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jsummers72

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Posts posted by jsummers72

  1. I don't know how to prove who's right or wrong. Time does weird stuff to us all, but I checked around some more. I spoke w/ Milt Haas the other day. He was the 17TAS DO during that time. I asked him what he remembered w/out telling him what I thought and he piped up right away, "it was a SOS crew". He told me a few other stories about the SOS bunch who was using the 17TAS building to headquarter out of during that "grim" Brim Frost. He & the 17th CC had to have words w/ them a couple of times about "behavior". (And we were not some wuzzy outfit, either). He remembered it same as I did-SOS out of FLA. Now I might have lost my mind. Doubtful since I wrote the frags every day for that BF. If it was a "regular" airlift sqdn. their frags came outa' our office. But Milt hasn't. (I hope, ha !) Added just for conversation since we're all so old and retired now. Not to argue. Honest. Fly safe guys.

  2. Many of you know CMsgt Doug Grant & his "crew chief" Joanie. Their home was the "hardstand" for many an airlifter over the years. How many meals she served us all can never be counted. She fought cancer for the last 7 yrs or so and was "promoted" from aircrew status to heavenly angel wings this week. Joan's wake this evening was attended by many ole' airlifters. She would have loved to see so many all together. She will be missed by us all. If you'd like Doug's address to send a card-private email me pls.

  3. I was Chief, Current Ops for the 616 MAG during that Brim Frost. The winds were most certainly outa' limits that day. We didn't even alert the crew. All of our the local 616 restrictions (like previous experience into the field by the Pilot in command, etc.) had been incorporated in the 22AF Airfield restrictions guide yrs before. Without meeting any of those qualifications /restrictions that crew went anyway, after I personally talked to their ops officer or duty officer about going. (can't remember who it was exactly). Any way, all airlift during BF was scheduled thru' our little office except SpecialOps. I hate it that I can't swear to it, but the way I remember it, it was a SOS crew outa' Florida that crashed it, or it was a SOS crew flying a bird from another regular trash hauler outfit. It wasn't one of our 17TAS birds, for sure. yes, Steve Sullivan & Doug Grant flew it out months later. And the other remarks about snow being dumped on it, etc are correct as I remember it too. All I can swear to is that the crew wasn't a regular Tac airlift crew, because we cancelled that day.

  4. ALL- I sent copies of old OER's stating SEA missions, service, destinations, etc. That along w/ my Form 5 flight info (yeah I kept all the official AF form 5), ICAO destinations in VN & Cambodia, my own flight logs with acft commander's names (sorry FE's) tail numbers & all destinations/times, cargo, etc. I sent it all to the office at Randolph (posted in some other thread on this Forum somewhere) that amends DD form 214s. They accepted it as proof of "Boots". First I got a confirm letter of "boots on the gnd" then 3 mo later a DDform 215, adding the VN svc medal & VN Gallantry medal. Then the VA accepted that it as proof of "VN era vet status". 2 years later (last week in fact) my disability claim (C&P) was settled. I'm so sorry all you other vets are unable to prove your VN service. It makes me a little embarrassed that so many with so much more VN time, got nothing. I wish you the good luck, I had. Keep trying.

  5. KIm, been waiting for those pics from the attic also. I wish I'd taken more pics while I was in the 37th. I saw a note I wrote myself in another journal the other day. It said "on his day Tony Nazario made 5 windmill taxi starts (attempts) at Reggio Calabria. Was that the 3 eng take off you mentioned ? I hadn't remembered Tony till then. mY note may not be factually accurate enuff for a court, but it was fun reading it. Tony's good bud was Ed Mararro. remember him ? He used to introduce himself (speaking like a Scot) in his heavy PR accent as , "Ed Mac Rarro". Wonder where they are.

  6. Aug 2013. After my May 2013 letter from Randolph saying "boots on the ground" in VN; I thought it was over. Last wk I got a DD215 from Randolph awarding me the VSM (1 star) & the VN Gallantry medal (palm). So now I've added that to the VA's record & they're happy. Anch VA said if I'd had the VSM there would never have been a problem. Sorry to hear others w/ the VSM aren't classified VN vets. The Anch VA office must be OK after all. Thnx again for the help guys.

  7. Amen to that. The address is as follows (if you need it):

    HQ AFPC/DPAPP

    550 C Street, West Suite 32

    Randolph AFB, TX. 78150-4703

    I'm told that a DD-215 is the correction to a DD-214. This is that office. I didn't get a 215, but the letter I mentioned. Good luck.

  8. Update on VN service recognition. Back in March when I wrote that I submitted my existing paperwork to the VA, I also sent the same stuff to the DD-214 correction folks at Randolph AFB. On Apr 22 I got a letter back from them. Their words -"use this letter as proof of "Boots on the ground" in VN". The legalese of the letter said they weren't gona' correct the DD-214 cause it wasn't in error, just incomplete. They said they couldn't prove how many days I was ever there, cause they were all TDY's. Anyway, I got the best result I could've I guess. The VA service rep says it's all they need to upgrade me to VN vet status. So thnx Sparks. Guess I can say "Finally, I'm a Vietnam Vet" too.

