Skip Davenport

Jeffysan -- I think there were a lot more involved I will have to go get my video and will let you know --

Bob this is what I got to back -- they were going to pick up Senior Scout mission and de-mod from CT config.

Disney has been gracious as to provide our active duty and retirees wonderful opportunities to visit their parks. Below are the rules and Special provisions for utilizing these opportunities. Some of them will be repetitive but are necessary to ensure their rules are understood. Should you have any other questions, after you've read these, don't hesitate to give us a call at 652-5640 or 652- 3698, or email me directly and I will get an answer for you. One thing to remember, Do Not attempt to get more than is authorized as you will not be able to utilize them. All members must be present to use the tickets and they all have to be activated at the same time. You can't purchase 5 and send them to family and friends to use at different times as the Eligible Service Member or spouse must be present to activate tickets and you can only activate one ticket per person. All Special Provisions apply to both Theme Parks, with a few differences such as dates to use the tickets and type of tickets for example, Disney World is a 5 Day ticket and Disneyland is a 3 day ticket. Other special provisions are annotated under each park heading. ELIGIBLE MEMBERS: "Eligible Service Members" defined. Active or Retired members of the U.S. Military, including activated members of the National Guard and Reservists (with orders showing active status after 1 January 2008) as well as active and retired members of the United States Cost Guard. ONLY! HOW TO OBTAIN THESE TICKETS: ITT will have the Complimentary tickets available for Eligible Service Members and the ability to order the Companion Tickets starting the week of Monday 12 Jan, 2009. The companion tickets will be ordered on an as needed basis and will be required to be prepaid up front. In order not to charge shipment, our orders will be placed on Tuesdays and Thursdays prior to 12 Noon. If you have a special need please give us a call. This is due to a deadline we have for submitting orders. All tickets/certificates to include the Complimentary ticket must be picked up at the same time. DISNEYWORD: This promotion entitles "Eligible Service Members" to receive, free of charge, one 5-Day Complimentary Disney's Armed Forces Salute Ticket with Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More Option. (See Special Provisions attached.) During the offer period, 5-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion Tickets with or without options may also be purchased only by "Eligible Service Members" (or their spouse, but not both), for their family and friends. 5-Day Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion Tickets are limited to (5) per (check for clarification) "Eligible Service Members". Remember neither of these are actual tickets. They are certificates that must be presented along with a current Military ID at a Disney World Main Entrance ticket booth to exchange for an active ticket. DISNEYWORLD TICKET PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS (5 Day My Way): 5D MYW w/ Park Hopper &Water Park Fun & More Complementary. $0.00 5D MYW Base (visit one park per day)- Exchange $99.00 5D MYW w/ Park Hopper - Exchange $124.00 5D MYW w/ Park Hopper & Water Park Fun & More - Exch. $149.00 Tickets can also be purchased at Shades of Green on Disney property or at Disney's Main Entrance Window. Purchases at Disney's Entrance Window are subject to taxes. SPECIAL PROVISIONS: --Complimentary tickets are limited to one (1) per Eligible Service Member regardless if purchased on base, at Shades of Green or at Disney's Main Entrance Ticket Window. --Spouses of Eligible Service Members (or other individuals who are not Eligible Service Members) will not be eligible to receive Salute Complementary tickets --Complimentary tickets will be issued ONLY to the Eligible Service Member --Eligible Service Members will have to activate their ONE TIME ONLY complimentary ticket at Main Entrance theme park ticket windows no later than 23 Dec, 2009. ID card is required --Disney 5 Day Armed Forces Salute Companion tickets with or without options may be purchased by the Eligible Service Members (or their spouses, but not both) for family and friends. There is a limit of no more than five (5) per Eligible Service Member. All tickets must be purchased at the same time. --Companion tickets must be activated at Main Entrance theme park ticket windows (no later than 23 Dec 2009) in order for those tickets to be used. --Eligible Service members with complimentary tickets and Eligible Service Members (or spouse) who purchase Salute Companion Tickets, will be required to present valid military ID to activate those tickets at the Main Entrance Theme Park ticket windows. All five (5) tickets must be activated at the same time (no later than 23 Dec 2009). --No Eligible Service Member (or spouse) will be permitted to activate more than a total of five (5) Salute Companion Tickets. The Salute Companion Tickets purchase is a ONE TIME purchase only regardless of outlet where purchased --Salute Complimentary and Salute Companion Tickets will not be valid unless and until activated (no later than 23 Dec, 2009) --Both ticket types must be used by the same person to whom they were registered when activated on any and all days. --Salute Complimentary Tickets may be used ONLY by the Eligible Service Members to whom they are issued. Salute Companion Tickets may be used ONLY by the friends and family members whom they are purchased for. In addition, a valid ID may be required for admission. --Both type tickets expire and may not be used after 23 December 2009. --Each Eligible Service Member will be required to confirm that they have not previously received Complimentary tickets before obtaining a Salute Complimentary Ticket. Also, the Eligible Member or Spouse will be required to confirm the same for the Salute Companion Tickets. -- All tickets and options are non-transferable and must be used by Dec. 23, 2009. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- DISNEYLAND: Disneyland Armed Forces Salute 2009 will run during the period of 4 January 2009 thru 12 June 2009. This promotion entitles "Eligible Service Members" to receive, free of charge, one 3-Day Park Hopper Complimentary Disney's Armed Forces Salute Ticket. "Eligible Service Members" defined. Active or Retired members of the U.S. Military, including activated members of the National Guard and Reservists (with orders showing active status after 1 January 2008 - 12 June 2009) as well as active and retired members of the United States Cost Guard. ONLY! During the offer period, 3-Day Park Hopper Certificate Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion Tickets may also be purchased only by "Eligible Service Members" (or their spouse, but not both). 3-Day Park Hopper certificate Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion Tickets are limited to (5) per (check for clarification) "Eligible Service Members". All DisneyLand Armed Forces Salute tickets are exchange certificates and will need to be exchanged/activated at the Main Entrance theme park ticket windows (no later than 12 June 2009) in order to be used. Remember neither of these are actual tickets. They are certificates that must be presented along with a current Military ID at a Disneyland Resort Main Entrance ticket booth to exchange for an active ticket. DisneyLand Ticket prices are as follows: DL 3-Day Park Hopper Complimentary $0.00 DL 3-Day Park Hopper-Exchange $86.50 First day of use of "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" complimentary tickets and "Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion" tickets at the Disneyland Resort must be no later than June 12, 2009 and tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or June 25, 2009, whichever occurs first. The military personnel (or spouse) will be required to present valid military identification (which, for activated members of the National Guard or Reservists, also includes orders showing active status between Jan. 1, 2008 - June 12, 2009) for all ticket transactions (including to exchange and redeem the exchange certificates for the tickets at Main Entrance theme park ticket windows). A valid ID may also be required for admission. First day of use of "Disney's Armed Forces Salute" complimentary tickets and "Disney's Armed Forces Salute Companion" tickets at the Disneyland Resort must be no later than June 12, 2009 and tickets expire 13 days after the first day of use or June 25, 2009, whichever occurs first. This offer may not be combined with any other offer.

