Checkpoints September 1993

TheAOG U.S.AirForce AcademyGrandfather Clock

The Association of Graduates (AOG) of the United States Air Force Academy takes great pride in offering the Official United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates Grandfather Clock. Recognized the world over for expert craftsmanship, the master clockmakers of Ridgeway have been commissioned to create this commemorative United States Air Force Academy Grandfather Clock which symbolizes the excellence, tradition, and history we have established at the Academy.

Special Attention is given to the brass lyre pendulum which depicts the Academy coatof-arms in deeply etched bas relief; a striking enhancement to an already magnificent clock. Indeed, the clock makes a classic statement of quality about the owner.

Each cabinet is handmade of the finest hardwoods in a process that requires over 700 separate steps and the towering clock measures an imposing 83”H x 23”W x 13”D. Each clock is enriched with one of the most advanced West German timing mechanisms - found only in the world’s finest clocks.

Enchanting Westminster chimes peal every quarter hour and gong on the hour. If you prefer, the clock will operate in a silent mode with equal accuracy. Beveled glass in the locking pendulum door, and the glass dial door and sides add to the clock’s timeless and handsome design. The AOG Grandfather Clock is truly a tremendous value. You are invited to take advantage of a convenient monthly payment plan with no down payment and no finance charges. Reservations may be placed by using the order form. Credit card orders may be placed by dialing toll free 1-800-346-2884. The original issue price is $899.00. Include $82.00 for insured shipping and freight charges.

Satisfaction is guaranteed or you may return your clock within fifteen days for a full refund. Whether selected for your personal use or as an expressive, distinctive gift, the AOG Grandfather Clock is certain to become an heirloom, cherished for generations.

A classic grandfather clock available for a limited time only. Featuring the Academy Coat-of-Arms delicately etched into the polished brass lyre pendulum. Handcrafted by the world renowned Ridgeway clockmasters.

ABOUT OUR COVER

As in the past 34 years, the Class of 1993 was jubilant in celebrating their graduation this June 2. Some 950 graduates watched as the Thunderbirds zoomed over Falcon Stadium before an estimated crowd of 23,000 relatives and friends. This year’s class brings the number of total graduates to more than 26,600. Our thanks to Academy photographer S.S. Hampton and the Academy’s Directorate of Visual Information for the photograph. For more graduation coverage see page 38.

CHECKPOINTS (ISSN 0274-7391) (USPS 898-080) is published quarterly in February, May, August and November by the Association of Graduates, U.S. Air Force Academy. (Phone 719-472-0300, DSN: 259-2067. FAX: 719-472-4194.) It is provided as part of a $30 subscription package of which the magazine accounts for $10. Single copies of CHECKPOINTS for members $2.50, for nonmembers $3.50. Second-class postage paid at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. POSTMASTER:

Send Form 3579 to CHECKPOINTS, Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, 3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100, USAF Academy, Colo. 80840-4475.

Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, policy or attitude of the Association of Graduates, its officers or the editorial staff. The appearance of advertisements in this publication does not constitute an endorsement by the Association of Graduates of the products or services advertised. Copyright, Association of Graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Summer 1993.

THE ACADEMY AFGHAN

We're introducing for the first time, one of a kind USAFA afghan. On the afghan we tried to include the special, sentimental things... the things that bring back good memories.

The afghan makes a nice gift for any occasion.lt will be a collectors item, or it can be tucked away for a future heirloom.

The afghan will be shipped in mid-November.lf you want your afghan before Christmas, we will need your order before November 1st.0rders received after Nov. 1st will be shipped ASAP, however, we can't guarantee that you'll receive them before Christmas.

The afghans are 100% cotton and machine washable and dryable. They are produced in a navy color with a cream background, and are made in the USA.

To order, call (215) 562-4161 weekdays from 8am to 8pm Eastern time, or write;

CLARINDA'S BASKET CORNER

718 Laurel Rd. Hamburg, PA 19526

Include check or money order payable to CBC.You may also use VISA or MASTER CARD but please include full account number and expiration date.

The afghan size is 50 H x 65" and the cost of each afghan is $49.50 + $5.50 S&H.Pennsylvania residents please add 6% sales tax.

VIEW FROM THE TOP 7^'

One question commonly asked by former graduates and concerned friends of our Academy is, “Are we still producing high quality leaders for the Air Force?” It’s a question I ask myself daily. Several months ago, we began a systematic approach to examine our institutional effectiveness on this point.

