DR AHEADTHE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

VOL 30, NUMBER 4 LITTLE RIVER, CALIFORNIA OCTOBER 2014

The B-52H bombers of the 2nd BW Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, provide flexible, responsive, global combat capability, autono-mously or in concert with other forces. The 2nd Bomb Wing is the oldest BW in the USAF and trains all Air Force Global StrikeCommand and Air Force Reserve Command B-52H crews. Photograph provided by Ron Barrett through USAF/PA.

PRESIDENT’S REPORTby Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06

When you receive this we will be six months from ourApril 14-17, 2015 Reunion. Come to the Reunion, refreshyour flight memories, and enjoy the beautiful white sandbeach at Pensacola, Florida. See the registration formson pages 8 and 9 of this issue.

We are all former Air Force officers and flyers, andwe have much to offer to our nation via our leadership andtechnical skills. The direction and tasking of AFNOA isdetermined by you members in the important businessmeeting at the Reunion.

One recent task that we have assumed is that ofoffering scholarships to the offspring of Air Force naviga-tors and bombardiers. In this way we directly help thevery best citizens of our nation take on higher responsi-

bilities. This is a truly worthy matter. The only downsideis that it takes dollars. We will address these expendi-tures at the meeting.` Another task we must address is that AFNOA needsa presidential candidate. At this moment in time we donot have anyone offering to run. This is not good. I havebeen President for the past three terms. It is a great honor,and I love it. However, it is not good to have the sameperson for too long a period.

I need to hear from one of you who might want to leadus into the future. Call me at 305-797-0745. I live in ruralmid-Missouri (that’s a third world nation in mid-USA), andphone reception here is nominal. So I apologize ahead oftime for the terrible reception. Best to e-mail meat: ronaldpbarrett@yahoo.com. Thanks.

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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONTHE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS

ASSOCIATION (AFNOA)

Name _________________________________

Spouse's Name __________________________

Address ________________________________

________________________________________

City ___________________________________

State/ZIP ______________________________

Home Phone ___________________________

Work Phone ___________________________

Cell Phone ___________________________

Internet Address ________________________

Base Name/Class Number ________________

Send a Tax Deductible $15.00 Annual Contributioncheck payable to AFNOA to:

Dennis Ehrenberger, AFNOA Treasurer2783 Glenview DriveSierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734

Telephone: 520-378-1313

Tax Deductible Life Membership Contributionpayable to AFNOA

Under 55 $190.00 66-70 $90.0055-60 $165.00 Over 70 $65.0061-65 $140.00 Over 80 $35.00

Advise Jim Faulkner (address on page 16) of changesin address. Please include your e-mail address withyour renewals and applications.

DR AHEAD

DR AHEAD is the official publication of the Air Force Naviga-tors Observers Association; a non-profit, non-political organi-zation dedicated to maintaining the peace and security of theUnited States of America and a spirit of comradeship amongthe navigators, observers and bombardiers of the USAAC,USAAF, or the USAF. TENOA, the forerunner of AFNOA, wasorganized by Clarke Lampard, Ellington Class 50-D, in 1985.

DR AHEAD is published by AFNOA, Inc., 6441 Avenida DeGalvez, Navarre, Florida 32566-8911. Presorted 3rd classpostage is paid at Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

MANUSCRIPTS are welcomed, especially by E-mail (address:RNNN@mcn.org) or by submittal to the editor on data CDs,IBM-compatible formats only please. All submissions mustbe signed and must include the address of the contributor; noanonymous material will be printed; however, names will bewithheld on request. The editor reserves the right to edit sub-mitted articles for reasons of taste, clarity, legal liability, orlength. Originals will be returned only if a self-addressedenvelope with sufficient postage is included. The commentsand views herein represent the views of the editor and are notnecessarily those of AFNOA, Inc. Deadline for the next issueis 15 November 2014.

ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS are strongly preferred. If you can-not send information through electronic mail or on CD, copyshould be typed. Photographs and drawings are also verywelcome.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please report changes of address to:AFNOA, Inc., 4109 Timberlane, Enid, OK 73703-2825;jfaulkner39@suddenlink.net; 580-242-0526

DR AHEAD STAFF:

Owner AFNOAEditor, Richard W. Ahrens RNNN@mcn.orgCopy Editor, Jack Mudie jackmudie@sbcglobal.netCirculation, Jim Faulkner jfaulkner39@suddenlink.netDistribution afnoa.distributor@yahoo.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

President's Report, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . . . 1Membership Application Form . . . . . . . . . . . 2Historian's Report, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . . . 3AFNOA Awards Five $1000 Scholarships . . . 4My Very First B-52 Flight, by Ted Loubris . . . 6Reunion Registration Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Reunion Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9NKP - Roy, by Henri L. Bailey III . . . . . . . . . 11Dutch Van Kirk, by Dick Mansfield . . . . . . . . 12

Not Rome, Nome! by Louis Malucci . . . . . . 13A Letter to the Membership,

by Errol Hoberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Last Flights, by Richard Mansfield . . . . . . . 15AFNOA Board & Operating Committees . . . 16

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Capt. Theodore Van Kirk, navigator; Col. Paul W. Tibbets, command pilot; and Major Thomas Ferebee, bombardier;standing by the Enola Gay on Okinawa, August 1945. Photograph provided by Ron Barrett through USAF/PA.

HISTORIAN'S REPORTby Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06

With sadness and a dose of reality we pay our re-spects to two of our honorable comrades who passed awayrecently and will be noted in the history books of WorldWar II—one a bombardier, the other a navigator.

Louis A. Zamperini, a 1936 Olympic Long DistanceRunning Champion; a World War II B-24 bombardier whosurvived 47 days at sea in a shot-up raft in the Pacific; anda prisoner of war for two and a half years in a horribleJapanese POW camp, passed away on July 2, 2014 withhonor, pride, and dignity. Born on January 26, 1917, Lt.Zamperini was 97 years old.

Side Note: AFNOA life member B-24 navigator Lt. Ri-chard Mansfield was one of the receiving officers onOkinawa when Zamperini was being repatriated.

He wrote two memoirs about his experiences, both ofthe same title: Devil at My Heels. The first, written withHelen Itria, subtitled The Story of Louis Zamperini, was

published by Dutton in 1956.The second, subtitled A World War II Hero’s Epic Saga

of Torment, Survival, and Forgiveness, written with DavidRensin, contained much additional information and waspublished in 2003 by William Morrow.