Talon Model -- I got this link for the 7thSOS web site it looks like they also make other Herk models too. https://www.asianimportsinc.com/prod_info.asp?ID=1344 Bob I know this isn't the answer to your question but will make a call and see what I can find out.

The noses were not painted and thus black on the STAR capable Talons so they could be waxed B4 a STAR to allow for the liftline to slide more easily into the Skyanchor.

you bet count me in :)

True -- as I said he wasn\'t a pilot on the test program -- after the crash yes

Thanks Sam as didn\'t see this posted figured you hadn\'t gotten to it yet. They started a site, www.LetsSayThanks.com where you can pick out a Thank You card and Xerox will print it and sent to a soldier who is currently serving overseas, absolutely FREE. You can\'t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the Armed Services. Please send cards to our troops serving to keep us free. No restriction on how often you do this. Pass it along to your friends. Take care.

FYI - Norty was not a pilot on the mission into Desert One nor was he a pilot on the test team for Sport. The crews for this mission can be found in the book \"Praetorian Starship\" pages 216 & 242

It was an Honor to serve with you. http://www.operationmom.org/ToOurParents.html

Here are some memories!!! http://www.3973cds.com/3973cdsmaingate.htm

Kurt I think you already know -- \"Nav\'s tell pilots were to go and they do it!\"

Borrowed from the 7SOS web site A Few Good Navs! (Think Jack Nicholson in \"A Few Good Men.\" You want the truth, pilot? You can\'t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has mountains, and those mountains have to be found by Navs with APN-59s. Who\'s gonna do it? You? You, Major Stick Monkey? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for a color copied chart and a decent box lunch, and you curse the Navs. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know—that a modified contour, while tragic, probably suppresses detection; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, dominates the electromagnetic spectrum. You don\'t want the truth because deep down in places you don\'t talk about at parties, you want me in that radar—you need me in that radar. We use words like \"peanut,\" \"cut,\" “ banana left†and \"painting black.\" We use these words as the backbone of a life spent frustrating the enemy. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who flies and fights under the blanket of recommended altitudes that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather that you just said \"thank you\" and fly SCNS centerline. Otherwise, I suggest you take the next J-model assignment that comes around. Either way, I don\'t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to fly. Kind of brings a tear to your eye!

Try the Air Force Audio Visual Library. I know they used to have a copy.

Something different -- When then Lt/Col Hobson was reassigned from the 8SOS. I had a mirror sandblasted with the image of a Talon the squadron+ wing patches + name and dates. This came out really nice.