Our first step was to determine a set of institutional outcomes to help us define our desired product. While our old mission statement spoke of developing graduates with the knowledge, character, and motivation essential to leadership, it was up to individual mission elements to define what this meant to them.

From this work, we have developed final drafts of two documents which will be instrumental to the Academy. I would like to share with you a status report on where we are by sharing most of a letter written by Col. Charles Yoos (Class of ’68), chairman, Superintendent’s Strategic Planning Committee, to Academy personnel. He was asking for inputs on a proposed set of Institutional Outcomes and a Development Policy.

“Attached are final drafts of two documents that will be instrumental to the Academy. The first document contains the Academy mission, core values, and strategic product goal that we already know. What’s new is a set of Institutional Outcomes, which state in a specific but Academy-wide way what we will do. The second document, the Academy Development Policy, also new, says how we will do it.

“The Institutional Outcomes are not designed to be a comprehensive inventory of everything that happens to a cadet. Rather, they identify those special things, over and above a sound education, solid military training, and physical vigor that are essential to the Air Force mission environment, and represent the raison d’etre for an Academy.

“The Development Policy reflects our most current knowledge about how human beings best learn and grow. It is vital that we all operate this way, to ensure that cadets get a unified and most productive experience.

“Once approved, these documents will provide the basis for checking and calibrating our programs, making sure they are integrated across mission elements, and assessing how we’re doing.

“These documents have been prepared at the direction of the superintendent and have received preliminary approval. General Hosmer has asked that this final draft be disseminated widely for comment. As with all such documents, wordsmithing can be an endless process. I ask that you focus mainly on substance, only editing as you feel is necessary to clarify meaning.”

Although those on the Academy will be providing comments to Colonel Yoos before you receive this Checkpoints, please feel free to make comments as you see fit. I am interested in producing the

most useful product possible. As ideas come in, we will revise as necessary. I look forward to hearing from you. I sincerely solicit your thoughts on this vital endeavor.

United States Air Force Academy Mission

“Develop and Inspire Air and Space Leaders with Vision for Tomorrow”

Core Values

Integrity First Service Before Self

Excellence in All We Do

Strategic Product Goal

“Produce officers who have the knowledge, character, and motivation essential to leadership, pride in all they do, and commitment to an Air Force career.”

INSTITUTIONAL OUTCOMES

Knowledge

Officers with well-developed adaptive capacity, especially capable of doing the Air Force mission in a complex, ambiguous and dynamic environment.

Officers who are adept at using teamwork as a primary mission context.

Character

Officers of forthright integrity, who voluntarily decide the right thing to do and do it.

Officers who are selfless in service to their country, the Air Force and their subordinates.

Officers who respect the dignity of all human beings.

Officers who are decisive, and take full responsibility for their decisions.

Officers with the self-discipline, stamina and courage to do their duty well under the most extreme and prolonged conditions of national defense.

Motivation

Officers who are proud of their profession, predisposed to a career of service to the Air Force and dedicated to a lifetime of service to the nation.

Officers who are devoted to lifelong personal and professional development.

ACADEMY DEVELOPMENT POLICY

The United States Air Force Academy achieves its mission by implementing a model of the human development process that is integrated across all mission elements. The basis is system, the idea that all aspects of development comprise a whole that can’t be understood only by understanding the pieces.

The major premises of the Academy human development model are:

People develop best in an environment of trust and mutual respect, where human dignity and worth are respected. People develop best when the outcomes of that development are clearly specified, and the methods ofassessing those outcomes are clearly understood.

People develop best when they are at the center of their own development process, where they can:

(Continued on page 9.)

Service Academies Fill Country’s Crucial Needs

The world is changing. The Soviet Union, the main threat to our way of life, no longer exists. Defense spending is coming down. A question often asked is “Do we need service academies?” The answer is “Emphatically yes.” There are three principal cases to be made on why we need academies: strategic, national, and historical.

I. From a strategic perspective, we’ve traded a cold-war environment for one with many hot wars and interventions. Two generations of cold-war conditioning make it difficult for us to consider a different kind of future. In today’s world, the United States is the preeminent great power our strategic role has shifted from maintaining a deterrent balance between two great powers to one in which we may be called upon to preserve collective security across a disintegrating world. The roles of future officers will be enormously more challenging than ever before.

