me about LAPES was what was going on in front of 245.

I have an idea. It's some model makers idea of what he or she thought a C130 looked like. Having said that, I'm like the others here: 1. Never saw a real C130 that looked like that. 2. Not impressed with you.

I made the trip to Wethersfield for Flintlock 1980. If I remember right Randy Livingston was the engineer. My crew had the honor of going for a hike in the Black Forest for several days as part of the E&E exercise. Randy was with Koski when 6581 crashed at Ramstein in 1981. Lost Frank Porritt and Keith Kessock on that one as well.

Wasn't Percy one of Sully's trainees? There is a faint picture in the back of my mind with those two in it.

Yeah, I know what you mean George. Getting old ain't for wussies. Hope the x-ray thing turns out to be nothing.

George, as far as the VA is concerned you are considered to have been exposed to the rainbow herbicides, all those pretty colors, if you were in-country. Since they can't tell who was or who wasn't exposed they presume anyone who can prove they were there was exposed.

Could be but the deductibles have been in place for years. I travel about 300 miles round trip every three months for an appointment and the deductible is applied each time I go. As far as I am concerned anything is far more than I ever expected. I certainly don't get a reimbursement for traveling to a civilian doctor.

The deductible has been in place for years. When the reimbursement rate was increased a couple of years ago the deductible also changed. From the VA website: Beneficiary Travel Benefits Q. Can I get travel pay? A. You may be eligible for VA beneficiary travel benefits for VA health care services if ■you have a service-connected (SC) rating of 30 percent or more, or ■you are traveling for treatment of a SC condition, or ■you receive a VA pension, or ■your income does not exceed the maximum annual VA pension rate, or ■you are traveling for a scheduled compensation or pension examination, Q. Is there a deductible? A. In most cases, travel benefits are subject to a deductible. Deductibles do not apply for compensation and pension examinations, travel by an ambulance or a specially equipped van. ** Be sure you complete your means test annually as it may change your deductible requirement.** Q. How much would I get? A. Mileage Rates: General Travel ……………………41.5 cents/per mile Scheduled appointments qualify for round-trip mileage. Unscheduled visits may be limited to return mileage only. Deductible: ………………….…………$3.00 one-way ($6.00 round trip) Deductibles do not apply for compensation and pension examinations, travel by an ambulance or a specially equipped van and/or those veterans in receipt of VA pension.

" I think you should have keep quiet if you didn't like what I said, or others." Perhaps you could listen to your own advice once in a while.

The VA has a process in place to work claims regarding secret/classified missions. The veteran MUST provide sufficient information to allow the VA officer (who has the necessary security clearances) dealing with these claims to research the claim. http://veteransinfo.tripod.com/special_ops.pdf The Fast Letter at the above URL describes how the VA will process the claim.

They got plenty of blood from me too. But when they went over the results with me I specifically asked about dioxin and the doctor told me those kinds of tests were not done. As I said it was nothing more than a good physical exam in my case. YEMV.

In my case the AO screening was nothing more than a good physical. They did no special tests to determine any dioxin levels. Those tests are difficult to do since they would not only have to do special blood tests but actual fatty tissue biopsies as well. I have plenty of fatty tissue but I don't want to have any chunks gouged out.

Yeah Don, the I-44 corridor was pretty bad. The westbound interstate was closed from near here all the way to Tulsa. Oklahoma closed the turnpike and that backed it up all the way to Springfield. Hope your lady makes it home OK. I remember Les. Have you been back in the last couple of years? I went back for a 774th (that's the squadron I was atached to back then) reunion a few years ago. Quite a few changes. Went over to the Memorial Park and spent some time looking at the names on the bricks.

Hey Dutch, You buried in the snow down in Cassville?

It looks like two of the seven at Saigon are gone and the rest pushed closer together. It looks like an expansion of the parking ramp and new building has taken place, perhaps for freighters. This only shows up on Google maps as far as i can tell.

According to the Medicare website, most of us old farts won't see an increase in Part B Premiums next year. http://questions.medicare.gov/cgi-bin/medicare.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2262

Active duty raises are supposed to be based on comparability with wages in the civilian sector, not cost-of-living. Their raise is not automatic and must be set by congress. The law concerning the retiree COLA makes it automatic, as long as there is an increase in the cost-of-living over third quarter of the previous year. Veterans receiving VA benefits would receive the same COLA but it has to be voted on every year and signed by the president.

You bet your a$$ I am. I started as soon as I turned 62. Money in the hand instead of the bush and all that, you know. Now if I could just find a good beer around here all would be great. Thanks. Roy