CSAF Introduction to Airmen It is an extraordinary privilege for Suzie and me to join you as your new first family. We are grateful for this rare opportunity. I want to lay out what I think is important as clearly as I can. The U.S. Air Force is a premier organization that provides our Nation a vast array of capabilities in air, space and cyberspace. The Nation is at war and the capabilities we provide our leadership are critical to success. Whether our contribution is in irregular warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fight to save lives through humanitarian relief operations, or deterrence and dissuasion of potential adversaries, the Air Force is a key contributor to the national defense of America. We are part of a Joint team that trusts us to perform superbly when called upon. Everyone in this organization contributes to our readiness-no one should measure their worth by their proximity to the target. For many years, the U.S. Air Force has been at the forefront of our Nation\'s business worldwide. As we continue to fulfill the high expectations others have for us, let\'s approach our business with enthusiasm, quiet professionalism, and an abiding respect for one another and our Joint and Coalition teammates. Please visit https://www.my.af.mil/afp/netstorage/csaf/AFLoginVideo.html to view my introductory message. My promise to you is I will lead from the front; I\'ll work hard every day and strive to maintain the same high standards as each of you; and along the way we\'ll have fun, too! NORTON A. SCHWARTZ General, USAF Chief of Staff

Well, guess this is better than being blown to bits or chopped up and melted down for beer cans. At least some will still be able to enjoy the old gal.

I know Norty and have flow with him as a Capt and a Col. He is a true warrior and forward thinker. Now according to this A-hole we Herk crews are not \"warriors\". Well, he is in for a rude awaking. Yes, Norty will bring a different background to the office. My opinion. Exactly what the AF needs. He knows all AF personnel are warriors -- not just \"stick-and-throttle boys\". Also, he knows all men and women in all the armed forces are warriors. Plus, he knows the \"total force\" concept and what it will take to get there. Schwartz would bring different background as Air Force chief BY: John Nolan, Dayton Daily News 06/11/2008 Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, recommended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to become the next Air Force chief of staff, would be the first in decades not to come from a background as an Air Force bomber or fighter pilot, Pentagon watchers said Tuesday, June 10. What that might mean in terms of any policy changes remains to be seen, assuming that Schwartz is approved by President Bush and the Senate for the top military position in the Air Force, the observers said. Schwartz\'s biography shows a background in mobility and special operations, with experience as a pilot of C-130 transport aircraft and AC-130 attack planes. The 35-year Air Force veteran is currently at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., as commander of the U.S. Transportation Command, which manages global air, sea and land transportation for the Defense Department. Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., said he thinks Schwartz\'s background could provide a fresh perspective for an Air Force that has been pushing hard for more F-22 fighter aircraft and F-35 joint strike fighters. \"When most of the Air Force leadership is drawn from a small community of warfighters, their needs and their experiences tend to dominate all deliberations,\" Thompson said. \"Right now, it (the Air Force) is planning to buy nearly 2,000 fighters over the next 25 years. You could reasonably guess that those plans will be cut back and that other plans will take shape.\" Gates ousted Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley last week, after receiving a report critical of the Air Force\'s handling and transport of nuclear weapons. But, Gates has previously criticized the Air Force for what he saw as foot-dragging in deploying more unmanned aerial vehicles in Iraq and Afghanistan to do surveillance in support of U.S. ground troops. A spokeswoman said Schwartz was not available for comment Tuesday at Scott Air Force Base, where Gates was visiting to address airmen. Jed Babbin, a former defense undersecretary under the first President George Bush, said he doesn\'t know Schwartz and will wait to see what he does when confirmed. Babbin, now editor of the Washington-based conservative publication Human Events, said he doesn\'t necessarily like the idea of having an Air Force chief of staff without a background as a fighter or bomber pilot. \"You need some of the stick-and-throttle boys,\" Babbin said. \"You have to have warriors to do the business of war.\"