Service in the cold war was reasonably predictable. But in the future, our young officers will have to exercise greater responsibilities in highly-unpredictable and ambiguous situations. Small, autonomous unit deployments will require more intellectual flexibility, self-confidence, and self-discipline. The role of the officer in tomorrow’s world will demand more of the qualities which the academies excel in producing: leadership, character, intellect, integrity, ability to work in small units, and the ability to react decisively to unpredictable situations on short notice.

II. Military academies are national assets. Academies produce leaders. They serve to establish and sustain the leadership and character values which are becoming more scarce in the country. As we’ve seen over the past 20 or so years, the traditional values which we find necessary of officers are not as prevalent in our young people today: a sense of service, integrity, patriotism, selflessness, and broad intellectual capability. We find we attract many young men and women who have a sense of these qualities. We further develop them. The beauty of our product is that it’s not only good for the Air Force it’s good for the country!

Consider the cost: According to a September 1991 U.S. News and World Report article, the annual cost per student of the nation’s top 10 civilian universities was $58,600. These costs are supported by a variety of federal appropriations, state and local monies, endowments, as well as the individual student tuition. The GAO reported it costs the Air Force Academy $59,400 per year for each of its cadets. Since most people only see the tuition, book, room and board costs for the civilian universities, the total cost can be a shock, but the facts are quite clear: a top-quality education is expensive whether civilian or military. But an academy gives its cadets much more than a typical civilian institution: military training, officer development, character development, leadership training, and, here at the Air Force Academy, the addition of aviation experience. When compared with what it costs to get a good baccalureate degree at a comparable civilian university, the academies are a bargain.

And consider the value. The academies’ graduates serve as CEOs in more of the Fortune 500 businesses than graduates of Harvard Business School whose primary interest is graduating business leaders. We find leadership to be too broad to be taught as a single-arena quality, and history is proving our approach of broad leadership training to be best for the country.

III. The historical case brings to light this truth. The strongest payoff over the last two centuries from the military academies has been in peacetime, not wartime. Consider two periods from the past 100 years when the nation was not faced with a main military threat: the last part of the Nineteenth Century and the period bet

DON’T MISS A MAGAZINE.

ween the two World Wars. Many graduates from West Point and Annapolis cared deeply about their commitments to their country. They stayed in the service during periods when the level of interest, prestige, and support in the U.S. for military service was nearly nonexistent. (During the cold war also, service academy graduates stayed in uniform longer than officers from all other sources.) After the long periods of peace, crises emerged which required the services to go to war. Academy graduates were there, and served with honor and distinction. Few others had stuck it out. This list fills a Who’s Who in our American heritage: Eisenhower, Patton, MacArthur, Halsey, Bradley, Doolittle, and Arnold.

1993 looks a lot like 1949. The world was safe for peace and democracy. No cold war yet, and no Korea. Military forces were being drawn down. The public interest in funding the military... or military academies... was waning. The Stearns Eisenhower Board was commissioned to relook the need for military academies. The board recommended that 50 percent of the officer accessions come from the academies. Futhermore, the board recommended the need to set up an Air Force Academy. It was auspicious for us all to have a board with that kind of foresight; to have a board with the confidence to advocate concepts which ran counter to the prevalent feeling of the nation.

The military services are becoming a fire brigade force awaiting the next unpredictable but dire event. We expect the national sense of the threat is going to be very, very low. Contrary to intuition, history suggests that periods like these are when the nation needs its academies the most.

What are we doing to address the fact that the nation’s general population is poorly informed as to what their academies provide? Currently, in New York, a “Why Service Academies?” working group is in existence. The group includes two members from each of the service academies’ graduate chapters. Hopefully they will have a positive impact on our future. This is one initiative which is in being. It is not another good idea yet to be implemented. I commend all involved. Others of you may want to lend a hand in your areas.

(View From The top: Continued from page 7.)

make bona fide choices (decisions that matter)

make errors realize consequences

People develop best when they realize that everyone around them is developing, because:

they can collaborate with others as appropriate

they must be responsible for the development of others and therefore, it becomes a way of life

People develop best when they learn the development process, so they can develop themselves.

The Commandant of Cadets has recognized this policy in the “Leadership Development Program” (LDP), with its ingredients of Expectations, Skills, Feedback, Consequences and Growth.

The Dean of the Faculty has recognized this policy in the “Falcon Flight Plan,” featuring outcomes-assessment based education, active learning, error-driven learning, and development of adaptive capacity, or “learning to learn.”

