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A'lR. ORCEREPORT

WORLDWIDE AIR FORCE NEWS IN BRIEF. Several thousand newly proJIIored senior and chief master sergeants will be wearing their newstripes on April 1st, alld THE AIII. MAN sends cOIIgratulations to all.

~ t r . e s u l t s from Exp l o ~ XXXIII have showlI, for the.' ....lii:$t time, that the tail of the earth's. . ~ o s p h e r e e x t e n d s beyond the.olhil of the moon to at least 316,000mile&trOnl earth, aC!'ording to Dr.,. o r r l I l l i t F. Ness of the NASA God-dard

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HOBBY CORNER

E:Al' rOUR It10by Lt. LAWRENCE GOLDMAN

Brookley AFB, Ala.

A MAGAZINE advertisement for a mail-order coursein taxidermy probably started it all. I brought thead to the attention of my parents, and received a taxidermy course as a present for my 12th birthday. Sincethen, my enthusiasm for the subject, you might say, hasbeen mounting steadily.The lessons were easy to follow, but acquiring specimens to work on was a problem. I can rememberstalking pigeons through the streets of New York andasking pet shop owners for any deceased merchandise.The former was frowned on by the police and the latterhighly incensed the pet shop proprietors. I finally secured a pigeon which moved a little slower than thetruck that hit it, and I was on my way to completingmy first lesson.While working on my first specimen, I experienced avariety of feelings and thoughts which ranged fromnausea, pity for the victim, and visions of Dr. Frankenstein, to a career as a surgeon. After putting the finishingtouches on the bird, I showed it to my parents, eagerlyawaiting their compliments and admiration. My motherreturned to the kitchen without a word and my father'sonly comment was "What happened to it, get hit by atwo-ton truck?"Although this shattered my dreams of becoming asurgeon it didn't dampen my interest in taxidermy. Icontinued my quest for specimens much to the chagrin ofthe neighbors. When they found out about my new hobby, a neighborhood usually teeming with dogs and catssuddenly became barren, and the barking and meowingturned to muted howls of pets now kept behind doors.My interest in wildlife and love of the outdoors was,strangely enough, because of my having been bornand raised in Brooklyn. My parents had a little bungaIowan Long Island where I spent my summer vacation,and the wonderful weeks in the country, away from theheat and noise of the city, heightened my appreciationof nature. I read everything I could get my hands onconcerning the birds, fish and animals of the area.

The Brooklyn Children's Museum was located a fewblocks from my home, and it was there that I obtained alarge white rat in order to fulfill the taxidermy school'srequirement of mounting a mammal. When I completedthe job I brought it to school for a "show-and-tell" period. The teachers all said it was extremely lifelike andvery well done, but 1 don't think any of them got closeenough for a good look. One teacher commented on theodd aroma, and I had to confess that I sprayed it withcologne in an effort to cover up my amateurish attempts28

at curing the skin.Hooked On Taxidermy

The next lessons dealt with the mounting of fish.With summer vacation several months off, I couldn'twait to catch one, and I didn't. Instead, I visited severallocal fish markets where I finally talked one proprietorinto letting me have a large fish head.During the course of instruction, several other specimens including a turtle, a snake and a lobster joined mycollection. The Brooklyn Children's Museum wologicaldepartment gave me a great deal of advice and encouragement, and even got me on a children's TV programwhere I showed specimens and spoke about my hobby.My interest in taxidermy waned when I entered highschool, and after graduation I joined the Army. Two ofmy three years in the Army were spent at a microwavestation near Tilloy-et-Bellay, France, and during mytour there, I had the opportunity to utilize my knowledge of taxidermy once again.We were returning to the station one evening when alarge bird flew into the windshield and fell on the hoodof the truck. As pheasants were quite abundant in thearea, I thought we could stock our larder. We stopped,and I grabbed the dead bird. The pheasant turned out to

Lieutenant Goldman puts the finishing, artistic touches to a lemonfish, which adorned his dinner table before joining his collection.

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be a large barn owl. It was mounted and hung in thehallway. When I returned to the States in 1959, the owlremained in its place of honor at the Tilloy Radio Station. It may still be there .I left the army in 1959, and entered Brooklyn College. I graduated in 1963 and received my Air Forcecommission through the AFROTC program. My firstassignment was to Keesler AFB, Miss., where I attended the Communications-Electronics Officer course. My

next assignments were to Hq Eastern GEEIA Regionand the 2863d GEEIA Squadron at Brookley AFB,Ala., 60 miles up the coast from Keesler.Fishing is my favorite sport, and having spent thepast 3 1/2 years on the Gulf Coast, I've had numerousopportunities to fish in the teeming fresh and salt waters in the area. As I caught more and larger fish thanever before I decided to preserve my catches in someway other than on film. Hence, I returned to my almost-forgotten hobby.A do-it-yourself taxidermist and fisherman has twoadvantages. Not only can he keep his catch, but he caneat it, '\00. The only parts used in mounting a specimen

are the skin, skull, and some bones. The specimen ismeasured and then skinned. After curing, the skin isplaced over an artificial body made from wood andplastic. A fish is the most difficult thing to mount sincethe artificial body must be perfectly smooth. (Therearen't many lumpy fish.) Also, the skin is very thin andit is extremely difficult to conceal a tear or a hole. Afish also loses its co lor when the skin dries, so the taxidermist has to use oils and special paints. Defects in thesk'ins of animals and birds can be concealed by the furand feathers, and color does not change.I mount my fish on plywood or driftwood plaqueswhich I cut and shape at the base woodworking hobbyshop. I use the base library to research books for colorplates of fish if I can't take a color photograph whenit's caught.During my assignments on the Gulf Coast I've mounted 18 fish representing 14 different species. The mostunusual fish in my collection is a black trigger fish which

J caught while on temporary duty at Ascension Island.The largest fish I've mounted so far is a 48 pound alligator gar caught in Mobile Bay from the Brookley AFBfishing pier. My wife encourages me in my hobby anddoesn' t object (much) to all the fish adorning the wallsof our home. However, the garfish did tax her patiencea bit. The 4 1/2 foot monster was too large to skin anywhere else but in the bathtub, and it took me two evenings of spare time to do it.Taxidermy has broadened my knowledge in the biological sciences and increased my appreciation of theoutdoors. The Air Force has given me the opportunityto travel to places having many different wildlife environments, and has made it possible for me to collectsome unusual specimens. The availability of base hobbyshops and libraries, and the advice of the people whostaff them, has added immeasurably to the pleasure andknowledge I derive from my hobby. eO=-April 1967

WhoIsThis

Airman?"Lead by Example" has always been this airman'spersonal code.Although he became a member of the Texas National

Guard in 1934, his active service began with pilot training in 1942. He soon flew to the Mediterranean with the325th Fighter Group and participated in the carrierlaunched invasion of North Africa.During this tour, his squadron escorted a transportaircraft to a highly classified meeting in Tehran, Iran.On board were President Franklin D. Roosevelt, SirWinston Churchill and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.Sweeping northward with the Allies, this airman andhis unit fought in Sicily and Italy. When Rome fell, hereturned home.The war was still raging in the Pacific, however. Atthe head of a personally trained P-47 unit, he new intoaction. After several missions over the Kyushu Islands,he was blasted from the air by an exploding ship. Hespent two days in the water, was picked up by the Japanese, and remained a prisoner until the war ended.His Air Force career from 1951 to the present makeshim most recognizable 10 modern-day airmen.During 1951 and 1952 he was at Neubiberg AB,Germany, as deputy commander of the 86th FighterBomber Group. Then, after a short stint at BergslromAFB, Tex., where he commanded the 12th StrategicFighter Wing, he came to Washington and the Pentagon.Until September 1955, he was deputy chief of the Tactical Branch under the DCS Operations, when he became commander of Edwards AFB, Calif. Two yearslater, he went to Fuchu AS, Japan, as assistant Directorof Operations for Hq Fifth Air Force. In 1958, he became commander of the 21 st Tactical Fighter Wing

(TFW) at Misawa AB, Japan.In 1960, this airman was assigned as the Senior Ad

visor for the 121st TFW (Ohio ANG) at LockbourneAFB, Ohio. He assumed command of the 31 st TFW atGeorge AFB, Calif., in October 1961.In March 1964, he moved to Holloman AFB,N. Mex., as commander of the 366th TFW, and a yearlater, returned to Florida for his present command position. One last clue-his division was the first in theAir Force to convert to the F-4C Phantom II.His latest portrait and duty title are on page 39.

