donwon

I was at Sewart at the time and I think he was a2c Back.

The plane went to Pope and was on it,s way back to Sewart when

it happened.

Something makes me want to call him Baca.

They put a piece of metal over the locks so they couldn't be disengaged.

It was the fwd cargo door.

Those coats tell me it wsn't the Phillipines. It don't get cold enough

for a coat.

They did have a solid ramp but when I was there we had to use the Fig Leaf area for our C-130,s.

Does anyone remember the NCO club being robbed, mid-60's. Took the payroll money the night before payday. Shot up the building and parking lot. I think they got completly away. I heard some former airmen were involved.

I remember hearing about it after I was back in the states.

I had thought it was the Airmans Club.

The first time I flew was from the Induction Center in Charlott N.C.

to Atlanta. That first time to me was right up there with sex. I knew it was something I wanted to do more of.

I went to Tec school at Amarillo on the B-47.

I lost a friend a week or so ago who joined the Marines.

His mother was was French, so he didn't have to go into combat.

He either stepped on a mine or jumped on a live grenade while there.

My point, He didn't have to go, but he did.

Tommy G. Powell - Laurens

Tommy Gene Powell, 60, of 101 Verbatim Drive, passed away Tuesday, February 3, 2009, at Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia.

Born in Laurens, he was a son of the late James and Genevieve Evou Powell. He was a disabled U.S. Marine Veteran having served in Vietnam and was of the Baptist Faith. He was involved for 30 years in the Dixie Youth Baseball League, where he was currently serving as President and had also been a Coach and Groundskeeper.

Surviving is one daughter, Wendy Powell of the home; one son, Jamie Powell of the home; one brother, Charles Powell of Laurens; and one special granddaughter, Autumn Powell.

Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Friday, February 6, 2009, at Forest Lawn Cemetery with Military Honors.

The family will be at the residence and will receive friends at The Kennedy Mortuary Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

One of the first acts of Jimmy Carter after he was electd was to grant

amnisty to all that went to Canada to avoid the draft or going to SEA.

That was a slap in the face to all that had served in SEA.

I joined.

At Sewart we wore the TAC patch.

When we got to Naha we had to change to the PACAF patch.

I was i the 314th OMS at Sewart.

I still get aroused just thinking about the PI.

When I was at clark They started building a new Gate.

From where we stayed in the Trasit Chicken Coops, I remember haveing to ride to the main gate. On the way we passed the construction of another gate.

I heard later the Philipones had built the gate and stole a Fire Truck

and drove it out that gate.

I was channel surfing last night and came across Ghost Hunters.

I heard them meniton about Clark so I watched in hopes of seeing some of the base.

I was there on rote from Sewart from Sept.64 till Jan. 65.

I don,t remember if the hospital was there or not back then.

I had worked with a young man a while back that was from there and

he said the base was abandond on account of the volcano.

The Ghost Hunters had some evedince of the place being Hauntd.

That was the only part they showed.

Them PSP runways used to put some nasty cuts in tires also.

I remember pulling bad starters off the engines while we were on a mission,putting a plate over the opening, and haveing to Hi.speed taxi to windmill start the engine for the next flight.

The only person I remember leaving the A/C in flight from Fwd. of the engines was Gary Back when the Fwd cargo door came open in flight.

He made it all the way to the ground where he expired.

That was on a Sewart Bird that had gone to Pope.

Spector (Bill) should remember this.

I have been to all the stops mentioned, just not at the same time as you. My wife just happens to be from Thailand, a little city most Vietnam vets refer to as Udorn, which I have only called Udon, they must have changed the name of that place too over the years!

Nathan

We stopped in there also. I always got the two mixed up and don't know the correct spelling of it either,

If you are refering to the spelling, I am very good at mispelling.

If you were refering to where we went and the stops we made,

Were you there to know!

Thanks,

Don

We was on the Bangcock shuttel one Saturday, and stopped at Korat,

this was after they got the fighters there.

It was in either 64, 65 or 66 I don't remember now the exact year.

We pulled up close to the chow hall or whatever it was and they had

Grilled Ribeye and baked taters. It was kinda like a patio and we

could see the Flt line and runway from where we were eating.

All we had was a minum fuel load and the Flt.crew and me and my tool box.

This was our last stop before Bangcock.

When we got the plane started and were taxing out the pilot said for us all to strap in, we were gonna do a max T/O.

I usually pulled the sextant case out and sat behind the pilot and

next to the FE looking out what windows I could.

I had a seatbelt rigged to the flight deck escape ladder so I strapped myself to the ladder standing up.

When we got T/O permission the pilots put the throttles to T/O and the props to full pull.

When the plane started to drag the wheels he released the breaks

and pulled the yoke into his belly.

It felt like we rolled about 150' then started to climb out at what seemed

to be about a 60º angle.

We climbed maybe 1000' and seemed to just hang in the air.

Everything was vibrateing like I had never heard before or since.

The pilot nosed the plane over and we went down about 500'

and he did it again but this time we had gained more airspeed.

For a few seconds I thought I was gonna lose my Ribeye.

I know the ribeye had to be waterbuffalo or caribu or something exotic.

To me it was a ride to remember.

We used to do them at Sewart but this was the best one I had been on.

If it had a jar on the bottom of it, it was called a Pogo stick.

It was used to drain water out of the fuel tanks.

The condensation would settle at the bottom of the tank.

When I was in there was a fuel cap on the right rear of the pylons where we refueled them from a truck.

We has to use the ladder we carried in the planes.

I could very well be rong but I think the 2 pylons held 250 gallons each.

My memory aint what it used to be and neither am I.

The older I get, the better I was.

I am thinking the 4 mains totaled 28,000 lbs and the pylons made a total of 32,000 lbs.

I am thinking the full load gave it almost 9 hours flying time.

If I am FOS please tell me.

Some of our new pilots sure could have used them back in the day.

Last I heard, which was over 40 years ago the A,s didn't have a bladder in the wing. I think.

Is that what them yellow thingd hanging down beside the engines are?

I worked for Lockheed for 11 months.

Went to work supposidly on C-130 for the first day and along with many others ths second day I was transfurred to the C5a.

They started bringing people from their plant in Calif. to Ga and we had to teach them our jobs and we got layed off.

I worked at a small airport in north Ga. part time after Lockheed and the manager showed me some ruts in the end of the runway where a C-130 had landed. They were about 6" deep.

I worked for Lockheed for 11 months.

Went to work supposidly on C-130 for the first day and along with many others ths second day I was transfurred to the C5a.

They started bringing people from their plant in Calif. to Ga and we had to teach them our jobs and we got layed off.

I worked at a small airport in north Ga. part time after Lockheed and the manager showed me some ruts in the end of the runway where a C-130 had landed. They were about 6" deep.

Sam I had 51 FIW listed on some of my papers.

I was in 51 OMS and others were in the 51 FMS.

I had forgotten about that till tonight. I actually was thinking it was 315 OMS and FMS.