Mt.crewchief

Pineapple!!! While at CCK one of the most pain in the ass things I remember was doing something on top of the airplane and seeing way off in the distance one or two guys walking the flight-line with white coveralls on! You knew QC was on the flightline and you had better get all of your ground wires in order etc. etc. Of course the most feared QC inspector of all was a guy named "Pineapple" (I assumed he was Hawaiian) always tried to stay one step ahead of him. Us guys who spent a lot of time in Viet Nam really had to worry as we basically didn't have any quality control there and got used to not having things like LOX pans, gloves, etc. I never did know Pineapple's real name or don't remember it, but I got to know him on a hop back to the states on a C-141. He was almost human!! Do any of you guys remember him?? I was at CCK in 69 and 70!! Ken PS Is that what QA is now???

Sonny, All I've got to say, is that you got to see and experience something that the rest of us probably never dreamed of seeing!! Just another experience you had due to your ties to our C-130 Herkybird!!! Worth the ass chewin wasn't it!!!!

Sure, Now you tell me about the NOONERS!!!!!!! I didn't mean to post this twice!! I guess i was thinking about the Nooners.

Sure, Now you tell me about the NOONERS!!!!!!!

GVS, It may sound outrageous, and you may not have ever heard of such a thing, but it is true. The longer this thread stays alive the more it seems less outrageous!! I may have CRS and a vivid imagination, but even I couldn't have thought that story up!! Sonny, the bar that I saw the green cards issued(Okay, I'll admit it was I who received one) was the big open air bar in Ubon . Always had good music and lots of good looking girls. Now, not all of the girls had green cards, just the ones who were in the profession. Which I might add, most of them were!! I remember, that if you left with one of the girls with a green card you had at least some sense of safety!!! Of course, a lot of things can happen in two weeks between check-ups!! I also am not making up the part about the line at the dispensary waiting for their 9AM or 3PM shots. By the way I never stood in that line----- Like Sonny, that's my story and I am sticking to it!! Ken By the way, I was at Ubon in 1968 from Sept thru Nov.

Good one Sam! Welcome to the forum. Ken

Sonny, Yeh, I wonder!!! A model citizen like yourself!!! Wasn't life good in those days??? Ken

Okay, here goes! The green card was a card you received from some people at a table or whatever positioned near the exit door from some of the bars downtown. If, for some reason you exited with one of the female patrons of the establishment,(for reasons I won't explain here), you received a green card stating that she had been checked for certain diseases (again I wont explain which diseases), on such and such date. Usually the girl had a checkup once a week and I am sure the check up was sponsored by the US Govt.! If her name was on the list, you were given a green card the size of a business card with her name on it. It was also numbered! Then here comes the best part. Sometime every week the green card numbers were announced over the radio which had not passed their weekly check-up! If it happened to be a number which you had in your possession, you were instructed to report to the base clinic for a series of shots to rid yourself of the disease which you had surely contacted!! If I remember right the unlucky guys had to get penicillin shots twice a day for a week or whatever the proper cure time was. I think this was called the 9 and 3 club!! I remember the numbers being read off at the Airmans Club and everybody would stop what they were doing and get out their green cards to see if they were a winner (???) Funnier yet, the Sgt. at the Maint. shack or whatever it was called was seen (by me) standing in the line at the 9 & 3 club waiting for his shots. Now, I am not making this up, and one of you guys that spent much time at Ubon and the surrounding areas must know what I am talking about!! I guess I will have keep looking for the one I have to substantiate my claim!!! Of course the one I have I must have found on a table at the Airman's Club or somewhere like that!! Listening to the moans and groans of the guys that had the lucky numbers was usually followed by cheers from some!!!!!! Just a piece of history, Ken

As the title says--did any of you Ubon guys happen to save a green card from downtown? If you were there, you will know what I mean!! Unless of course you never left base--then you might not know what I am talking about!! I know I have one I saved as a souvenir but I can't find it right now! Of course I found the one I've got ! Either that or someone gave it to me!!! Ken