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"OKAY, you're cleared for hookup forty-one.""Ah, Roger, coming in."Flat on your belly in the tail of a KC-135 jet tanker,you watch in silent fascination as the RB-66 Destroyerprepares to hook up for midair refueling.Suddenly you get a little warmer.He's too fast, too jerky! His probe, extended just tothe right of the bird's nose center, plunges into the

funnel-like drogue which extends five or six feet fromthe tanker's boom. The line starts whipping. "Breakaway, break away!" calls TSgt. Bob Haag, the tanker'sveteran boom operator.The T AC RB-66 drops back, bobs back and forth,weaves, pulls up a little, then down, as it inches closerand closer to the end of the hose.The TAC flight commander is piloting forty-one.Chances are he had the outfit's newest and youngestpilot aboard and had let him shoot those refueling attempts. You've got to start somewhere, and perfecthookups take time, hours of training and practice, hourswhich go into the making of a professional. You can

read all the manuals, all the books in the world, and listen to hundreds of lectures on how it should be done,but there's no substitute for actual experience in thecockpit-behind the tail section of one of those lifeproviding KC-135 jet tankers.You relax now as your pilot, Maj. Bob Lee, whosefavorite expression seems to be "oh golly," comes overthe intercom."Get set for another 'no-sweat' job," he says.Bob Lee is one of the best in the business. His reassuring tone causes the sweat beads to form a little lessrapidly on your helmeted, oxygen-masked, earphoned,

warm--correction-mighty warm head.Forty-one comes in again. This time he's off to theleft. Bob Haag isn't taking any chances. He pulls theboom assembly up a few feet away from harm's way.You take another deep breath.It's the third try. Almost five minutes had elapsedsince we first spotted the flight of four 66s.There's an old axiom. It goes something like "thirdtime never fails." I'm a believer. Third time andRB-66 forty-one, whoever he may be, came in for aperfect hookup, took a drink of fuel to whet his increasing thirst, and broke away just in time for Us tomake our ISO-degree turnabout on schedule.In a refueling mission everything, I mean everything, comes off on schedule, split-second schedule.There's something that defies description aboutwatching a turnaround with four jets in perfect formation beneath you from your 2S,OOO-foot-high vantagepoint. It was beautiful beyond words. The lights of Raleigh (o r was it Durham), N.C., were clearly visible below. It was dark down there. But at 1950 hours thegolden, orangish, pinkish twilight up above the cloudshadn't quite gone.

April 1967

For Bob Haag, who at 31 can recall a dozen or SOyears of refueling experience as a boom operator, itwas a chance to shake the stiffness out of his arms.They provide him with everything to ease his discomfort back there, even a foam-padded chin rest.Only how do you get comfortable with the straps ofyour parachute scraping at your body, the irritation ofyour portable oxygen bottle poking into your right ribcage, and that accursed hard hat squeezing a headthat gets wetter and wetter with each passing minute?But the experience is so fascinating, especially whenyou're refueling Tactical Air Command RB-66s forthe first time . . . and you have a pretty good hunchthat some of the pilots of those four aircraft may befairly new at the game themselves (everyone has to bea beginner first), that the minutes seem to pass likeseconds . . . until you get a breather and suddenly realizehow fatigued you've become.The turn completed, it's time to get back to work.Forty-two approaches."Cleared for contact.""Ah, Roger, coming in.""How much do you want?""Fill 'er to 4,000, please.""Roger, 4,000 pounds."Forty-two moves in slowly, smoothly, deliberately.The green signal light goes on. It was a perfect linking,a jet-age rendezvous and docking at 2S,000 feet aboveNorth Carolina, in an area the Air Force refers to as"Big Tease."The co-pilot, Capt. Glen Coates, comes across theintercom loud and clear:"This guy's beautiful!"So are the other two birds, forty-three and forty-

four.Time for the post refueling check list."Lift boom!"Now for a visual check of the RB-66s, which arestarting to peel off one by one to return to their homeplate, Shaw AFB, near Sumter, S.C."I've got one in sight off the right wing.""So just hold onto it. What have you got?"The ritual continues as the last RB-66 to leave, theT AC flight commander in forty-one, breaks away. Youcatch a final glimpse of the recon birds as they peel offto the left and marvel at their flying ability.The whole experience had taken less than a halfhour from the first hookup to the final break away.By the third and fourth hookups this unique experience, for me, the passenger. had almost become rou-tine. But not for the crew of this KC-135. For them,it never becomes routine!Tonight Maj. Robert H. Lee's crew flew under thecall sign of "Diana - Forty - Niner." Usually they'reidentified as SAC crew J-13.Besides Major Lee, Captain Coates and Sergeant

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Haag, there is the navigator, Capt. Don Burkett.Tonight's mission actually started around 1530 hours.I had met the crew as they arrived at their aircraft,KC-135 number 1485, at 1630 hours. Also there tomeet them was the 922d squadron commander, Lt. Col.Merle R. Jensen. He meets almost all of his crews onevery mission they fly. He's quite a man.Also on hand to greet crew J -13 was SSgt. LarryNicodemus, the 30-year-ld crew chief from Dayton,Ohio. He's been in the Air Force almost 12 years, thelast five in SAC. Over the years he 's been a crew chief

or served aboard the B-26, T-33, F-loo, B-57, B-66,RB-66 and now the KC-135. Also there was his assistant A IC Paul Hamilton, a 22-year-ld, five-year AirForce veteran who comes from Somerville, Mass.The Take-aff

Major Lee and his crew had had their weather andoperations briefings. We knew there were thunderstorms in the area that were due to hit just before takeoff. "I f we miss them on the ground, we'll catch themright after we're airborne," Major Lee had said as hebriefed us aboard the plane.In SAC you don't leave early to avoid the threat ofa storm . We were scheduled to take off at 1805 hours.That's when we did.At 1800 hours, most preflight checks were completed, except for the final countdown. We had taxiedto the edge of the active runway and were awaitingword to go. The wind was kicking up. Navigator Burkett advised that thunderstorms were all around us , theclosest 10 miles northwest of the field. The one brightword was that it was clear to the south, and after takeoff, we'd be heading in that direction.At 180 I: 30 hours Major Lee advised, "Start checklist. "A T-39 landed on our runway, touching down al

most in front of our nose."One minute to takeoff . . . tIt was like a precision missile launch, only we werethe missile."Thirty seconds."Fifteen seconds."Ten seconds."Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . . HACK!"We were cleared to roll, and roll we did. It was hardto believe, but we seemed to go up like a fighter.That's because we had our engine thrust increased bya third, thanks to the KC-135's water injection system.It's a device through which 5,500 pounds of water areliterally shot into the engines, giving them greaterthrust for the first two minutes of flight.

