Mt.crewchief

I worked on some of the first at Naha and Sewart.

The nose gear doors opened sideways. Some also had the Roman nose.

Most were in the 2000 hour range.

Don, that must have been in the old "brown shoes" days!!!

He says that about everyone, Ken!!!!!!!!!! Have a happy birthday anniversary..... many more to ya

Giz

Giz, I hear ya!!!

Thanks guys for the birthday wishes. My Mom (97), says I was born at 2:30 AM that day. Maybe I can find some paperwork on that!!! CRS you know!!!

Ken

Not a tough choice---I am going to Chris's birthday party!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY tinwhistle

Have a good one ,

your friend,

Ken aka Mt.crewchief

I am a day early, but probably wouldn't remember it tomorrow!

Bob,

I took your advice and sent a letter off to Yakota. ---I hope to the right place!

I will let you know what happens!

Thanks,

Ken

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A British citizen sitting at a stop light:

I was sitting at a red stop light yesterday, minding my own business, patiently waiting for it to turn green even though there was no on-coming traffic.

A carload of loud, bearded, young Muslims, shouting anti-English slogans, with a half-burned Union Jack duct-taped to the boot lid of their car and a

"Remember 9-11" slogan, spray-painted on the side, was stopped next to me.

Suddenly they yelled, "Allah U Akbar!!" and took off before the light changed.

Out of nowhere a bus came speeding through the junction and ran directly over their car, crushing it completely and killing everyone in it.

For several minutes I sat in my car thinking to myself, "My God, that could have been me!"

So today, bright and early, I went out and got a job as a bus driver.

You might try the history office at the 374 AW at Yokota AB Japan.

Bob

Thanks for the tip Bob. Is there an address for the 374 AW or do you think I could just look it up on Google?

Ken

I have a question that maybe one of you guys can answer for me.

Does the USAF keep records of daily missions? Also if they do, do they keep them in an archive somewhere?

The reason I ask, is while reading many books on the ground war/infantry actions in Viet Nam, I have discovered that most of the books I have read the authors have been able to go back to their unit records and check their memories with what actually happened on what mission and what day! Names and everything!

I am still looking for any records/missions that would include my experiences on Jan 1st. 1968. If they did keep a daily log on each acft or mission, would they still be available? As the years go by, I can still remember the mission like it just happened, but now I am wondering if I screwed up the date!!! Also, the only guy I knew on the aircraft that day was the assistant crew-chief on the plane (56-0475), Dan Lafferty. Do any of you guys know or remember him?

Would it do any good to just concentrate on missions in Viet Nam by the 374th TAW? The plane involved was in the 35th TAS. One more question,how would I find out the same info about the Blind Bat missions?

If anybody has any suggestions, I would appreciate hearing them. Either here on the forum or via PM or e-mail.

Thanks for the help,

Ken

If you're watching the Superbowl - #69 for the Seahawks is Clinton McDonald, son of retired Flight Engineer Larry McDonald. Ya just gotta be a Seahawks fan tonight!!

I watched it but didn't like the outcome!!!! The Seahawks did kick some butt didn't they!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS Let it be known "Big Timber declares War on the USA"

President Barack Obama was in the Oval Office when his telephone rang.

...

"Hello, President Obama," a heavily accented Norwegian voice said. "'Dis here is Sven, over here at the Muni Liquor Store in Big Timber, Montana. Ve don't like some a yer policies so I am callin' to tell ya that we are officially declaring war on ya!"

"Well, Sven," Barack replied, "This is indeed important news! How big is your army?"

"Right now," said Sven, after a moment's calculation, "there is myself, my cousin Knute, my next-door-neighbor Ole, and the whole pool team from the Muni "

Barack paused, "I must tell you Sven that I have one million men in my army waiting to move on my command."

"Wow," said Sven, "I'll haf at call ya back!"

Sure enough, the next day, Sven called again. "Mr. Obama, DA war is still on! We have managed to acquire some infantry equipment!"

"And what equipment would that be, Sven?" Barack asked.

"Vell sir, ve got two combines, a bulldozer, and Sigurd's farm tractor."

President Obama sighed. "I must tell you Sven, that I have 16,000 tanks and 14,000 armored personnel carriers. Also I've increased my army to one and a half million since we last spoke."

