The son of a WWII 7th Infantry Army DI with 9 years of service and four battle stars before his luck ran out. My life long mentor and best friend. Jan. 1918 - Aug. 2009
It was July '66 and I was a fire fighter with the CDF(California Division of Forestry) when one Sunday the LA Times headline read...50,000 being drafted. My # was up. I loved all things that flew and that's all I wanted to be a part of. After testing the Air Force promised and the Army said maybe.
A mix of assignments, stories, and remembrances.
Sept '66 - Sept '70
Lackland - 3701 BMTS
Chanute - 3347th Aircraft Hydraulics - red rope & honor grad - after graduation was held over for additional training - 3353rd Missile Hydraulics - Minuteman, Titan, & Bomarc. Left Chanute with second stripe....and had no idea I would wear it so long.
(story) 47th Squadron NCO's, Sgt. Coffee, Sgt. McFadden, and the drunk (honestly can't remember his name). One day it started snowing soon after we got to class, and by end of school we were in a full blown white out blizzard. I kept B Flight together while we waited for our NCO escort to show (he, the last of those mentioned above). When it became obvious he wasn't going to show. I called Forty Seven on the road. Telling them it would be a loose formation on the way back and above all else, listen up. I took point and moved the other ropes towards the front of their flights while assigning the one nearest me to rove as needed so we could maintain good communication with the remaining flights.(the wind was howling). We encountered downed power lines, tress, and such, but, made it to the chow hall safe and sound. I was later questioned why I took it upon myself to bring the guys home. My answer was simple. We waited, no one showed, and someone needed to take charge. Never heard another word. The drunk must have... One day as we were readying for morning formation he intentionally stepped square across the toe of my right boot. It was my fault?
First assignment after tech school.
Vandenberg 4/67 - 7/67 - 6595th Aerospace Test Wing - Minuteman Missiles - didn't stay long - they really didn't need us (13 guys). Beautiful base but a boring job!! (5/67 rated 44250 - Scratch that afsc. )
PCS
Edwards 8/67 - 7/68 - 6515th FMS - AFSC Test Division - A few of the birds I recall working on- F/RF104 (lift over drag project - tests for future space shuttle needs) - F4C / spent a lot of time on tail #410 (7410 crashed Tulsa OK Jan 24, 1981) - T38 - T33 - XC142 - F100 - F102 - F105 - F101 - F111 / first Edwards hydraulics class trained on it. Know there are more birds...but it's been a long time. I liked Edwards and all the aircraft but, once I got this 5 level I volunteered for Nam.
(note) Any pilots who flew in & out of Edwards back then remember the B-58 setting out in the desert? If memory serves me we put it out there for photo recon test purposes. (perhaps it's still there).
TDY Langley 7/68 - C130 5 Level training for deployment to CCK. Not where I had hoped for. But it worked out in the end.
PCS
CCK 8/68 - 10/69 314th FMS / Tho spent little time there.
9/20/68 - 11/14/68 TDY Udorn RTAFB - ABCCC.
Worked hydraulics on day shift and as often as my NCO would let me I flew as a spotter on their night flights. Anyone remember Lt. Col Epps? A good man. Was fortunate to get to fly with him several times.
(story) He - Epps had finished his TDY at ABCCC and had a broke bird on the main side of Udorn. Unable to get the help he wanted he came looking for a favor. Hey Mac, can you help me out? Explaining his bird had been red x'd for a aileron high pressure line failure and something about those guys over there can't fix nothin. Because my 7 was willing to sign off on my work....Epps got airborne. Teamwork!! And, a favor returned.
11/19/68 TDY CRB - CRB and TDYs in coutry kept me pretty busy..a good thing!
Of those, this is a memorable one. Who's bird was it? An Khe, Jan '69 - Left/rear MLG axle broke (caused by previous pilot error CRB)... An AR troop by the name of Terry Simms and myself R & R'd the strut assembly - without jacks. Simms and I spent three nights outside the wire with your baby.
Some Pilots? Ignoring our diagonal for a one time flight back to CRB "GEAR DOWN".. the first thing we heard after lift off was 'GEAR COMING UP'....."OH SHIT!!" is what we said with our eyes as Simms and I looked at each other. So much for that preflight briefing.
A special thanks.
If memory serves me, it was between Christmas '68 and New Year that I was dispatched to a loaded bird that once air borne had turned back to CRB for some hydraulic issue. Whoever the load master was that night? The guys I worked with will never forget grilling those steaks. Thanks again!
TET '69 CRB - Chuck Vroom(sp) If ya ever visit this site we have a story to share. Incoming and a John Wayne wannabe pistol packin Officer....remember? How could you not.
So many memories. Some good - some not so good. But they are mine.
About 4/15/69 back at CCK - just there a few days and was off to Osan Korea - something to do with a build up over the Pueblo and ongoing saber rattling. Spent thirty days there and returned to CCK.
Back at CCK - 7/69 TDY Africa - wasn't supposed to talk then. I'll honor that today.
Back at CCK - 8/69 TDY in country - can't find the orders at this time...?
10/69 back at CCK - was there about a week when word came of a death in my family and that I was being sent back to the states - for good....Left with what could be stuffed in a B4 bag.
PCS
10/69 - 9/70 Norton 63rd FMS / C141 - Driving in here's the first thing I saw. A 141 in front of one of the bases main hangers setting on its nose. Someone didn't pin the nose gear? Thought to self....this should be fun? Needless to say, but I will. It didn't make a good first impression. Walked into the hydraulic shop for the first time and was surprised to see a few guys I had gone through my first tech school with. None of them had ever left the states, but were buc sergeants with time to make E-5 before they got out. I was still wearing the same two stripes I left tech school with. Go figure?
I'll close with this thought. As a maintenance troop I never knew what it was like to have just one bird. Every one of them was mine and they were all 'special' to me.
Proud to have played a small part in the history of a GREAT BIRD - the C130