Laura Hillenbrand, author of Seabiscuit: An AmericanLegend, published in 2001, has also written a best-sellingbiography of Zamperini. The book, entitled Unbroken: AWorld War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemp-tion, was published by Random House in 2010. It wasnamed the top non-fiction book of 2010 by Time Maga-zine.

Additionally, Angelina Jolie has directed a film adapta-tion of Unbroken, which is to be released in late 2014.` Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk was the navigator of theEnola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the Little Boy atomicbomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 at 9:06 a.m. localtime following a 10-hour night flight from Tinian. Three dayslater a second A-bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, and

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Brent Hollrah

Capt. Louis A. Zamperini (right) together with pilot Capt.Russell A. Phillips, just released from Japanese POW camp,arriving at Okinawa. Photograph provided by Ron Barrettthrough USAF/PA.

AFNOA AWARDS FIVE $1,000 SCHOLARSHIPSby Jim Bannerman, Ellington 55-06

The 2014 AFNOA Scholarship Committee hasawarded five $1,000 scholarships to direct descendents ofAir Force navigators. All sixteen applicants were well quali-fied and worthy of a scholarship, but due to financial limita-tions only five awards could be made. The application pack-ages from each of the sixteen applicants were indepen-dently reviewed by each of the committee members, whoapplied their own personal subjective evaluation and gaveeach applicant a numerical rank. The ranks were then com-bined, and the top five were awarded the scholarships.Copies of the sixteen application packages will be avail-able for inspection at the AFNOA reunion in Pensacolanext April.

Application procedures for the 2015 AFNOA academicscholarships will be published in the January 2015 issueof DR AHEAD.

Here are the five very impressive winners of the $1000scholarships:

Garret Becker is the descendant of two generationsAir Force navigators: his father, Lt Col. Michael Becker,and his grandfather, Raymond Becker, were both Air Forcenavigators. Garret is a sophomore at the University of Cen-tral Florida, majoring in Electrical Engineering. He plans tocontinue his education to earn a masters degree in engi-neering before entering industry.

Colin Cherry is the son of Air Force navigator Lt Col.Marc Cherry, Mather 91-01. Colin is a recent high schoolgraduate and has been accepted at Florida State Univer-sity to study computer science.

Jillian Hoxie is the daughter of Air Force navigatorDiane Hoxie, Mather 82-03. Jillian's father is a B-52 pilot;her mother is a KC-135 navigator; and her brother is a C-130 pilot. Jillian is entering her senior year at the Univer-sity of Florida majoring in applied physiology. Upon gradu-ation she will be commissioned as an ensign in the U.S.

World War II was over. Every US military person's goalhad been achieved! The relief that there would be no inva-sion of Japan was unimaginable. Van Kirk was constantlyasked that if he had to fly this mission again, and his re-sponse would always be, "Yes!"

Dutch was born on February 27, 1921 and passedaway on July 28, 2014 at 93 years of age. His insights tothis momentous event we have always appreciated. Thepersonal story of Theodore Van Kirk is his book: My TrueCourse: Dutch Van Kirk, Northumberland to Hiroshima,which was published by Red Gremlin Press.

A personal note: In October of 1962 I was a Mathergraduate headed as a nav/bomb into SAC B-47s at theheight of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nothing was more so-bering than the top secret classes where we learned andworked on the innards of the thermo-fusion nuclear bombs.I ended up in the 3079th Aviation Support Depot, deliveringevery type of nuclear warhead, test gadgets and objectknown.

If called upon, I was determined that we obliterate theenemy! As a bombardier I sympathize with Van Kirk'ssense of mission.

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Colin CherryJillian Hoxie

Garret Becker

Spencer Mann

Navy. She hopes to be selected to attend flight school.Her first choice of aircraft would be helicopters, followedby the P-8 Poseidon.

Spencer Mann is the grandson of Lt Col Lew Egglefield,Ellington 51-06. He is a recent high school graduate andhas been accepted at the University of Vermont in theCollege of Engineering where he plans to major in aero-nautical engineering.

Brent Hollrah is the descendent of two generations ofAir Force navigators. His father, Col Patrick Hollrah, andhis grandfather, Col Gene Hollrah, James Connally 61-02,were both C-130 navigators. Brent is a recent high schoolgraduate and has been accepted at Oklahoma State Uni-versity to study chemical engineering.

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DR AHEAD PAGE 6

Photograph provided by Ted Loubris.

MY VERY FIRST B-52 FLIGHTby Paul (Ted) Loubris, James Connally 64-07

USAF training in the 1960s was positively brilliant. Igraduated from college thinking I had an excellent educa-tion. Boy, was I wrong! The ground school programs theAir Force taught were good and very, very thorough. Ilearned an incredible amount in a year and a half at JamesConnally AFB and then at Mather MAFB. Then it was offto Castle AFB for actual B-52 flight training.

Oops, six of us were selected for a new experiment,training in the field!

The first time I saw a BUFF up close and personalwas at my base at Wurtsmith AFB, Oscoda, Michigan.Man, it was COLD in January 1965! Oscoda is locatedhalf way to the North Pole, and it felt like it! After Texasand California, I didn’t even have a warm coat. But the

government issued me one, along with a helmet and oxy-gen mask. I was set.

Except the squadron had no idea what to do with anuntrained green lieutenant navigator. To make mattersworse, I wasn’t sure that it was a very good idea either. Itturned out to be an awful idea. It hurt the USAF, and ittook me a long time to understand the job at hand.

So for a couple of days I sat around until the phonerang and the standardization/evaluation chief navigator toldme I was off on my very first B-52 flight. It was in one of therelatively new H models. I was pretty excited. I showedup wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, listening to every word ofthe briefing. It was like Twelve O’Clock High! I was reallypumped up. I followed the crew onto the now- familiarUSAF Blue Bird bus and onto the ramp!

The ship was magnificent, rippled skin and all. We

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blasted off into the midnight sky. I hung between the seatsof the radar nav and nav for the usual ten hours of highaltitude navigation. There was nothing new there, but allthe rest was totally foreign as we electronically bombedDetroit and then dropped down into a low level route thatterminated with a bomb run at Ironwood, Michigan --- withme bouncing around like a ping-pong ball the entire route. We repeatedly simulated nuking the low-level bomb plot,before we at last climbed out and returned to WAFB.