We were carrying a less-than-full load of petrol, asour British friends might say. Normally the KC-135carries a maximum load of 31 ,000 gallons. We onlyhad 19 ,000 gallons in the tanks below our flight deck.If there was any sloshing, we sure couldn't hear it.The water injection gives you plenty of thrust, butbelieve me when [ say that Captain Coates, flying from32

Major le e runs through check lilt, GloSuring proper swi tch position .

the left seat, had his hands full keeping four-eight-fivelevel on our climb.We were 22 minutes out of Wright-Patterson, crashhelmets had gone on when we passed 18,000 feet enroute to our 29,000-foot flight level for this mission.Indianapolis tower was giving us flight path instructions. Suddenly Captain Burkett, who at 27 is thecrew's youngest member, called out that we had missedone storm by 15 miles but that another was right infront of us.We missed it. Our rate of climb was still good enoughto take us right over the storm. Bumpy, yes, but reallyhectic, no.The experience was repeated a dozen or so moretimes before we got out of the storm front. "You cansee summertime is here now," observed Major Lee."That's affirmative," answered Don Burkett.The verbal exchange was interesting."This stuff doesn't come in until you' re right on top

of it.""We're lucky, it's a good airplane.""Yessir, it's a goer!"We were out of the clouds and into the bright sunat 1827 hours.There we were, Diana-Forty-Niner, en route to provide a drinking-bird's diet for the four TAC recon aircraft. I was interesting to observe how well everythingwent, for this crew had been together more than a year.Still, this was their first refueling of RB-66s, and itwasn't over one of their normal refueling areas. Training makes the difference when the chips are down andthe situation is new . Training and safety.

They're plenty safety conscious around the 17thWing. Maybe that's why their trophy case is filled withsuch things as the 1965 Saunders Trophy, awarded tothe 17th because its 922d Air Refueling Squadron wasThe Airman

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the best tanker unit In Eighth Air Force that year.In fact for the July-December 1965 period the 17th,which also has a B-52 squadron, received 57th Air Division awards for the highest combat capability evaluation, for the highest management system score, forthe highest flying and ground safety score, and for thehighest score in combat defense. On the ground thewing's personnel drove 674,988 miles in motor vehicleswithout a single reportable accident during 1965. Civilian personnel assigned to the wing have worked 105,-736 man-hours since I96O-without a disabling injury.The Boomer

Boomer Bob Haag is a balding, trim, clean-shaven,well-groomed man who doesn't have an extra poundof weight on his 5-foot 11'/2-inch frame. He weighed224 in high school; he's down to 174 now. He's a tiger,a smooth well-mannered tiger. He's cool, real cool. Man,you've got to be in his job!When refueling with the boom, he does all the work;

he prefers it that way."I don't like to relinquish control; besides we boom

ers and the B-52 pilots have gotten this thing down to ascience; we've been working together a long time," in-forms Sergeant Haag.

After 14 years in the Air Force you might call Boba career man. He and his wife, Dorothy, both of whomare from near Jacksonville, Fla., have two boys, Lee 7and Henry 3.

"It's a lot of fun, I wouldn't trade it with anybody.Refueling the F-4C is the roughest; even [ come out ofthe tail wringing wet," he confesses.

When the crews of the 922d are on alert, they'reaway from home for five days straight. They work together, they eat together, they room together. But

In cockpit, Copt. Coates reads items for preflight check to Maj . Lee .

April 1967

there's a new twist here in the 17th Wing. Their families can visit them. Seeing your family takes a lot ofsting out of alert duty.

To top it off, the tanker boys are grateful that theyhave only five days at a stretch on alert duty, compared to other outfits which are on alert for seven daysat a stretch. Usually they pull it twice a month. Afterfive days on alert they have 2Y2 days of crew rest athome, then it's back to normal duty.We were to practice some landings and takeoffs tonight, but they brought us down an hour early. Thethunderstorms in the Wright-Patterson area were alittle too severe for comfort. Besides, the crew could usethe extra hour. We finished debriefing shortly aftermidnight. They were free now; they could go home andrest. They weren't due to fly again until midnight;briefings would start in exactly 20 hours 45 minutes.But tomorrow, by golly it was alrea

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one. In high school he boxed as a featherweight andpitched American Legion baseball. Then he weighed138. Now he's all the way up to 150. He's a professional. USAF won't accept anything less.Capt. Don Burkett looks like a young Steve Canyon, with close-cropped crew cut, cheek of tan and asmile that is rooted in obvious firmness and sincerity.A native of Martinsburg, Pa., near Altoona, he at

tended Juniata College two years before joining theAir Force in November 1958. He got his wings via theAviation Cadet route, too, and has been in SAC eversince. A relative youngster, Don already has piled up2, I00 hours flying time in the KC-135 and KC-97.Weighing in at a solid 155 , standing tall at 5 footI crew J-13's navigator observes that there

"ain't too much humor in this business." He's had a lotof TOY: trips to Greenland, Newfoundland and Alaska during his seven years with SAC.Don and his wife Barbara are the parents of threeboys, Mark 7, Chris 5, and Todd 3. They're buyingtheir own home in nearby Enon, Ohio, but still miss

Westover AFB, Mass., their last assignment, and Pennsylvania.For once the "old man," is the oldest in age too.At 38, "Oh Golly" Lee is a man apart from most menyou meet in life 's journey." I've always been the youngest member of everycrew, until all of a sudden I find myself the oldest," hemused. Like Captain Coates, he joined the Air Forcein 1951. After navigation school at Ellington AFB, Tex.,he served a tour of duty as a B-26 observer in Korea.Staging out of Pusan, he flew 50 combat missions during the Korean war.After a duty stint at Smoky Hill, Schilling AFB,

Kans., he entered pilot training at Goodfellow AFB,Tex., in 1955. The next five years he served as aKC-97 pilot at Dyess AFB, Tex., and has also. pulledduty tours at Dover AFB, Del., and Castle AFB, Calif.,TSgt . Bob Hoag, the boomer, has more thon a doren years in refueling.

34

interspersed by a year of Command and Staff Schoolat the Air University.A man with a well-rounded background, Major Leeis a graduate of Howard University, where he wasawarded a B.S. in chemistry. A senior pilot, he hascompiled over 3,300 pilot hours and another 1,800hours as a navigator. A native of Baltimore, he andhis wife Bessie, who is from San Angelo, Tex., boast two

boys, Robert, Jr., 6 and RodneyHis philosophy? "You have a job to do and the responsibility to go with it; let's do it!"His attitude towards his crew? "I've got a real goodcrew." Unlike the stereotype most people assign toSAC, he isn't a hard-nosed commander. He doesn'tcall his crew to attention when they gather for preflight briefing or post-flight debriefing. But they standanyway, out of respect; a respect which he has earned.His hobbies? Bowling and bridge.His physical state? He played basketball in highschool and college, a forward. He's 5 foot 9 ~ inchestall. Weighs 168. A tiger? You bet!What about the KC-135? "It's the best, most flexiblebird in the Air Force. Name another jet that can carrycargo, passengers and fuel for aerial delivery!"The challenge? "We're flexible-more so than weused to be; we have to be . Our job is more complicated. Sure I sweat it out during refueling, and I sweatit out on takeoff and landing, too. At least on takeoffand landing you can see where you're at, except inweather, but it 's rough not seeing what's going on backthere in the tail."Every man on this crew doubles in brass. Each has atitle, but each also has a lot more than just a title.Sergeant Haag, for instance, is also a celestial observer,

flight steward, load master, airborne crew chief and"you name it." He likes it that way .They're a great crew. Pros in every sense of theword. In fact, they're a tanker full of tigers! eQ .

le e', Tanker Tigen form inspection formation; for photographer onlylHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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ONAGAIN,OFFAGAINAIR BASEA week in the life of a "stand-by"

by Lt. GUY E. BROWN IIlto:r:uke AI , Japan

DAWN tiptoes down the quiet, deserted streets ofsleeping Itazuke Air Base. Green and whitehuildings, guardians of many tales and many excitingtimes, sit empty ... waiting. Signs over the doors announce "Stand-by Barracks."But changes are in the air, literally.A force of ten F -100 Super Sabre aircraft is on itsway from Misawa Air Base to spend a week at Itazuke,located in western Japan. Support personnel and equipment of the 6l2th Tactical Fighter Squadron will arrive momentarily in C-54s and C -130s. They will aug

ment Itazuke's meagerly manned maintenance shops,air police force, medical corps, base operations, firefighting units and other sections of this Fifth Air ForceForward Operating Base.Itazuke was designated a Forward Operating Basein mid-1964. That meant that it would maintain anactive, ready-ta-go status, but without aircraft exceptfor transients and those temporarily assigned on training exercises. A glance at the base's crossroad locationin the Far East points up its geographical importance.

