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Luke Chapter Meetings Location: TBD Time: 11:30am ♦ Wed. Jan. 16 ♦ Wed. Feb. 20 ♦ Wed. Mar. 20 Buckeye Air Show Sat. Feb. 9 & Sun. Feb. 10 Saturday is STEM Day Barry Goldwater Photo Exhibit at Scottsdale Museum of the West 3830 N. Marshall Way 2 President’s Message 2019 Chapter Highlights from the fourth quarter Council Greetings and Happy New Year my dear fellow AFA members, community partners, President - Ed Logan and loyal supporters of our Frank Luke 623-937-6633 (H) Chapter. We are looking forward to another [email protected] year of very meaningful and exciting activities in support of Luke AFB and the USAF as the Vice Pres. - Sharon Marvin World’s dominant aerospace power. Watch for coming announcements this spring and Sec.-Treasurer - Judy Logan please get involved. VP/Aerospace Education & VP/Membership - Harry Bailey Air Power was a major factor in our winning WW II. The pundits say we are feeling the effects of that war to this VP/Community Partners, very day on many levels. That is certainly true in my life. Let me tell you Luisa Bailey the story because if it wasn’t for Pearl Harbor my future would have Newsletter Editor - Dave Swock been, well, very different. It is sort of like the plot of the movie “ It’s a Wonderful Life” . Here is my karma, if you chose to believe in that sort of Frank Luke Chapter Website thing: www.afaluke.org I was born in New York City on April 20, 1941 of working-class Christian parents in Jewish Memorial Hospital on the Bronx. Pearl Frank Luke’s SPAD XIII Harbor was bombed by Japan on December 7, 1941. We were at war (S7984) with Japan the next day. What sometimes gets lost is December 9, 1941. That is when Hitler and Germany declared war on the US. Karma: April 20 is Hitler’s birthday. The last battle of WWII was on Luke AFB F-35 Okinawa, Japan. We won that battle, occupied Okinawa, and defeated Lightning II Japan. Karma: In 1964 my first overseas tour in the Air Force was to Naha AB, Okinawa. Karma: My wife Judy (our Chapter Treasurer and Join the Frank Luke Chapter discussions native Arizonan) and I had our first child at the Camp Kue Army through social media! Hospital in November 1965. That child, Darice Taylor (nee: Logan), went on to become a Neo-natal ICU nurse (MSRN) who has saved countless babies. She is also a Professor of Nursing at the University of Arizona. My father always called her “Okie”. In 1976 when she was Air Force Association only 12 we returned to Okinawa from South Korea on a pleasure trip Luke Chapter and took her photo outside the hospital where she was born. To this day she is a naturalized US Citizen, but that’s another story. LukeAFA All the best in 2019. Air Force Association Frank Luke Chapter Ed Logan, President Historical Brief 3 Remembering the Battle of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 at 7:48 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 353 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II. With diplomatic negotiations with Japan breaking down, Presi- dent Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisers knew that an imminent Japanese attack was probable, but nothing had been done to increase security at the important naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was Sunday morning, and many military personnel had been given passes to attend religious services off base. At 7:02 a.m., two radio operators spotted large groups of aircraft in flight toward the is- land from the north, but, with a flight of B-17s expected from the United States at the time, they were told to sound no alarm. Thus, the Japanese air assault came as a devastating surprise to the naval base. Much of the Pacific fleet was rendered useless: Five of eight battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged, and more than 200 aircraft were destroyed. A total of 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded, many while valiantly attempting to repulse the attack. Japan’s losses were some 30 planes, five midget sub- marines, and fewer than 100 men. Fortunately for the United States, all three Pacific fleet carriers were out at sea on training maneuvers. These giant aircraft carriers would have their revenge against Japan six months later at the Battle of Midway, reversing the tide against the previously invin- cible Japanese navy in a spectacular victory. US Coast Guard patrol boat Tiger conducted anti-submarine sweeps outside of Pearl Harbor and another patrol boat Taney opened fire on Japanese aircraft that appeared over Honolulu Harbor during the attack. The Americans lose 188 aircraft; the Japa- nese 29. Admiral Nagumo, despite the task forces capacity and against advice, does not send a third wave against the base. The three American aircraft carriers serving in the Pacific are not in port and escape unharmed as does much of the infrastructure of the port, including the oil storage tanks. However, the attack leaves the Allies with only the three US carriers and two British battleships as active capital ships in the theater. The cruisers destroyers and submarines available from the Dutch and Free French reduce the numerical inferiority against the Japanese navy, however, the Allied craft are widely dispersed and under multiple commands. The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress and declared, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” After a brief and forceful speech, he asked Congress to approve a resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan. The Senate voted for war against Japan by 82 to 0, and the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 388 to 1. The sole dissenter was Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a devout pacifist who had also cast a dissenting vote against the U.S. entrance into World War I. On December 8, 1941, the United States Congress declared war (Public Law 77-328, 55 STAT 795) on the Empire of Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. It was formulated an hour after the “Infamy Speech ” of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, and the U.S. govern- ment responded in kind. The American contribution to the successful Allied war effort spanned four long years and cost more than 400,000 American lives. 4 Chapter News Luke AFB Stands up new F-35A Fighter Squadron The 308th Fighter Squadron was reactivated in a ceremony at Luke Air Force Base, Nov. 30. The squadron will house the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s and the Royal Danish Air Force’s F-35A Lightning IIs, in a training part- nership. With Lt. Col. Robert Miller assuming command, the fighter squadron is scheduled to begin operations in De- cember 2018. “It’s bittersweet to leave the 62nd FS, but fortunately I’ll continue to fly and instruct at the 308th Fighter Squadron”, Miller said. Throughout the next two years, the Dutch and the Danish air forces will be sending their jets to popu- late the squadron and help Luke AFB’s mission of training the world’s greatest fighter pilots. “The 308th FS is the fourth F-35 squadron at Luke, but the most important part of this activation is that we will be with two partner nations,” said Miller. “In a few weeks, the Dutch will start their F-35 training fol- lowed by the Danes.” Before final arrangements were made, Lt. Gen. Dennis Luyt, Royal Netherlands Air Force com- mander, paid Luke AFB a visit. During the visit he was given a tour of the base and of the Academic Training Center where all of the F-35 pilots learn Col. Mathew Renbarger, 56th Operations Group commander, how to fly. passes the 308th Fighter Squadron guidon to Lt. Col. Robert After thorough examination of the training facilities, Miller, 308th FS commander, during an assumption of command ceremony, Nov. 30, 2018, at Luke Air Force Base. The 308th FS Dutch air force members were given a walk-through was reactivated to partner with the Netherlands and Denmark to of the new fighter squadron building. train alongside their F-35A Lightning II pilots. (U.S. Air Force Under Miller’s watch, the 308th FS’s goal is to photo by Airman 1st Class Aspen Reid) train as efficiently as the rest of Luke AFB’s fighter squadrons. “As we stand up the 308th FS we will emulate the 62nd FS nation to the best of our ability,” said Miller. “In time, we’ll challenge to be the best F-35 organization.” Miller said challenging the status quo is the mindset at Luke AFB. “The trust that we build at Luke with our partners is critical to our success on the battle field. The opportunity to train, learn and be together is unparalleled elsewhere,” said Miller. “We are changing the way our Air Force and other nations prepare for war.” ALS Salutes & Awards The 56th Fighter Wing Airman Leadership School graduated 35 senior airmen and one staff sergeant Dec.

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