Sonny, one question did this escapade happen before or after your Crew Chief of the Month award???? Also, don't forget--more pics of that event and the rest of the story! I'm sure there are more people than me that would like to know just what happened!! Ken

Best one yet Sonny!! I believe I will have to make some copies of this one!! Ken

Yep, it was down for several days. I e-mailed Casey wandering if it was my computer! Of course Casey replied like I knew he would and assured me it wasn't my computer. So Tusker , let's get on with some stuff about the beast!!!! You first--- Ken

Wow, I wouldn't have had the b***s to try that trick!! I remember Msgt Tanner (kinda). He did save your ass--no doubt about it! But, it sounds like a good time was had by all! Thanks for sharing your experience! TWO DAY'S ???? Isn't that pushing AWOL? Ken

Sonny, I was just kidding about the dicking around!! I kind of figured if I would have gone down there as a crewchief I would have been more in my element and had a good time as you say taking in a little local culture!! As it was, us guys on the flight crews had all kinds of time to mingle with the citizens so to speak. If I remember right, we flew early, late, then off. Then after awhile, we got a week's R&R. I guess I must have known that before I volunteered for the loadmaster/flare-kicker job! I do remember though, we never had anybody ever fly with us except for the occasional "big-wig" from PACAF and a combat photographer sometimes. The combat photographer took our crew picture that I have posted in my "user gallery" It sounds like the crew-chiefs got less time off than we did at Cam Rahn Bay which was almost none!! Keep digging up the good pics, Ken

Never happen GI!!! I no bullshit you!!!!

Like Sonny commented , they were fairly common all over the Island wherever I went --at least in the Naha area. I have some pics somewhere that show them in the golf courses. I think they are called "Turtleback tombs" The story I heard was that the bones were cleaned etc. by virgins. Now remember some of my vast knowledge of Okinawa is from stories heard over a table in Naminouie!! Ken

Ah, the gun hill, never leave Naha without it!!!

Sonny, It's neat to see the maps posted. Naha Air Base looks a lot different than I remember but some of the things are starting to come back to me the longer I look! I don't see the 35th and the 41st. areas though. Do you suppose this map was made before those squadrons were there. The reason I ask that, because the the 21st. and the 817th were labeled TCS instead of TAS. I know when I got to Naha in Sept 67 it was called the 35th TAS as were the other squadrons were also called TAS. I do think it changed just before I got there in Sept. If I remember right, the 35th. was just inside the gate that was manned by Ryukyan guards. A cinder block building that opened out to a parking lot on one side and the flightline on the other. Also, I think it was next to a large hangar used by a civilian contractor named Dyna Electron. Please correct me if I am wrong which is entirely possible. I remember the walk down the hill to work in the morning and seeing those big ass snails making their way down off the grassy hill and crossing the sidewalk and the street. Remember them? The left slimy trails. I don't know why I never took a picture of one of them. Never have seen one since!! I also liked the ones you took of Ubon. Some of that stuff I never saw as I was on a flight crew flying Blindbat missions and we rode crew vehicles to and from the barracks from the airplane. Never got to dick around like a Crew Chief would have!!!!! Keep the pics coming. I have some of Ubon and also some from Naha but I think I will have to re-copy them. I think my last computer ate them. Ken Sonny, after another look I discovered the 35th TCS on the side of the map. Still don't see the 41st. Another edit---just found the 41st. right in the same place I found the 35th. Honest, I'm not blind--it just appears that way!!

John Limbach sent me a copy of the the John Wayne video we have been talking about. I really enjoyed it especially because of the sound of the Herks running in the background and of some of the landing and take off pics in some of the areas a lot of us have been to. There are some pretty good interviews with some of the guys/crews also. I didn't recognize any of them but that was probably because I was back in the states at the time. He told me that his offer to make one for whoever asks still stands. Thanks for sharing John, Ken

topbolts, For Sonny's new pics you go to his profile and scroll down until you see "Sonny's Album) Click on the Naha Pictures and there they will be. I posted mine in the users gallery. I guess I didn't know there was another way!

