WASSUP??? April 2019

VOLUNTEER AWARD WINNERS

Volunteer of the Quarter Awards: Team Chiefs, though award winners have not been selected for a while, please keep on submitting your choice for Volunteer of the Quarter and Volunteer of the Year according to the following schedule. To all Team Chiefs, please make your nominations for the Volunteer of the Quarter awards to Lou Nigro no later than (NLT) the 15th day of March, June, September, and December. If we do not receive nominations by the date above of each of the specified quarters, we will not name a Volunteer of the Quarter. NEW VOLUNTEERS We are continuously blessed with new people volunteering their time to help us here at the Museum. Since the last issue of the WASSUP, we have not added to our team of volunteers. The Museum is always looking for a “few good men & women” to add to our team.

Please recruit your family members to volunteer @ the Museum. We are always in need of weekend docents especially and a couple of our Tuesday/Friday teams are also in desperate need of volunteers. LONG-TERM MUSEUM VISITORS PASSES

For those who do not use a Government ID card to access the Base, a revised list of volunteers have been sent to the Base Access Control Officer for the new Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) card that will allow you access to the base. This list includes the name of volunteer’s spouses, if applicable, or the parent/guardian of volunteers who have not already reached driving age. The Air Force-mandated background check on the individuals listed will be accomplished, at the Visitor’s Center when the DBIDS card is issued. When you come thru the Gate, just show them that card. They will scan the bar code on the back, and you will be on your way. REMEMBER that: (1) DBIDS cards will be issued ONLY to the persons on the validated list allowing them access to the Base; (2) If your spouse needs unescorted access to the Base to drop you off or pick you up, he/she will need to get his or her own DBIDS card. The DBIDS cards were requested for the current period, BUT if you picked up a new DBIDS card before the expiration of the old one, the new one will expire one year after the issuance of the new one. So keep an eye on the expiration date of your DBIDS card, as they are all not the same. Do not forget to get your “NEW” DBIDS card before your current one expires!

Your Social Security number will need to be confirmed before your DBIDS card can be issued, so you have to present either your physical Social Security card of a physical IRS Form (such as a W-2) to confirm that number. DBIDS cards are issued at the Vehicle Registration desk in the Visitor’s Center north of the Main Gate at the intersection of M-59 and Jefferson Avenue. NEW HOURS: hours are generally from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday and from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday thru Saturday. Due to staffing limitations, the Visitor’s Center is closed the Saturday before a Federal holiday, Sundays, Federal holidays, and on Saturdays and Mondays for lunch (time varies depending on their workload). I would recommend that you call before you try to get your pass, regardless of the day you plan to arrive. Their phone number is 586- 239-6849. DBIDS cards have been requested solely for participation in Museum activities, the performance of Museum business at other on-Base locations, and transportation to/from on- Base eating establishments. Do not use this pass for any other reason! Michigan's last surviving WWII Women Air Force Service Pilot dies at 97

Source: Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press | Updated 3:34 p.m. ET Feb. 2, 2019

Michigan’s last surviving World War II fly girl, Jane Doyle of Grand Rapids has died.

Doyle, who received the Congressional Gold Medal for serving in the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Program during WWII, was 97 years old when she died Friday at Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Born Mildred Jane Baessler in Grand Rapids, she was a trail blazer, and was among 1,102 women recruited to fly stateside for the U.S. Army Air Forces during the way, freeing up male pilots to serve in combat. She was among 38 Michigan women who served as WASP pilots during the war.

Mildred (Jane) Doyle (pictured above), a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II, poses for a portrait in her WASP dress uniform at her Grand Rapids, Michigan home on 7 November 2017. Doyle flew military planes in support missions for the United States military. (Photo courtesy of Andraya Croft, Special to the Free Press)

“The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots were groundbreaking in the same way that the iconic Rosie the Riveters were – some in flying and some in building the aircraft.” Kristen Wildes, director of the Ada Historical Society, told the Free Press for a 2017 news story about Doyle.

“When the men left to serve in the war, these remarkable women stepped in to assist in the war effort and get the jobs done. Through their dedication and service, the WASPs got a foot in the door of a future that would slowly open to women in aviation.”