"All right den, said Sven. "I'll be getting back to ya."

Sure enough, Sven rang again the next day... "President Obama, da war is still on! We have managed to git ourselves airborne! We up an' modified Ole's ultra-light vit a couple'a shotguns in da cockpit, and four boys from the coffee shop haf joined us as vell!"

Barack was silent for a minute then cleared his throat.

"I must tell you, Sven, that I have 10,000 bombers and 20,000 fighter planes. My military complex is surrounded by laser-guided, surface-to-air missile sites. And since we last spoke, I've increased my army to TWO MILLION"

"Tu million you say?," said Sven, "l'll haf' to call you back."

Sure enough, Sven called again the next day. "President Obama! I am sorry to have to tell you that ve off had to call off dis here war."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Barack. "...why the sudden change of heart?"

Vell, sir," said Sven, " ve all sat ourselves down and had a long chat over a few beers, and come to realize that there's yust no vay ve can feed two million prisoners."

BIG TIMBER CONFIDENCE CANNOT BE SHAKEN

________________

Don't know anything about STEP, but I do know that when I rotated to Langley from CCK/Vietnam I had at least one performance report recommending me for early promotion. Not only did I not get the promotion, but I was removed from the flight line. That ended what I thought would be an Air Force career. It wasn't 'til very recently that I put the pieces together. It would seem that some commander at Langley (don't know if it was Squadron Commander, Base Commander, or what) at that time was of the opinion that no first term enlistee should be Crew Chief and that no first term enlistee should be ranked above E-4. Short sighted? I've attached one of those performance reports I mentioned.

Chris, nice APR! When I managed to get all of my records a couple years ago, I discovered I was recommended for promotion etc. etc. And--I did get promoted to E-5 before I got out at Dover. I was a Crew Chief there and at CCK and was ready to stay in until I met up with the C-133's!! Also, after 33 months in South East Asia , the stateside bullshit (pardon the harsh words), was more than I wanted to handle! I still would have re-enlisted if they could have promised or even lied to me that I would get an assignment where I could go to Europe on TDY's . They couldn't do it so I got out! I wanted to be a crew chief forever or better yet a FE. Also, I think the reason I got promoted to E-5 was my time in grade. I was sworn in on a 120 day deferment in 1966 before I went active in Jan 67.

I would have loved to have given my promotion to somebody like you who was career minded!

If only we could do things over!!,

Ken

Never knew anyone promoted through STEP, but I always figured it would be, like Larry said, mostly cops, admin. troops, people that never went TDY anywhere and were always around the CC. You know, the brown-nosing, suck-asses.

I don't know anything about the STEP program, but I do know SEFEGeorge has a way with words!!!! :D

Hey, Bob, will you send a note to my wife telling her I actually did get something RIGHT?????? I'd appreciate it, 'cause she wouldn't believe me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIZ

Giz,

Maybe Bob won't be able to do that for you! I heard he is an Honest man!!!!!!

Ken

Weather Conditions --- Just got off the phone with a friend who lives in North Dakota.

She said that since early this morning the snow has been nearly waist high and is still falling. The temperature is 32 below zero and the north wind is increasing to near gale force. Wind chill is -59. Her husband has done nothing but look through the kitchen window and just stare.

She says that if it gets much worse, she may have to let the drunken bastard in.

Those kind of stories about Jane and Ted have been floating around Montana ever since they bought the Flying D ranch on the Gallatin River. I do know guys that have seen them at cafes in the area and they just said the Turners were kind of snooty and didn't talk to anybody! After the story about the Oasis in Manhattan I happened to be in Manhattan for a volley ball tournament and decided to eat there. There was no sign (pictures, etc.) of the Turners on the walls etc. like there are of the rest of the movie stars that own ranches in the area. The snopes thing is probably right as much as that disappoints me! I have never heard of them being in Billings but they probably have.

Giz, you heard this on the internet and you can take it to the bank!!!!!!!!!

Ken

This good ol’ boy has a point.....

The Old Pipeliner Says... Participating in a gun buy back program because you think that criminals have too many guns is like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids...

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely i can't look that old.

well . . .you'll love this one.

my name is Alice, and i was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.

i noticed his DDS diploma on the wall, which bore his full name. Suddenly, i remembered a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 30-odd years ago.

could he be the same guy that i had a secret crush on, way back then?

upon seeing him, however, i quickly discarded any such thought.

this balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my classmate.

after he examined my teeth, i asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.

