Recently, several Classmates have drawn our attention to a post on the Academy web site featuring the Memorial Day tradition of Carol and Andy Biancur when they clean and place flowers at each of our fallen classmate’s gravestone at the Academy cemetery. At her insistence, Carol does the hard work while Andy holds the bucket, symbolic perhaps of the heavy lifting that our classmates and their brave wives have done in defense of our country. Some 40 of our classmates are interred there.

On June 6, the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Charlie Liggett, wife Kathy and their son, Chuck, took a dollar ride in a C-47 that was painted with invasion markings. The plane was 75 years old but in good flying condition. They flew out of the Palm Springs Air Museum, which they found to be quite good. The museum featured a collection of planes, some in flying condition, generally spanning the time from WW II through Vietnam. While stationed in Thailand from 1968 to 1969, Charlie enjoyed flying the C-47 on passenger-hauling missions throughout Thailand and South Vietnam.

Charlie and Kathy Liggett reliving old memories

In mid-April, Wayne Kendall, wife Barbara and daughter Heather took a road trip to the American heartland, stopping first in Amarillo, TX. They went to the famous Big Texan restaurant there, and Wayne considered eating the "free" 72-ounce steak but opted out. Their next stop was an Ozark family reunion in Springfield, MO. Then it was on to Branson, MO where they enjoyed a 10 AM show featuring songs by Neial Sedaka and the Carpenters, followed by a visit to the Dolly Parton "Stampede."

In early May, JT Smith attended a reunion of the C-123s-in-S.E.-Asia gang in Colorado Springs. Other Classmates at the event were Jim Bujalski and Judy Rodrigue, Dave and Camille Sweigart, and Bruce Edwards. The highlight of the event was the dedication of a plaque, instigated and designed by JT, at the Southeast Asia Memorial Pavilion honoring the C-123's contribution to the Southeast Asia conflict from 1962 through 1972. The dedication ceremony, planned and conducted by Jim Bujalski, took place on 1 May in Doolittle Hall with about 135 attending. The theme of the ceremony was to honor all who contributed to the C-123 mission in that conflict. Representatives from each of the major phases from the early years of the Mule Train and Sawbuck II deployments out of Pope AFB (chronicled nicely by Dave Sweigart) through to the final missions in 1972. Speakers included flight crew--pilots, navigators, flight engineers, and loadmasters--as well as crew chiefs and aircraft mechanics who kept the old birds in the air. Our Classmates who flew "The Provider" are glad to see it finally taking its rightful place alongside the other war birds on the wall overlooking the Plaza of Heroes.

Dave Sweigart introducing visitors to the C-123 Provider plaque

Denny O’Keefe, Vic Yoakum and Chuck Diver continue to maintain our outpost in the great Northwest. In November, Denny will travel to the Academy to be present at the dedication ceremony for the Air Warrior Combat Memorial, sponsored by the Class of ’71, which will be located adjacent to the current B-52 site. The memorial will include a bronze statue of Brig Gen Robin Olds, a replica of an F-4 Phantom II fighter-bomber and two walls commemorating the history of air combat beginning in World War I. What is not generally known is that genesis of this memorial sprang from a ‘60 classmate and wives’ luncheon where Denny O’Keefe suggested that Brig Gen Olds, a long-time friend of Denny’s military family, should be honored at the Academy as an exemplar of the fighter-pilot ethos. With the full backing of his NW cohort, Denny brought this concept to the Academy and, in 2012, it was subsequently adopted by the Class of ’71.

Charlie Hart divides his time between his homes in Tucson, AZ and Springfield, OH where he is sort of a gentleman farmer, leasing his ranch acreage while still tending to the grassland and shrubs around his home. He enjoys the verdant countryside around his property, while his wife, Linda, prefers the rich panorama of the Southwest. In the mid-sixties, Charlie, myself and Rich Sexton were all recruited by the Department of History to be among the first graduates with combat experience to join the faculty. Subsequently, Charlie went over to the dark side to be an AOC under Brig Gen Olds and Tony Burshnick, then his deputy. Today, instead of caring for the wellbeing of cadets, he and his Linda help serve the needs of the needy and infirm in their respective neighborhoods.

Don Wolfswinkel and his wife, Veronica, have recently taken up residence in a condo complex on Daniel Island, SC, not far from Charleston, SC. Having previously travelled extensively throughout Europe, they are now enjoying a more sedate lifestyle. Don has the distinction of having only spent only one night in a hospital in his entire life—since his parents lived into their late nineties, chances are good that he will be our last Class Secretary and Scribe

Bob Fischer is a museum guide (docent) at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum on the site of the former Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham, PA, 30 miles north of Philadelphia. Bob and his fellow volunteers restore, maintain and display about 30 aircraft, which are accessible to the public. Naturally, lots of work goes on behind the scene, most especially in the restoration area. Some of the aircraft are featured inside the museum but most are on display outside the building. “Perhaps the most interesting part of serving as a museum guide”, says Bob, “is working with others who come from many different backgrounds in aviation. While most of the docents come from an operational background, the restoration team has many experienced craftsmen who worked on the flight line servicing and maintaining the aircraft. Likewise, there are many aviation fans among the guests that contribute very interesting stories, and we all love to tell, and hear, aviation stories.” [The full text of Bob’s report can be found in the Check Points NOTAMS section of our web site, along with additional class news items.]

Bob Fischer at the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum

Paul Sullivan is an active member of the Daedalians, one of the nation’s oldest aviator societies, and the Forward Air Controller (FAC) Association. He learned to play the tenor banjo while at the Academy and has been at it ever since. He is a member of the First Arizona Banjo Band, which plays at local retirement communities, and a western-themed barbershop quartet, “Cimarron Sidekicks,” comprised of guitar, bass, banjo and mandolin strummers.

This just in: Les Hobgood and daughter, Rani, finally got a trophy in the 2019 Big Bend Open Road Race. They placed third in the 135 MPH class, arriving after 118 miles just 0.18 seconds off perfect time.

From time to time we have received queries from classmates about the status of the class as a whole--graduates living and deceased, non-graduate classmates, etc. JT has compiled a wonderful scorecard with some 14 such status categories which can now be found in the Roster section of our website. Check it out.

Nulli Secundus

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There is more that would not fit into the space avaiable for this article. You may read it in the Checkpoints NOTAMs Section HERE.