April - June 2016
As Compiled by JT Smith
Joe Higgins checks in with this:
A group from our church here in Greenville SC made a visit to Poland at the end of April for a week to see the sights and sites associated with St. John Paul II, the first Polish pope; to visit other interesting areas; and also drink beer and eat pierogies. Major places we visited were Warsaw, a lot of it of it restored having been pretty much destroyed in WW II; Krakow, pretty much intact from the 13th century since it was the German headquarters city of WW II; Auschwitz, whose notoriety needs no amplification; and Zakopane, a lovely town near the Tartras mountains and a favorite recreation spot of John Paul II. Along the way we went 400 feet underground at the Wieliczka salt mine, producing salt since the 12th century, to see the elaborate church carved out of a salt chamber over the years by the miners. I attach a fuzzy picture of yours truly in the salt mine church--the light underground is not that great for an iPod.
We also visited two monasteries: Jasna Gora--home of the painting of Our Lady of Czestochowa, otherwise known as the Black Madonna--and the monastery founded by Maximillian Kolbe, whose story would be familiar to POWs and whose fate is inextricably linked to Auschwitz. Not having been to Eastern Europe before, I was struck by how recent the memories are of WW II and the Soviet occupation after WW II. It's instructive to talk to people who had to learn Russian in grade school and who experienced the shortcomings, and shortages of food, in a state run economy. I also attach a photo of Zakopane because of the beautiful scenery. Best wishes, Joe Higgins
This unwelcome news comes via Ken Alnwick:
Joannie Stevens, after a brief but virulent illness, passed away on Tuesday, 31 May 2016. She and Don had been in Florida after taking a cruise, and they had just returned to their summer home in Maine.
Services were held on 7 June in Bangor. Those wishing to read her obituary and express personal condolences may do so HERE.
Gentlemen:
I apologize for starting off a new month like this but . . .
Diane Marie Lynch Hooper Smith--my soulmate, my best friend, my riding buddy, my dance partner, my travel companion, my hero--died at 2315 on Saturday, 11 June 2016, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN.
According to her instructions, she will be cremated, and there will be no funeral. Neither will there be a memorial service other than the one each of you may wish to conduct on a personal basis. Those who wish, may read her obituary here.
Regards to all. J.T.
Mike McCall sends the following account of a recent sojourn:
"In spite of all the histrionics of friends about terrorists blowing up the Eifel Tower, etc., last month my friend Debbie and I took the long flight across the pond to Amsterdam to take a river cruise to see some windmills and tulips. We did put our lives in danger in Amsterdam crossing the streets. Did you know that bicycles have the right of way over pedestrians and cars there? They know it and take it. We followed that with a train ride to Paris; the highlight of our stay was a side trip to the Normandy beaches. The contrast between the US and German cemeteries was striking We then went on to Zurich to see some friends in Switzerland. Also, felt the Swiss were trying to kill me with second hand smoke. They haven't realized the dangers of cigarettes yet even though their packs are loaded with many labels. Maybe it's because the warning labels are in English. But everyone speaks English; I guess they can't read it. If you wanted some clean air you had to go inside! So much for terrorists. In spite of everything, we had a good trip with great weather, which I am told was very unusual. I don't know how many more 11-hour plane trips I'm good for, though."
Michelle Cowan of the AOG sends the following:
"Andi & Jock,
I'm not sure if you are aware of this. I just received this from Janet Edwards. Graveside service will be on 22 June 2016 at 1300 at the USAFA Cemetery."
On Feb. 22, Mary Ann went to rest and peace with her Lord and Savior, as her husband was by her side. She leaves behind her husband, Charles Waterman; stepdaughter, Michelle Rife; stepson, Russell and grand-children, Kelsey Rife, C.J., Cole and Ty Waterman. She is also survived by her brother, Joseph Wuchina and his wife, Jane.
She was born in Midland, PA and graduated from Mercy School of Nursing in 1959. She joined the USAF reserves in 1961 and because a flight nurse. While serving with that Air Evacuation unit she survived a crash landing in a C119 aircraft at Dallas Texas airport. In 1968 she entered into active duty with the Air Force and was stationed at Yokota AB, Japan as a flight nurse bringing wounded from Vietnam to the United States as well as spending a week at a time in country preparing wounded for flights home. Mary Ann had the distinction of being one of the few nurses qualifed to wear Senior Flight Nurse Wings for seven years as a flight nurse and over 3000 flying hours. It was on one Air Evacuation flight to Alaska that she and Chuck met. They developed a wonderful friendship over three years before they decided to marry in January 1973.
She later continued her education by receiving her Bachelor's degree in occupational education from Southern Illinois University. She did student teaching at the Vacaville prison.
Mary Ann actively supported and partnered with Chuck in his Masonic actvities and was awarded the Knight Templar "Companion of the Temple" award for her support and service.
