Greetings again from Venturi Valley where the snow is still blowing. First off, congratulations to three more of our fast burners who are on the current LC's list: Ron YATES, Tom SEEBODE and Dick HEAD. It now appears that Dick will be remaining at the AFA for another year or so. Tom is currently working at MPC in Personnel Plans, and Ron is apparently still out at Andrews working for Headquarters AFSC.

Homecoming brought several of our classmates back to the old homestead. Tony BURSHNICK, Nels DELISANTI, and Oogie PRINDLE left the running of Scott AFB and MAC in other hands and spent a few days here running Association business and generally extolling the virtues of MAC. D. D. STEVENS was up from Arizona State to see if we could repeal the upset we pulled down there earlier in the fall—unfortunately, we didn’t quite do it. Charlie WATERMAN flew in from Travis, where he is currently in the rated supplement as a maintenance officer. Charlie will be off to AFIT in May for a degree in Astronautical Engineering. Another visitor from sunny California was George PUPICH. George is still flying for Western Airlines as well as in business with his brother. George FRIES flew in with his boss from Offutt, but unfortunately only for the game. Looking forward to a long talk with George on the virtues of a staff job in SAC when he and Pat come for a visit in the Springs.

Of course, Colorado supplied its share of the homecoming crowd. Roy JOLLY came down from Castle Rock, and Rich CARTER and Dave SWEIGART made it down from Denver. Dave is in the rated supplement working at the Reserve Personnel Center. He has something like 40 girls working for him, including a really great secretary. So, all you throttle benders take note that not all rated supplement jobs are bad. Jim WADDLE and Paul SULLIVAN were out from downtown for the festivities. Duck is the only Air Force pilot I know who has to take commercial air to get someplace where he can maintain his flying currency. I guess that is not a bad price to pay to be one of the relatively few active duty guys still flying the F-106.

Hardy LEBEL was up earlier in the fall from Hurlburt. Now that Hardy has his masters from Denver U. in mass communications, he is a classroom instructor in the Special Ops Squadron. We’re still trying to get Hardy out here to teach in our Behavioral Sciences Department, but for some reason the idea of teaching introductory psychology doesn’t turn him on. Bill ZERSEN came out from Charleston for the C. U. game. Bill is about to become a student again, as AFIT is sending him off this spring to get a masters in management at either Arizona State or Southern Cal.

I understand that an old guitar-playing roomie of mine, Marty RICHERT, is now flying tweetie-birds around the skies of Williams AFB. Unfortunately, I was unable to find him while I was down there for the ASU game. I wanted to confirm the rumor that they had to put more powerful engines on his aircraft because of an increase in gross weight. Any truth to it, Marty? Got a great letter from another guitar-playing roommate: Jim ANDERSON. Jim is back at Lakenheath flying the F-4 (and longing for an F-15). He is also Chief of Weapons and Tactics for the 48th Fighter Wing. Jim mentioned that he sees Ralph LALIME quite often, as Ralph is on the USAFE Stan Eval team. Jim also passed on the info that Dale THOMPSON is at Upper Heyford as the Wing Commander’s Exec and that George ELSEA is a flight commander at Soesterburg AB, Netherlands. Jim also heard that Gordy FLYGARE is flying C-54s in Saudi Arabia, but I notice that the new register has him in Ethiopia. Either way, it sounds like an interesting assignment. Any comments on it, Gordy?

If any of you ding your civilian airplane and need a lawyer, we now have a friend in court: Bob BADGER. Bob has opened up a new office in Metaire, La., which is just outside of New Orleans. He is a trial lawyer in aviation litigation, mostly involving helicopters. He must also be on the Chamber of Commerce, as he pointed out that Marti Gras is coming up and that it is a perfect time to visit the area. He and Margaret extend their services as guides to any of you that can make it down. Sounds like a good way to escape the chills of winter and have a great time with an old friend.

Ted STUMM wrote that he finished his masters in industrial engineering at Texas Tech last May and is now working at Headquarters TAC in manpower. He noted that Vic THOMAS will be joining him in that job in January. With all of the guys we’ve got working at the different headquarters, you people in the operational Air Force shouldn’t be lacking on information about the jobs which are available. Ted also passed on the word that Dr. Jon R. DAY may be hiding somewhere in Charlottesville VA. So, if any of you are out that way, see if you can find him. Ted also extends an invitation to anyone who is out in the Newport News area to stop in and visit.

A few notes gathered from change of address cards: Charlie GEORGI has left California and is now a management consultant in Cincinnati, Ohio. Miles KASPAR is still flying for Pan Am, but he now lives in Mt. Holly, NJ. Herb ECKWEILER is flying C-130 gunships at Ubon. Gary CREW has left sunny Texas for Taipei, Taiwan. I don’t know what he is doing, except that it has to do with a special activities squadron. And returning from SEA is Don SINGER, who left Tan Son Nhut for the Pentagon. Charlie HOLMAN now lives in Birmingham instead of Tallahassee and is a branch manager for Univac. I also heard along the line that Ron SANDHOLZER has joined our other classmates at MPC. Sandy is rumored to be working in the Rated Supplement Branch. So, between Sandy in the Supplement, Greg BOYINGTON in the Rated Career area, and Tom SEEBODE in the Personnel Plans area, we all should be able to find some good answers to our career questions.

In closing, Hope and I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and may the New Year bring you great happiness and satisfaction. Let’s all take a moment to stop and pray that this year will see the return of our friends and comrades-in-arms from the POW camps in SEA, which would indeed make it a very happy year.