  9. Don,

    I too would like copies IF they are ever found. I also, had a pic at 1 time. The official report was laying around the sqdn for a long time after it came out. Nasty reading. The pilot was Paul Bunt. Last week I wrote to a realtor in CA. named Paul Bunt that I found on the "net". Paul went back to CA. after the 0550 accident. No response yet.

    jim s.

  10. Help pls. I've found some old personal flt records with old or obsolete airport designators. I can not find out which airports they were for in 1974. I'm looking for RVHO and VWHN. Both were in VN somewhere. Can anybody help ? I'm sending the info to the AF Records Review Board at Randolph.

    Oh by the way, my request for records from the National Personnel Records Cntr in St. Louis got me a letter saying..." we have been unable to locate the record needed to answer your request. The file was removed from the file area....we will continue to do all that is possible to locate your records"...etc, etc. Ain't that a kick in the teeth ?

  11. In 1974 at Clark I was having my first ck ride as a new Co-pilot. Mike Mobley (?) was the old head Capt FE. He told me that "the reg's and our Commander say I have to come out every so often & tell him that I saw the good job that you're doing, that we've heard about". Or something like that. Boy was I relieved. It really set the stage for a smooth ride. I tried to remember that and say something like it every time I gave a ck ride. I agree, "stump the dummy" is a waste of time. Just talk briefly about a few things you saw during the ride and work some light systems in with it. Oh, never give a ck-ride (if you can help it) when another FE is on board doing the same. Enjoy & "do unto others as you'd have them do unto you".

  12. Sam, what would you advise a guy to do with old stories. I've written down a few over the yrs about various C-130 incidents, screwups, accidents and Pho-pa's. I'd love to share them. I'm not an author like you & don't have that many anyway. But I bet they'd be fun to read for somebody out there. Your advise pls ? Thnx

  13. Thanks to encouragement from you "gents", I just took copies of my SEA Form 5's & OERs down to the VA service rep from the Am Legion, at my local VA Service center. He's gona' take them to the eligibility office at the Anchorage VA. I am attempting to prove that I'm a Viet NAm vet too, without ever being awarded the VN Svc Ribbon. I saw that some of you had done it, so I'm trying too. I'll let ya' know how it goes.

  14. when the 7ABCCC returned stateside from Clark, after SEA fell, there were 6 EC-130E's at Hickam, stuffed to the brim. It took our CC all night to convince US Customs NOT to make us offload them. There was everything from a whole sqdn PCS'ing at the same time. 1 had my Honda 750 motorcycles in it. It must've taken 2 weeks to load `em all up at Clark. We stopped at Midway on the way over to see the world famous "gooney birds". Anyone remember this trip ?

  15. I was talking with an Honor Flight rep the other day at a gun show. He said the hardest part of getting every WWII vet back to Washington DC to see the memorial, was hunting them down. Due to privacy reg's, nobody can actually give out WWII veterans' names to Honor Flight. If you know any WWII vets who would like to have an all expenses paid trip to DC, pls send theri names to www.honorflight.org. They & the remaining WWII vets, need our help. Thnx

  16. Speaking of old memories, I just got my original "issue" watch back from my father. He held onto it for me since 1972. It's the GG-W-113 hack watch. Looking online for info on the maker, etc. I see that now-a-days civilians are crazy for old military watches. Just had mine refurb'ed and it keeps great time, no batteries and glows like you-know-what, in the dark. it's my new everyday watch. Yeah, I still have my whiz wheel too. keep meaning to look for an instructional manual. Any ideas ?

  17. has anyone gotten a Expeditionary Medal "exchanged" for the RVN Svc Ribbon ? Several official websites say it's authorized. towards the end of the VN war I flew in country with the 776 TAS and in Freq Wind and Eagle Pull in the 7ABCCC. I was a brand new 2Lt and knew nothing. How do I begin investigating this ? I wrote AFMPC and got the "mac salute" plus a few more web links I already knew about. thnx so much. Jim Summers

  18. Don,

    yeah I remember. Brings back a LOT of memories. The AC was my good bud Paul Bunt. Wonder where he is. And yes, Bill Beal was the co & Billy Legg was the FE. In a few minutes when I'm thru' w/ this post my brain will recall the Nav & LM. I bet Bill Legg knows anyway. I was in the 37th from start-up (1977?) thru' Jun `82. What was that -about 5yrs + some ? Anyway, I read the official Accident report over there at Rhein Main when it was released but I never saw any pics either. I'd love to contact Bill Legg. Ask him if he'd mind if you gave out his address(es) would you pls? Sorry about the lack of pics. I'll be looking for some now too. Thnx for the message.

    jim summers

  19. Help. Anyone know where I might find a pic of a 17 TAS, wheeled C-130E landing out on the open ice next to a Trident Submarine ? We were about 200 nm North of Barrow. I was in the driver's seat back in the mid-80's out there & we were promised a photo from the USN photo guys there to record it. No joy. Never saw one. I forgot about it until I visited the Submarine Museum in St. Mary's, GA. last yr. (near King's Bay NSB). I've corresponded w/ all sorts of real nice swabbies, historians, bubble-heads, etc. Still no luck. Somebody has to have some pics somewhere. Happy Holidays.

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