Life Comes to ItozukeNow activity here centers around Misawa's "Scream

ing Eagles." Support personnel arrive, clear in andbegin work. Hundreds of airlifted items from sparetires to rocket launchers have to be positioned. Securitypersonnel rope off the exercise area and locate the access point. Misawa people are in the weather office,base ops, the fire station--everywhere. They are nowa part of the expanded Itazuke team.The Super Sabres arrive at three-minute intervals.Drag chutes pop, and so do alerted maintenance andfuel men. The ~ e x e r c i s e is underway! Pilots head for

April 1967

Augmentees from Misawa AS arrive at Itozuke on week-long deployment.

the briefing room. A new headquarters is established.Phones begin to ring, people scurry around, empty wallcharts are being filled in. Maps and pilot checklists appear in hand and on tables.The tactical task force, while deployed at ItazukeAir Base, will also exercise the Japanese air defensenetwork in the Western Air Defense Sector. Bilingualcontrollers of the Japanese Air Self Defense Force

(JASDF) will direct the F-IOOs as well as JASDFF-86s and F-104s to intercept targets and aircraft.In another phase of the exercise, the Super Sabres

will use Itazuke's gunnery ranges, especially the airto-ground scoreable facilily at Ashiya. Pilots practiceskip-bombing maneuvers, strafing and rocket firing.Proficiency climbs with each pass.The training exercise proceeds on schedule andwithout incident. Attesting to the ability of Air Forcepersonnel to function under rapidly changing environments, lhe pilots and support people assimilate themselves overnight into the Itazuke stream of life.And so it goes: dawn . . . alert . . . scramble .intercept . . . gunnery . . . tactics . . touchdown.fuel . . . maintenance. Then night.

Suspended Animation ReturnsSeven days after it all began, the crates are repacked,the C-130s prepared for the return flight. Maps arefolded, the charts scrubbed clean. Fighters redeploy,the sign over the temporary headquarters is takendown. The blue, red and gold Screaming Eagles flagout front is lowered.Now the flight line is quiet once more. The taskforce is gone. The streets are clear; stand-by signs areup. Itazuke sleeps again ... waiting. eO-

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Moj. H. Lewis Smith (right) tolks .....ith rescue pilon .....ho brought himout of North Vietnom jungle ofter his Al E Skyroider WOI forced do .... n.

RESCUE crews flying helicopter and amphibious aircraft had made more than 560 "saves" of downedairmen or ground troops, in both North and SouthVietnam, before the end of 1966.The majority of these dramatic, action-packed rescues were under enemy fire, which makes them all themore spectacular. Nearly all of them, whether flown byhelicopter or amphibious crews, involved great personal effort and risk of life.Many involved joint operations by Air Force rescuecrews and the ships, helicopters and aircraft of the USArmy, Navy, and Republic of Vietnam military services. In fact, jOint air rescue activities by Air Force and

Navy units had resulted in saving 229 downed pilotsfrom the Gulf of Tonkin, as of November 1966, theDepartment of Defense noted.Obviously, personal risks are great for aircrewmembers involved in the rescue operations throughout Vietnam. And seldom, if ever, is any mention madeof what might be termed the battle of "gu ts ." Everyairman who flies search and rescue missions faces thispersonal problem and comes to grips with his naturalfears in his own, personal way.There surely has to be something heart-poundingabout hovering over a downed airman or soldier, or being lowered to the ground on a cable to assist a complete stranger in a hostile environment that is alivewith the sound of enemy rifle and machine gun fire.To learn to live with this insidious, natural fear-andmake a successful rescue-is undoubtedly as great apersonal victory as it is a shared one.In short, the job takes guts, and there has certainlybeen no shortage of courage among American rescuepersonnel operating in Southeast Asia. Two ARRS menhave won the Air Force Cross for their bravery. One ofthese medals was given posthumously, to AIC WilliamH. Pitsenbarger a pararescue medic.36

Adapted from news releases issued by Seventh AirForce and Pacific Air Farces writers

VIGIII:rrf.

Porore.cuemen Ale Robert D. Bowen and Ale fronl.:!in D. 5tevIOn spen'' ....0 hours on ground in North Vietnom after rescuing two recon pilots.

Capt. Donald S. Price, a father of three and coachof a junior swim team at Naha AB, Okinawa, receivedthe Air Force Cross last September for a dramatic res-cue in the Gulf of Tonkin in which he nearly lost hislife while saving another.Tragedy And Heroism

On March 14 , 1966, Captain Price, a navigator, andhis fellow aircrew members were orbiting over the Gulfof Tonkin in their HU-16 A [batross. The crew was ontemporary duty in Southeast Asia from Okinawa.When the distress call came over their radio it begana series of events from which two men did not return.The mayday came from a fighter pilot, reporting theejection of two fellow F-4 pilots over the gulf, and gavetheir approximate position.Capt. David Westenbarger, the HU-16's pilot, turned his A [batross north toward the downed aviators.En route, he called one of the nearby Search and Res-cue (SAR) destroyers and requested two helicopters be

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Capt. Edward P. Lat5an leaves HU16 which picked him and Capt. KevinA. . Gilroy aut af sea oH Haiphong in hail of point.blonk .nemy fire.

dispatched to the scene. It was a wise move.The HU-16 rescuemen spotted the two Air Forcepilots in waters about two miles from shore. CaptainWestenbarger jettisoned external fuel tanks and fullstalled his aircraft into the water near the pilot closestto shore. Two Navy Skyraiders circled overhead. Untilthe HU-16 started to back up, shore batteries had remained silent.

But as soon as the pararescueman aboard the AIba-tross jumped overboard to help bring an injured pilotinto the rear hatch, all hell broke loose. The communist gunners opened fire with everything from machineauns to mortars and I05mm howitzers. The sea becamea frenzy of erupting shrapnel and water.Captain Price ran to the rear of the aircraft, ordered the radio operator to assist the flight mechanicgetting the two pilots out of the water, and grabbedM-16 rifle. He began to return the fire from aboat approaching the HU-16.howitzer round turned the aircraft into a

Lt. Gerold K Bonkus was rescued within 20 seconds after ejetting fromhis F l00 into the dense Vietnam jungle 40 mile. northwest of Saigon.

burning inferno. Captain Price was knocked againstthe aft bulkhead and momentarily stunned. When helooked up, he saw that his radio operator was deadnear the rear door. The flight mechanic was gone, apparently blown out of the door.As he got up, Captain Price was hit by the flashfrom igniting JATO units. His hair and face wereseared, but he scrambled out the hatch, caught the injured pilot there, and towed him away from the burning seaplane.The pararescueman, apparently hit by shrapnel,floated dead in the water. Safely away from the burning aircraft, Captain Price stopped towing the pilotlong enough to take stock. He found that he was bleeding, and he burned from his shoulders down his backto his knees from shrapnel hits . The HU-16's copilot,yelling from the water that helicopters were coming,went to assist the flight mechanic, who needed help.A chopper hovered over them and Captain Price,exhausted and bleeding, helped the half-drowned F-4

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pilot into its sling. When he looked around again, onlyhe and the flight mechanic remained in the water. Theother helicopter had pulled the copilot aboard beforehe could tow the sling to the mechanic. Then a helicopter returned and retrieved the airman. A Navy Sky-raider was making passes at the beach to draw fireaway from the rescue scene. Another helicopter took ahit in its fuel line and was forced to return to its ship.