Doyle told the Free Press during a 2017 interview that her father, Karl Baessler, was a German immigrant who worked for the Pere Marquette Railway. It was her mother, Emma Baessler, who took her to see the famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh, when he came to Grand Rapids in August 1927. She recalled hearing Lindbergh speak in the outdoor amphitheater at John Ball Park. Doyle was just 6.

Here, she’s at the controls of a World War II airplane at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. (Photo at left: Mildred Jane Doyle family photo)

It wasn’t until she enrolled in what was then Grand Rapids Junior College in 1939 that flying an airplane was something that she could do. “I was taking engineering drawing and I was the only girl in the class.” Doyle said. “I was ordered to sit in the back in the corner and the instructor came in and was talking to the fellas about this Civilian Pilot Training Program. After the class, I went up and said, ‘How about women? Can I get in?’ And he said, “Well, I’ll find out. And then he told me that one woman could get in for every 10 men. Men had to be 5-foot-4, but women could be 5-foot-2 ½. So, I stretched, and passed the physical and got into the program that summer.” By the fall of 1940, Doyle was enrolled at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and flying with the Civil Air Patrol to keep her pilot’s license. When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, Doyle’s brother, Frederick Baessler, enlisted in the Navy as an officer, serving on a destroyer in the Pacific. Her sister joined the American Red Cross.

And one day, a telegram arrived. It was from Jacqueline Cochran, the founder of a flying program that was recruiting female pilots from across the country to join the war effort. “I got a telegram asking, ‘was I interested?’ … I responded that I was interested. And then I got a notice that said … I had to go pass a physical at Selfridge Field,” Doyle said. She passed the tests and made her way to Texas for seven months of training at Avenger Field in the town of Sweetwater. Cochrane was insistent that her pilots would be trained to fly every aircraft in service.

Photo of Mrs. Doyle showing her album from her WASP days and medals, badges, buttons and pins including a Congressional Gold Medal (center) and World War II Victory Medal (top center) that were awarded to Mildred Jane Doyle, a member of the Women Air Force Service Pilots during World War II, photographed at her Grand Rapids, Mich. home on 7 November 2017. (Photo courtesy of Andraya Croft, Special to the Free Press)

Altogether, Doyle and the other WASPs flew 60 million miles of operation flights from 1942-44 and piloted 78 types of aircraft, according to Kimberly Johnson, the director of special collections at Texas Woman’s University, the repository of historical information about WASP pilots. Because they weren’t considered part of the military at the time – they were civilians – the WASPs had to buy their own uniforms and cover the costs of traveling to the training center and to their assigned bases. They had to pay rent and cover other expenses. And when a woman died on the job – as 38 of them did – her family got nothing. “For those that were lost, whose lives were given during the war the government didn’t pay to get them back home for their families to lay them to rest. There was a lot of sacrifice but they did so willingly.” Johnson said. “What they did was open so many doors.”

Doyle met her husband, Donald Doyle, a flight instructor and check pilot, at Freemont Field in Indiana in June 1944. “He had to check me out along with the engine,” she said, chuckling. Two months after they met, Jane Baessler became Jane Doyle. “They said it wouldn’t last a year,” Doyle said. Instead, it lasted 67 years, and gave them five children, a dozen grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren.

Doyle didn’t do much flying after the WASP program was disbanded. “I rented a small plane and flew around to keep my hours up … but I didn’t have any real purpose,” she said. “And then we had a family and we settled down, and so I gave it up.”

Though she had a degree in design from the U-M College of Architecture, she worked at a school for visually impaired children for a few years, then took a series of jobs for Aquinas College.

Doyle was proud of the work she did during the war. “They call us pioneers … the women in different fields of aviation, even the astronauts and the gals in the military, they all say, “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be doing this today.” Pictured to the left are cadets from the Class 44-W-4, from top left, Dorothy Allen, Mildred (Jane) Baessler Doyle, and Odean Bishop; from bottom left, Ina Barley and Stella Jo Baker at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. (Photo courtesy of Mildred Jane Doyle family photo)

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, a son, Patrick Doyle; a daughter, Deanna (Doyle) Thompson; sisters Doris Baessler and Arline Baessler Roe and a brother, Frederick Baessler. She is survived by daughters Laurie (Ken) Preston, Cathy (John) Olszewski and Janice Holton along with son-in-law Craig Thompson; 12 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. The family suggests memorial contributions in her honor may be made to the National WASP WWII Museum, 210 Avenger Field Road, Sweetwater, Texas 79556.

