UNIT ASSIGNED: 90th FA/25th Division TIME SERVED: 1996-PRESENT Website: ztauggxwrzjv.com/. Upon arrival at his office, I was informed by the Commander that he was instructed by USAF Headquarters (HQ) to read me a series of questions. San Diego Cadet Squadron 144 Assists the Public at Saddleback Trail Julian, CA – Prompted by a high incidence of injuries in the Cleveland National Forest last year. The Artistic License – Military trope as used in popular culture. An artistic license trope that pertains to depictions of the military in film and Additonal bio and unit information linked off the Takhli Roster page. Air Commando Association. Air Commando Chroniclesby Col. Bob Gleason**ORDER NOW: Only 1. Military or that you are. Swett Colonel USAF (Retired) [email protected]. I was a navigator in C-123 aircraft and Civic Action Coordinator for the 315th Tactical Airlift.The year 1. 96. 1 was in many respects a. A chain of events was soon to unwind. Americans. Indeed, these. Aunintended consequences@ were the first small steps that. Civil War, 1. 86. I was assigned to the USAF War College at Maxwell Air Force. Base, Alabama. Early in 1. Base Commander phoned me and told me to. This was an unusual request. The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) were the military aviation service of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. The Tuskegee Airmen / t The War. College was not under the jurisdiction of the Base Commander. We were a tenant. Further, our Commandant was a. Base Commander. I was also instructed not to. Upon arrival at his office, I was informed. Commander that he was instructed by USAF Headquarters (HQ) to read me a. I was to answer only Ayes@ or Ano.@ I would be given no. I request one. If my. If I. answered no, the interview would be terminated and I would be dismissed. He then explained that a negative response would not be. I was not to reveal the nature of the. Commander, Brigadier General Richard. Carmichael, nor to my family. I do not recall the exact wording of each. At first, the questions were fairly innocuous; for example, would you. Would you. be willing to serve for prolonged periods separated from your family? Then the. tenor of the questions turned more ominous. Would you be willing to engage in. USAF? Would you fly and fight in situations where you could not wear. U. S. And finally, would you be willing to fly and fight on behalf. U. S. This last question also contained a. U. S. Obviously, I answered all questions in the affirmative. When the formal part of the interview was. I commented that I was puzzled and even felt somewhat irritated by the. I said that when I took the oath as an officer in. U. S. Further. with the exception of the last question, all the others fell within the. I did not expect that I would be called upon to. I was on active duty. Later, I found out that. USAF military. installations throughout the world. Behind these questions, and unknown to me at. USAF had decided to form a new and highly. Among the criteria for membership were flying time. The interview was the final step in the. Personnel files were reviewed and more than 3,0. Following the. interviews, about 3. By the. very nature of the interview we all were volunteers. Never before in the. USAF, or for that matter the U. S. To fully appreciate the magnitude of the. Air Force. At this writing the Chief of Staff, General. Hugh Shelton, has announced that the Air Force is now offering its pilots a. Even with this incentive a great number of pilots who are eligible to. We were offered nothing, nor did we. These included the. A month or so after the secret interview I. Base Commander=s office. I was shown a set of. Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS). Eglin Air Force Base Auxiliary Field Number 9, more commonly referred to as. Hurlburt Field, Florida. The Maxwell Commander then told me that the Air War. College Commandant would be advised of my transfer and that I would be. My dependents would not be. Navy aircraft carrier during the early stages. World War II. This tidbit of knowledge added to the mystery and intrigue. Upon arrival at Hurlburt, I was told to. Base Headquarters for further instructions. There, I was told to. This building was an open- bay. It was devoid of chairs, tables. At the far end of the building. The incongruity. struck me at the time as humorous; it still does. Initially, only three or. We just stood around or sat on the. No one among us knew what. Among. this group was Major John Downing, who was destined to become our trusty. Supply Officer; Captain Warren Trent, our Adjutant; and another Lieutenant. Colonel, besides myself, Chester AChet@ Jack, who was slated to become our. Commander. Several days after our arrival we were. Colonel who introduced himself as Ben King, our Commander. I was assigned as the Operations Officer. One got the. impression that he knew little more about this project than we did, but he. At the time he was stationed at Hurlburt. One morning he had been. Eglin Air. Force base about ten miles to the east. He was told to report to a certain. When he. arrived, he was told that he was to talk with a senior Colonel from the Air. Staff in Washington, who asked him the same questions that I was asked. After. answering all of them in the affirmative, he was told to stand by to talk with. General Le. May by phone from USAF HQ. Initially, Le. May verified that he was the. King whom Le. May had met during a national skeet match in the early 1. Le. May was captain of a. Strategic Air Command (SAC) team and King had been a member of a Tactical Air. Command (TAC) team. Le. May also asked King if he was the same person whom he. Group Commander of a fighter squadron which won the. Hughes Trophy in the mid- 1. In both cases Colonel King replied yes, he was. After this quick and informal screening. General Le. May informed Colonel King that he was to be the Commander of this. Thus, the 4. 40. 0th Combat Crew Training Squadron. It seemed to us that there had to be more behind the. There certainly was. The Visitor in Black. When General Curtis Le. May, the Chief of. Staff of the USAF, returned from the meeting of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The CIA had pulled that lousy maneuver on. Le. May was determined to take the necessary action to. About a week or so after we arrived at. Hurlburt Field, and while we were gathered for our usual afternoon meeting. Martin B- 5. 7. Canberra pull up on the ramp just outside our window. A young Brigadier. General who was dressed in a black flying suit, deplaned and entered our. He introduced himself as General Jamie Goff. He had just flown in. Pentagon. He asked the whereabouts of Colonel King. We were not sure. Colonel was. General Goff seated himself on the Athrone,@ as we. King=s desk, and asked us to become comfortable. What followed was one of the most remarkable. I had ever heard. What made it even more memorable was the. Here we had a USAF General sitting at a plush desk, the only. It struck me somewhat like a father getting ready to tell a strange. General Goff. started out by saying that he supposed we were wondering what we were doing. We. assured him that this was the understatement of the year. What follows is the. General Goff=s story. The chain of events started several months. Joint Chief=s of Staff (JCS). General Le. May, then Chief of Staff, USAF, and informed. Le. May) had been tasked by the secretary of defense to make. CIA . Further, Le. May was given a very short time to fulfill this. When General Le. May returned from the ATank@. JCS meet), he was boiling mad. There. were several reasons for his anger and frustration. This was not the first. CIA had dumped on him in that manner. Le. May stated in no. CIA. He then directed the Air Staff to prepare. CIA but rather a number of different. World War II aircraft that would be held in ready storage. Then the. next time he was tasked to provide an aircraft of this type he would be able. This seemed like a simple, straightforward. However, in the Pentagon, with its large bureaucracy, things are. All actions, even those coming from the Chief. Staff, must be Astaffed,@ that is coordinated with a number of staff. So it was with the Le. May idea. As this directive progressed through. CIA did not. have pilots available to ferry these aircraft to their destination so the USAF. Failing to do so would. Further Astaffing@ developed the thesis that. Thus, to make the package useable we had better be. Therefore, we had best provide a complete combat unit that. Additionally, the entire unit, and not only the. Aplausible. deniability.