Alone in the sea, Captain Price swam slowly andpainfully for the empty raft nearby. He climbed in, butfound the raft was drifting toward shore and the enemyguns, so he got out and swam seaward, towing the raftbehind him.He started to shake, so he got back in the raft andopened his survival radio. He heard the A-I pilot calling for more air strikes. Two Air Force F -4Cs arrivedand started blasting shore batteries and the enemyjunks which were approaching Captain Price. They blew

one out of the water close enough to the navigator thatthe concussion raised him out of the water.The HU-16 had sunk. Captain Price recalled theaction which followed:"I began to shake violently alI over for periods of20 to 30 seconds. I called the Rescap but they didn'tanswer. I called for anyone who could read me, butstill no answer. Then I spotted a chopper coming in lowfrom the northeast."Captain Price was lifted out of his raft into the helicopter. Inside, he stretched out on his stomach. A flightcrewman tore his flight suit away and put gauze compresses on Captain Price's wounds. He was still shaking

violently. Two other aircrew men took off their ownflight suits and covered him.Within minutes he was aboard an aircraft carrier,where Navy doctors picked out pieces of shrapnel andstitched his wounds. They couldn't get all the shrapnel,so Captain Price figures he'll be able to predict theweather occasionally. Within two weeks from March 14,1966, he was back on duty with his outfit in Okinawa.He was later awarded the Air Force Cross.And, somewhere in the Air Force, an F-4C pilotthanks God for rescuemen like Don Price.

Other Rescue EfforhParamedics A2C Robert D. Bowers and A2C Frank

lin D. Stevson spent nearly two hours in dense undergrowth near a North Vietnamese village before beingrescued by a helicopter.On a rescue mission to recover two RF-4C pilots,Airman Bowers' HH-3E helicopter was forced to leavehim on the ground after he had assisted one of the injured pilots into the litter for hoisting aboard the hovering craft.Hearing au.tomatic fire nearby, Bowers hid in thebrush. Then Airman Stevson was lowered to the ground

38

to search for him. He was almost immediately pinneddown by enemy small arms fire and his heijcopter wasalso forced to withdraw. Stevson contacted A-IE Sky-raiders in the area and gave directions for an air strike.Then a third "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter enteredthe operation and picked up both of the paramedics.An adviser to the VNAF's 213th Helicopter Squadron, Capt. Paul H. Schnucker, and a Vietnamese lieutenant flew a helicopter into an area near Dong Ha ina medical evacuation mission. Two Marine Corps choppers had already gone down on the mission."We were hit when about 50 feet in the air," CaptainSchnucker said later. A Vietnamese soldier on boardthe helicopter was hit in the shoulder and leg, so thecrew took him back to the Dong Ha dispensary formedical care. Their oil lines had been damaged, sothey switched helicopters.Going back into the mission area, Captain Schnuckerand his VNAF crew took several more rounds in a fuelsection, but managed to load 13 casualties aboard andcomplete the evacuation mission. They went back tothe area a third time and evacuated 10 more casualties, then had to abandon their aircraft because it wasleaking fuel.Capt. David W. Haines, 1961 graduate of the AirForce Academy, landed his HU-16 Albatross in theSouth China Sea, close to a Viet Cong-held shoreline,to rescue a downed Vietnamese airman. His HU-16rescue crew ignored bursting mortar shells raining downaround them, and evacuated the VNAF pilot to DaNang Air Base.A veteran combat pilot and vice commander ofthe 12th Tactical Fighter Wing in Vietnam recentlycompared his own World War II rescue to current rescue operations:Col. Joel D. Thorvaldson, now an F-4C pilot, wasshot down over New Guinea in 1943. "I had to floatdown river for nine days, even though I was spotted byan observation plane, before I could be rescued. Wedidn't have choppers then."Commenting on the dramatic recent rescue of adowned F-I05 pilot in North Vietnam-which took 22minutes-Colonel Thorvaldson said, "During WorldWar II the pilot would have been captured, or mighthave waited several days and traveled many miles onfoot before being picked up."

Colonel Thorvaldson flew 186 combat missions during World War II (he downed three Zeros and wascredited with six "probables"), and flew 59 combat mis-sions over Korea. He is now flying missions in Vietnam.These few examples of Air Rescue and RecoveryService's daring and bravery under fire in Vietnambarely begin to tell the dramatic story of combat rescue. THE AIRMAN joins aviators everywhere in salutingthe men of ARRS for their heroism and life-savingoperations. -J.A.G.

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of the C E people is to chase snakes?However, The Case of the SlitheringInfiltrator was contributed by Hq USAir Foree Security Service and we assume they have good reasons for giving the "snake patrol" job to their airpolicemen.* * *First-rate Airman

Sir: I f there's an "Airman of theYear" award, I believe it should go toSSgt. "Chick" Tamilio of the Air ForceRecruiting Station in Queens. I amcontemplating an Air Force career andthat is how I met this truly outstanding airman. Sergeant Tamilio is doingan excellent job of "selling" the AirForce to young men like myself. I be-lieve it is airmen like Sergeant Tamiliowho feany make the Air Force whatit is! Rodney GeorgesSt. Albans, Jamaica, N.Y.

* * *Buttons and BadgesSir: I collect badges. This is myhobby. I also collect military insignia,_patches; ribbons, medals, etc., from USservices and many foreign ( ,OUll-I recently added considerably to

n ~ , : : ! ~ ~ : , ~ ~ ~ during a tour of dutyAsia. I would like to cor-other hobbyists who enpastimes. My address is:(TAC), MacDill AFB,

SSgt. Bobby L. FinkMacDill AFB, Fla.

like to know somethingofficers who shot downWorld War II butfire on me while I was on24, 1942, at 1 p.m.,of seven planes15 milesMy plane'

was in the rear of the troop-carryingfonnation. Three US Air Force P-38sattacked us. The fuselage, engine an dleft wing of my plane were hit. I wasforced to land with my plane on fire.I was helpless. My attacker flew overme several times but didn't fire again,for which I was, and still am grateful.

Perhaps one of your fOrmer P-38 officers wi1l remember this incident. Iwould like to correspond with him.

Marco AmilcareMalpensa AirportVarese, I alia

Calling all veterans of the WorldWar II Italian campaign; especinllyyou P-38 pilots. Anyone rememberthis incident? If so, THE AIRMANwill be pleased to forward your comments to this Italian airman.

* * *Silver Anniversary

Sir: The Fourth Tactical FighterWing celebrates its 25th anniversarythis year. Th e wing was activated asthe 4th Fighter Group in England during September 1942. We need photos,orders, mementos and miscellaneousfacts from former members in orderto plan special histories and anniversary activities. Please contact me at:4th TF W Historian (OIH), SeymourJohnson AFB, N.C. 27530, for details.T. R. Sherwood, J .Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.

Answer to Who Is This Airman?Brig. Gen. Frank J. Collins commands

the 836th Air Division at MacDillAFB, Fla. Often ciecorated, he is oneof the few airmen to hold 26 oakleaf clusters to the Air Medal. He likesto golf, hunt and fish but his firstlove is flying fighter aircraft for theUS Air Force.

Blue BeretSir: Last year THE AIRMAN carried a story about pararescuemen anda special beret authorized for theirwear. Th e same article mentioned a

blue beret being worn by security control forces. \hat governs the wear ofthis distinctive headgear?MSgt. Teddy McFarland, Jr.APO San Francisco Check AFR 35-10.

* * *Colorful Future

Sir: I plan to subscribe to THEAIRMAN through the Superintendentof Documents, Government PrintingOffice, Wash., D.C. 20402. I particularly enjoy your color reproduction.Do you plan any color for this year?John C. EulerLaCrosse, Wise. Color photos are u.red only on special occasions. Watch for our September 1967, Air Force 20th anniversaryissue.

* * *Deke's DoringSir: Appreciated reading ColonelTyler's article about the Piggy-BackP -51 operat ion (THE AIRMAN, Nov.'66). He did a fine job in reporting thestory of Deke's (Lieutenant Priest)

spectacular rescue mission.J. H. DoolittleLos Angeles, Calif.

