DOCSLIB.ORG

June 1978 Vol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
June 1978 Vol /7/ NEWS LETTER Vol. 16 No. 2 SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION June 1978 BEDTIME RAMBLINGS The bombardier came back and pow- dered the wound with sulfa, wrapped a by Jacob T. Elias (44th BG) bandage on it. The ambulance was waiting as soon as we stopped on the Why? I often wonder why. It is now not my idea of winning the war and revetment, a fast trip to the base over thirty-eight years since I left getting the Congressional Medal of medic, and then a longer trip to Shipdham-in-the-Mud, and yet, in those Honor pinned on my chest by the Pres- Wymondham where the nickel sized half-real moments before I fall asleep. ident of the USA himself. My attitude piece was removed, the smaller pieces my mind flies over the sea to that was probably noted by — (I'll be left in the leg for souvenirs. place I was happy to leave. A pot- charitable and not mention his name). A month there, living in a warm pourri of memories slowly floats My request for transfer to a combat room, clean white sheets, food served through my consciousness. People, crew was quickly approved and I on dishes, attentive nurses. Like a va- places, smells, violent scenes, rain, moved to the 68th Squadron area. A cation. except for feeling hemmed in, hoar-frost on overhead wires, muddy month later I found myself listed on useless. Restlessness grew as the ten- tires on a bicycle. the alert sheet for my first mission as sion before D-Day grew in the British Transfer to the 14th Combat Wing at waist gunner. Isles. I pursuaded the doctor to let me Shipdham. The bustle of organizing the Shaking with fear as we rose in the go back to Shipdham earlier than he Wing, the excitement as word came of half-night and assembled in the blueing wanted. Leon Johnson's promotion to Brig. sky, headed for the Channel. Tension Back at the 68th I was assigned to General, the impossible attempts to and fear as I looked at the Dutch the "Flak Magnet", Joy Smith in make the long cold brick barracks liv- coastline. "Clear the guns" came the charge. What a pilot! Cool, efficient as able. Cold. Summer, I was told, had order, and the shaking gun in my hands a computer, a rock of strength, yet lasted several weeks this year instead told me this was no bad dream, but with a sly sense of humor. The rest of of the usual three days. A tiny stove in reality. A terrible fever raged through the crew great, knowing their jobs. the center of a long, high-ceilinged me as I realized the ground underneath Kenny Sprowl, "Sparks", Gene De- room with concrete floor and brick was hostile. Waters, Flight Engineer, Johnny Shel- sides, totally inadequate for heating Coming in over the target on the Pas ton at the waist window across from anything but a few inches of air di- de Calais, black blossoms with red cen- me. Several missions to France and rectly above it. Our ration of two buc- ters appeared miraculously around us. Germany, then D-Day. One engine kets of coke was fireproof anyway. Pretty, I thought. What are they? A knocked out, we fly alone on the re- We fled to the Red Cross building few blossomed closer, thuds shook the turn, but we make it OK. Another time when we could, basking in the warmth plane. Then it struck me — this was Johnny gets a piece in the neck and of that fireplace. Mud everywhere, FLAK! More evil blossoms flowered all the bombardier and I are frantic in our -sticky, cold, mocking. around us and then we swung away as efforts to stem the blood. He made it I found a bicycle for two dollars, one the bombs were released, the shudder- in spite of us. Bastogne and bombing of the best investments I ever made. ing stopped as the bomb bay doors by radar, praying the bombs don't drop American style coaster brake, too, in- closed and we headed back for home. on our own troops — a good friend of stead of the handle levers, probably the How welcome was the sight of the mine is down there with the 82nd Air- only one on the base. Rides through Channel, more welcome the sight of borne. the narrow roads over the gentle hills, Lowestoft and the friendly fields of My thirty missions are finished just a the high hedgerows, mist and fine rain. Suffolk and Norfolk. That first step on few days past New Year of 1944. What A stop at a tea shop in a village, and solid ground, how good it felt! a relief! Yet it is hard to part with all hot aromatic tea with heavy cake or A couple of days later and over to those guys on the crew and in my scones. They were Spartan confections Abbeville. The flak was heavy, the ship Nissen hut. As I pack and ready my- — would never be allowed within a bounced and shook as we went in. self, the radio with the cracked case up hundred yards of a 'patisserie', but Bombs away, bomb bay doors closed, on the shelf faithfully sings out with they were full of the good stuff that a swing west, then I felt it, like a "Take the A Train". "One O'clock enable the Briton to withstand the hammer hitting my leg. What was that? Jump", "Deep Purple", "I Walk soggy winter. I asked myself, then felt something wet Alone". I look at the guys, stretched Typing letters and filing reports was rolling down inside the heavy clothes. (Continued on page 2) 1 Second Air Division Association BEDTIME RAMBLINGS (Continued from page 1) Eighth Air Force