Museum Happenings

Museum Fundraising Efforts:

Museum Memorial Wall

If you or a loved one served in any branch of the military, active-duty, reserves or guard, you can purchase a brick in that person’s memory or honor of their time served and have it placed in the Museum’s Memorial Wall. A form for ordering bricks is located at the end of the newsletter.

Go-Fund-Me

The Selfridge Military Air Museum has launched a “Go-Fund-Me” initiative to raise funds for improvements to the Museum’s infrastructure. We’re hoping that we will be able to build a “new” home for the USMC FG-1D Corsair that is currently being restored by our restoration team. Please help if you can!! For more information, watch the video by clicking on the link below or copying and pasting the link into your URL bar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bRupDKhHHU&feature=youtu.be. If you’re interested in helping us out with this project, you can make a donation by clicking on this link or by copying/pasting the link into your URL bar: https://www.gofundme.com/7tqvzq- maghaselfridge-military-airmuseum. MUSEUM HAPPENINGS (cont.)

Partnership with Texas Roadhouse, Chesterfield Township

The Selfridge Military Air Museum has partnered with the Texas Roadhouse, located on 23 Mile Road, Chesterfield Township, Mich. for a fund raiser coming in April 2019. Please see the flyer pictured below for the specifics of the event. To be safe, even though we have been assured that an electronic copy of the flyer is acceptable, please print and bring the flyer with you to the event. But, most important of all: PLEASE SHARE THIS FLYER with your friends and family and encourage them to come out on 8 April 2019 (4 – 10 p.m.) to support the Selfridge Military Air Museum with their first-ever fundraiser with Texas Roadhouse.

MUSEUM HAPPENINGS (cont.)

Fundraiser with Panera Bread

Come and join the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association and the Selfridge Military Air Museum @ their first fundraiser with Panera Bread on Friday, 7 June 2019 from 4 to 8 p.m. Panera is located @ 51490 Gratiot Avenue, Chesterfield, Michigan (in the Target shopping center). Please bring along the flyer below to give your cashier to insure that MAGHA and the air museum get credit. MAGHA will receive 20% of the proceeds. Please share this flyer with your friends and family and encourage them to come out and join MAGHA @ this “new” fundraiser.

Museum Happenings (cont.)

Historic Tea:

Planning stages have begun for the Second Annual Historic Tea held on the grounds of the Selfridge Military Air Museum. We’re still in the process of lining up the speaker and caterer, and confirming the date, but we’re hoping to hold it on Saturday, 20 July 2019 @ 11 a.m.

Library Research Team:

Ongoing projects in the library are the digitization of the photos and documents in our multiple file cabinets and the creation of an index of our archival holdings. Regular volunteers, Pat Williams and Mary Lou Pearsall along with Team Chief, Lori Nye are the ones working on this project. Volunteer, Joe Mazzara is continuing his research on and biographical sketch of the Base Commanders @ Selfridge Field through the present day. He has been given a couple of other projects to work on when the going gets slow on his initial project. They are building/updating the history files on the various units/squadrons that have been assigned to Selfridge over the years and organizing our Aircraft Accidents files and adding to them with any information he can gleam from other sources. Patrick, our newest volunteer, is still waiting on his computer to be updated with a new version of Microsoft Access, before he retackles building an updated/current database of library’s book collection and adding all the “new” books that the library has received over the last two years, while we’ve been waiting for the software/computer upgrade. While attending the last Base Community Council meeting held at the Dining Facility on base, Lori scouted out, with the assistance of Phil Ulmer, Chief of Public Affairs, 127th Wing, an historical plaque that hangs in the old Base Chapel. This plaque lists the pilots from the 94th “Hat-in-the- Ring” Aero Squadron (Pursuit) or 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron from 1918 through 1959, reported missing or killed in the line of duty. The 94th Aero Squadron (Pursuit) was assigned to then Selfridge Field as part of the 1st Pursuit Group in 1917, leaving to go to France for World War I. It returned to Selfridge Field and remained there up to the beginning of World War II. The squadron’s current home is at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia and has been redesignated the 94th Fighter Squadron. Museum Happenings (cont.)