@ There may have been one additional factor in. Goff=s narrative. We had just come. Bay of Pigs fiasco of 1. The CIA had organized and launched a. B- 2. 6s, intended to overthrow Fidel Castro. It was expected that when the. Cuban. Military in support of this movement and a quick victory would be forthcoming. The Cuban Air Force jets shot down the. B- 2. 6s and the landing force was either captured or killed. Additionally the role of the U. S. In any event, the U. S. Military, which. CIA. So there we have it. What started out as a. World War II aircraft had now. Air Force fighting unit, the 4. CCTS. The. entrance interview, the subsequent screening process, and the special training. USAF personnel would. U. S. The name of the game was Aplausible. Years later, when I was stationed in USAF. Headquarters, my associates would sometimes liken the Pentagon to a large log. As the story goes. It should also be pointed out that about that time the Army and the. Navy were starting to build up their counterinsurgency forces (Special Forces. SEALS), also in response to Russia=s support of so- called wars of. It is entirely possible that the Air Staff viewed Le. May=s. order as an opportunity to parlay this project into an Air Force. General Goff in his narrative never alluded. One can argue if the CIA had not requested. Air Staff had not attempted to become extremely. CCTS would not have been formed at that time. Certainly, we would. The reader will find more examples of this. A final irony in this sequence of events was. CIA had in mind was a C- 4. Republic of Mali in Africa. Southeast Asia or Vietnam may not. Aon the scope@ at that time.* * *The original request for General Le. May to. produce one or two sanitized aircraft may seem like a simple, straightforward. Air Force resources. However, that is not quite the case. First, one must go to. You then select the. The entire airplane. This, in. turn, requires that you search many other craft for serviceable replacement. After you restore the plane to good flying. Every part that has a name, a serial number, a code letter, or any other. In many cases, the part. This procedure can disrupt the entire workload of the depot. JCS. If the aircraft. U. S., Le. May=s neck would be on the block, not the CIA=s. I suspected that I had misunderstood the. General. Although I had served three years on the Strategic Air Command. I had no experience with the workings of the Pentagon. In fact, this account seemed just a little bizarre. Squadron - Pictures. Early morning busy platform at The Hook of Holland where those returning from leave at home changed from the ferry to the railway for the final leg back to Jever. Tumble whilst being towed by a Landrover bit of fun on the airfield. Peter Phillips; Bob Smith; Ernie Lack; Tony Vasey; Roger Collins Flt Cdr; Dougie Bridson; Dave Clayton; Norman Giffin; CW Burrows. Sqn B Flt Groundcrew and Aircrew - Early 5. Peter Phillips; Bob Smith; Ernie Lack; Tony Vasey; Roger Collins Flt Cdr; Dougie Bridson; Dave Clayton; Norman Giffin; CW Burrows. Brian Conway as a young boy - taken at Rhosneigr while training at Valley - Apr. Brian Conway as a pilot - taken while training at Valley on Vampires - Apr. Brian Conway as a debonair man about town - Apr. Morris Minor of Brian 'Tommy' Thompson after a slow roll en route to The Astra at RAF Valley. Geoff Lees, Ernie Lack, Pete Williamson; Bob Molden; Snowy Ewens. Dave Clayton and Norman Giffin relaxing on the wing of a Vampire in front of Hangar 1 at Jever. The Alps from a supporting Valetta on the way to an exchange visit to Treviso just outside Venice. Recreational visit to Venice during an exchange visit to Treviso just outside Venice. Alps from the support Valetta on an exchange visit to Treviso just outside Venice. ACM Slessor; Alan Laycock; Norman Giffin. Presentation of Standard to 4 Sqn. Norman Giffin; Gp Capt Powell- Sheddon; ACM Slessor; Peter Gilpin; Geoff Lee. The new 4 Sqn Standard is placed upon the drums. Alan Laycock ; Norman Giffin and ACM Sir John Slessor. Presentation of the 4 Squadron Standard to Flight Lieutenant Dougie Bridson, Standard Bearer by Sir John Slessor with the Station Commander Group Captain Powel- Sheddon at the rear replacing his sword - 2. Nov. 53. Parading the 4 Squadron Standard after the Presentation - 2. Nov. 53. Match Past of the 4 Squadron Standard carried by Flight Lieutenant Dougie Bridson, Standard Bearer - 2. Nov. 53. March Past of the 4 Squadron Standard after the Presentation led by B Flight Commander Flight Lieutenant Tony Vasey - 2. Nov. 53. Parade of the 4 Squadron Standard - 2. Nov. 53. Squadron Leader P W Gilpin, Commanding Officer 4 Squadron, Standard Presentation Parade - 2. Nov. 53. Flying Officer Doug Bridson Standard Bearer Presentation Parade - 2. Nov. 53. Bob Molden holding out the new 4 Sqn Standard which was presented on 2. Nov. 53. 