'yes. Yes, i did. I'm a mustang,' he gleamed with pride.

when did you graduate?' i asked.

he answered, 'in 1975. Why do you ask?'

you were in my class!', i exclaimed.

he looked at me closely.

then, that ugly,

old,

bald,

wrinkled faced,

fat-assed,

gray-haired,

decrepit

son-of-a-bitch

asked,

'what did you teach???

f4enut, I have a feeling that I might know one of the guys on the tow team you are talking about. Actually, I am surprised it didn't happen more often! Whenever we called the tower for permission to cross the the runway from "easy area" we had to try to figure what the Okinawan in the tower was saying!! One day I called the tower for clearance and I was given the okay-- that's what I thought anyway! Just as we got across, the Northwest Orient plane landed. We saw it coming and I told the Euc. operator to step on it! We thought it was kind of funny until we got our butts chewed by the Main. Officer. Could it have been you? Back to the Kadena incident, did the guy in charge of the tow crew have "Frog" written on his green 35th TAS cap? If so he was my room mate! (also the guy receiving the Airman's Medal in my gallery)!

By the way is Jesse still with us?? By the way, the year was 1968

Thanks for the memories,

Ken

Isn't the MT ANG at Great Falls Airport, are they moving to Malmstrom?

Bob

Whoops, Now it makes sense, my friends grandson is stationed at Malmstrom and he said all they had were helicopters! I guess the ANG birds will be going to the Great Falls Airport! Bob, you and herfixer & waggonman have just straightened me out!! It's one of those MANY "I didn't know that" things for me!! Seems to be more and more of them these days!!!

Thanks guys for stopping me from making any more mistakes(at least on that subject) !!

Ken

Will do Chris, while we're there, we might as well go tour Glacier Park. It's a photographers dream by the way!

I think Herks are supposed to be settled in at Malmstrom by then!

If any of you young guys on the forum happen to end up there, let me know. I will come up for a tour of one of those beauties!!!

Ken

Whoa!!! what a beauty! Thanks for the picture and I hope you are able to post more in the future!

Now, since you haven't put any things in your profile, I will have to ask some questions. Where are you that you can take this picture or did you find it on the web? If you are currently in the AF are you coming to Montana?

If not, come to Montana, "Gods Country", to see it when it has a new home!!

Thanks for the picture,

Ken

Holy crap....I hope Jane Fonda doesn't die anytime soon. Now THAT would be a flag lowering I would go Postal over

Good one Sparks!!!!!!!!

I guess I would like to give my two cents on this subject. Which, by the way was started by tinwhistle (Chris), about lowering the flag for Mandela's death. I also agree with Chris and those of you who have posted the same! But like SEFEGeorge posted on the flag code, there is a lot of latitude on who does what with the flag! Especially Presidents etc. What bothers me is with our own Presidents and ex Presidents being on the news giving speeches etc. at the services it is expressing my feelings about what Mandela did for who? Not me!! Like sparks said, when the flag is lowered for Jane Fonda, then the shit will hit the fan!!!

As far as the G&R goes, I know that if there had been a C-130 unit anywhere within several hundred miles of home, I would have signed up in a heartbeat and not for the extra money etc. Now, that there is a C-130 unit coming to Montana I still would do it! Age limits be damned!!!!!

Ken

As far as my experiences go, we flew straight from Naha to Ubon and back the same way! What I remember is that a crew that was on their R&R during their 90 day TDY, hopped on a bird with a returning crew and went back to Ubon on another input seven days later! I did that once! That is not saying for sure that some planes didn't stop elsewhere going to and from Ubon! After all,how many times during your tour(s) there did you find yourself landing somewhere you had no idea you were going to?

Does any of what I just said make any sense? :confused:

Ken

Air Start!!!! --There used to be a place in Naminoue we called "air start alley"

At least the guys told me so!! The one similar was called Mamma Do-Rights Turkey Farm located out the back gate at Naha!!

Okay, now let's clean it up!!!!

Oh yeh, there used to be something called a "leak check" !! I think it had something to do with the PCOD

Now, where were we????

Naw, it just took time to RIPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good one Giz!!!