Lori Nye, Library Team Chief, with the assistance of Bob Hudson, Museum’s Assistant Director and Dave Leasia, Team Chief, Grounds and Information Technology set up the display for January-February 2019 at the Anton Art Center during their Michigan XLVI. Here are a few photos from the display.

Indian Deed between the Ocipwe (Chippewa) Indian Nation and William Tucker signed in Detroit on 22 September 1780. Tucker had been a captive/slave of the Indian Nation and was granted his freedom. He was told that he could have as much land as he could pace off between sunrise and sunset along the shore of Lake St. Clair. His land along with land of many others was purchased by Henry B. Joy and eventually became known as Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

Pictured at right is the “Hat- in-the-Ring” emblem of the 94th Aero (Pursuit) Squadron that was once stationed at Selfridge Field.

Below is a painting by Marii Chernev, a Bulgarian-born artist, of Major Royce in a P-6 Curtiss Hawk over Selfridge Field. What is cool about this painting is, it shows the original gate of Selfridge Field at Joy Blvd and Jefferson Avenue (pre I-94). .

This display for 2019 took the history of Selfridge Field basically through the 1930s up to the Korean War. Stay tuned for 2020 & Michigan XLVII, when we do 1950s to 1971. Museum Happenings (cont.)

Restoration Team: The Restoration Team led by Darrel Rohrbeck is continuing their steady progress on restoring the Museum’s FG-1D Corsair. Steady progress has been made and one wing is done, ready to paint, and work is progressing on the 2nd wing. Here is a photo (below) of the finished wing. Check out the Museum’s website @ www.selfridgeairmuseum.org, if you’re interested in donating to this worthy cause.

Before & after photo of left wing.

Grounds Team: The Grounds Team volunteers are sort of quiet this time of year. Most of the regular crew is either enjoying the balmy weather in sunny Florida or just relaxing at home getting geared up for the upcoming season.

Visual Information Team: They’re taking a break this time of year, though their Team Chief, Rob Sandstrom has been helping with some videos for the redesign of the Museum’s display. Stand-by to see the resdesign on Opening Day 2019, 6 April. Jon has finished the photographic inventory of the ‘completed’ uniforms in our project. Next, he will be starting on scanning the oversized negatives that are in our collection.

Maintenance Team: Haven’t heard anything of what this crew has been up to over the winter months, but they’ve been seen around the Museum helping out wherever they’ve been needed.

Information Technology: Fred Durr was seen last week working on the Museum’s R2800 engine display so it’s ready to go for our 2019 season. Dave Leasia, Team Chief, has been helping out wherever needed with the Museum’s display redesign and keeping the Network functioning and everyone on our fine team of volunteers happy … not an easy task!

Redesign of Museum Display: Over the last few months the museum display has been undergoing a redesign. So make sure you stop by on/after our ‘Opening Day, 6 April 2019’ to check it out!

These are brought to you from “The Tailspinner” a WWII publication from Foster Field, Texas.

Museum Happenings (cont.)

MAGHA MEMBERS – We Need YOU!

Please consider volunteering as a weekend docent in the Gift Shop, Flight Training area, SPAD Hangar, or as an Inside/Outside floater. Your volunteering will continue to promote the history of the Air National Guard @ Selfridge and ONLY YOU have unique stories to tell of YOUR time serving. We’re also looking ‘for a few good men & women’ to serve as volunteers on the Tuesday & Friday gigs, but our weekend docents really need a “boost” in numbers!!!!!!!! If volunteering as a weekend docent, standard procedure is about 10 days per season, but if you can only give the museum two to four, don’t let that stop you from applying. We may have funds to keep the Museum operational, but without docents, we don’t have a Museum! Maybe even get your spouse interested in volunteering with you as a “team”. You can obtain the Volunteer Application Form from the Museum’s website http://www.selfridgeairmuseum.org, or call the Museum Director and he’ll send you the application (586-239-6768; or email: [email protected]. If interested in joining our Tuesday/Friday group of volunteers, here are the areas where we desperately need help. Look for the areas with an asterisk *.