The Director of Athletics has recognized this policy by promoting leadership development and active learning through a comprehensive program of physcial education, personal fitness and health, intercollegiate and intramural sports and physiological research.

THE AOG BOARDROOM

On July 1,1 watched as the 1,167 young Americans of the Class of 1997 left their families and walked to the base of the “Bring Me Men” ramp. I empathized with them as they experienced the “first day of BCT shock”. I saw the tranformation and realization by these talented 18-year-olds that their whole world just changed and that they had just given themselves over to a new career, a new way of life, a new set of ideals. As I watched, I wondered what they would get in exchange for this generous contribution of their youth, talent, and, indeed, their very lives.

Bill Richardson, 71

I began to mentally compare the environment this class had just entered to the one I remembered from years ago. The differences were startling when viewed as a whole. Only about 30 percent of these young people were pilot-qualified on July 1 as opposed to 65 percent or more of the earlier class. Indeed, fewer than a quarter of the Class of ’97 are likely to get pilot slots after graduation and the vast majority will never have “slipped the surly bonds” in a powered aircraft under their own control. Rated or not, those who graduate from this class (about 770 of them) will start their careers with a reserve commission instead of the regular commission we received. About six of their 44-plus academic courses will be taught by civilian professors something unknown to the older grads. Approximately 55 percent of the Class of ’97 will be engineers or scientists (academically, at least) at graduation, just as we were, but only about half of those will actually get Air Force jobs in their technical specialties.

And then I let myself extrapolate what the Class of ’97 might encounter in their four years at the Academy in comparison to our experience... The curriculum could be placed under the control of the first civilian dean. And since the Academy might have been placed under the Air Education and Training Command in this vision, there would be much talk about a civilian becoming the next superintendent. Fewer and fewer intercollegiate athletic teams could be available to the cadets because of the cost. The indigenous support for the Academy (beyond the band) might well have decreased as a result of a DoD IG study and congressional action. Air Force recognition of an Academy faculty or staff assignment could ebb further to the point that ’97 would see a diminution of the quality of Academy officers. Most of the facilities will be almost 40 years old and badly in need of rejuvenation or replacement but funding limits could cause the once-proud national showplace to continue to degrade. And the Class of ’97

might not see the “Bring Me Men” sign as they march back from a parade with their rubber rifles... These things, if they transpire, would certainly change the face and impact of the Academy relative to what we remember.

To carry this process to its logical conclusion, I futher considered the Air Force they might enter when they graduate in 1997, if today’s currents were carried to the extreme... The graduates of the Class of 1997 could become part of an endangered species, men and women who serve the defense of their country and who have studied in any depth the issues of war, ethics, leadership and constitutional prerogatives. The graduates could protect and serve a civilian government that collectively has less military experience than at any time since before World War I. The relationship between the military and political forces could be dismal, with finger-pointing and lack-of-understanding prevalent. Fact and folklore about malfeasance by leaders on both sides of this battlefield would abound. In this imagined scenario, management to the “bottom line” would be the norm, to the detriment of strategic planning and quality. Social diversity might be the watchword at the expense of traditions and standards. In this worst-case projection, these graduates would learn that RIFs, SERBs, and early retirements are the standard and that career opportunities are few and generally for the hand-chosen or those who have no other choices. The American public could perceive military service as an unpopular career option because the cost is too high and the pay too low. The military might have fleeting moments of glory but might generally be maligned as unprogressive and obstuctionist. Although these dire musings might be totally inaccurate, it is obvious the Class of ’97 will see a very different Air Force than we did at graduation (but they will think it is “normal” just as we did).

Fortunately, this is just a moment of uninhibited daydreaming by a grad who is starting to get long in the tooth. The reality will surely be better for those 1,167 proud young Americans who are giving so freely of themselves... won’t it? It must be! For my part, these cogent contemplations of what might be have given me a renewed understanding of the role of the AOG and why the battles must be fought and won. Perhaps they can serve you in a similar manner.

CHAPTER NEWS

ALAMO AREA CHAPTER

The Alamo Area Chapter held its annual Founder’s Day Dinner in April at the Club at Sontera in San Antonio. About 100 grads and their guests were treated to an outstanding dinner and a very informative talk by the dean, Brig. Gen. Randy Cubero, ’61. He provided a timely update on the Academy and the challenging times currently being experienced. General McDermott was then kind enough to share some of his concerns about the future of the military academies and the critical juncture we are now at.