out on their bunks, reading, or sitting gun their engines, gently start to move on the edge, writing a letter. Van Ro- and then roar in a mighty effort to lift OFFICERS gers is heating water for tea, dropping ,their bomb-heavy bodies from the cling- Presdent J. D. LONG, JR. 102 Kemp Rd., Greensboro, N.C. 27410 an extra piece of wood down the insat- ,ing ground. And I saw the trucks and Vice President E. A. ROKICKI iable throat of that little stove to hurry jeeps busily going to and fro, the 365 Mae Rd., Glen Burnie, Md. 21061 Vice President up the heat. Harry Ricketts is sewing a ground crews watching warily as their Membership EVELYN COHEN button on his jacket, almost as though ships made their run and lifted off, 610 Plaza Towers, 2350 Tremont St. Philadelphia. Pennsylvania 19115 he knew what he was doing. Elvin worrying and praying. Vice President Scheetz is writing a letter. How 1 hate 1 walked back toward the Dereham Newsletter WILLIAM G ROBERTIE to leave them, much as I want to go road again and faces flitted through my P.O. Drawer B, Ipswich. Mass 01938 Treasurer DEAN E. MOYER home! What a wrench to go from them. mind, faces of men — boys, really, but 549 East Main St., Evans City, Pa. 16033 That scene made a mark on my con- men ahead of their time. Faces I had Secretary MRS. MILTON VEYNAR 4915 Bristow Drive, Annandale, Va. 22003 sciousness that has faded but never come to look forward to seeing in the gone. morning, faces of men I had come to American Representative. Board of Governors. In 1955 I went back to Norfolk to think beautiful no matter what the Memorial Trust JORDAN UTTAL visit my friends in Wroxham. Monica shape of nose or chin or color of eye, 7824 Meadow Park Drive, Apt. 101 Dallas, Texas 75230 dropped me off at "The King's Head" faces of men I had come to love for * ** * * one day, where the road goes into the their smiles, their teasing, their sadness GROUP VICE PRESIDENTS airbase from the Shipdham-Dereham in unguarded moments, for their cour- Headquarters WARREN L. BURMAN road. I refused her offer to drive me age in facing death though the fear in 34225 Pettibone Ave., Solon Ohio 44139 into the base. "I'll Walk Alone", as their hearts was deep as in mine. 44th BG CHARLES J WARTH 5709 WaIkertcb Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio 45238 Lily Ann Carroll used to sing in 1944. My heart was verily sad as I trod 93rd BG R. J. RHOADES The day was one of those normal with heavy heart toward Dereham. 3053 31st Ave., Columbus, Neb. 68601 389th BG EARL L. ZIMMERMAN ones, low gray clouds fleeing ahead of Where were they, those wonderful 8922 Haverstick Rd., Indianapolis, Ind. 46240 the cold wind though it was August kids? Those great-hearted kids with 392nd BG JAMES W. BLANCO again, the same month smooth cheeks, a few stray hairs on 326 Beck Rd.. Lindenhurst, III. 60046 I'd come in 445th BG DAVID G. PATTERSON 1943. The barman in "The King's their upper lip, kids who did not speak 28 Squire Ct., Alamo, California 94507 Head" assured me I was at the right of patriotism, love of country, fear of 446th CLARENCE H. HOOKS 7619 Clearwater Road, Hixson, Tennessee 37343 place. Then he gave me the name of death, but who went out and did the 448th BG JOSEPH T. MICHALCZYK another man who'd stopped a few best they could, clumsily at times, per- 241 West St., Ludlow Mass. 01056 458th BG CLINTON E. WALLACE weeks before, a professor at Syracuse fectly some times, but always the best Box 508, Brutus, Michigan 49716 University in New York, who wanted their only human minds and bodies 466th BG J M DANIELS to hear from anyone who could do.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • US Strategic Nuclear Forces
    Order Code RL33640 U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues Updated September 5, 2007 Amy F. Woolf Specialist in National Defense Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division U.S. Strategic Nuclear Forces: Background, Developments, and Issues Summary During the Cold War, the U.S. nuclear arsenal contained many types of delivery vehicles for nuclear weapons. The longer range systems, which included long-range missiles based on U.S. territory, long-range missiles based on submarines, and heavy bombers that could threaten Soviet targets from their bases in the United States, are known as strategic nuclear delivery vehicles. At the end of the Cold War, in 1991, the United States deployed more than 10,000 warheads on these delivery vehicles. That number has declined to around 6,000 warheads today, and is slated, under the 2002 Moscow Treaty, to decline to 2,200 warheads by the year 2012. At the present time, the U.S. land-based ballistic missile force (ICBMs) consists of 500 Minuteman III ICBMs, each deployed with between one and three warheads, for a total of 1,200 warheads. The Air Force recently deactivated all 50 of the 10- warhead Peacekeeper ICBMs; it plans to eventually deploy Peacekeeper warheads on some of the Minuteman ICBMs. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) report also indicated that it planned to eliminate 50 of the Minuteman III missiles, leaving a force of 450 missiles that would carry, perhaps, 500-600 warheads. After submitting a study to Congress, the Air Force has begun to deactivate these 50 missiles. The Air Force is also modernizing the Minuteman missiles, replacing and upgrading their rocket motors, guidance systems, and other components.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Air Force and Its Antecedents Published and Printed Unit Histories
    UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND ITS ANTECEDENTS PUBLISHED AND PRINTED UNIT HISTORIES A BIBLIOGRAPHY EXPANDED & REVISED EDITION compiled by James T. Controvich January 2001 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTERS User's Guide................................................................................................................................1 I. Named Commands .......................................................................................................................4 II. Numbered Air Forces ................................................................................................................ 20 III. Numbered Commands .............................................................................................................. 41 IV. Air Divisions ............................................................................................................................. 45 V. Wings ........................................................................................................................................ 49 VI. Groups ..................................................................................................................................... 69 VII. Squadrons..............................................................................................................................122 VIII. Aviation Engineers................................................................................................................ 179 IX. Womens Army Corps............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Turbulent Skies an AEI STUDY on the US AIR FORCE’S CONTRIBUTION to INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
    Turbulent Skies AN AEI STUDY ON THE US AIR FORCE’S CONTRIBUTION TO INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION T. Michael Moseley, Phillip Lohaus, Gary J. Schmitt, and Giselle Donnelly MARCH 2019 AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE Turbulent Skies AN AEI STUDY ON THE US AIR FORCE’S CONTRIBUTION TO INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION T. Michael Moseley, Phillip Lohaus, Gary J. Schmitt, and Giselle Donnelly MARCH 2019 AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE Cover image: F-15C Eagles from the 67th Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan, are refueled by a KC-135R Stratotanker from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron. US Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Angelique Perez. © 2019 by the American Enterprise Institute. All rights reserved. The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational organization and does not take institutional positions on any issues. The views expressed here are those of the author(s). Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................ 1 I. The Study ............................................................................................... 3 Two Air Forces ................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Game Design..................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Study Objectives .............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Rpioams+Ror^ £W Force. B^&O.^5^T1-H
    rpioAms+ror^ £W Force. B^&o.^5^t1-h^^ri^^f£^.4-/'<^'i HAER NO. NVT-I 38 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD Intermountain Support Office - Denver National Park Service P.O. Box 25287 Denver, Colorado 80225-0287 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, 546th MISSILE SQUADRON (MINUTEMAN III MISSILE FACILITIES) HAERNO. MT-138 Location: Malmstrom Air Force Base (MAFB) is located near the City of Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana. Its 564th Missile Squadron has five Minuteman III Missile Alert Facilities (Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra and Tango) and 50 associated Launch Facilities. The Missile Alert Facilities (MAFs) are located in Pondera and Toole Counties, Montana, and their associated Launch Facilities (LFs) are in Pondera, Toole, and Chouteau Counties. Present Owner: MAFB, US Air Force (USAF) Date of Construction Constructed as a Minuteman II system in 1965-1966; converted to a Minuteman III system in 1975 Architect: Ralph M. ParsonsCompany Builder: Morrison Knudsen Company and Associates Present Use: Deactivated Minuteman III Missile Alert Facilities (MAF) and Launch Facilities (LF) Significance: The 564th is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) squadron based at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The fifty Minuteman ICBMs maintained and controlled by the 564th Missile Squadron (MS) were integral components of a massive Cold War defense system developed between the early 1960s and mid-1970s. The Minuteman system was designed to protect the United States from a possible nuclear attack as well as to provide a strategic deterrence, a cornerstone of American defense policy of the era. At the peak of the program, the nation's Minuteman arsenal had a total of some 1,000 operational missiles deployed at a series of northern Air Force Bases, including 200 at Malmstrom.