Please sign up today! EDITORIAL

This is where our beloved Museum Director gets a chance to vent. Please do not take these ramblings personally…

• I’ll say it again and keep saying it until everyone gets the word! ONLY THE CURATOR (DICK SOULES) OR THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (THAT’S ME) CAN ACCEPT A DONATION TO THE MUSEUM! Do not bring anything from your home or from others that is to be donated to the Museum unless you first come thru me or Dick! We keep getting stuff that I have to back door thru the review, acceptance and inventory process and it’s getting a little old trying to figure out what happened and when after the fact. • For those of you who have our Museum Master Card number memorized or on a piece of paper, it has changed! See me or call me and I’ll share it with you. • Please consider becoming a member of the Michigan Air National Air Guard Historical Association (MAGHA). Membership in our parent organization is certainly not a requirement to be an Air Museum volunteer, however, the membership donations we receive are a significant part of our yearly income and provide us with the financial wherewithal to reimburse you for purchases you make on our behalf and to fund needed improvements to our operation. We presently have over 110 volunteers on our rolls and over 50% have chosen not to become members of MAGHA. Please consider joining our Historical Association…a membership application is on the last page of this newsletter. • For those of you that purchase from Grainger, we now have our own account instead of sharing the Base Supply account. Our account number is 884941782. • If I sometimes seem a little frazzled or annoyed, please forgive me as I sometimes feel like I’m getting ready to fall into my full plate. I can’t begin to count the number of times that a conversation begins with “Wouldn’t it be great if we…” and “we” usually translates to me!

2019 GOALS It never ends…

• Purge our storage areas of assets that are excess to our current and future needs, a long-term and ongoing effort. • Training more of our “full-time” volunteers on aircraft corrosion control. • Training our weekend hosts • Cataloguing, digitizing, and filing historic photos. • Restoring the FG-1D “Corsair” using industry-standard components. The “plan” is to restore portions of it in Bldg 1007 for final assembly in Bldg 1045. Expect the Corsair to be moved out of the Air Park when the AT-6 gets placed in the Air Park and to be moved back to the Air Park in the summer/fall of 2015.

GOLF SHIRTS

One of the ways we say “thank you” to our volunteers who do more than just say they want to volunteer and then either don’t show up or come in one time and then leave is to provide them with a golf shirt in a size of their choice with the Museum logo and their name embroidered on it. The initial golf shirt is free. If additional or replacement shirts are needed, we’ll order and mail them to you with an invoice for just our cost for the shirt(s) requested.

It’s hard to keep track of who wanted a shirt (some don’t) and who received one already, so until I hear to the contrary, I’m going to assume that all of our current volunteers have already received their shirt. If my assumption is incorrect, and it probably is, please call me and we’ll get it on order.

Kroger Community Rewards Program

HELP Support the Selfridge Military Air Museum!

Support the Selfridge Military Air Museum & enroll in Kroger’s Community Rewards Program

Kroger Community Rewards Program: This program will link purchases made with your Kroger’s Plus Card to the Selfridge Military Air Museum so that a portion of the sale is donated back to the Selfridge Military Air Museum.

Please note — Once you have enrolled in the program and identified the nonprofit organization of your choice, you do not need to re-register annually. Step by step instructions if you have never registered online

1. Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com 2. Create an account by entering your email, a password and your zip code. 3. Select your preferred store location. 4. Click on the “Create Account” button. 5. Enter your Kroger’s card number and your last name. 6. Click the “Save” button. 7. At the bottom of the next screen, click on the “Enroll button” 8. Enter in your contact information. 9. Click on the “Save” button.

10. In the “Find Your Organization” box, enter the number LI431 and click “Search”. 11. Click on circle/dot next to “Selfridge Military Air Museum”. 12. Click on the “Enroll” button. You are now registered to support the Selfridge Military Air Museum. Amazon Smile:

For information about the Amazon Smile Program that the museum is enrolled in, check out the website: http://selfridgeairmuseum.org/support_AmazonSmile.htmClick on the link here in order to sign into If you already have an Amazon account, then log in to your account with your email/user name and password from the link on the museum’s website. If successful, you should receive a notice saying “Thank you” and that your purchases will be in support of the Selfridge Military Air Museum. If you need to create an Amazon account, click on the link to “create an account”. You will need to have an email account to participate and have the following information to fill in: Type your name, email, retype your email, create a password, and retype your password. If it all matches, click “Create Amazon Account”.