Chapter activites upcoming include a June outing at Canyon Lake, and golfers mark your calendars for Oct. 9, that’s the date of the annual tri-service AOG golf outing. It will be at Kelly AFB this year and we look forward to once again being vietorious.

All grads in the San Antonio area are encouraged to get invovled in your local chapter activities. Give Larry Freeman, ’61, (494-7803) or Pete Hugdahl, ’67, (498-1235) a call for more information. (Pete Hugdahl)

FRENCH EXCHANGE CHAPTER

We’re excited to salute Lt. Col. Charlie Precourt, ’77, (Exchange ’76), the first former Exchanger in space! Charlie suecessfully completed Space Shuttle Mission STS-55 which carried Germany’s space lab into orbit. During his flight Charlie made ham radio contact with several cadets (and Glenn James, ’82) at USAFA, as well as ham radio contact and TV downlink with Salon! His intercontinental contacts, and the site visits to follow, send a clear signal of USAF’s resolve to continue to strengthen our relations with the French Air Force through our Exchange Program. Chapeau, Charlie!

We’re also proud to announce that the 1993 Jay Lequar Award winner is Robert Dam, ’93. His exchange team helped us single him out as the individual who best embodies the spirit of the USAFA/Ecole de l’Air Exchange. Jay Lequar participated in the 1980 exchange, and graduated from USAFA in 1981. He was killed in a pilottraining accident soon after graduation.

Thanks to everyone who returned their ballots to elect new association officers. Capt. Glenn James did a superb job over the past year and is now passing over the reins as president to Capt. Evelyn Scanlon, ’84. Lt. Col. Randy Joslin, ’75, now in Colorado Springs, graciously accepts a second term as vice president, and since Glenn simply cannot tear himself away, we allowed him to stay on as secretary.

(THANKS Glenn!)

The Association sends its best wishes to Cmdt Guy Benquey and his family as they prepare to return to France. Comdt Benquey leaves his position as French Exchange officer and aeronautics instructor at USAFA to take command of an Alpha Jet maintenance unit at Tours. We offer our hearty congratulations as Cmdt Benquey will pin on lieutenant colonel on Oct. 1. His replacement here at the Academy will be Cmdt Serge Duval, a 1981 Exchange participant.

French 492/493, the preparatory course for the Exchange, is well underway under the expert guidance of Capt. Gregg Verser, ’81, (Exchange ’80). This year we selected six male cadets and two female cadets for the program, all of whom are more than enthusiastic about their pending four months in France (imagine that)! (Capt. Evelyn Scanlon, DFF, DSN: 259-4123)

REQUESTS FOR ACADEMY STAFF AS SPEAKERS

In order to provide better assistance to AOG Chapters seeking speakers from the Academy, please submit a letter to HQ USAFA/XPAA, Attn: Capt. Richard Klodnicki, USAF Academy, Colo. 80840-5241, at least six months in advance, with the following information: What, when, where? Who on the Academy staff would you like to have speak at your function? Also provide the names of two other speakers you would like to have if your first or second choice is not available.

To aid speaker preparation, we will also need to know the audience, along with any particular interest of the group in any aspect of the Academy, and a recommended speaker’s attire for the event. Please include who will be in the audience (i.e., alums, spouses, parents’ clubs, LOs, etc.) and what the occasion is for the event.

A point of contact for the event (i.e., name, address, home and work phone numbers) is needed to make the appropriate arrangements. You can call XPA at (719) 472-3832, DSN 259-3832, for initial inquiry but must back up your call with a letter requesting the speaker.

GREATER CHICAGO CHAPTER

The Greater Chicago Chapter is off the ground! Our first meeting was held on May 22 in west suburban Naperville. Attendees included John Andreshak, ’83; Rick

Buschmann, ’72; Paul Carrubba, ’83; Tom Hill, ’61; Tom Krise, ’83; Phil Miller, ’71; Mike Ott, ’85; Margaret Paramore, ’82; Rob Pastiak, ’73; Tim Schifer, ’83; Fred Strauss, ’71; and Ron Weilert, ’71.

Col. Jock Schwank and the rest of the AOG Headquarters staff provided great support to us by copying and sending the kickoff letter to the 578 grads whose last reported addresses placed them in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and Northern Indiana.

The chapter will hold elections in October for the positions of president, vice president, adjutant (secretary) and comptroller (treasurer). Paul Carruba and Rob Pastiak have volunteered to form the nominating subcommittee to select a slate of candidates for these offices.