    [Show full text]
  • Developing Advanced Academic Degree Educational Profiles for Career Fields
    Air Force Institute of Technology AFIT Scholar Theses and Dissertations Student Graduate Works 3-2007 Developing Advanced Academic Degree Educational Profiles for Career Fields Katherine J. Gentil Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.afit.edu/etd Part of the Training and Development Commons, and the Vocational Education Commons Recommended Citation Gentil, Katherine J., "Developing Advanced Academic Degree Educational Profiles for Career Fields" (2007). Theses and Dissertations. 3080. https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/3080 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Graduate Works at AFIT Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AFIT Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEVELOPING ADVANCED ACADEMIC DEGREE EDUCATIONAL PROFILES FOR CAREER FIELDS THESIS Katherine J. Gentil, Major, USAF AFIT/GOR/ENS/07-08 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE AIR UNIVERSITY AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE ; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United States Government. AFIT/GOR/ENS/07-08 DEVELOPING ADVANCED ACADEMIC DEGREE EDUCATIONAL PROFILES FOR CAREER FIELDS THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Operational Sciences Graduate School of Engineering and Management Air Force Institute of Technology Air University Air Education and Training Command In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Operations Research Katherine J. Gentil, BS, MEd Major, USAF March 2007 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED.
    [Show full text]
  • Almanac ■ Guide to Air Force Installations Worldwide
    USAFAlmanac ■ Guide to Air Force Installations Worldwide Major Installations Note: A major installation is an Air Force Base, Air Andrews AFB, Md. 20762-5000; 10 mi. SE of 4190th Wing, Pisa, Italy; 31st Munitions Support Base, Air Guard Base, or Air Reserve Base that Washington, D. C. Phone (301) 981-1110; DSN Sqdn., Ghedi AB, Italy; 4190th Air Base Sqdn. serves as a self-supporting center for Air Force 858-1110. AMC base. Gateway to the nation’s (Provisional), San Vito dei Normanni, Italy; 496th combat, combat support, or training operations. capital and home of Air Force One. Host wing: 89th Air Base Sqdn., Morón AB, Spain; 731st Munitions Active-duty, Air National Guard (ANG), or Air Force Airlift Wing. Responsible for Presidential support Support Sqdn., Araxos AB, Greece; 603d Air Control Reserve Command (AFRC) units of wing size or and base operations; supports all branches of the Sqdn., Jacotenente, Italy; 48th Intelligence Sqdn., larger operate the installation with all land, facili- armed services, several major commands, and Rimini, Italy. One of the oldest Italian air bases, ties, and support needed to accomplish the unit federal agencies. The wing also hosts Det. 302, dating to 1911. USAF began operations in 1954. mission. There must be real property accountability AFOSI; Hq. Air Force Flight Standards Agency; Area 1,467 acres. Runway 8,596 ft. Altitude 413 through ownership of all real estate and facilities. AFOSI Academy; Air National Guard Readiness ft. Military 3,367; civilians 1,102. Payroll $156.9 Agreements with foreign governments that give Center; 113th Wing (D. C.