There was a storm to the south which the nav pickedup on his scope at a relatively safe distance, but I thoughtit would be nice to land and get home before it hit. Alas, Iwas to learn that every nearing return of the storm was thepilot’s shot at approach-and-landing practice. There weretwo more hours to go.

The radar navigator, a lieutenant colonel, was destinedfor a staff assignment, and the navigator was slated forupgrade to radar navigator (bombardier). So everyoneswapped seats --- the RN to the jump seat and the originalnavigator to the RN seat at the left. I popped into the nav'sright ejection seat trying to make sense of all the amazingdials, gauges and instruments arrayed before me.

We went around and around for two instrument land-ings, two non-precisions, two ground controlled approahes,etc., etc. The old navigator now in the RN's ejection seatkept telling the Aircraft Commander about the ice stormwaltzing its way in from Detroit. As we circled back andforth making the practice landings, with the storm clearlypainting on both our radarscopes and getting mighty close.

The aircraft commander was a gruff old one-time en-listed man (a mustang), and he kept telling the co-pilot tocall the command post and request an early termination.The answer was always the same: Fly out your briefedtime!" That’s when I learned about the iron rule of 100% ofeverything for the mailed fist of the Strategic Air Command!

I thought this was really getting interesting. Then Inoticed the navigator was perspiring and acting a littlejumpy as his calls about the storm increased in urgency.Finally, the command post must have talked to the redtelephone honchos at Omaha itself, as they finally told uswe could make the next landing a full stop. The commandpost didn’t have a window to see the incoming weather,but someone must have come in from outside. Moreover,the rainstorm was now coming down all around us. The airtemperature was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Boy, was I tired! My mouth was dry, and my eyesburned with fatigue. I wasn’t used to these SAC all-nighters.I was in sort of a daze. I was glad to be at "Home plate."Upon touchdown with a satisfactory thump, I heard the A/C say to the co-pilot, "Deploy the chute." Silence… thenI heard an exasperated, "I said, dammit, deploy the chute!"And a shrill voice responded. "I did, sir, as soon as wetouched down!" This was followed by, "We’re out of con-trol!" I glanced at the soon-to-be upgraded navigator, who

was staring right back at me with eyes the size of a Buick’shubcaps, and his mouth forming a perfect zero!

I thought, "Hmmm, this is not too good." Then thelights dimmed and went out. The engines spooled down,and there we were, bumping very much like riding an oldpickup truck on a country road! We banged across some-thing pretty rough. I turned on my flashlight to see the airfull of dust and old candy wrappers floating by. Fortu-nately, I was in pretty good shape, full of youthful adrena-line and primed to react.

Dust was everywhere. I was out of my seat headedfor the goalpost, the entry/exit hatch. The original RN wasslumped on the deck sound asleep or knocked out.. Inthis case, rank didn't have its time-honored privileges. Ipushed his head back, opened the hatch and leapt intospace—landing on my feet with my helmet askew and myoxygen hose flying around like a snake. I took one stepand promptly went right on my butt. We were on glare ice.It was furiously raining and rapidly accumulating, creatinga winter wonderland. The plane was 100 feet to the left ofthe runway on solid, deeply frozen ground and appearedtotally undamaged.

I looked off into the distance on the base side and Isaw flashing red lights in the distance, but they appearednot to be moving very fast. Then I realized they had verylittle traction as well. They were just creeping along like asilent film. Then I heard their distant sirens penetratingthe gloom.

I couldn’t help myself as I watched each crew memberin turn fall to the ground, take another step and tumble.Maybe it was the tension but I thought it looked prettyfunny, like clowns in the circus. I started laughing at thewhole thing! But I was silent after we'd huddled together,awaiting rescue.

Eventually, the crash trucks arrived, we retrieved ourgear and were debriefed. I thought that this was some sortof sign from heaven that I was not the chosen one. Thereview board hung the poor A/C and commended the co-pilot for using his head in quickly killing all power.

This was my inauguration as a SAC crewmember. Ofcourse, my wife thought I was exaggerating, but I wasn’teven shaken. Heck, if that was the worst they could throwat me I was bulletproof.

It was only after two later failed Operational Readi-ness Inspections and years later that I realized our effortshad to constantly improve. It was a short career full of a lotof tension and hard work.

Five years was enough to serve, and I left SAC and heAir Force. But it never left me. A year after separation Iwas asleep in an armchair when the phone rang. I was outof that chair and in full stride with my whole family staringat me as I galloped across our small living room. Somethings you never forget!

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2015AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS REUNION

APRIL 14-17, 2015 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

Name___________________________________________ Preferred name on badge ______________________

Current address _______________________________________________________________________________

Telephone ____________________________ E-mail _______________________________________________

School _______________________________ Class __________ Home town ____________________________

Name of guest _________________________________ Preferred name on badge ________________________

In case of emergency, please notify _______________________________________________________________

REGISTRATION FEES

Number of persons attending _____ x $150.00 = $ ______

Banquet meals selection: Beef ______ Salmon ______ Vegetarian ______

OPTIONAL TOURSTours 1 & 2 are on the same day. Please select which tour you wish to go on.

TOUR 1: April 15 National Naval Aviation Museum & Lunch. Number ______ x $34.00 = $ ______

Lunch sandwich choice = Roast Beef _____ Ham ______ Chicken Salad ______

TOUR 2: April 15 Dolphin Cruise Boat Tour. Number ______ x $50.00 = $______

TOUR 3: April 16 Historic Pensacola Village. Number ______ x $18.00 = $______

Total enclosed $______

Payment is due no later than March 14, 2015

Please send payments to the following address, made payable to:The Reunion Brat

16817 Mountainside Drive EastGreenwater, WA 98022

360-663-2521

Questions? Call the Reunion Brat at 360-663-2521, or call Ron Barrett at 305-797-0745.

Confirmation of registration and tours will be sent out by March 14, 2015.

A $20.00 per person cancellation fee will apply to all cancellations received within 30 days of the event.

Cancellations received within 10 days of the event will be non-refundable.

Call the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel at 850-433-3336 no later than March 14, 2015 to make your hotel reservations;be sure to mention that you are with the AFNOA Reunion to receive your group rate of $102.00 plus tax per night.