Combat Talon I operators gather for reunion, tribute Those affiliated with the historic plane, which is still flying, gather for reunion, memorial service By TRACY CONNER Contributing writer Leslie Chapman’s late husband, Lt. Col. Clayton Chapman, wasn’t one to talk about his military service. But she finds it comforting to spend time with people who know what his job was all about, which is why she attended last weekend’s Combat Talon Reunion at Hurlburt Field. “It’s nice to remember those guys who really sort of started special ops,†said Chapman, who attended Sunday’s memorial service at the Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park with family members, including her husband’s brother. Lt. Col. Chapman was a navigator in the MC-130 Combat Talon, an airplane that has been involved in nearly every military operation the United States has taken part in since the mid 1960s. The reunion, held May 29-June 1, was the first that combined past and present members of the 7th Air Commando Society and Stray Goose International, which in the past have held separate get-togethers. “During discussions last year between the two organizations, we decided we needed to include the entire Combat Talon community,†said reunion organizer Robert B. Underwood Jr. Underwood, now with Lockheed Martin in Shalimar, logged more than 5,000 hours in the Combat Talon I before he retired from the Air Force in 1982. He said it’s important to bring crewmembers with shared experiences together. “We need to bring the present and next generations of Combat Talon organizations into the fold and carry on the camaraderie,†Underwood said. It’s crucial, too, he said, to hold a memorial service at each reunion to honor those crewmembers who have died “for their service and sacrifice.†“We are still a small community and we are a close community,†he pointed out. “The memorial service for our fallen brothers and sisters is part of our grieving process and helps us to heal.†Having the first-ever gathering of Combat Talon operators at Hurlburt Field made sense because the base “is the home of Combat Talon and all of us have been through here several times in our careers,†Underwood said. The Combat Talon, the special operations’ version of a C-130H Hercules, is currently flying all over the world. Squadrons are located at Hurlburt, Duke Field, RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom and Kadena Air Base in Japan. The activeduty version is the MC-130H Combat Talon II; Duke Field’s reservists fly the MC-130E Combat Talon I. “This airplane has been involved in multiple missions. It’s very diverse,†explained Maj. Lon Lancaster, an instructor at Hurlburt’s Air Force Special Operations School. “The legacy of this airplane is amazing.†Among its most famous missions are the November 1970 raid on the North Vietnamese prisoner of war camp at Son Tay and the attempted rescue of the American hostages at the Iranian Embassy in 1980. Lancaster said meeting some of the people who participated in those historymaking events was a highlight of the reunion. “There were some people there who back in 1970 took part in an attempt in Vietnam to rescue a whole prison camp of POWs,†he said. “The North Vietnamese had just moved them, and when they landed the camp was empty, but you know, it totally changed the way the North Vietnamese treated prisoners of war. And it was the first time the POWs knew their fellow Americans were trying to rescue them. It was such a huge morale boost. And there were actually people at the reunion who flew that mission.†Also in attendance, Maj. Lancaster said, were survivors of the failed Desert One mission into Iran, along with people who’d taken part in Operation Fury in Grenada and helped capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Spending time with them reminded Underwood “what great people I have been associated with and how that association affected my life.†“I learned that given the chance they would sign up and take the fight to the enemy still today,†he reported. “But I really (already) knew that in my heart.†The next Combat Talon Reunion is already in the planning stages and is set for May 2010 at Hurlburt Field. A member of the Air Force honor guard gives Max Friedauer an American flag during the memorial service June 1. The flag was flown recently aboard a Combat Talon during combat missions in the Mideast. Four widows of Combat Talon crewmembers look on. Photos special to Hurlburt Warrior Gen. Norton Schwartz, commander of U.S. Transportation Command and former wing commander at Hurlburt Field, consoles surviving spouse Karen James. A bagpiper plays “Amazing Grace†at the end of the memorial service June 1 in Hurlburt Field Memorial Air Park. Gen. Norton Schwartz (from right), commander of U.S. Transportation Command and former wing commander at Hurlburt Field; Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, Air Force Special Operations Command commander and his wife; Mrs. Cichowski and Maj. Gen. Kurt Cichowski, vice commander of AFSOC; and Col. Mark Alsid, vice commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, listen to names of fallen Combat Talon brothers being read during the ceremony.

It is said that Honor is when some brave men and women at sometime in there life wrote a blank check to the United States of America for up to and including their own life. I am Honored to have known and served with those who wrote that check and with those who\'s check was cashed and paid the ultimate sacrifice. I remember them with great sadness and pride. They were Heroes in life and in death. It is not only them and those who have served that I remember this Memorial Day. I am reminded of all those serving who are current on that blank check -- for without them there would be no United States of America! Freedom isn\'t Free! It\'s paid for in blood, sweat and tears.

I like your coffie mug -- know where I can order one?

Bob -- Casey just a thought. If photographs displayed on this cite have not identified you as the copyrighted photographer email your documentation to ______ and we will gladly recognize you as the photographer. Let\'s keep the photos!

Latest news from Max We\'re having a great response and are looking at 300 to 400 folks here. Should be lots of fun. Gen Norty Schartz accepted to be our Memorial speaker on Sunday.

http://www.7thsos.org/inside/images/stories/ReunionPoster.pdf Poster for the Worldwide all Talon (1+2) reunion. Will be a great time to see old friends.

This is from Vern a pilot training classmate of mine. Skip--I was Blue Chip controller the night 13 went down (last 4 months of my tour). SA-2, high/low shot near Xepon. A couple of guys from my old hootch at Ubon were on board. I worked the SAR for 24 hours straight. Nothing there. I don\'t remember Caniford but I probably knew him.