Michigan Air Guard Historical Association January – March 2021
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Michigan Air Guard Historical Association Website: www.selfridgeairmuseum.org Email: [email protected] (Newsletter editor) Email: [email protected] January – March 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Note from the Editor 2 Taps 3 - 4 127th Wing Happenings 5 - 6 110th Attack Wing Happenings 7 - 10 From the Archives 11 - 12 Museum Happenings 13 - 22 Wolverine Flag, 1982-1985 23 - 29 RV Storage Area 30 Michigan Activity Pass 30 Memorial Wall Brick Program 31 MAGHA Membership Application 32 Note from the Editor: MAGHA members, please remember if you move, change your email, or anything else that is important regarding changes in your information in ‘our’ membership roster, please notify the Museum by email (preferred method) at email below: [email protected]), phone, or letter. We’re always looking for information and old photos of Selfridge, so if you have information to share for the newsletter, photos and articles, or information on other members, please email the editor at above posted email. As has been previously published in past issues of the noted in the Michigan Air National Guard Bulletin and News Gazette (MANGBANG), the MANGBANG will be emailed starting with our first newsletter in 2021 due to rising costs in printing and mailing. If you wish to continue receiving the B&W version of the newsletter by USPS mailing, please remit $10 payable to MAGHA for that. Otherwise, if you have an email address on file, we will be emailing you the color version of the newsletter. The other option for the newsletter, is to view it from the website. Here is a link to the Museum’s website: https://selfridgeairmuseum.org Once you’re at the homepage, click on Museum support tab, then click on Museum membership and scroll down to the newsletters. Lori Nye Newsletter Editor & Library-Archives Team Chief Please sign up today! Opening Day Selfridge Military Air Museum 10 April 2021 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Masks will be required and social distancing maintained while in the museum or other buildings. 2 MANGBANG January – March 2021 TAPS NAME MI ANG SERVICE DATE OF DEATH Col Sam Ray Smith 1955 – 1992 6 May 2020 MSgt Shirley L. Garrison 1952 – 1987 2 August 2020 Lt Col Thomas A. Hess 1955-1978 26 November 2020 MSgt Timothy Conlen ???? - ???? 29 December 2020 CMSgt Joseph ‘Joey O’ ???? - 2009 23 January 2021 Orlandino Col Ronald Rubin ???? - 1999 24 February 2021 Timothy ‘Tim’ Conlen Timothy M. “Tim” Conlen, 68, of St. Petersburg, FL, passed away December 29, 2020. He was born in Detroit, MI and moved to St. Petersburg, FL from Detroit in 2012 and he was a Veteran of the US Air Force retired. He is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Norma Jean (Hawthorne) Conlen. He is survived by his son, Tom; daughters, Genevieve and Carla and his grandchildren, Lincoln and Lenore. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00PM, Thursday, January 7, 2021 at Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd Street West, Bradenton, FL 34209. Condolences may be made to www.brownandsonsfuneral.com. Joseph Orlandino (1950-2021) It is always difficult saying goodbye to someone we love and cherish. Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Joseph Orlandino (New Baltimore, Michigan), who passed away at the age of 71, on 23 January 2021. 3 MANGBANG January – March 2021 Sam Ray Smith (1939-2020) Sam Ray Smith, age 81, died Wednesday, 6 May 2020. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Arrangements provided by Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 1838 Miller Road, Swartz Creek. Military honors to be held at Great Lakes National Cemetery at a later date. Sam was born 20 January 1939 in Andover, Virginia, the son of Garland and Constance (Hubbard) Smith. He married Donna May Gehly and she preceded him in death on 14 March 2016. Sam proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He retired as Base Commander of the Selfridge Air National Guard Base with 38 years of service. Sam enjoyed movies, going to the casino, and cars. Surviving are: sons, David (Melanie) Smith of Melvindale, Michigan; Jeffrey (Lauren) Smith of Oxford, Michigan; grandchildren: Jared, Tim Amanda, Brandon, Bradley, Victoria, Elizabeth, Clark, and Benjamin. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife, Donna. Tributes may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com. Col Ronald Rubin Per an email Col Walt Wick received from Col Rubin’s wife, Bjorg, Col Rubin passed away on Wednesday, 24 February 2021. “Ron will be cremated. He did not want a service…. We will have a burial at the National Cemetery in Holly, probably around the middle of March.” Lt Col Thomas A. Hess – no obituary found MSgt Shirley L. Garrison – no obituary found Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly, Michigan 4 MANGBANG January – March 2021 127th Wing, Selfridge ANG Base The bun has officially been freed! Pony's and braids are now authorized as a healthier hair option for female service members. Multiple braids, twists or cornrows may come together down the back in one or two braids or a single ponytail. Hair must not exceed the length and bulk standard. Headgear must fit properly. For examples of female hair standards as described, reference AFI 36-2903. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/127thWing, 11 February 2021) An A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft flown by the 107th Fighter Squadron, 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, begins a gun run against a ground target during Winter Strike 21 at Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center, Mich., Jan. 27, 2021. Known as the Red Devils, Michigan’s 107th FS is one of the nation’s oldest military flying units, first established in 1917 for World War I. Winter Strike 21 is a cold weather readiness event held as part of the Northern Strike exercise series that offers the Michigan National Guard’s unparalleled facilities as a venue for U.S. and coalition forces to receive advanced All-Domain joint fires training in all weather conditions. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/127thWing, 28 January 2021) Michigan National Guardsmen assist with providing COVID-19 vaccines across the State of Michigan. (Source: https://www.facebook.com/127thWing) 5 MANGBANG January – March 2021 Teams from the 127th Wing Civil Engineer Squadron work hard to clear snow from the runway and parking ramps at Selfridge Air National Guard Base after last night's snow fall. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Munnaf Joarder) (Source: https://www.facebook.com/127thWing) Looking for something to do to fill those off- duty hours, work towards a degree from Northwood University at Selfridge and take your “next steps in learning, leadership, and career advancement”. Northwood has been offering classes to military personnel for over 50 years. They offer military discount tuition rates and classes are offered right at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Northwood University at Selfridge Air National Guard Base is taking registrations for classes now. For more information visit: https://admissions.northwood.edu/program-centers/selfridge Available at Google Play Store & Apple App Store 6 MANGBANG January – March 2021 110th Wing, Battle Creek, Michigan In honor of ‘Women’s History Month’ the 110th Wing posted the following article: By: Keyarah Watson BALTIMORE, Md. — Captain Remoshay Nelson is a proud Georgian, Howard University Alumna, US Air Force Public Affairs Officer and the first Black woman to be a United States Air Force Thunderbird. As a young girl, she had no idea that she would one day inspire thousands. Nelson reminisced, "I grew up in Douglasville, Georgia, west of Atlanta, come from very humble beginnings and I just was very adventurous as a young girl. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up but my mom and my biological father separated very early. When I was about 10-years-old, my mom met my stepdad and he was so different than anyone else in my family. He had been in the Navy and traveled the world and he used to tell me all of these amazing stories about life, adventure and all of his cool military stories." Along with those stories, her childhood hiding spot in the clouds provided an unknowing glimpse of what her future would be. "There is a tree that used to be outside of my apartment complex and so whenever I would get in trouble or want to get away and get some peace to my 10 year old self. I would climb up this tree and just sit there. That was really the place that kind of cultivated these ideas and kind of where I started to manifest that I would be somewhere else, that I would be flying high, that I would be able to travel and see the world, go to 43 countries, so that’s kind of where it all started, that coupled with those stories that my dad would tell me of him in the military," she described. When it was time to go to college, she knew she wanted to attend a HBCU that offered a strong ROTC program. Nelson chose Howard University, soared in ROTC and majored in Speech Communications. Nelson worked with soldiers that had experienced traumatic brain injuries while they were serving overseas. 7 MANGBANG January – March 2021 "When they come home they may have experienced an injury. They can not communicate and being able to help that individual say I love you again to their wife, to their child, to their loved one is something that I was really honored to be a part of," she recounted. Nine years ago, when Nelson joined the Air Force she learned the history of the famed squadron she would eventually join.