Sonny, I just looked at your pics! Good ones!! I have quite a few from the base but not nearly as many from all of the different angles as yours. Is that pic of the barracks from above with the dumpster across the street taken from the gun hill? That is the barracks I lived in from Sept 67 to Mar. 69! Congratulations on being one of the top 10 crew chiefs for the month of Jan. 1968. I see you were the lowest ranking one of the bunch. That shows that you must have had your shit together!! Also, did you know the Ssgt. named Buitjen? If so, was his first name Ernie? If so I knew him. Also Glover. I forgot that there was so many Quonset huts on the base. I stayed in a transit Quonset when I first got to Naha! Also, the mail-room was in one of them also wasn't it?? Keep the pics coming, Ken

First of all, welcome to the forum! As usual, I was lurking in the new members notice area and saw the name Rapelje and thought wow somebody from my area!!! Well, no such luck but wanted to ask you if you are a distant relative of the person that Rapelje Montana was named after. Rapelje is a small (very small) farming/ranching community 27 miles north of Columbus where I live. It is right in the middle of nowhere and is mostly a grain farming area. Nice country though!! You mentioned being a 1st Sgt of the 817th TAS in 68 and 69 so I would probably know you if I saw you. I was in the 35th and Msgt. Galloway was my 1st. Sgt. Gary Levesque and I took over his room in the barracks when his wife come over and he moved! I had friends in the 817th and I am sure there are a couple guys here on the forum that were also in the 817th. One of my classmates from Tech School was in the 817th. I think. His name was Ron Harper. you might have known him --especially if he was in trouble!! Maybe you can answer a question about a couple guys that were there at the same time as you. Do you remember SMSGT Jesse James? Also there was a CMSGT around there that drove a red Honda car. First Honda car I had ever seen! I can't remember his name. I think there is a picture of Galloway in my gallery. If not, I will get it in soon! By the way, thanks for posting something in your Bio. Some of us were recently discussing that!!! Anyway, nice to have you aboard. I'll bet you can help a lot of us from Naha get some of our stories right!!! Ken PS Larry and Don, I was the first visitor!!!

Well, I know it happened and like Don said, he pulled the circuit breaker to avoid compass problems. The compass problem was what caused the experience I am referring to. I see the TCTO you are referring to is in 1974. When the TCTO was done on 1804 it was in 1969 or 70! I do recall something about steel screws being used during the installation instead of brass or copper?? I don't remember checking them on pre-flights later but probably did and they must have worked. Or possibly the CB was pulled permanently! Thanks for your reply, Ken

Now you guys have got me wondering!! Maybe the rear urinal was already there on 62-1804 when I started on it after coming from Naha and A-Models in 1969! I lived on that airplane for the next 15 months and definitely never saw any fwd. urinals!! I think I would have !! Maybe they had been removed before I got to CCK. There is another crew chief on this forum that crewed 1804--- after me! Maybe he can shed some light on this very important question!!!!! As for the wing-tip taxi lights I remember on the trip back to CCK we got out of where we were supposed to be and got challenged by the Taiwan Airforce and I remember the scramble in the flight deck looking for the book on the codes on what to do next! I know there is a proper way to word this but right now I can't remember it! Anyway, the flight crew took it very serious! Kinda scared me as the engineer told me they would shoot us down!! I assume he was just messing with me but he looked serious!! Anyway, we were escorted to the right area and landed uneventfully. Maybe one of the guys on that flight crew is on this forum and can clear this up and tell it right!! Thanks for replying guys, Ken By the way, when the fighter jets intercepted us I could have gotten some real nice close-up pics of them but thought better of it at that time!!! Now I wish I would have!!!

Larry, You're right about the lights affecting the compass. Ours screwed up the compass on the way back to Taiwan right after being installed! We must have had them on!! My plane only had the rear urinal and it was installed while I was crew chief on it! It may have had the fwd. ones installed later. Thanks for replying. Now I can try to ask some more non-essential questions!!! Ken