Answer toWhere In The Air Force Are You?

This is Randolph AFB's famouslandmark, commonly referred to as the"Taj Mahal." The base, located nearSan Antonio, Tex., was named forCapt. William M. Randolph. CaptainRandolph, a member of the committeeselected to choose the site and namethe base, was killed in a plane crashin February 1928. Known duringWorld War II as the "West Point ofthe Air," Randolph AFB boasts analumni of more than 50,000 pilots.

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"US Jets Down 7 Mig 21s In Air Combat." "US Raids Called Hard Blow AtFoe." "Air Secretary Brown Says Enemy Supply Is Disrupted."Headlines told the story - the continuing story.The newspaper was in the hands of an experienced fighter "jock" standing on theNellis AFB flight line. The bright Nevada sun glinted on windshields and wing tipsof F-IOOs, F-105s and F-4s - in the air and on the ground. The whine of jets washeard everywhere.Deliberately, the fighter ace folded his newspaper. His eyes swept the field as hespoke. "The men and planes who are making these headlines are halfway around theworld, flying seven days a week, yet they often focus their attention on Nellis."Why? Easy. This base has been called The Home of the Fighter Pilot.' Nellishas, for years, trained Tactical Air Command pilots in all methods of weaponsdelivery."Now a new, bigger mission has been added to the old," explained the speaker,Brig. Gen. Ralph G. Taylor, Jr. "Our new organization here is TAC's FighterWeapons Center, and it's deliberately designed to 'call the shots' in the fast-pacedDetails! Details! They make for top pilots at

THE FIGHTER WEAPONS CENTE

40

by HAP HARRIS The A;,man Staffchanges which characterize the super-sophisticated fighter tactics and weaponsfield today."As first commander of the Fighter Weapons Center, General Taylor emphasizeda vital point: that activation of the new unit is good news to pilots who fly F-4Phantoms, the F-I05 Thunderchiejs and other first-line aircraft because their livesand the success of their missions often depend entirely on the quality of the aerialtactics they use and the efficiency of their delivery techniques.Air Force Secretary Harold Brown said recently the new Tactical Fighter Weapons Center will be the Air Force's top authoritative agency on the use of tacticalfighter forces on a worldwide basis.Its mission will include testing new weapon systems such as the F-IIIA - theUS's new supersonic, two-place fighter-bomber, expected to be in the tactical inventory later in 1967-the development of completely new combat tactics, andthe identification of problem areas.To do the job, the Nellis base organization was completely realigned on SeptemberI, 1966, and converted into a two-wing organization: a fighter weapons wing anda combat crew training wing under the Fighter Weapons Center headquarters.Now under the jurisdiction of Twelfth Air Force, Nellis was first opened as LasVegas Army Air Field back in 1941 with facilities consisting of a rough operationsshack, a Western Air Express dirt runway, and a water well - "small potatoes"when compared with today's vast, busy complex that covers some three million acres.First mission of the field was "the training of aerial gunners to a degree of proficiency that will qualify them for combat duty." Shortly after, the mission grew toinclude training of B-17 copilots.Three years later, after 215 B-17 pilots were turned out every five weeks, thebase received B-29s. Inactivated in January 1947, Nellis was shuttered until 1949when it reopened as a fighter training school.When the Korean war started it was the experience gained in this school thatenabled Nellis to change quickly from an undergraduate pilot training program to acombat crew training school.Almost all US fighter pilots and aces who proudly flew in Mig Alley - thataction-packed piece of sky over Korea where they helped establish a "kill" ratio of14 to I - received final combat readiness training at Nellis.The base received its name in 1950, honoring a Nevada native, Lt. William HarrelNellis, a World War II fighter pilot who died in aerial combat over Luxembourg.

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tII

As the base continued its growth the Thunderbirds,official US Ai r Force aerial demonstration team, arrivedat Nellis in June 1956, transferring from Luke AFB,Ariz. In 1958 the base became a part of TA C with theF-IOO Super Sabre replacing the F-86 Sabrejet. In 1965the base began training pilots as ins tructors in the F-4Phantom, the F-I05 Thunderchief and the F-I 00 SuperSabre c o u r ~ e s .Today the 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing and the

4520th Combat Crew Training Wing comprise the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center.The FWW Fights and Teaches

The 4525th FWW is commanded by Col. FloydWhite, whose staff includes the Deputy for OperationalTests and Evaluation, Deputies for Combat Analysis,Materiel and Intelligence, and the Fighter WeaponsSchool commander.Heading the Fighter Weapons School's three squadrons is Col. Charles W. Reed. The 4536 th FWS trainspilots to be fighter weagons instructors in F-IOOs. The

course provides 35 hours of flying and about 210 academic instruction hours. Pilots, after graduation, fillstaff positions within fighter wings as gunnery officersor return to tactical squadrons to take up duties asweapons instructors.

Training in specialized areas is the mission of the4537th FWS. Newest squadron in the school, it startedtraining operations in various century series aircraft inJune 1966. The 4538th FWS , as its sister unit , trainsweapons instructors for the F-4.

Th e Deputy for Operational Tests and Evaluation isconcerned primarily with new munitions and equipmentfor use by tactical fighters. The information acquired isgiven to Hq T AC through test reports, studies andanalyses and the quarterly illustrated Fighter WeaponsNewsletter. The Applications Division has the complicated job of planning and programming the entiretesting program for the wing.

Another vital division in the FW W is the Test Supportorganization with its engineering section; radar trackingmen who provide accurate delivery and tracking data;photographic staff and armament maintenance people.One of the newer areas of the wing, Combat Analysis,identifies problems affecting operations in combat areasand starts action to solve those problems.Liaison officers are in Southeast Asia participating incombat missions, continually gathering information onour tactics with fighter-bombers over the Mekong Deltaand mountainous areas of South Vietnam and our missions to North Vietnam. Communist response - in the

air and on the ground - is also carefully detailed, recorded and evaluated, then sent to the wing for furtherstudy. When answers arc produced, the various schoolcourses benefit immediately as do tactical units throughout the world.Training the Pilots

Of equal importance to the new center in missionObjective is the 4520th Combat Crew Training Wingand its three training squadrons. The commander, Col.April 1961

/warfing the three crew chiefs who in reality ar e their masten, theF.105, F-. ond F-100 represent the oircroft used by the men ot TfWC.

Geffing checked out on preflight procedure1 is TfWC commander, Brig .Gen. Rolph G. Taylor, Jr. His F-. instructor is Copt. Donold Calvert.

C. L. Van Etten is another "o ld pro" in the tactical flying business, a three-war veteran with combat time inWorld War II, Korea and Southeast Asia.His wing conducts an extensive training program inthe F-I05 for pilots at two levels of experience. The

F-I05 long course consists of seven months training designed to put the "platinum fini sh" on officers whohave just completed basic flight training.The short course is cockpit tailored to the needs ofexperienced flyers who have hundreds and in somecases thousands of hours in other aircraft. Both coursesrun the training gamut of detailed classroom and flight

experience in tactics, weapons delivery , navigation andother associated subjects.More details of the cc rw ' s activities came fromaffable Lt. Col. Fred A. Treyz, commander of the

4526th ccrS. Working with him was student Lt.Hank Sherrard, a pilot who earned his instrument andcommercial flight ratings while a Civil Air Patrol memober, and having earned Air Force wings, was in the longcourse for F- I 05 pilots.

