Johnvan

Thanks Mark, I don't live in Massachusetts but will try that sometime when I go for a visit.---John

Thanks Bill, thought crew chiefs were NCO. I have a pretty good handle on military even though I wasn't in. My dad was USAAF WWII Okinawa and Guam bulldozing airfields for bombers going to Tokyo, my aunt was a US Army nurse in England WWII during Blitz, gramps served under General Black Jack Pershing in Mass National Guard chasing Pancho Villa in 1916,my neice did a couple of tours USAF in "sandbox" as she calls Iraq and Afganistan with C-5 Galaxies from Travers, my son was with 82nd Airborne, nephew was a Marine and other nephew was silent service doing "voyages to the bottom of the sea". Also older brother in USAF with C-130E Hercules.---Thanks again---John

Thanks Mark, I never knew 2nd lieutenants were crew chiefs, for some odd reason I always thought there were sergeants. But not being in the military I am far from an expert. As to there being many 2nd lieutenants at Forbes you are right BUT how many were there from 70 to 74 from Massachusetts and graduated from UMASS in 70 taking ROTC? Think I narrowed the field a bit? Thank you all for the "education", I am learning.---John

Thanks Bill. I did write and got next to nothing as far as a unit or wing. I guess I will just hope someone who knew him reads this thread. How many 2nd lieutenants were there at Forbes from 70 to 74 who drove a 70 light blue Volvo, went to road rallies, had a red Honda motorcycle and was from Massachusetts? I also remember him commenting to my son, his nephew who was attached to the 82nd Airborne, that he always got pissed when his planes took paratroopers up and they heaved their breakfast all over his planes and he had to clean them. Thanks again-----John

Hello-I was here a few years ago, had an older brother that served at Forbes back in the 70s, actually 70 to 74 roughly. He was working with maintenance on C-130Es I believe. He took ROTC in college, graduated college in 70 and Uncle Sam sent him to Chanute for some type of training. The next I heard from him he was stationed at Forbes in Topeka, I think. Over the years he mentioned traveling to Spain, Germany, Panama, and a hush hush trip to Southeast Asia. I always saw him when he returned for visits home in his blues, never in coveralls. I remember him having some RBF flags on his stereo unit on top of which stood a model of a C-130 Hercules, 1/72 scale I believe. He also had some odd little trinkets, looked like grease fittings or some type of relief valve from a wing fuel tank? I guess he was a packrat. He also mentioned having problems with a plane, having someone crawl into the wing and finding a cot rolled up inside the wing fuel tank? Now to my question, seeing as though he was a maintenance guy, 2nd lieutenant, would he have been in a certain wing or squadron? I am thinking he would have been with the 313th? Like I said I never saw his "work clothes" so I never saw any particular wing or unit. Thank you for your time and patience.---John