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon Smile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.

The Selfridge Military Air Museum says, “Thank You for Your Support”!! MAGHA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

I believe that my support for the goals of the Michigan Air Guard Historical Association and the Selfridge Military Air Museum will attest to my commitment to the Michigan Air National Guard, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, and the thousands of dedicated men and women who have served our great nation and the State of Michigan. I wish to demonstrate this commitment by becoming a member of MAGHA as follows:

NEW MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION RENEWAL MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION PATRON MEMBERSHIP ($1,000.00) SUSTAINING MEMBERSHIP ($500.00) LIFE MEMBERSHIP ($250.00) REGULAR MEMBERSHIP ($25.00) DONATION ONLY

RANK & NAME ______UNIT OF AFFILIATION (ONLY ONE PLEASE) ______MEMBER OF THE MI ANG (YEARS ONLY) FROM ______TO ______ADDRESS ______CITY ______STATE ______ZIP CODE ______E-MAIL ADDRESS ______

HOW WOULD YOU PREFER TO RECEIVE YOUR NEWSLETTER (check one) BY EMAIL BY US MAIL OFF THE WEB SITE (www.selfridgeairmuseum.org)

Complete your payment information below and mail to: 27333 C St, Bldg. 1011, Selfridge ANG Base MI 48045

WE appreciate YOUR support of MAGHA. REMEMBER your membership donation is 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE.

MICHIGAN SOLICITATION LICENSE NUMBER: MICS 26603

O Check #______dated ______enclosed.

Checks should be made payable to “MAGHA”.

Please charge my: O VISA CARD O MASTER CARD O AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD O DISCOVER CARD Account # ______Expiration Date ______Signature: ______

th 127 Wing Commander to Retire

After more than 35 years of service to the nation Brig. Gen. John D. Slocum, Selfridge Air National Guard Base commander announces his plans to retire from military service in May.

"It's with mixed emotions and sincere gratitude that I announce my retirement from the Air National Guard," said General Slocum. However, I am confident the great advancements we've made within the 127th Wing and the strong community partnerships we've built will be carried forward by our outstanding Airmen."

General Slocum has been the 127th Wing and Selfridge Air National Guard Base commander since November 2014. During his tenure at the helm of the Wing, along with the men and women who serve here, has achieved countless milestones. Most notably, the Wing was presented the Meritorious Unit Award for record of performance both in, and in support of, combat operations, the Carl A. Spaatz Award for being the top National Guard flying unit in the nation, and the Macomb County Economic Development Partner of the Year for 2018.

The community celebrated the base's year-long centennial anniversary culminating in an airshow and open house earning the Wing two International Council of Airshow Gold Pinnacle Awards. There have been several successful deployments of both flying units including Combat Deployments, Operations Northern Strike and Saber Strike, as well as exemplary inspections, and the Wing's participation in last year's 74th Anniversary D- Day celebration. In addition, General Slocum was inducted into the Macomb County Hall of Fame and presented an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from Walsh College.

"I am profoundly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to serve beside so many great Michiganders - in and out of uniform," he said. "This has been the pinnacle of my military career."

General Slocum received his Air Force commission through East Carolina University's ROTC, Det. 600, in 1984, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science. He is a command pilot with more than 4,100 flying hours. He has flown several aircraft to include the F-4 Phantom, the F-16 Falcon, the A-10 Warthog, and the KC-135 Stratotanker.

There will be a Change of Command Ceremony on base May 5th where General Slocum will pass the Wing guidon to Col. Rolf E. Mammen, currently the Director of Operations, Headquarters Michigan Air National Guard.

There are tentative plans for retirement events in town likely on Thursday 9 May and other dates. More information to follow as plans solidify.

I can’t begin to express my gratitude and my wide-ranging appreciation for all of the support, friendship, and partnerships that we’ve forged during the last 4 ½ years. I am looking forward to exploring opportunities and getting engaged in new ways with our amazing community.

Respectfully in your service !

Doug "Odie" Slocum, Brigadier General, MIANG 127th Wing Commander Selfridge ANGB [email protected] Mobile/Cell 586-320-4936

Please note contact information for use post May: [email protected] c 520-360-8360