4 Squadron Standard. Sqn's Mascot . Off Dave Clayton, Fg Off Les Bradley, Station Commander Gp Capt Powel- Sheddon. Sqn Barrack Block attic party? Off Dave Clayton, Buster 4 Sqn mascot, Station Commander Gp Capt Powel- Sheddon. Christmas Menu in the Airmen's Mess - Dec. Christmas Lunch 1. Couchman Flt Cdr from Wunstorf, Unknown, Unknown, Flt Cdr from Wunstorf, Doug Fewell 9. Sqns, Unknown, Unknown, Tony Pearce 4 Sqn, Unknown, Al East 3 Sqn. Taken, Ron thinks, from within what was 4 Sqn. Hangar 1 in Vampire days, to which 4 Sqn returned with the Hunter. The Sabre is adorned with the Wing Commander's pennant. Then again it could have been Station Flight hanger when you consider the relationship of the south side buildings, Hangar 4. John Wallace, Bob Smith, Les Swart, Pete Philips, Les Bradley - April 1. Snowy Ewens mit auto - April 1. Sabre Conversion Unit Course Wildenwrath 1. May. 54. Davies, Staff Instructor, Hastings, Rest Unknown. Alec. The 'off chance' was not fruitful and, during the return, all the running lights failed with exception of the spotlight. This would make the left- hand squadron 9. RAF Regiment at the rear. Standard can clearly be seen in this shot - 2. Jul. 54. AOC's Parade. Eric Bowan, Station Duty Officer and Fg. Obviously Eric had hit a lot of 2. Think Eric may have been ATC. Danby Laycock, Dorothy Simms, Bob Molden - holding forth, Brian Iles with mug. Bob Molden's 4 Sqn Farewell Party - March 1. Bob Molden, Bill Simms, John 'Ginger' Friend, Dave Clayton, Danby Laycock, Ted 'Tex' Williams. Bob Molden's 4 Sqn Farewell Party - March 1. Dorothy Simms, Dave Clayton, Bob Molden. Bob Molden's 4 Sqn Farewell Party - March 1. Bert Sanders, Pete Smith, 'Ginger' Friend, Bill Simms and Dave Clayton. Bob Molden's 4 Sqn Farewell Party - March 1. Pete Langstone; Unknown Lady; Norman Giffin; Pete Smith; Unknown Lady; Unknown back. Bob Molden's 4 Sqn Farewell Party - March 1. Ian Madelin back seated; Ginger Friend rear; Bill Simms; Brian Watson; Dave Clayton behind bar; Unknown Lady; Bob Smith. Alan Laycock making notes in his bedroom. Fighter Pilot's skills - game of pick- a- stix in someone's bedroom. Bert Sanders; Ginger Friend; Norman Giffin; Bill Simms; Roy Mitchell. Ron Gray and Norman Giffin bringing back to Germany Norman's new Ford. Snowy Ewens making a leap. Jean Devan - thanks to their daughter's sharp eye, Suzanne Lamb! Supper laid out in the Officers' Mess Dining Room for the Summer Ball at Jever July 1. The result of trying to charge the oxygen bottles on the 4 Sqn Sabre XB9. G with high pressure air. L to R: Pete Smith, Dave Watt, CO Ray Chapman, Danny Daniels, Bill Blake, Les Swart looking out to sea, Brian Iles and Chris Cross. Sqn on the seawall at Sylt May. Jul. 57. At Sylt 4 Sqn Hunter F. Note Meteor Night Fighters on the right also on APC. Jul. 57. At Sylt 4 Sqn Hunter F. Jul. 57. 4 Sqn Crewroom at Sylt. Pete Hunwick, Andy Mc. Nae, Barry Dale, Dave Watt, Paddy Hipperson, Roy Cope- Lewis. About Jul. 57. Ken Goodwin taxying at Sylt. About Jul. 57. Barry Dale's VW in Front of 4 Sqn Hunters at Jever. About Jul. 57. Barry Dale's VW in Front of 4 Sqn Hunters at Jever (Wider shot). About Jul. 57. Ken Goodwin. About Jul. 57. Gerry Shipley and Barry Dale Jever Station Flight Vampire T. About Jul. 57. Rear of Officers' Mess Jever. About Jul. 57. Snapshot in time - a page from Al Pollock's Logbook when he first joined 4 Sqn in about Aug. Dickie Barraclough; Jerry Eades; Tinkle Bell; Bush Barrey and Pete Hunwick. Sqn groundcrew standing in front of one of the USAF Fairchild C- 1. Boxcar transports that had brought in the 1. US Airborne Regiment which deployed to RAF Jever for Operation Brown Jug - 1. Sep. 57. 