Colonel Treyz had flown wing with Lieutenant Sher-41

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rard as he practiced a visual, low-level bombing attackon a target building in the north-northwest corner of thegunnery range complex near Nellis.The problems of performing navigation safely andaccurately at low levels were immediately apparent. Thecloseness of rapidly changing terrain and the high rate ofclosure of navigational check points gave the lieutenanta busy flight.Features such as small villages, roads and railways -easily identified from high altitude by their shape - areof little value at low altitude when seen as a fast-moving,blurred image. The basic method of low-level navigationused by student Sherrard and instructor Treyz was acombination of dead reckoning and pilotage (mapreading). Dead reckoning is a system of determiningwhere a plane should be on the basis of where it hasbeen. It depends on three factors: readings from flightinstruments, the forecast or calculated winds; and pastpo sitions and performance.As he flew, Colonel Treyz "stop watched" hi s student, who was required to know his location at all times,in accordance with his pre-selected flight plan."This is important," the colonel later explained, "because a well-planned and studied route means less 'headio the cockpit' time and less chance for that small fatalerror in altitude."The lieutenant, flying nearby, was doing fine. Only afew seconds off the flight plan, he continued on hiscomplicated course, changing direction several times tillhe approached his target with his powerful fighter-bomber, dropped his bombs on several runs, scored hits andturned for "home."After their return to Nellis a discussion was held onthe fighter jock's "stocks in trade," the many areas ofwork he had to cover on a mission. These included theselection and preparation of charts for fighter cockpituse; route pJanning, target approaches, the enemy airorder of battle (defense and attack capabilities); checkpoints (landmarks used to position the plane and to

check its direction of travel); precise turns, and altitude,weather and range control planning.Lieutenant Sherrard and Colonel Treyz reviewed theentire flight. Nothing was left to chance. LieutenantSherrard, already well trained at flight schools, would bea man with practiced expertise when he flew his Thun-derchief on missions in other areas of the world."There's a saying in the school among the instructors,"the colonel noted, "that goes like this, 'The success ofthe mission will be proportional to the planning, studyand effort that went into it.' Very true--and we don'tlet our students forget it."The next day our visit to the Fighter Weapons Centercontinued with another discussinn over coffee in GeneralTaylor's office.Ground Staff Real P.os

"You've seen the students, instructors and groundcrews in action here, with the emphasis on flying. However, the ground staff deserves a word or more," thegeneral said. "Without their hard-working maintenancerepair and support efforts, we would be doing very littleflying. They are as professional as our flyers, and unquestionably our air crews are the most highly qualifiedin the world."Yes, that's a sweeping statement, but it will standthe test. The records of our airmen around the worldin World War II, Korea and Vietnam attest to this."General Taylor pointed out that TAC pilots must beable to deliver accurately every type of armament thatcan be hung on or in century series fighters and othersupersonic aircraft. They must be ready to leave, onshort notice, for far corners of the world, at any hour ofthe day or night. They must meet tankers, fly long hours,then often go to a destination "short on concrete" that'senveloped in bad weather."No other air force in the world can get this muchperformance from one man and have him coming backfor more," the general said.

Tactics is 0 topic for conltont discussion at TFWC , Her. Lt . Henry l. Sherrard. 26th eClS, chots with Lt . Col.

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April 1961

BIRDS BY RAILThe mighty Titan l i fe solid-propellant booster motors which thunderoff launching pads at Cape Kennedy, Fla., reach the vastness of space in amatter of minutes. But it takes them nearly seven days to go from California

to Florida.A unique problem faced by the Titan IIIC Division of the 6555thAerospace Test Wing at the Air Force Eastern Test Range, Patrick AFB,Fla., is the movement of the 250-lOn booster motors from Sunnyvale, Ca li f. ,to Cape Kennedy.Delivery from Sunnyvale's United Technology Center is by flat-bedrail Shipment across country, a trip which takes from five to seven days.Normally, two booster motors are carried on each trip. Each motor, whenassembled, is 75 feet long and 10 feet in diameter.The motors have special baby-sitters, too. Members of the Titan II ICDivision, two at a time, take turns accompanying the huge space launchers.The two sergeants fly from Patrick AFB to Sunnyvale, then begin the returntrip in a special railroad car. Anytime the train stops, day or night, they inspect the environmental control equipment boxes located on each of the seg ment containers, and check the diesel engine generator sets that maintain aconstant ambient temperature inside the containers.Each of the booster motors is shipped in seven segments, with each segment in its own special container. They ride aboard special hydracushion railcars, securely fastened with large tow bolts that prevent any movement.(In special tests prior to the first cross-eountry rail movements, engineersdetermined that the motor segments would not detonate if impacted.)It's a scenic trip for the mighty rocket motors, but the 2,900-milejourney is a child's step compared to the travels in store for them in futureUS space efforts.

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THATWORN OUTBelieve it or not, someone might be veryunhoppy if you foil to demilitarize it.T HAT old, worn out Air Force uniform is causinga lot of grief. It begins when the frayed collarscuffs and pockets tell you it's time to replace theworn garment with a new one. After all, regulations(AFM 35-10) dictate that the uniform must always be clean, neat and in good condition. I f itwon't pass inspection, it's time to visit the clothingsales store.That's no problem. Most airmen know how towear and take care of their uniform. It's anothersituation entirely when it comes to disposing of theold, worn out one. There are even rules for this.Legally, your uniforms are private property.What you do with them is your own business, aslong as you conform with the prescribed rules fortheir wear. The danger lies in what happens afteryou dispose of the uniform.It's not unusual to see an unauthorized personwearing an old, discarded item of the military uniform; a garage mechanic in an old set of fatigues,or maybe a trash collector in an old, outdated battle jacket. I f the chevrons are still in place or acloser look reveals other distinctive military indiciastill on these items, these people are very likely tobe in trouble.It's Illegal

These people are violating federal laws. Title10, US Code 771 prohibits the unauthorized wearof the uniform. Title 18, US Code 702 advises thatpersons who wear a uniform or distinctive part of auniform of the armed services without properauthority, are liable to a $250 fine, six monthsimprisonment, or both.Although ignorance of the law is no excuse, manypeople are totally unaware of this restriction. A

UNIFORMgood airman can also be a real friend to some unsuspecting civilian. He can help to eliminate orcurtail potential violations.

Demilitarize that worn out uniform before youthrow it away or donate it to a friend or charitableorganization. Rip off the chevrons and other sleeveadornments. Remove all awards, decorations, ribbons and collar insignia. Don't forget the buttonsand shoulder epaulets. Strip that garment of anyitem distinctively military.AirForce Manual 67-4 makes it mandatory thatyou do this before discarding the uniform.Now it's just another item of clothing. You canthrow it away, give it to a worthy charity or evensell it. You've met your obligation.How about those surplus sales stores? They arein all large cities and they sell virtually every itemof military uniform. True! But, these vendors aresupposed to require appropriate identification before selling such items.Military uniforms are often sold or donated byauthorized government agencies. This is perfectlylegal and such transactions are always accomplished through the expedient of signed statements ofintent whereby the purchaser or recipient acknowledges his responsibility under the US Code.As for the individual airman, caution should beyour byword. You can feel secure, no matter whatyou do with that old worn out uniform, as long asyou have completely demilitarized it. Then youknow you have fulfilled your obligation. Then youknow you have done all in your power to protectsome unwary citizen who may not know the law aswell as you. -K.A.A.

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ThePerambulalingPylhonThe constrictor cooly coiled itself aroundthe colonel's control column.

Lt. Col. Norman J. Mueller, Air Force liaison officerfor the 23d Army of Vietnam Division was on dutyat Baa Lac in the central highlands when he saw aMontagnard merchant trying to sell a python.He remembered that the Special Forces men at BanMe Thuot needed a boa constrictor type wildlife exhibit to "round out" their small zoo. He haggled for,and purchased the 20-pound, muscle-bound serpent.Colonel Mueller sandbagged the jungle dweller,placed him on the rcar seat of his 0-1 E Bird Dog andtook off for Ban Me Thuot. While checking groundsites and map coordinates he noticed something moving on the cockpit floor.You guessed it. The situation had changed-fromcockpit to snakepit-in three easy wriggles.With limited knowledge of reptilian psychologyand a hazy remembrance that the family Pylhonidllecoiled and crushed, but was nonpoisonous, the coloneldecided landing was the better pan of valor.With some fancy stick and rudder work the pilotwas on the ground fast at Gia Nghia airstrip. Aided bya dubious local FAC and a crew chief, the colonel unflexed the muscular creature-right into a duffle bag.That did not end the problem. When Colonel Muel-

COMING

Nine.foot boo made an interesting companion lor Lt. Col. Mueller whofinally decided snokes- espec:ially big ones-belong on the ground.

ler got to Ban Me Thuot, the roving reptile was caged,but some local residents started yowling.The dissident voices came from Vietnamese monkeys. They consider the python a mortal enemy. Theywanted no part of him-and he was returned to thehapless colonel.The officer is still stuck-with nine feet of trouble!-H .H.