    [Show full text]
  • The Future of the U.S. Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force
    CHILDREN AND FAMILIES The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that EDUCATION AND THE ARTS helps improve policy and decisionmaking through ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT research and analysis. HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE This electronic document was made available from INFRASTRUCTURE AND www.rand.org as a public service of the RAND TRANSPORTATION Corporation. INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS LAW AND BUSINESS NATIONAL SECURITY Skip all front matter: Jump to Page 16 POPULATION AND AGING PUBLIC SAFETY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Support RAND Purchase this document TERRORISM AND HOMELAND SECURITY Browse Reports & Bookstore Make a charitable contribution For More Information Visit RAND at www.rand.org Explore RAND Project AIR FORCE View document details Limited Electronic Distribution Rights This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law as indicated in a notice appearing later in this work. This electronic representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for non-commercial use only. Unauthorized posting of RAND electronic documents to a non-RAND website is prohibited. RAND electronic documents are protected under copyright law. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of our research documents for commercial use. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please see RAND Permissions. This product is part of the RAND Corporation monograph series. RAND monographs present major research findings that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND mono- graphs undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. C O R P O R A T I O N The Future of the U.S. Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Force Lauren Caston, Robert S.
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 12A. World Nuclear Forces, 2007
    Appendix 12A. World nuclear forces, 2007 SHANNON N. KILE, VITALY FEDCHENKO and HANS M. KRISTENSEN I. Introduction Eight nuclear weapon states possessed roughly 11 530 operational nuclear weapons as of January 2007 (see table 12A.1). Several thousand nuclear weapons are kept on high alert, ready to be launched within minutes. If all nuclear warheads are counted— operational warheads, spares, and those in both active and inactive storage—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan and Israel together possessed an estimated total of more than 26 000 warheads.1 A ninth state, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, or North Korea), demonstrated a nuclear weapon capability when it carried out a nuclear test explosion in 2006, but whether it has developed any operational nuclear weapons is not known. All of the five legally recognized nuclear weapon states, as defined by the 1968 Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT),2 appear determined to remain nuclear weapon powers for the foreseeable future and are in the midst of or have plans for modernizing their nuclear forces. Russia and the USA are in the process of reducing their operational nuclear forces from cold war levels as a result of two bilateral treaties: the 1991 Treaty on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (START I Treaty) and the 2002 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT).3 The USA plans to reduce its total stockpile by almost half by 2012. It also intends to begin production of new nuclear warheads for the first time since the end of the cold war.
    [Show full text]
  • The Future of Military Maneuvers MSPO 2016
    [ A Specialized Monthly Journal On Military & Strategic Affairs ] 45th Year | Issue No. 536 | September 2016 MSPO 2016: Setting Sights on Future Driverless Technology: The Future of Military Maneuvers H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Attends Graduation of the First Military Training Course for Female Students Issue File Human Values ​​and Principles: The Essence of Planning and Performance in the UAE Armed Forces CYBER REDUCE CYBER RISK Raytheon takes a solutions-oriented approach to addressing advanced persistent threats. Our end-to-end capabilities leverage decades of cyber and intelligence experience – and help organizations, government agencies and nations worldwide confidently navigate the cyber domain. RaytheonCyber.com @RaytheonCyber Raytheon Cyber © 2016 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved. 16IIS490_Cyber_NationShield_Sept.indd 1 8/19/16 3:27 PM Ensuring the Security and Stability of Yemen through the UAE Armed Forces Lt. General Hamad Mohammed Thani Al Rumaithi, Chief of Staff of the UAE Armed Forces, recently paid a highly important inspection visit to the UAE forces participating in the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen. He conveyed the regards of the UAE leaders to the troops stationed in Aden and Mukalla and wished them By: success for their mission. This visit involved vital dimensions and implications that cannot be overlooked, Staff Lieutenant Colonel including the emphasis on the success of our Armed Forces to extend their control over areas where they are stationed, and anchor security and stability in these re- Yousef Juma Al Haddad gions. This is a significant security achievement of our heroes participating within Editor in Chief the Arab Coalition Forces. [email protected] Accompanied by a group of senior army officers, Lt.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Air Division Association Urnal
    SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION URNAL Vol. 22, No. 4 SECOND AIR DIVISION ASSOCIATION December 1983 Second Air Division Association we will never be a complete Division Asso- Eighth Air Force As We View It ciation without a good representative by J. Fred Thomas (Executive VP) number of Fighter Wing members. We OFFICERS strongly urge every V.P. and every member President . COL. CHARLES FREUDENTHAL,(Ret.) 8421 Berea Drive, Mienna, Virginia 22180 Since returning from Norwich, along to help George Epperson rectify this situ- Executive Vice President J FRED THOMAS 8933 221H Biscayne Ct., Huntington Beach, Calif. 92646 with tending the affairs of the 392nd, we ation. We keep hearing that Fighter Group Vice President have spent considerable time becoming Membership EVELYN COHEN people are "loners", but we don't buy that; Apt 06410 Delair Landing, 93001 State Road versed in the office of the Exec. V.P. We they came from the same training programs Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19114 Vice President have met with Evelyn Cohen and Pete the rest of us did. We would like to contact Journal WILLIAM G. ROBERTIE PO. Drawer B. Ipswich, Mass. 01938 Henry, went to Dallas and met with Jordan all Associations in which our 65th Wing Treasurer DEAN MOYER Uttal, Gerry Merket, et al, and we have 549 East Main St., Evans City, Pa. 16033 people are active and invite those from Secretary FRANK THOMAS met with, phoned and/or written Charlie our Second Air Division Groups to join 118 Lakeview Dr., Carlinville, III. 62626 Freudenthal, Dave Patterson, Bill Robertie, with us in our overall program.