These hotel prices are available 3 days prior to and 3 days after the event should you choose to extend your stay.

We’ll see you in Pensacola, Florida!

2015AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS REUNION

APRIL 14-17, 2015 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA

To be held at the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel, located at 200 East Gregory Street, Pensacola,Florida. Room rates are $102.00 plus tax per night, for single or double occupancy. The hotel providescomplimentary airport shuttle and parking.

Call the Crowne Plaza at 850-433-3336 no later than March 14,2015 to make your hotel reservations. Be sureto mention the group code AFN to receive the group room rate.

Online reservations can be made by going to the hotel's website: http://pensacolagrandhotel.comBe sure to enter the group code AFN. You can make your hotel room reservations by e-mail to thehotel if you wish. Reservations e-mail is: reservations@pensacolagrandhotel.com

Tuesday, April 14, 201510:00am - 10:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Registration, Mini-Reunions and Snacks

6:00pm - 10:00pm ~ Welcome Party with Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar

Wednesday, April 15, 20159:00am - 9:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Registration, Mini-Reunions and Snacks

8:30am - 5:00pm ~ Optional Tour, US Naval Aviation Museum, Lunch, and USAF CSO School8:30am - 3:30pm ~ Optional Tour: Dolphin Cruise, with Time for Lunch on Your Own and Shopping

6:00pm - 9:00pm ~ Hospitality Room ~ Cash Bar & Light Snacks

Thursday, April 16, 20158:00am - 12:00pm ~ General Membership Meeting with Board Elections

9:00am - 12:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Mini-Reunions Noontime ~ Open Lunch Time on Your Own1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ Optional Tour of Historic Pensacola Village

5:00pm ~ Pre Banquet Cash Bar6:00pm - 9:00pm ~ Pledge Of Allegiance, Invocation and Banquet

Friday, April 17, 20159:00am - 11:00am ~ Hospitality Room Open for Good-Byes. Have a Safe Trip Home.

Optional ToursThere are two tours scheduled for Wednesday ~ Choose which one you want to go on.

Wednesday, April 15th8:30am - 5:00pm ~ Naval Aviation Museum & Lunch/AF Combat Systems Officer's School ~ Price $34.00The National Naval Aviation Museum is the world's largest Naval Aviation Museum. Share the excitementof Naval Aviation's rich history and see more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft representing Navy,Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. Lunch will be provided on the tour at the Cubi Bar. After lunchwe will tour the Air Force Combat Systems Officer's School.

Wednesday, April 15th8:30am - 3:30pm ~ Dolphin Cruise/Shopping and Lunch on your own on the Boardwalk ~ Price $50.00Pensacola's Dolphin Cruise offers the best cruising experience on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast. Youwill step aboard the Portofino I, a 63' open-air, covered catamaran for a two-hour cruise, guided by theexperienced and entertaining captain, and spy dolphins, birds and the other marine life playing in theirnatural habitat along the protected GulfIslands National Seashore. Be sure to bring a camera, suntanlotion and sun glasses.

Continued on the next page.

Thursday, April 16th1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ Historic Pensacola Village ~ Price $18.00Historic Pensacola Village is a museum and house museum complex that displays Colonial Pensacola

t through the Roaring Twenties. This tour will take you through the Charles Lavalle House: This FrenchCreole House was built in 1805 while Pensacola was still a Spanish colony. The interior of the housereflects the Creole influence and tradition of the Gulf Coast region. Next we will tour The ClaraBarkley Dorr House. Built in 1871, this home represents an affluent Victorian family of post-Civil WarPensacola. The final stop will be a tour of the Old Christ Church: This symbol of historic preservationand Pensacola heritage is one of the oldest church buildings in Florida, built in 1832. Gothic wood beamsand inspiring stained-glass windows take visitors back to the 1879 appearance of the church. Not allof the buildings on the tour are wheelchair accessible.

For more information contact:

Ronald Barrett305-797-0745

ronaldpbarrett@yahoo.comor

The Reunion BRAT360-663-2521

thereunionbrat@hotmail.com

Come join us as we share old memories and make new ones!

Reprinted with permission of the Pensacola News Journal. The Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel pool

DR AHEAD PAGE 11

NKP – ROYby Henri L. Bailey III, James Connally 64-05

When I was in Undergraduate Navigator Training (UNT)at James Connally AFB in Waco, Texas, I met a couplefrom California who were to become lifelong friends; 2ndLieutenant Leroy Zarucchi and his wife, Micheline, whomclose friends called Holly. Roy graduated and went toSAC in Sacramento, California, with its alerts and its take-off-and-land-at-the-same-place flights. He was severalclasses ahead of me in UNT but we continued to write andkeep track of each other.

When I graduated, I was fortunate to receive the as-signment of my dreams in tactical aviation. I was assignedto the 39th Troop Carrier Squadron (TAC) at LockbourneAFB, Ohio. Lockbourne had regular rotations to Evreux-Fauville AB, France, and to Howard AFB in the PanamaCanal Zone. From Evreux we flew throughout Europe, NorthAfrica, and the Middle East. I became "corridor qualified"and flew into and out of Berlin. From Howard we flew em-bassy support missions all over Central and South America.For a kid who had always wanted to see the world, mydream had come true. There were some glitches but ev-ery dream has those.

After a year and one-half at Lockbourne, while in themiddle of a rotation at Howard, I was informed that I hadorders to Okinawa to support the war effort in South Viet-nam. I wrote to Roy and Holly to tell them and to let themknow that I would be coming through their area on the wayto the Pacific. Roy let me know that he had volunteeredfor the Air Commandos and was awaiting notification of hisacceptance. I preceded him to PACAF by about 10 months.

That time was spent getting acclimated to my dutiesprimarily in Southeast Asia. I flew two rotations at Danang,then flew out of Tan Son Nhut for approximately six months.We flew two rotations out of Bien Hoa before C-130 Opera-tions were moved to Cam Rahn Bay along with the 12thTactical Fighter Wing. We stayed in VNAF quarters atDanang, Saigon hotels at Tan Son Nhut, VOQs and VEQsat Bien Hoa. At Cam Rahn Bay, we started out in old, non-air-conditioned French Quonset huts and later moved intoair-conditioned crew huts. In-country we worked twelvehour crew days and had twelve hours off. Crew day wasoften violated due to operational contingencies. My firstUbon rotation began in September of 1967. Roy was atNakhon Phanom by that time.