Mary Ann loved animals, she always had to stop and pet every dog she saw, even guard dogs. All dogs seem to sense her love and would respond with tail wags and affection.
A memorial service will be held on April 15, at 2 p.m., at the Suisun 55 Lodge on Texas St., Fairfield. Observing her long time desire, May Ann will be buried at the USAF Academy to be joined by Chuck in the future.
In place of flowers donations to Tiger Haven, Mutts with a Mission; P.O. box 17497, Washington DC 20041-0497, or Paws for Purple Hearts, P.O. Box 9288, Pueblo CO 81008-9288 are suggested.
Published in The Reporter from Mar 5 to Mar 6, 2016.
Our condolences go to Charlie and his family.
Les Querry found the following pictures on Facebook:
Happy Birthday, Tony!
Andi Biancur's report on the April meeting of Colorado Springs Group has been posted to the Groups section. Check it out HERE.
Jim Bujalski contributes:
Second Acts
"The pictures shown above were taken while Judy and I 'snow birded' in Mesa, AZ, Jan-Mar. We have been 'snow birding' at the same resort (Good Life RV Resort) since 2009 and still enjoying it. We have made lots of new friends and expanded our hobbies. I have always enjoyed working with my hands and using tools; so, the wood working shop is ideal for me. Judy is a quilter and really enjoys working with the multitude of quilters that come to the resort every year. I have made end tables & shelves for our 5th-wheel trailer and lots of pens, seam rippers, cork screws, salt & pepper grinders, etc. I also work in the wood shop as a monitor, making sure people are using the equipment safely, helping when extra hands are needed, etc.
"Until about a year ago I was also active buying Native American Jewelry at the reservations and from reliable wholesaler's, then selling at arts and craft shows. There is so much imitation work out there that unless you know the source it is easy to be fooled. For example, some imaginative Koreans decided to make 'indian' jewelry; so, they created a town in Korea and called it 'Zuni' so they could mark the jewelry 'Made in Zuni.' There is also a lot of stuff that looks like turquoise stones but is actually crushed turquoise put together with epoxy to look like natural stone. To test for this condition, heat a pin or needle red hot and try to insert it into the stone. It will go into the man-made but not into the 'natural' stone. All of it is real, but not all is natural; so, the question to ask is, 'is this NATURAL turquoise?' If the answer is 'yes,' the next question is, 'can I test it'? and explain how. If the answer is, 'no,' you know it is man made.
"My first wife, Cleone, died after 43 years of marriage. My current wife, Judy, and I dated during our cadet years. I proposed to her New Years Eve, 1958, and she told me, 'I'll marry you some day but not now.' 45 years later, New Years Eve, 2003, she finally said, 'yes.' We were married Memorial Day, 2004, and all the flags flew at half-mast, and the ladies cried."
Diane and I attended the 2016 Reunion of the C-123s-in-Southeast-Asia Alumni in Ft. Walton Beach, FL, during the week of 4-7 April. Among the other 162 in attendance were Jim Bujalski and his wife Judy Rodrigue and Bill and Kathy Gillis (Bill and Kathy were not able to attend the whole week, but they made it there for the afternoon and evening activities on Thursday--more about Bill later).
One of the activities was a tour of Hurlburt AFB, current home of the Special Operations Command and former home of the 1st Air Commando Wing in which I had the pleasure of serving from 1964 to 1967 (the tactical portion of the 1ACW moved from Hurlburt to England AFB, LA in 1966; the pipeline-crew-training operation remained at Hurlburt). The highlight was, for me, a visit to their aircraft display which includes an example of each of the aircraft involved in the Air Commando/Special Operations business. If you get the chance to see this collection of aircraft, don't miss it. These are some of the best-cared-for static birds I've seen. The remainder of the base and surrounding area were barely recognizeable after a 40-year absence. The 'good old days' are no more, my friends.
Jim and J.T. and 533
An attempt to put together a mini-reunion of sorts proved difficult, because not all of our Classmates who often attend these events were able to make it this time, and most of our Classmates who live in the area also had conflicts that prevented their participation. Nonetheless, Jim, Judy, Diane, and I were joined for lunch on Thursday by local resident Aaron Thrush and Jon McClure who drove in that morning from his home in Georgia.
As mentioned above, Bill Gillis was not able to attend all of the C-123 Reunion. The reason for this was that he had only been released from the hospital on Friday, 1 April, following treatment for a stroke (TIA). Fortunately, he is recovering nicely with minimal effects. For now, he is not permitted to drive; so, Kathy does chauffeur duty. He is able to get around pretty well with the aid of a cane. We were, of course, disappointed that they weren't able to make our lunchtime mini-reunion, but they were there for the reunion banquet that evening.
For those 'Provider' jockies who didn't attend this event, the next one will be in Omaha, NE in August 2017. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.