THE, AIR FORCES ESCAPE & EVASION SOCIETY inter 1 9 9 8-9 9 Communications VOLUME I2-,NUMBER 4 WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS 76307-2501 DECEMBER 11, 1998 We send our greetings . At rhis hoLidal sedson send best wlshes we our FROM THE MEMBERS peace and joy OFTHE for AIR FORCES ESCAPE & EVASION SOCIETY tlvoughout the Jedr hope and peace be with you always (lnside eectlon of the tour-page Season's Greetlnge folder mailed ln early December) Fo!lowing an AFEES tradition, folders expressinE sentiments of the Holiday Season were irailed this month to 632 Helperi and Frlends in 20 countries' Again, the design and artwork for the cards has been provided by Dorothy (Mrs. Paul) Kenney. Chairman Ralph Patton maintains the mailing list, which is reviewed and updated by Scotty and Clayton David. President Dick Smith and whatever family help he can coerce do the stutfing of envelopes and licking. The first-class folders go to many helpers/friends who have a limited knowlege of the English language and so do not receive Communications on a regular basis. This year's mailing, alpabetically by country: Australia, 1; Austria, 1; Belgium, 1O-9; Canada, g-; Gzechoslovakia,2; Groatia, 1;Denmark, S; France,312; 't; Geinany, 1; Greece, 1; Holland, 116; ltaly, 5; Luxembourg, Slovq! ReOublic, 3;. Slovenia, 1;Spain, 1;Switzerland, 1;Uniied Kingdom, 10; U.S.A',39, and Yugoslavia, S" Compared to 1gg7, the tist includes 85 new addresses and 53 deceased or change of address' Page 2 Leslie Atkinson LT.S. plans to attend AIRFORCES Arizona reunion ESCAPE/EVASION Leslie Atkinson, official reprmentative in France for SOCIETY AFEES, has notified Chairman that \alph ^Patton he is recovering $c9ly from heart by-pass surgery Communications in Oitober. Published Leslie says his doctor has Quarterly removed all restrictions from his activities WEB ADDRESS: www.cbiinlb.conr and he is free to do about Volume 12 -- Number 4 DecemberDe 11, 1998 CTIAIRMAN: **xRalph K. Patton,5CX)0 Alden Drive, pittsburgh, pA 1522O_1023: Phone: 412-343-8570; F AX: 412_343_2296 PRESIDENT: xRichard M. Smith, 76543 Begonia l-ane, palm Desert, CAg2lll: (Winrerr Harold Rutka Phone 760-34 5-2282; I.AX 760_34-5_9908 VICE PRESIDENT: to head *Russel SAFHS S. Weyland, I I l7 W. Northcast Shore Drive, Mcllenry, Il_ 60050_921 l; AFEES was tepresented at the 24th Phone (O) 8t5.459-2(n5, (FI) 815-385_4378 reunion TRF,ASURER: of the Sth Air Fnrce Historical **Paul Society in Cherry Hill, N.J., in mid_ E. Kenney, Apt. B, l04l North Jamestown Road, Dccatur, GA 3003; Phone 404-929-880tt October. Attending were Chairman Ralph MEMBERSHIP & CORRTJSR)NDING S]]CREI'ARY: Patton, Secretary Bud l_onng and {'t<,<Clayton pond, Richard Scotr, president C. David, 19 Oak Ridge I..Iannibal, MO 63401-6539; 57lt_221_O,l,ll o[ the RECORDING SECRI]TARY: Pennsylvania chapter of the SAFHS. #Wanen E. Loring, I,O B.x 2&1, Monument Beoch, MA 02553; 50g-759_3146 Patton is a past dircctor and past OTT{ER DIRECIORS: president of the society. *James ,.Combat J. nroe. TX 77 A symgxium, Crew **Francis J qld x*tFrankG Lyrne, Member Stress . the Flight Surgeon,s ,Ft.Collins *x*John C. Story," followed the general member_ Lake, Ny ship rneeting. Dr. Walt Brown,IIAFFIS xDavid shoss, 5439 castlew<xd Road, Dalla s, T x i s22g - 43 | 6: 2 r4-3(> 1 -o 536 .1,X.75225;2t4_3.73_i67(J director and intenm cditor ol'the gAF Office: 8l 15 preston Rd., Suite 240, Dallas, News, gave a seminar, PERMANDNT REPRFTSTAII.ATIVI] IN FRANCE: covering many facets of medical conditions Ircslie A.G, Atkinson, 29 rue des lrouvres, 660ff) perpignan, Fr.ance; and treatments. Phone: 0lI 33 046855 12 63; FAX: 0ll 33 04 68 55 lLj3 I-EGALCOUNSEI,: Gil Cohen made a slide presentation R.E.T. Smith Esq., PO Box 38, Wahperon, ND 58074; ll}l_@2_Z(ffi of his artwork, which is being featured in C OMMUN I C A7?ONS EDI'TOR: the art gallery of the Herilage Museum in x*Larry Grauerholz, 'IX PO llox 2501, Wichita Falls, '7 63Q7 -25o | : 9 40 - 692 -67 U) Savannah. xClass x*Class x.