At Ubon we flew 9½ to 11½ hour missions. We flewearly one night, late the next night, and then had a nightoff. That cycle was repeated for two weeks and then wehad a week off. Our orders were cut so that we could goanywhere in the world we wanted to go during the week off.The only proviso was to be back on time to resume thecombat rotation. During my first week off, I went to ChangMai, Thailand. During my second week off, I went toPanang and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. During my third

week off, I went to Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, to visit withmy friend Roy. It turned into a postman’s holiday.

When I arrived at NKP, Roy was asleep. I knew howimportant it was to not interrupt crew rest. I left him a noteand went to register at the VOQ. I freshened up and wentto the Officers Club to get something to eat. After eating,I went into the bar and ordered a drink and began to meetpeople at NKP. When they found out I was visiting andcame to see Roy, they became interested in finding outwho I was and made sure that Roy knew where I was. Onevery tall and wrangly man with a shaved head and a handle-bar mustache introduced himself as Beauregard J. Hirtline,III. Not to be outdone, I introduced myself as Henri LouisBailey, III. That was the beginning of an odd, consideringthe times, friendship that I will describe in another section.Roy came in and I offered to buy him a drink but he had tofly that night, so we sat down and planned what we woulddo together that week.

While we were sitting there the Wing Commander ofthe Air Commandos, Colonel Harry C. "Heinie" Aderholtcame in and said, "Roy, who is that you have with you?He doesn’t look like one of ours?" I got the chance tomeet one of the legendary tactical wing commanders ofthe Vietnam war. The other, in my estimation, was Colo-nel Robin Olds of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon,Royal Thai Air Force Base. Either one of them could haveannounced that the next mission was to attack the gatesof Hell and every aircrew would have followed them in com-bat formation. When Colonel Aderholt heard that I wasfrom Ubon and flew Blindbat/Lamplighter missions, he said,"I’m glad you are here. We have a small problem that Ihope you can help us with. We’ll talk later!" Then heturned and left. I went with Roy as he got ready to fly hismission, watched him take off, and then went to the VOQto get some sleep. He would be gone for approximatelysix hours.

The next afternoon, we got together and Roy gave mea tour of the base, of his squadron and of squadron opera-tions. We were in squadron operations when Roy wascalled to the Wing Commander’s office. I waited for him insquadron operations. When he returned, he looked at meand said, "You are a privileged individual! Colonel Aderholthas authorized you to fly a mission tonight in the A-26 withour most experienced pilot and his navigator. We have aproblem with the lighting that we get from the flares thatyou guys drop. Colonel Aderholt expects that you will beable to solve it." I looked at Roy and said, "You are kid-ding?" He just shook his head no and showed me thesigned order. I looked at Roy and said, "Well I didn’t comehere to fly a combat mission. But I would like to fly in theA-26 and if we can solve a problem in the meantime, somuch the better. I didn’t bring my flight gear, so your guyswill have to outfit me."

I flew in my fatigues, was issued a helmet, O2 mask,

DR AHEAD PAGE 12

parachute and a pair of flying gloves, and met the crew Iwas flying with. Unfortunately, after the passage of time, Ido not remember either one’s name. They briefed me onthe mission, emergency procedures and how to get intoand out of the jump seat. Anyone who has ever flown inthe A-26 and has experienced the jump seat knows justhow agonizing an experience that can be. That seems tobe the only drawback to the airplane. It was a sweet flyingmachine!

After taking off and going feet wet, wecontacted Alleycat and asked to work with Lamplighter.Alleycat informed us that Lamplighter had mechanical dif-ficulties and had returned to base (RTB) early. We askedwhen Blindbat was due to replace him? Alleycat saidthat Blindbat was trying to get off early but would probablynot arrive before another hour and one-half.

The aircraft commander asked Alleycat to inform uswhen Blindbat arrived on scene and asked permission tocross into Rolling Thunder to seek targets of opportunity.We were cleared into Route Package 4. That proved to befruitless. There were fires all over the landscape and wedid not locate any movers that night in Route Package 4.We received a call that Blindbat was on location and hadmovers.

We left Rolling Thunder and returned to BarrelRoll, informed Alleycat when we were back in BarrelRoll and contacted Blindbat. The aircraft commander re-ported our location and available ordnance. Then he toldthem that he had a Blindbat/Lamplighter navigator onboard, Buddha Bailey, and we needed to experiment withflare delay settings because the A-26s were having a prob-lem with the light. The Blindbat A/C at first said that hewasn’t sure that they could do that.

I got on the radio and told him I was Buddha Baileyand they recognized my voice. I reminded him that ourloadmasters had to master flare settings during FAC Schooland they had a tool in their kit for changing the settings.We wanted to experiment with the settings while carryingout attacks. I reported to him that the Nimrods thoughtthe flares were going off too high and burning out just whenthey were most needed. On the first pass Iasked Blindbat to extend the ignition delay 5 seconds onthe flare. The flare ignited low and hit the ground andburned on the ground. The Nimrod A/C loved it but I toldhim we couldn’t waste parachute flares that way and wouldhave to use exclusively log flares if he wanted it to burn onthe ground.

I then asked the Blindbat A/C to reduce the delay bytwo seconds. In other words, add three seconds to thenormal ignition delay. That worked much better andthe Nimrod A/C liked the results but the flare still burnedon the ground too long, I asked the Blindbat A/C to re-duce the delay by one more second; the normal delayplus two seconds. That produced results that were satis-

factory for all concerned. Nimrod liked the results.Blindbat could easily comply and not waste parachuteflares. While we were working together, we destroyed sixtrucks that we in the Nimrod had bombed and strafed withthe cannon. I had had a great ride! Everybody was satis-fied.

Blindbat A/C asked who was going to report the re-sults to the Blindbat/Lamplighter Mission Commander. Itold him to go ahead and report the results so that crewscould be informed by tomorrow. I wouldn’t return to Ubonuntil the next week. I asked him to also tell the MissionCommander that I was flying this mission at the request ofthe Air Commando Wing Commander. We returned to NKP.

