December Volunteer Newsletter 2012
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1 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS Your Newsletter Staff- Co-Editors: Ann Trombley, [email protected] Katha Lilley, [email protected] Feature writers: Bob Peterman, Spencer Vail, Bob Osborn, Bruce Anderson, Earl Scott, John Jennings Contributors: Don Trombley, Jack Higginbotham Guest Contributors: Lynn Gelinas, Hilda Pereyo, Jim Gadberry, Stephen Guntli, Angie Garcia DECEMBER 2012 Volume Issue8 12 “A Volunteer Newsletter by Volunteers” by Newsletter Volunteer “A FLIGHTPLAN ! ! FLIGHTPLAN EVERGREEN AVIATION & SPACE MUSEUM 2 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS DECEMBER Didn’t see your birthday on this list? Send an BIRTHDAYS email to Katha Lilley [email protected] 19- Chris Garder 1- Gilbert Cordova 19- Kate Harford 1- Joe Navarra 19- Donovan Gregg 1- Joseph Harrison 20- Bill Lawrence 1- Jack Schlemer 20- Jef Finch 3- Kyle Mode 20- Dick Anderson 5- Ron Christie 24- Miles Ireland, Jr. 5- Kari Kirkpatrick 24- Aaron Van Beurden 6- Colin Armstrong 24- Lonnie Prather 6- Terry Johnson 25- Jeff Kresner 7-Jerry Katchur 26- Aubrey Loveland 8- Shirley Nelson 26- Lanny Reding 8- Robert Scott 27-Theresa Waldie 9- Allen Walker Color me Christmas 28- Frieda Jarvis 10- David Baird 28- Charles Blair 10- Harvey Landtroop 28- Patricea Duff 11- Marlin Lindstrom 28- Tahara Ryo 12- Jerome Smith 29- Fred Simonds 12- Darel Hadley 30-John Moeller Our Mission- 12- Gene Tracy 14- Bruce Huffman 15- James List To inspire There are three birthstones associated with 17- Ronald Filtz December; Tanzanite, Zircon, and Turquoise. and educate All three of these very different stones have one thing in common: a unique blue color . To promote and preserve aviation and space history To honor the It is the time of the year, patriotic service of when we have to look our veterans back and thank all those around us who have made their presence felt in our lives. Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. Have a successful New Year. 3 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS they dug in; and the Zero flipped Ens. Robert Larson was Theis’ onto its back, tossing water, grass, copilot when the plane was discov- and gobs of mud. The valley floor ered. He remembers reaching the was a bog, and the knee-high Zero. “We approached cautiously, grass concealed water. Endo and walking in about a foot of water Shikada circled. There was no sign covered with grass. Koga’s body, of life. If Koga were dead, their thoroughly strapped in, was upside duty was to destroy the downed down in the plane, his head barely fighter. Incendiary bullets from submerged in the water. We were their machine guns would have surprised at the details of the air- done the job. But Koga was a plane,” Larson continues. “It was BOB’S BANTER friend, and they couldn’t bring well built, with simple unique fea- themselves to shoot. Perhaps he tures. Inspection plates could be would recover, destroy the plane opened by pushing on a black dot ENSIGN KOGA’S ZERO – himself, and walk to the waiting with a finger. A latch would open, PART TWO submarine. Endo and Shikada and one could pull the plate out. abandoned the downed fighter and Wingtips folded by unlatching them returned to the Ryujo, 200 miles to and pushing them up by hand. The We pick up from last month’s the south. (The Ryujo was sunk pilot had a parachute and a life column where the Japanese two months later in the Eastern raft.” Koga’s body was buried strafed Dutch Harbor in June, Solomons by planes from the air- nearby. 1942. After the raid, as the en- craft carrier Saratoga. Endo was emy planes flew back toward their killed in action at Rabaul on Octo- Part three in the January, 2013, carriers, eight American Curtiss ber 12, 1943, while Shikada sur- Warhawk P-40s shot down four vived the war and eventually be- issue Val (Aichi D3A) dive bombers thirty came a banker.) BOB OSBORN miles west of Dutch Harbor. In the The downed Zero lay in the swirling, brief dogfight, Lt. John J. Questions and or comments bog for more than a month, un- Cape shot down a plane identified always welcome. Email me at: os- seen by U.S. patrol planes and as a Zero. Another Zero was al- [email protected] offshore ships. Akutan is often most instantly on his tail. He foggy, and Aleutian winds create climbed and rolled, trying to evade, unpleasant turbulence over the but those were the wrong maneu- rugged island. Most pilots pre- vers to escape a Zero. The enemy ferred to remain over water, so fighter easily stayed with him, firing planes rarely flew over Akutan. its two 20mm cannon and two