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Need help with USAF chain of command.....sorta


Johnvan
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Hello-I was here a few years ago, had an older brother that served at Forbes back in the 70s, actually 70 to 74 roughly. He was working with maintenance on C-130Es I believe. He took ROTC in college, graduated college in 70 and Uncle Sam sent him to Chanute for some type of training. The next I heard from him he was stationed at Forbes in Topeka, I think. Over the years he mentioned traveling to Spain, Germany, Panama, and a hush hush trip to Southeast Asia. I always saw him when he returned for visits home in his blues, never in coveralls. I remember him having some RBF flags on his stereo unit on top of which stood a model of a C-130 Hercules, 1/72 scale I believe. He also had some odd little trinkets, looked like grease fittings or some type of relief valve from a wing fuel tank? I guess he was a packrat. He also mentioned having problems with a plane, having someone crawl into the wing and finding a cot rolled up inside the wing fuel tank? Now to my question, seeing as though he was a maintenance guy, 2nd lieutenant, would he have been in a certain wing or squadron? I am thinking he would have been with the 313th? Like I said I never saw his "work clothes" so I never saw any particular wing or unit. Thank you for your time and patience.---John

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Johnvan sounds like your brother was a maint. officer. At that time he could have been a job control OIC ( officer in charge) or assigned to an OMS, FMS or AMS maint. squadron as a maint. officer. And yes he would be in a Squadron which is under a Group and they would be under a Wing and they would be under a numbered Air Force and they would be under a major command, at that time at Forbes he would have been in the Tactical Air Command. If you could find any of his old AF paperwork that might tell you which unit he was in. Hope this helps. Bill

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Thanks Bill. I did write and got next to nothing as far as a unit or wing. I guess I will just hope someone who knew him reads this thread. How many 2nd lieutenants were there at Forbes from 70 to 74 who drove a 70 light blue Volvo, went to road rallies, had a red Honda motorcycle and was from Massachusetts? I also remember him commenting to my son, his nephew who was attached to the 82nd Airborne, that he always got pissed when his planes took paratroopers up and they heaved their breakfast all over his planes and he had to clean them. Thanks again-----John

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I goggled Forbes AFB for you and found a C-130 unit there from 64-73. The 313th Troop Carrier Wing was stationed there. Hope that might help you. If he commented about cleaning up puke, he most likely was in a OMS (organizational maintenance squadron) also known as crew chiefs. Crew chiefs worked on almost every part of the plane and where also tasked with servicing and cleaning the aircraft, I was a crew chief and have cleaned my share of other peoples puke. As for how many 2nd lieutenants may have been there, I would say many,many,many all officers start as second lieutenants so there is a almost unlimited number of officers to try to sort through. Good luck with your search.

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Thanks Mark, I never knew 2nd lieutenants were crew chiefs, for some odd reason I always thought there were sergeants. But not being in the military I am far from an expert. As to there being many 2nd lieutenants at Forbes you are right BUT how many were there from 70 to 74 from Massachusetts and graduated from UMASS in 70 taking ROTC? Think I narrowed the field a bit? Thank you all for the "education", I am learning.---John

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John, only enlisted people are crew chiefs in the USAF. If your brother was a 2nd Lt. he was not an aircraft crew chief. If he ever cleaned up puke off of a C-130 it was either his own or he was a hands on helpful type of maint. officer, which would make him exceptional. We thank him for his service! Bill

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If you are looking for info on your brothers military career, you might try contacting your county veterans service officer. He might be able to point you in a direction to try to get information. For that, it would help if you know where his "home of records" would be. that would be I believe the county where he enlisted in the military, probably where you grew up, but not sure. It would help the veterans service officer your search if you have his social security number, the military tracks everyone with their ssn. Also Spectre623 is correct, I should have also said that crew chiefs are enlisted, not officers. however each maintenance section has a OIC (officer in charge), these are usually lower ranking officers to supervise the work section. In my experience, the OIC has been in command of about 30-50 people. These officers have close daily personal contact with the people under their command. And they are often involved in overseeing the work that is performed by the men and women that work "for" them, so it would be possible for him to see the things your brother said he did. Again good luck

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Thanks Bill, thought crew chiefs were NCO. I have a pretty good handle on military even though I wasn't in. My dad was USAAF WWII Okinawa and Guam bulldozing airfields for bombers going to Tokyo, my aunt was a US Army nurse in England WWII during Blitz, gramps served under General Black Jack Pershing in Mass National Guard chasing Pancho Villa in 1916,my neice did a couple of tours USAF in "sandbox" as she calls Iraq and Afganistan with C-5 Galaxies from Travers, my son was with 82nd Airborne, nephew was a Marine and other nephew was silent service doing "voyages to the bottom of the sea". Also older brother in USAF with C-130E Hercules.---Thanks again---John

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