Next day, Roy and I got together and he showed meNKP and Ho Chi Minh’s gift clock to the city where he wasborn. We experienced the cuisine in local restaurants.We spent the rest of the week reinforcing our friendshipwhen Roy wasn’t scheduled to fly. Later in the week, ColonelAderholt saw me and thanked me for resolving their prob-lem. I told him that we at Blindbat wanted to do the bestwe could. It was a privilege flying with and working with hiscrews. I took good memories back to Ubon.

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DUTCH VAN KIRKby Dick Mansfield Selman 44-10

It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I report to youthat one of our very famed navigators "Dutch" Van Kirk,an AFNOA member, has left us. I knew him first as aninstructor in Selman Field Navigational School in early 1944.He had completed a tour with the 12th AF (B-17) in Europeand was assigned to Selman Field as an instructor of anadjoining class to mine. Later in the 1980s and 1990s, heattended a few Selman reunions and was a featured speakerat one that I can remember. The dropping of the bomb(Little Boy) on Hiroshima was most significant. He andmost others feel that that event and the one three dayslater shortened the war on Japan considerably.

I was stationed on Okinawa with my crew at the timeand bombing various cities and airfields in Japan on analternate day basis. Crews that were shot down and caughtwere mostly all beheaded. I was scared to death accord-ingly. To say that we were relieved when the war ended is ahuge under statement!

Dutch attended Kelly Field School in class 42-05, oneof the early navigational schools, and later instructed some1944 classes at Selman Field in Monroe, Louisiana. Therehe was requested directly by Colonel Tibbets to join a crewwith other B-29 members in the 509th Bomb Group. Firstthey trained in Tonopah, Utah, and later on Tinian in theMariana Islands. Colonel Tibbetts had two crews but both

DR AHEAD PAGE 13

NOT ROME, NOME!by Louis J. Malucci, Ellington, 57-12C

One of the numerous support missions for our reserveunit, then using C-119G aircraft, was a deployment toElmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska. There were aircraft fromseveral reserve units, including mine, the 328th TacticalAirlift Squadron, 914 Tactical Airlift Group, Niagara FallsAFB, NY. Our two Niagara birds planned to take off on July3, 1969. After taking the active for takeoff, ATC notified usthat our mission was canceled temporarily due to severethunderstorms over Lake Superior. Our unpressurized Dol-lar Nineteens were restricted to below 10,000 feet, so thecrew got a room in the BOQ and headed to downtownNiagara Falls for dinner. After dinner, we walked across theFalls. Literally! The water had been diverted to the Cana-dian side so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could inves-tigate a possible large collapse of the Falls wall. We walkedacross the rocks in the river.

The next day we did take off for Elmendorf and arrivedthere after an en route RON in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The drive from the base was different than on my previousflight there. Then, it was a level drive to town. Now, youdrove down a small ravine between the base and town. Thereason: the great 9.2 Alaskan earthquake of March 27,1964 had caused the ravine! On a previous mission, wehad the group commander on board as we traversed themountains from White Horse and Fort John to Anchorage. I had no training in range radio, so the commander, an ex-WWII pilot, was showing me the ropes of the dots anddashes. A steady tone meant you were on course, dashesyou were left, dots you were right, or vice versa, I forget.We were in clouds with mountains going to 16,000 or 17,000feet on either side. I will admit that I was a little nervousabout that. In my previous aircraft, the B-47, we wouldhave been well above them.

Shortly thereafter, we were deployed to Nome with ourC-119G full of Army troops. As we flew over the Bering Sea,I was surprised to see ice on it, until I discovered that it was

in fact fog. After we landed and disembarked the troops,we began to refuel the plane using garden-sized hosesand a hand crank, but that fog rolled in and obscured justabout everything. I have in a previous article referred toanother unit which took liberties with some of the regula-tions, such as taxiing at lean settings to save fuel. Well,these crews were at it again --- taking off without refuelingto avoid the thickening fog, which was, in my opinion, nottoo intelligent in view of the barren, mountainous terrain.

I should mention here that when we first arrived atElmendorf all the units’ aircraft became part of a pool.That is, the planes you would subsequently fly on a mis-sion might not be from your own unit. The second Niagarabird arrived after we did and made several ILS approachesthrough the murky fog before giving up and headed for agravel strip on Unalakleet, a radar station near a town of787 that was known for its crab and salmon fishing. Dur-ing one recent presidential election, Unalakleet was citedas the first area to close the polls.

The previously-mentioned nefarious unit had detecteda compass error but had neglected to enter it in the 781form to avoid the stigma of having one of their planesgrounded. So with their compass off by several degrees,we could hear them in their futile attempts to find the fieldin the reduced visibility. They gave up and were diverted toUnalakleet. We were to find out later this crew was treatedroyally by the troops on Unalakleet, always welcomingfresh faces. Wilbur, a rural type well known for his vora-cious appetite, was reportedly seen eating a dozen eggsfor breakfast and a dozen slices of toast, plus sausage. (His physique becomes significant later in this article.) The troops there took the crew out fishing, and Wilburreportedly snagged a fish with the head on one side of theboat and the tail on the other --- a mackerel, I guess. Hehauled a bountiful load of fish, which the local troops cookedfor them.

Meanwhile, our crew was escorted to the nationalguard armory gymnasium, where they set up cots for usto spend the night on. We played a little basketball in ourflight suits and stocking feet. When we asked where couldwe eat, they described two places, one of which wasLenny Seranto's, where we elected to eat. En route, wecaught glimpse of a ship in the distance. There were noroads to Nome. You got there by boat, airlines, or dogsled. We walked along the fog- shrouded coast with signsthat said the Coast Guard had built the rocky barrier. Wealso passed salmon hanging on lines to dry --- and hus-kies barking at us intruders.

We then arrived at Seranto's and sat down in thisshack with polyethylene walls. It turns out that the shipwe saw stranded had the materials to finish this restau-rant. All the condiments, mustard, ketchup, etc., hadoutrageously high prices. Our cute little waitress offeredus hand-written menus: reindeer ribs, bear steak, salmon,

were called the "Red Gremlins" crew. They all met annuallyafter the war, but have long since disbanded.

In 1987 at a duplicate bridge event in Florida, I met theoriginal co-pilot of the crew, (now Dr.) Richard King and weplayed as partners for some ten years. He passed awayshortly after I moved to Ocala, Florida. Another bit of myrelated information is that Dutch passed away on my birth-day, July 28th. I remember them well and miss them. Theycontributed so much to our country.

