Mike Loh leads us off this session with an excerpt from a press release from Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany: “During Air Defender 2023, Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, Air National Guard director, had the opportunity to fly above Germany in a 148th Fighter Wing F-16 along with his son, Capt. Michael Loh, 480th Fighter Squadron chief of standardizations and evaluations. ‘The love of flying fighters runs deep in our family,’ said Lt. Gen. Loh. However, this was not the first-time fathers and sons from the Loh family have flown together in the Air Force. ‘I had the pleasure of flying my father, retired Air Force Gen. John Loh, in an F-16 before he retired from the Air Force in 1995,’ said Lt. Gen. Loh. ‘To now fly with my son, who is an F-16 pilot out of Spangdahlem Air Base, is very special and linked three generations of Air Force aviators.’ “

Jim Glaza reports: “Seven intrepid classmates and their partners, joined by three class “friends”, braved the wild water of the Columbia River on a Mississippi paddle-wheeler for eight delightful days and nights. Since our group comprised over 20% of passengers aboard, we were able to commandeer dedicated spaces in the dining room and in the main lounge. The food was excellent and plentiful, as were the liquids served nightly during happy hours and the excellent shipboard entertainment. All that aside, the greatest experience was being able to spend quality time with each other, recognizing that our time together is becoming less and less available.”

Howie Whitfield reminds us to beware of falls in our advancing age. His brother, three years younger, fell out of bed twice and had to be operated on for a concussion. In January, Howie was taking his 70 lb. German Shepherd for a walk his new neighborhood. His dog chased another dog, and Howie got tangled up in her leash, fell on the concrete curb and broke a rib. Two weeks later he fell in his bedroom and got compression fractures of his thoracic vertebra.

Speaking of falls, Ben Furuta has moved to a retirement community in Alhambra, California. Like others in our clan, he has had his share of physical mishaps, most recently a fall that took some six weeks to fully recover. In July, Ben received a surprise phone visit from our class guardian angel, Dean Bristow. They shared war stories for over an hour.

Dean flew West in early July. More information can be found on the class website. Dr. Dean Bristow was special. From his single room in the Payson, Utah, VA hospital, Dean (our longest-serving classmate) reached out to classmates far and wide, to serve as an interlocutor to strengthen the bonds that bind us together. Dean’s daughter, Catherine, stated that he was honored to know each of us, and being part of the Class of 1960 was one of the things of which he was most proud.

In Fort Walton Beach, FL, Aaron Thrush is rebounding nicely from open-heart surgery. In 1962, Aaron, along with fellow stalwarts fresh out of pilot training, descended upon Charleston AFB to fly the beloved three-tailed Constellation. The base had not seen new pilots in two years, and Ken Alnwick, Wayne Kendall, Les Hobgood, Ron Deep, Phil Cook, and Aaron were able to fly so frequently that they could almost live off their per diem checks. Aaron’s most memorable “Connie” mission was a USAFA cadet two-week summer sojourn to Latin American capitols and being met on the runway in Argentina by none-other than former Air Officer Commanding J.S. Enos.

J.T. Smith attended the annual gathering of his motorcycle group, Los Guajolotes, in early June. This year's destination included a full-day visit to the world-famous motorcycle and racing-car museum at the Barber Motorsports Park just east of Birmingham, AL. If you are ever in the Birmingham area, this museum is a must see, even if you have no real interest in either motorcycles or racing cars. The creativity and artistry that has gone into the display of 900 motorcycles (out of over 1600 in the total collection) and hundreds of vintage racing cars is well worth at least a full day of your time. It is spectacular.

Wayne Kendall reports that in Colorado Springs, local classmates convened for a luncheon on June 15, 2023, in a private room in a local sports bar named Champs. There were 20 classmates in Colorado Springs at the time, and 19 attended.

Over the past 11 years, the COS group has gotten together over 120 times. They have a speaker roster, and each takes a turn at the podium. Topics are up to the speaker and range from national defense, war stories, cadet days, honor code, medical issues, retirement villages, personal experiences, and some really horrible jokes.

“In the beginning, many attendees knew each other only vaguely. They found that they actually enjoyed each other’s company and continued to meet. They have now transitioned into a very tight-knit group that celebrates and shares sorrows together. If any classmates are in the area on the third Wednesday of the month, please join us,” says Wayne.