4 Sqn groundcrew standing in front (head on view) of one of the USAF Fairchild C- 1. Boxcar transports that had brought in the 1. US Airborne Regiment which deployed to RAF Jever for Operation Brown Jug - 1. Sep. 57. One of the USAF Fairchild C- 1. Boxcar transports that had brought in the 1. US Airborne Regiment which deployed to RAF Jever for Operation Brown Jug - 1. Sep. 57. The USAF Fairchild C- 1. Boxcar transports parked on the pan in front of Hanger 4. Aircrew Changing Caravan - Sep. Exercise Brown Jug 4 Sqn Schleswig Engine change outdoors - Sep. Briefing in dispersal on Exercise Brown Jug Schleswig - Sep. Late 5. 7. Dining In Night for Lord Orr- Ewing. Andy Mc. Nae, Barry Dale, Dickie Barraclough, Chris Cross and Al Newing. Late 5. 7. Dining In Night for Lord Orr- Ewing. Same people different shot. Late 5. 7. Squadron Silver may have been used when Dining Out Bush Barrey as it is his signed photograph. Late 5. 7. Pirates Waiting in Corridor at Jever for Children's Christmas Party. Andy Mc. Nae, Jeff Jeffrey, Barry Dale, Tinkle Bell. Barry Dale Surrounded by Children at Pirates Christmas Party at Jever. Dec. 57. Jeff Jeffrey Giving a Piggy- Back at Pirates Christmas Party at Jever. Dec. 57. Barry Dale in Mexican Hat at Pirates Christmas Party at Jever. Dec. 57. Andy Mc. Nae, Dave Watt, Barry Dale Dancing at Pirates Christmas Party at Jever. Dec. 57. Conga at Pirates Christmas Party at Jever. L to R: Barry Dale, Tommy Thompson, Tinkle Bell, Jeff Jeffrey, Andy Mc. Nae. John Hawtin on his 9. Rabeneck motor cycle - 1. John Hawtin, . Pete Hunwick, Jeff Jeffrey, Dickie Barraclough, Barry Dale and Course Members. Barry Dale Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Jeff Jeffrey, Dickie Barraclough and Pete Hunwick Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Jeff Jeffrey Falling Over Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Meeting for a Day's Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Ski Instructor Briefing for a Day's Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Skis Parked for a Break from a Day's Skiing Bad Kohlgrub. Unknowns Getting on Tow Bar Bad Kohlgrub. Shot Back to Start of Chair Lift Bad Kohlgrub. Shot on Tow Bar Lift Bad Kohlgrub. Shot From Ski Slope Bad Kohlgrub. Barry Dale with Skis Bad Kohlgrub. Jeff Jeffrey with Skis Bad Kohlgrub. Dickie Barraclough with Skis Bad Kohlgrub. Jeff Jeffrey at Bad Kohlgrub. Barry Dale at Bad Kohlgrub. Ted Bywater at Bad Kohlgrub. Survival Hammock at Bad Kohlgrub. Unknowns and Barry Dale Survival Tee. Pee at Bad Kohlgrub. Survival and Skiing Country Bad Kohlgrub. Village of Bad Kohlgrub. Jan 1. 95. 8. 4 Sqn Rail Party to Sylt - 7. Feb. 58 After boarding our 'Sonderzug' at Sande, the first stop for the main rail party was Hamburg. Jun. 65. Al Pollock on a Hunter F. Mar- Apr. 58. Andy Mc. Nae posing in front of a fire extinguisher - station flight hangar in the background- Mar- Apr. Barry Dale about to disappear- Mar- Apr. Bill Brewer and a 1. Mar- Apr. 58. Dickie Barraclough climbing aboard- Mar- Apr. Bugs Bendell ready to go- Mar- Apr. Chris Cross mounting up- Mar- Apr. Dave Ferguson catching up with the paperwork- Mar- Apr. Don Riley enjoying the sunshine- Mar- Apr. Gerry Eades and his Mercedes - Mar- Apr. Jeff Jeffrey standing under the tail of a Hunter - Mar- Apr. John Hawtin about to strap in - Mar- Apr. Paddy Hipperson his usual jolly self - Mar- Apr. Pete Hunwick also known as ? Believed to be Hunters at Sylt 1. Bugs Bendell and Al Pollock in front of 4 Sqn Scoreboard at Sylt. Names: Barraclough, Cope- Lewis, Mc. Elhaw, Maish, Hawtin, Hunwick, Slaney, Bebington, Hipperson, Jones, Riley, Dave Ferguson, Eades, Mc. Nae, Brewer, Dale. About 5. 8. 1. 11 Sqn Hunter F. Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. Sabres, probably Canadian, visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. Javelin visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. Dutch F- 8. F Thunderstreak visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. Shackleton visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. GAF Republic F- 8. F Thunderstreak visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1. May. 58. Republic RF- 8. F Thunderstreak visiting for the Anglo- German Open Day - 1.
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