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A LETTER TO THE MEMBERSHIPby Errol Hoberman, Harlingen 60-09N

Change—some people love it, some people hate it.Resist it if you will, but it will overtake you. And if you’vespent a career in the Air Force, you know that the oneconstant in the Air Force is change! No other organization,I think, is quite as good at reorganizing and reinventingitself. The reunion organizations and associations that flownaturally from the comradeship intrinsic to serving, how-ever, are not quick to change. They are often cherishedand guarded by those who are preserving their memories.

Let’s look at the AF Navigator/Observer Association.Navigator was recognized by the United States Army AirForces as an aeronautical rating and authorized its ownbadge in 1942, one of a number of new wartime ratings. Allof the new wartime ratings except navigator were discon-tinued by the USAF in 1949. (Although observer ratingswere discontinued by USAF in 1949, the observer title wasrevived in 1981 when a rating and badge was created forotherwise non-aeronautically rated USAF officers who com-pleted NASA mission specialist astronaut training and sub-sequently flew in space. However, the AF no longer lists

or chicken legs. We ordered one of each and shared eachorder. Owner Lenny saw us in our flight suits and askedwhat we were doing there. We told him about out mission,adding that it was the birthday of one of our loadmasters.So Lenny promptly produced a bottle of champagne forus.

We then asked what he was doing there. He had quitea story! He said that he had been trained at the worldfamous Maxim’s in Paris, had become presidential cheffor Juan Batiste, and when Batiste was overthrown he wasfired. He then became the chef for the president of theDominican Republic but was fired by him. He moved toVenezuela, where he knocked off a couple of Commies,was arrested and placed in exile. Then the b.s. became abit more obvious!

"While there, I was informed of a big meeting betweenRoosevelt, Churchill and Stalin and asked if I could caterit. When I asked where, I was told, ‘Nome.’

" I said, 'No sweat. I've been in London, Oslo, Madrid,Budapest and would gladly go to Rome."

"They then said, 'Not Rome, Nome.'"And I have been stuck here ever since!"After dinner we walked again—it was still daylight de-

spite the late hour—this time to the Fire Island Indian show.They had been on the Ed Sullivan show at one time, andthis was a regular venue for vacationers getting there viaAlaska Airlines. We sat through the show, watching theincantations to the beating of seal skin drums, as theypleaded with the gods for bountiful harvests. There weremany carved ivory articles for sale, and it was quite educa-tional. Then they asked for volunteers to take dance les-sons. Tom, our copilot, shoved me up onto the stage,where I then showed my expertise in dancing to the drumsin my flight suit and combat boots.

Nome is a quaint village with the odor of kerosenepermeating the atmosphere. It has elevated, wooden side-walks like old frontier towns. In the streets were poleswith wooden signs giving the distances to Chicago, Tokyo,Rome, etc. We had a couple of beers in the gravel-flooredbars. Nome was purportedly 1,000 Indian, 1,000 Eskimoand 1,000 white. It was claimed that they all hated eachother, and the principle shows on Saturday nights werethe fights among the three.

We finally left Elmendorf and returned to Clinton CountyAFB, Ohio, where the rest of the Niagara Falls crews werespending the then so-called "Summer Camp," i.e, themandated 15 days of active duty per year for a Class Aflying unit. Not long after that, aircrews were exempt andflew week-long missions dropping paratroops in support ofthe Army, flying the Air Force band to ceremonies, or evencarrying IG inspectors on no-notice inspections. Years later,when we got C-130s, we spent those active duty daysflying to Europe and Central and South America.

On our route home, by this time rejoined by our fellow

Unalakleet tourists, we were over North Dakota when theother aircraft in our loose formation had its controls lock inflight. They declared an emergency, and the Air Force de-ployed F-102s from Grand Forks, AFB to look over theplane for external damage. So the crew set up a 10- or 20-mile final approach to Minot AFB, ND. Wilbur, the previ-ously mentioned burly copilot --- the dozen-egg-eater ---successfully horsed the controls into a landing. That crewjoined our crew for the rest of the trip, leaving the plane atMinot.

At Clinton County, the President had announced thatthere was a three-day holiday in anticipation of NeilArmstrong’s landing on the moon. My best man had in-vited me to dinner in Columbus, only to be preempted bythe Ops officer telling me I was going to be on the crew toretrieve the damaged plane at Minot after it was repaired. Iwas not happy about that. It turned out that a piece ofphenolic sound- proofing had broken loose and jammedthe control cables. So eschewing dinner with my friends, Imade the journey back to Minot. By request from thepilots, I, a navigator, was asked to fly the plane, which I didfor about three hours. I maintained altitude and courseabsolutely perfectly, even in some pretty rough weather,while the pilots tended the radios. After our arrival, we haddinner, and then retreated to the BOQ, watching TV asNeil Armtrong uttered "This is one small step for man, onegiant leap for mankind," on July 20, 1969.

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DR AHEAD PAGE 15

LAST FLIGHTSby Dick Mansfield, Selman 44-10

Notices of deceased comrades continue to be received.Currently, we have received 45 more notices of our passedbrethren. They are in school and class order.

BOMBARDIERSGOODWYN, JAMES C. MIDLOTHIAN VA UnkMUSZYNSKI, DAN ERIE MI CB 44-02ZAMPERINI, LOUIS HOLLYWOOD CA MI 42-02ARBORIO, JOSEPH C. GRAND ISLAND FL UnkCASPER, LAURENCE NEW YORK NY UnkMcALLISTER, GERALD N. SAN ANTONIO TX Unk

CORAL GABLESBADGER, LESLIE C, BOCA RATON FL 44-02

ELLINGTONNACEY, EDWARD ATWATER CA 44-01ROTH, MANUAL NEW CASTLE IN 44-45ARSENEAU, LOUIS A. JOHNSON CITY NY 44-53WARDLOW, ELWOOD M. SARASOTA FL 45-08HUMME, CAREL WILLIAMSBURG VA 50-ETRIPP, MARVELL J WORTHINGTON MN 55-02