NEXT MONTHOur Top Airman in Vietnam

on interview with Lt. Gen. William W. MamyerWhat Will Came From It All?

the story of a dozen golden basesThe Endless Pursuit

scientists in blue suitsand a special report an theChief Master Sergeant of the Air Farce

Read THE AIRMANThe magazine for everyone in the Air Force45

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PENTAGONPERSONAL

The word is out! Supporting documents are a mustfor airmen who claim errors have been made in theirleave records. Officials at the Military PersonnelCenter ar e willing to investigate these claims an d toadjust leave records if claimants will send alongcopies of paid travel vouchers. itineraries and travelorders with amendments, telegrams or letters directing movements or port call dates, the number ofdays charged to leave accounts an d the number ofdays actual travel time allowed on movements.When in doubt as to proper personnel procedures,always check with local base personnel offices(CBPO) before initiating action.

There ar e now 67 worldwide locations for AirAttache duty employing Air Force colonels. Interested officers should consult Chap. 25, AFM 3611before applying for this select duty. Applicationsmust be submitted through channels to arrive at HqUS Air Force (AFNIND) by July 30, 1967. A SelectionPanel wHl convene this fall. to choose officers forAir Attache training during calendar year 1968.

'.All Civil Air Patrol cadets, boys and girls, ag e

16 and older who meet training qualifications, will46

be eligible to compete for some 184 !light traininscholarships this summer. Seven programs will bheld at six different locations from July 16 througAugust 13. Power !light training will be conducteat Reno, Nev., Rock Hill, S.C., Lawton, Okla., anKutztown, Po. Glider training will be held at ElmiraN.Y . Chester, S.C., an d also at Reno. CAP cadetwho successfully complete the expenses-paid training will be awarded Federal Aviation Agency prvote pilot certificates.

colonel boardmonth

Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonels with promotion service dales of June 30, 1963, or earlier, areligible, and may be considered for promotion tpermanent colonel when the selection board meetnext month. Eligible officers ma y submit letters itheir behalf to the President, ResAF Selection BoardARPC, 3800 York Street. Denver, Colo. 80205. Sectio8362, Title 10, USC and Para. 603, AFM 353 apply

It's official! The total number of Women in thAir Force (WAF) will soon climb to 850 officers an6,000 enlisted women. The increase, scheduled foFY '68, will result in approximately 100 officers an1.000 airmen over present WAF strength.

WAF airmen work in administrative, personnemedical. dental, supply an d communications carefields, to name only a few. WAF officers ar e assiged to almost every career field open to nonrateAir Force commissioned personnel.

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s / ! , ~ duty scheduledfor ten WAP

Ten Women in the Air Force (WAF) will soon betraveling to Saigon, South Vietnam, for duty withthe US Air Force contingents of MACV. One officeran d nine enlisted WAF will replace their male counterparts in administrative an d personneltype functions at the joint services headquarters. As soon ashousing and uniform problems are resolved, moreWAF will be assigned to Southeast Asia, replacingmale Air Force personnel for assignments in otherthan Saigon. Col. Jeanne M. Holm, Director of WAF,hopes to limit these assignments to volunteers.

DIA seeks applicantsfor intelligenee course

Applications are now being accepted for the August 28. 1967, Defense Intelligence Course to be conducted by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DlA) inWashington, D.C. First lieutenants, captains an d rnajors who do not have an intelligence AFSC an d havenot completed this course are eligible. Nine monthslong. it is designed to qualify officers for future as signments in the intelligence field. AFM 505 outlinesapplication procedures. A baccalaureate degree isdesirable.Selectionto prom

Selection boards will be convened this month torecommend Regular an d Reserve permanent chief,:warrt:mt officers (W2, W3) for promotion to CWO,

and CWO, W4. All officers with a date of rankDrclm.,ticln service date on or before June 30, 1962,be considered. Eligible CWOs may submit writcommunications in their own behalf to the PresiWarrant Officer Selection Board, USAFMPC1U'I'M.A.1I11. Randolph AFB, Tex. 78148. These mustprior to April 24 to be considered.

/ullullm":c;' 8{'/wolat IJr()o},:s

~ : I ) ) 8 C i a l eightweek Laboratory Animal Technihas been established at the USAF School9alpac:e Medicine, Brooks AFB, Tex . for airmenin biomedical research. Applicants mustactive participants in an animal colonyat least three years an d have an approaptitude cluster on their AQE tests.

work with Air Force science teams,~ , a n i I n a J l s used in research and test pro

Distinguished AFROTC Gradsconsidered for Regular

Distinguished graduates of Air Force ROTC programs who entered on extended active duty duringJuly 1 through September 30, 1966, an d who havenot been considered for a Regular appointmentbased on their distinguished graduate status, will beso considered this month. The Hq USAF UniformOfficer Record will identify all eligible officers andtheir consideration for a Regular appointment willbe automatic.

Liabilityon HIIG shipmen

Common motor carriers of household goods beingmoved on military orders are now liable for 60 centsper pound per article for lost or damaged items. Theold rate wa s 30 cents per pound per article. Thecarrier is also now required to provide, upon request,insurance for full value of the shipment at a cost of50 cents per $100 valuation of goods up to a maximum of $10,000. Any recovery under such a policywill, of course, be deducted from claims paid by theUS government.

Last-Second Lines .. Attention, Air Reservists-your sons are eligibleto compete for entrance to the Air Force Academyunder the Presidential Quota category. . . There'll be no doctor's draft call for the Air Forcethis summer; enough are already on board to meetanticipated requirements. . . Air University is seeking applicants for its 177AFROTC detachments. Airmen first class throughmaster sergeants in 702XO an d 732XO may apply inaccordance with Chap. 3, AFM 3911. .. An old friend of many Air Force pilots has beenretired. The T33 Shooting Star ha s flown its lasttraining flight. Jet pilots now learn their trade in themore advanced T38 Talon. . . Astronautics Instructors are needed at the AirForce Academy. If you have a master's degree inguidance control. orbital mechanics, or computerscience, see Chap. 36, AFM 3611 for applicationprocedures and infonnation. .. Are you planning a leave to a foreign country?Your uniform is not always an entry permit. Somecountries require a tourist passport. Better check withyour personal affairs office before departing. Itcould save loss of leave time, embarrassment andcostly delays. .. USAF A is the official and correct albbreviationfor the Air Force Academy. Use AFA when refer.ring to the Air Force Association. -K.A.A.

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JUNGLE by,J O L L l E ~ f ~

"Thanks a loti"

"Oh, uh, Uncle Mikel What surprisel When did youget back from Cam Ranh Bay?"

- - .-.AUTIFUL.

MAN \

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aeri,ean eagle, chosen emblem of a free people forever set againstall its works. The sky-vast, eballenging, awesome-is my home,

,"r"1I'11am its peace I am pledged. This great vault of blue was notmeant as an avenue for evil trespassers, miscreants and intruders bent on ac-

complishing foul designs. Let these take counsel of what othersuch have painfully learned for their efforts. My wings

are unknown strong, tireless. My talons can hurl myriad thunderbolts from which there is no hiding.

Yet, when a stem lesson has been taught andthe sky once more is untroubled, my beak

will accept an olive branch without rancor and let the light shine upon it.

-William A. Kinney

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