However, on July 10 a U.S. Navy 7.7mm machine guns. Cape and Catalina (PBY) amphibian return- his plane plunged into the sea. An- ing from overnight patrol crossed other Zero shot up the P-40 of Lt. the island. A gunner named Wall Winfield McIntyre, who survived a called, “Hey, there’s an airplane on crash landing with a dead engine. the ground down there. It has Endo and Shikada accompa- meatballs on the wings.” That nied Koga as he flew his oil- meant the rising-sun insignia. The spewing airplane to Akutan, 25 patrol plane’s commander, Lt. Wil- miles away, which had been desig- liam Thies, descended for a closer The Flightplan staff would like to nated for emergency landings. A look. What he saw excited him. thank Print Northwest for your Japanese sub stood nearby to pick Back at Dutch Harbor, Thies up downed pilots. The three Zeros participation, suggestions and persuaded his squadron com- circled low over the green, treeless timely printing of our newsletter. mander to let him take a party to island. At a level, grassy valley We couldn’t do it without you. the downed plane. No one then floor half a mile inland, Koga low- Cheers for another year together. knew that it was a Zero. ered his wheels and flaps and Ann and Katha eased toward a three-point land- ing. As his main wheels touched, 4 FLIGHTPLAN! A VOLUNTEER NEWSLETTER FOR VOLUNTEERS HOW IS THE MUSEUM That is why our members and donors are so important. SUPPORT OUR FUNDED? Unrestricted gifts through mem- berships and individual dona- TROUPS At the November Volunteer tions are critical to support the Captain’s meeting, Stephen general operating expenses of Would you be interested in Guntli, the new Director of running the Museum and its helping with this request? If Development for the Museum, building. And we seek special so please contact SPC Miller presented this description de- donors and sponsors to cover scribing how the Museum is new programs and improve- at the following email funded. We hope this will help ments to our buildings and ex- to answer this question when hibits. My name is Marshall Miller and I visitors ask you. Our founder, Mr. Smith, is am a Soldier with A Co 1-101st The Museum was started by still very supportive. We con- Combat Aviation Brigade sta- Delford Smith and his son, Mi- tinue to seek support from the chael. After the death of his Corporate and Foundation sec- tioned out of Fort Campbell, son, Mr. Smith made a personal tors. But the Museum is still KY deployed to Afghanistan in commitment to memorialize his young, and we need the sup- support of Operation Enduring son’s life with the establishment port of many people and abun- Freedom. A Co is a 30 Soldier of the Evergreen Aviation & dant resources to grow into a AH64D Apache Helicopter Line Space Museum and The Cap- mature and healthy nonprofit Company 2 months into our 9 tain Michael King Smith Educa- institution that provides diverse month deployment and for many tional Institute. The Museum programming to fulfill our mis- buildings have been built sion. of us this is our 2nd and 3rd de- through the Michael King Smith There are numerous pro- ployments in the past 5 years. We Foundation and Evergreen Vin- grams that you can choose to are all really feeling the pain of tage Aircraft. Mr. Smith and the support. For more information missing home and families. This Evergreen companies have contact our Director of Develop- is why I write to you, to ask for been significant donors over the ment, Stephen Guntli, at 503- your support donations to help years. 434-4185, ext. 4655 or boost the morale and spirits But the Museum is run as a [email protected] 501(c)(3) nonprofit with its mis- rg. around here. Any thing that you sion: “To Inspire and Educate, could do BIG or small would be to Promote and Preserve Avia- And remember, your donation GREATLY Appreciated and tion and Space History, and to is tax deductible. would not go unnoticed. Exam- Honor the Patriotic Service of ples: stickers, caps, tshirts, pro- our Veterans.” A major portion Stephen will also be developing motional products, calenders, of its funding comes through a small card similar to the one posters, etc... I thank you in ad- ticket sales and other pur- volunteers use to answer ques- chases made by guests to the tion about memberships. This vance for your support and look Museum. will have a shorter answer to forward to hearing back from Although we could not run this question that will go some- you. the Museum without our dedi- thing like this: cated volunteers, the Museum The Museum is supported Hooah & Army Strong, also requires a trained staff to through income generated by SPC.