HARLINGENBALISH, DONALD G. LITTLETON CO 56-09OTTAVIANO, ALFRED F. RENO NV 60-07SUPENCHECK, DENNIS DATELAND AZ 60-07FRAME, JOHN W. SUNRISE BEACH MO 60-10DEAN, DONALD E. DOVER DE 61-04PIRTLE, MURRAY A. ABILENE TX 61-09KLEINROCK, BERNARD J. COLUMBIA SC 62-19

HONDOGREENE, DAVID A. MIDDLE ISLAND NY 44-04

JAMES CONNALLYWHITTEN, ARNOLD F. BOYNTON BEACH FL 52-08McEWEN, JOE D. FORT WALTON BEACH FL 55-CNBOSTWICK, JAMES M. POCASSET MA 56-09HOSTETLER, CONNIE M. COLORADO SPRGS CO 59-13DAHLBERG, IRWIN W. BOSSIER CITY LA 60-07NELSON, ROBERT G. BILOXI MS 61-09GERHART, RONALD H. FAIRFAX VA 64-09DIMAGGIO, PETER S. FREEPORT FL 65-14

KELLYVAN KIRK, THEODORE J. LAWRENCEVILLE GA 42-05

MATHERCOYNE, KEVIN N. FORT WALTON BCH FL Unk

SELMANMALINOWSKI, JOHN A. WHITESTONE NY 42-13TAYLOR, WILLIAM R. Unk NY 43-11HOFFMAN, MILTON A. ST LOUIS MO 44-05PENNIMAN JR., NEWELL W. WENHAM MA 44-08WROBEL, JOSEPH A. MANCHESTER MA 44-08EBERLE, FRANCIS E. MCKEES ROCKS PA 44-10PUMROY, DONALD K. HYATTSVILLE MD 44-14SIDDONS, HEYWARD L. CHARLESTON SC 44-15

SAN MARCOSVAN PELT, WARREN W. ARLINGTON VA 44-06ROUSE, DR ROSCOE OKLAHOMA CITY OK 44-10

UNKNOWN SCHOOLBAUSTERT, BURTON B. SARASOTA FL UnkHUSZTEK, WILLIAM S. ANNANDALE VA UnkJARRELL, VERNON H. Unk UnkLINGO, BUD Unk 54-17 *********

the observer as either a separate aeronautical rating orbadge.)

The term navigator has traditionally included naviga-tors, observers, electronic warfare and weapons systemscareer fields. Today the Air Force has renamed the naviga-tor career field to combat system officer (CSO). Beginningaround 2011, the rating of navigator was retitled, and re-placed by the aeronautical rating of combat systems of-ficer (CSO), with the same badge insignia as navigator.

CSO training merges three previous USAF navigatortraining tracks formerly known as the navigator track, theweapon systems officer (WSO) track and the electronicwarfare officer (EWO) track into one coherent training cyclein order to produce an aeronautically rated officer who ismore versatile. Rather than specializing as navigators,weapon systems officers, or electronic warfare officers,CSOs will be trained in a common set of core skills andwill be responsible for a high degree of airmanship to in-clude advanced air operations, electromagnetic spectrumexploitation and aircraft weapon systems employment.Upon completion of training, USAF CSOs receive basicCSO (formerly navigator) wings. Bottom line: there are stillnavigators, who navigate the skies for a living, but they arenow a subset of CSOs rather than a rated entity. And theirnumbers are fast dwindling, as the newer aircraft rely onGPS rather than the human element, and the navigatorcrew position has been eliminated on many aircraft sys-tems.

So, what does this name and culture change mean forAFNOA? Perhaps something, perhaps nothing. The un-derlying question is, what are the goals of the organizationwith regard to recruiting further (and younger) membership?Granted, there is still a large window of retired crew mem-bers calling themselves "navs" who are potential mem-bers. The newest generation of aviators who will identify asCSOs are a long way from retirement, but when they areready and inclined to join an organization, will they look toone that does not include them? Perhaps it’s time to con-sider the Air Force Navigator/Combat Systems Officer As-sociation?

On the other hand, if the intent is to serve solely as anorganization for the founders and current members, with-out regard to perpetuating the association, a name changeneed not be considered. And there is nothing wrong withthat. In any case, the organization should evaluate its pur-poses periodically and consider how best to pursue them.

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PRSRT STANDARD

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

PERMIT 182

FROM ZIP CODE 32548

THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION4109 TimberlaneEnid, OK 73703-2825

Change service requested

THE AFNOA BOARD

President, Historian, and Museum CommitteeRonald P. Barrett1406 South LexingtonHolden, MO 64040-1636305-797-0745 ronaldpbarrett@yahoo.com

1st Vice-President, Membership, and DirectorJames Connally Affairs James R. Faulkner

4109 TimberlaneEnid, OK 73703-2825580-242-0526 jfaulkner39@suddenlink.net

2nd Vice-President and NMUSAFMuseum Commmittee Sostenes Suazo

541 Riverwood DriveBeaverbrook, OH 45430937-431-8542 ssuazo61@aol.com

Secretary Lloyd Ward8121 34th Avenue, Unit 206Bloomington, MN 55425-1646952-854-4110 mellowa@comcast.net

Treasurer E. Dennis Ehrenberger2783 Glenview DriveSierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734 520-378-1313 edefiji@aol.com

Immediate Past President, Scholarship Committee andReunion Committee Jim Bannerman

761 Marina Point DriveDaytona Beach, FL 32114-5050386-257-3853 jimmybannerman@cfl.rr.com

Past President Peter Karnoski1588 Sandinista DriveLas Vegas, NV 89123702-361-4983 phk2lv@cox.net

Distributor, DR AHEADErrol Hoberman6441 Avendia De GalvezNavarrre, FL 32566-8911850-939-5231 afnoa.distributor@yahoo.com

Editor, DR AHEAD Richard W. Ahrens79 Forest Drive, The Woods43300 Little River Airport RoadLittle River, CA 95456-9612707-937-4242 RNNN@MCN.ORG

Last Flights CoordinatorRichard Mansfield7313 Oak Leaf WaySarasota, FL 34241-6204941-388-7548 rhmans2542@icdus.com

Chaplain John T. Massey6810 Rosewood CourtTampa, FL 33615-3318813-886-1938 afnoacg@aol.com

Bombardier Committee Russell K. Woinowsk2025 Welch CourtAnn Arbor, MI 48103734-761-7251 colruss15@att.net

Web Master for www.afnoa.orgTim Duerson afnoaweb@cox.net