    [Show full text]
  • The Cold War and Beyond
    Contents Puge FOREWORD ...................... u 1947-56 ......................... 1 1957-66 ........................ 19 1967-76 ........................ 45 1977-86 ........................ 81 1987-97 ........................ 117 iii Foreword This chronology commemorates the golden anniversary of the establishment of the United States Air Force (USAF) as an independent service. Dedicated to the men and women of the USAF past, present, and future, it records significant events and achievements from 18 September 1947 through 9 April 1997. Since its establishment, the USAF has played a significant role in the events that have shaped modem history. Initially, the reassuring drone of USAF transports announced the aerial lifeline that broke the Berlin blockade, the Cold War’s first test of wills. In the tense decades that followed, the USAF deployed a strategic force of nuclear- capable intercontinental bombers and missiles that deterred open armed conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the Cold War’s deadly flash points, USAF jets roared through the skies of Korea and Southeast Asia, wresting air superiority from their communist opponents and bringing air power to the support of friendly ground forces. In the great global competition for the hearts and minds of the Third World, hundreds of USAF humanitarian missions relieved victims of war, famine, and natural disaster. The Air Force performed similar disaster relief services on the home front. Over Grenada, Panama, and Libya, the USAF participated in key contingency actions that presaged post-Cold War operations. In the aftermath of the Cold War the USAF became deeply involved in constructing a new world order. As the Soviet Union disintegrated, USAF flights succored the populations of the newly independent states.
    [Show full text]
  • Usafalmanac ■ Guide to Air Force Installations Worldwide
    USAFAlmanac ■ Guide to Air Force Installations Worldwide Major Installations Note: A major installation is an Air Force Base, Air Andrews AFB, Md. 20762-5000; 10 mi. SE of port Sq., Araxos AB, Greece; Det. 1, Expeditionary Base, Air Reserve Base, or Air Guard Base that Washington. Phone (301) 981-1110; DSN 858-1110. Air Control Sq., Jacotenente, Italy. One of the old- serves as a self-supporting center for Air Force AMC base. Host: 89th Airlift Wing. Responsible for est Italian air bases, dating to 1911. USAF began combat, combat support, or training operations. Presidential support and base operations; supports operations 1954. Area 1,467 acres. Runway 8,596 Active duty, Air National Guard (ANG), or Air Force all branches of the armed services, several major ft. Altitude 413 ft. Military 3,367; civilians 1,102. Reserve Command (AFRC) units of wing size or commands, and federal agencies. Tenants: Det. Payroll $158.9 million. Housing: 619 govt.-leased larger operate the installation with all land, facili- 302, AFOSI; Air Force Flight Standards Agency; units, 34 billeting spaces, 552-bed dorm. No ties, and support needed to accomplish the unit AFOSI Academy; Air National Guard Readiness TLF, 20 VOQ, 14 VAQ. Clinic with 24-hour acute- mission. There must be real property accountability Center; 113th Wing (D.C. ANG); 459th Airlift Wing care clinic. American medical services at Sacile through ownership of all real estate and facilities. (AFRC); Naval Air Facility; Marine Aircraft Gp. 49, Hospital (20 minutes from base) with OB/GYN, Agreements with foreign governments that give Det. A; Air Force Review Boards Agency.
    [Show full text]