AOG Magazine Class News
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Seasons Greetings from Colorado!
In the "brown shoe days" cadets were able to take their very first off-base privilege after ________. Third classmen got _______weekend leaves during the fall semester, and first classmen men were allowed to own cars after________.
I added the above as a bonus question to an International=Relations quiz I gave this fall. Few of my students got the correct answers (recognition, zero, Christmas) even though I had given them a lecture complete with slides on "the way it was." Tales of the "brown shoe days" seem to fascinate cadets, but they have a hard time relating when today's doolies may take up to four or five weekend leaves a semester. Incidentally, none of the "sophomores" (a term in wide use among cadets) who took my quiz had been born when we all were doolies. How does that grab you?
Speaking of nostalgia, we just had Homecoming here; and except for a long, long afternoon in Falcon Stadium, it was great fun. Earl and Pat VAN INWEGEN, Jack and Jeanne BRUSH, Denis and Liz HANEY, Roy and Barbara JOLLY, Wayne and Barbara KENDALL, Jock and Hope SCHWANK, Phil MEINHARDT, Marylou PORTER, plus Anne and I took part. Earl is at ADCOM; Jack, Jock and I are at the Academy; Denis is Ops. Officer of one of the two AWACS squadrons at Tinker; Roy flies 707s for TWA and F-105s for the Reserves and lives in Oklahoma; Phil is at SAMSO; and Wayne is a flight surgeon at Wright-Patt. Fred PORTER, who teaches here, was tied up with an Aero Department function while Marylou partied with us. We were especially glad to see Marge Mathews Briggs, widow of Dick MATHEWS, at Homecoming. Marge and her husband, Spike Briggs (USMA '54) have recently moved to Monument, Colorado from Wright-Patt, after Spike's retirement from the Air Force. You'll remember Spike's father, the Academy's, second Superintendent. As you can see from the Homecoming photo, we celebrated with some other old heads including several fifty-niners, Mrs. Mac and the guy we knew as Third Group AOC, General Tallman.
Homecoming Reminders: It's less than three years until our 20th--mark your calendars, make plans and start saving your money. Let's all be here for Homecoming 1980!
The BURSHNICKs had planned to come to Homecoming again this year but had to cancel when Karen had an operation on her back. Hope you're all well now. Karen. Tony is DO of the 443rd MAW at Altus AFB, and he passed on sonic news by phone: Tom SEEBODE, Ron SANDHOLZER, and Ted STUMM have been through Altus recently. Tom and Ron were checking out in the C-141; Tom will he ADO of the 437th MAW; and Ron, who just finished a bootstrap program in San Antonio, is going to the 20th MAS at Charleston. Ted is flying C-5s out of Dover and was getting his air refueling qualification. Tony also mentioned that Tony LONG has just PCS'd to SAMSO from PACAF.
Ralph LALIME, good guy that he is, graciously kept the promise to write a guest column that I extracted from him at the Ft. Meyer O'Club bar last summer. Take it away, Ralph--and thanks:
“Season’s Greetings from Air War College. The Georgia Tech game was not a complete loss. Trucking from Maxwell to Atlanta in Les HOBGOOD's "walking Winnebago,” George ELSEA, Gary SHEETS, Mike LOH, Jerry DE LA CRUZ, Don STEVENS, Al BACHE, the ladies, and I had a great time. Les's camper apparently had two tanks one for gas and one for beer. We had to stop twice to fill them both up.
"Everyone is enjoying War College. Gary, coming from deputy base commander at Kincheloe, anticipates a Pentagon tour; Mike, coming from the Wright-Patt F-16 world, expects something that flies; Les was in DP at Fort Fumble and hopes for an ATC flying job; George, leaving Randolph and MPC, is also seeking a flying assignment; Don, coming from MAC Headquarters at Scott, has several job offers at the Potomac Palace. Al was squadron commander of the ATC squadron which produced the first standard woman Pilot, and he says that they are going to be all right. As a reward for his efforts, he is also expecting a post near the Purple water fountain. Hardy LEBEL is steadily recovering from an automobile accident, and his next assignment will be dependent on his recovery. Jerry and I just finished tours at the Pentagon and are ready to go show the kids how to really fly fighters. We have talked it over and decided that any fighter squadron commander or ADO JOB would be just fine. Of course, MPC hasn't made up its mind about any of us, so why worry? Roger LENT and Jerry GAMMILL are also here at Maxwell working the base ops T-39 business to pick up gate time.
"All of us wish each of you and your families the full measure of the blessings of Christmas."
As I reported in the last column, Denis WALSH is commander of the 528th Bombardment Squadron (FB-111) at Plattsburgh AFB.
Speaking of commanders, I know Dick HEAD had the 510th TFS (F-4) at Clark AB, and Reb GUILLOT commanded the 354th TFS (A-7) at Davis-Monthan. Also, a recent AF Times story said that the 356th TFS (A-10) at Myrtle Beach won the TAC 1977 weapons delivery competition. The story goes on to say that the winning gunnery team was lead by the squadron commander. Lt Col Robert SAPP. Congratulations Bob! Do we have any More commanders out there?
Quickies: Walt and Marti FUTCH passed througth C-Springs in August enroute PCS from McClellan to Scott AFB. Don WOLFSWINKEL has changed addresses from Charleston to Summerville, South Carolina. Dr. Dave REED has done the same in Auckland, New Zealand. Bob FISCHER has moved from Fairfax. Virginia to Holicong, Pennsylvania. Bill GILLIS, who just earned an MA in psychology from Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, is the ops officer of the 48th FIS at Langley. Gary CREW, meanwhile, has PCS'd from Langley to Robins AFB where he is in charge of Presidential flight support for Georgia. He went on the Vice Presidential trip to Lisbon, Vienna, and London last summer. Clem DOUGLASS is now a 727 first officer for Western Airlines and has just moved from L. A. to Prior Lake, southwest of Minneapolis.