**(rla(s of 2001 of 1999 of 2000 New directon elected were Staniev A. Peterson, g6BG; C. Craig Harris, q5f/gC, AFEES COMI,TUNICATIONS IS THE OFFICTAI, I]OI'RNAI OF THE AIR and Abruham "Hap" Galfunt,348G. At FORCES ESCAPE A EVASfON S@IETY. AFEES IS A TAX-EXEI,{PI the board meeting following the election VETERAITS ORcAltrzArroN UNDER rRS CODE 501 (C) (19). wAs rT of directors, Harold C. Rutka of Duluth, FOITNDED IN 1964 Al.lD fS CITARTERED IN THE SIATE OF GEORGfA. Minn., was elected president of the THE SOCIETY'S PURPOSE IS TO ENCOITRAGE I,IEMBERS HELPED BY THE srciety. RESISTANCE ORGAIIIZATIONS OR PATA,IC}TIC NATTONALS TO CO}ITINUE Highlight of the program ExrsrrNc I'RrENDsHrPs oR RENEW RELATroNsHrps wrrH THosE I{Ho was a talk ITELPED THEI4 DI'RING THEIR ESCAPE OR EVASION. by Roger Freeman, cminent British ELIGIBILITY REQUTRES TIIAT ONE MUST HAVE BEEN A U.S. AIRIITAIiI, historian. His topic was, "The Friendly HE II{UST IIAVE BEEN FORCED DOI{N BEHIND ENEII{Y LINES A}ID AVOIDED Invasion," which coverect the impact of CAPTIVITY, OR ESCAPED TEOM CAPTIVITY TO RETURN TO AILIED U.S. servicemen in Britain during WWII. CONTROL. The roster reflected 370 members IN ADDITION TO REGUI,AR MEMBERSHIP, OTHER CATEGOR]ES OF registered, with a total of 5gg attendees, MEMBERSHIP ARE HELPER MEMBERS, AND TR.IEND MEMBERS. including wiyes and guests. Page 3 The wnrbirds fly again at Duxford From the Denven (Colo.) Post, sunday, Aprit 26, ree8 IF YOU GO TO DUXFORI) How to get there: Fr Cambridge, By JAY CLARKE about an hour away.. ong block from Miami llerald the train station there fare, about $6) DUXFORD, England -- l,txrk up in that runs to Duxford. Buses run hourly on weekdays, three times on thc blue and you ma)' see a B- 17 Flying Fortrcss, a P-51 Mustang rtr a P-47 itl$ili;", Adurts, about gu; seniors, about $7. Imperial Museum Duxford, Duxford Airfield, Thun-delhrlt fl ),i ng ovcrhcad. Information: War They'rc no miragcs. Thcy're real Duxford, Cambridge CB2 4QR U.K.; 011-4-1223-a35-000. airplanes, a throwback to thc World War II days of the carly 194{)s. visitors is a B-17 Flying Fortress, the American plane downed in combat--a total Why arc thcl'airbornc in l99tt? workhorse of America's Eighth of 7,031--pays tribute to the 30,000 'fhe planes arc tlyablc old American Air Force, based in England during the British-based American airmen who ilied warbirds complementing exhibits inside war. A B-25 Mitchell medium bomber is in World War II. the new Amcrican Air Muscum here, 50 shown in Marine Corps colors. The C- "I was moved," said Gary Powell, a miles north of London. Dedicated by 47 Skylrain transport on display saw Connecticut visitor whose father Norman Elizabeth II last August, the Quecn action on D-Day. Several fighters from flew in aB-17 based in Britain dunng muscum houses more American military World War II, including a P-47 and a P- World War II. "The museum is aircraft. than my other such facility 51, are on exhibit, along wlth the greatest brilliantly designed." outsidc thc Unitcd States. bomber of the Pacific theater. aB-29 When not flying missions to the Mclrc than 60,Un Amencans Super-lbrtress. continent during World War II, many contributed to thc building of the Aircraft used in morc recent wars also crew members would visit nearby muscum, which is part ol'the Imperial are on display. America's first swept- Cambridge, where the Eagle Pub became War Museum Duxlord, the largest wing fighter, thc F-86 Sabre that fought a popular hangout for RAF and American aviation museum in Europe. Among the in thc Korean War, is one. From the airmen. Many airmen inscribed their contributclrs wcrc actor Charlton Hcston, Vietnam conflict come an F-I00 Super namcs, or those of their squadron, on the a lormer B-25 crelv rnembcr who served Sabre, a F4 Phantom and a Huey ceiling there, using smoke from candles as fund-raiser co-chailman; th: latc actor helicopter. An F-l l1 that flew 19 Desert or lipstick as writing instruments. Jimmy Stetvart, u'ho ilcw a numbcr of Storm missions sits quietly on the Link with the past missions from Briuain during World War museum floor nc'rt far from another Gulf Six years ago, when it was II;and the late Gcn. Jimmy Doolittle of A-10 Thunderbolt. War veteran, an undergoing a $1.8 million renovation, the Tokyo raid famc, $'ho $'enI on to B-52 a star owners decided to preserve that bit of command thc Eighth Air Force. Heston, Dominating the entire display is a B- wartime history. The restored ceiling has fogethcr with U.S. Air Forcc Secretary 52 Stratofortress, the huge long-rangc become an unusual link with the wartime Sheila Widnall, attcnded the operung bomber that went on line in 1955 and past. ceremony. remains in service today. Suspended "There's really nothing like it Under the American Alr Museum's akrve it, appropnately, is a U-2, a high- anywhere," said Peter Hill, the pub sclaring dome are 2l Unitcd States flying spy plane that precipitated an manager. airplanes, ranging from a World War I international incident whcn the Soviet Though dozens of aviators put their Spad to the Gulf War's F-l I l, as well as Union shot one down over its territory at names on the ceiling, only three, to missiles, launchers, engines and even a the height o[ the Cold War.