Phil Miller and Tom Hill (the entire Elkhart, Ind. contingent!) volunteered to form the membership subcommittee to generate interest in the chapter among grads in the area.

Mike Ott, Tom Krise and Tim Schifer volunteered to form the entertainment subcommittee to put together the next chapter meeting, which is scheduled tentatively for Oct. 16. Members will receive notice through the chapter newsletter “Forced Air.’’

Anyone who reads this notice and who lives anywhere near Chicago and who wants to join the Greater Chicago Chapter can write to Capt. Tom Krise, ’83, 509 Aurora Ave., #317, Naperville, Ill. 60540. (Tom Krise, ’83)

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER

The Northern California Chapter met at Treasure Island on June 26, 1993 as part of its quarterly meeting schedule. After swapping war stories and business cards, the grads and spouses had dinner and heard about the Air Force Satellite Control Network. A good time was had by all.

The next two meetings of the Association are set for Sept. 18 at McClellan and Dec. 4th at the Mountain Home Inn. Grads who are interested in being on our mailing list should contact Chuck Reed at Reed, Elliott, Creech & Roth, 99 Almaden Blvd., Eighth Floor, San Jose, Calif. 95113. Telephone: (408) 993-9911. Facsimile: (408) 993-1335. (Chuck Reed, ’70)

ORANGE COUNTY

(CALIFORNIA) CHAPTER

We enjoyed one of our two annual AOG golf tournaments at the El Toro Marine Air Station course on May 7. Bob Carey, ’70, (Continued on page 17.)

Latest Known Chapter Presidents and Addresses Listed

The AOG attempts to maintain a current list of active AOG Chapters and Societies and their officers. There is increasing interest by a wide spectrum of graduates on finding graduate contacts throughout the country. The following list of known chapters/ societies and their presidents is published to assist both the individual graduates and the chapters. Corrections, additions and deletions should be forwarded to the AOG, vice president, Services. Individuals interested in starting an AOG Chapter should also contact the AOG vice president, Services.

CHAPTER PRESIDENTS

(Alpha Order by States)

As of 1 July 1993

Mr. Jim Sienicki ’74

ARIZONA

One Arizona Center Phoenix, AZ 85004-001

Mr. David Luke ’86

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

235 Montgomery Street, Suite 750 San Francisco, CA 94104

Mr. Ken Wentzel ’64

ORANGE COUNTY

31176 Flying Cloud Dr. Laguna Niguel, CA 92677-2715

Mr. Michael E. Quinton ’62

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

2615 San Clemente Terrace

San Diego, CA 92122-4029

Capt. Evelyn Scanlon, ’84

(Chapters: From page 15.)

FRENCH EXCHANGE

USAFA/DFF

USAF Academy, CO 80840

Maj. Gen.(Ret) Harold W. Todd ’59

RAMPART

1250 Big Valley Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80919

Mr. Patrick McAdoo ’64

NORTHWEST FLORIDA

105 Rockywood Way

Niceville, FL 32578-2357

Mr. David O’Brien ’64

SPACE COAST

4095 Turtle Mound Road

Melbourne, FL 32934

Mr. Chuck Winter, ’72

ATLANTA

355 Wheatridge Drive

Roswell, GA 30075-1387

Capt. Tom Krise ’83

GREATER CHICAGO

509 Aurora Ave., Apt. 317

Naperville, IL 60540

Col. Michael J. Lyga ’70

NEW ENGLAND

3 Eglin Street

Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-2119

Lt. Col. Chuck McGee ’76

NEW MEXICO-CANNON

421 Chanticleer Place

Clovis, NM 88101

Lt. Col.(Ret) Gary L.

Nordyke ’68

NEW MEXICO

5904 Canyon Creek Drive NE Albuquerque, NM 87111-6614

does a super job in setting up and arranging the teaming for these events, and the chapter would like to extend our thanks once again to him for his continued efforts. Ken Wentzel, ’64, organized an all-member meeting at the officers club following the tournament, where liquid refreshment along with some solid food was consumed, and we reminisced about days gone by.

On April 19 we cosponsored a cocktail party at the officers club for the Thunderbirds. Their performance the next day at the annual El Toro NAS Air Show was spectacular.

We plan to sponsor another big-screen football party at the home of Scott, ’67, and Susan Jackson in Newport Beach. About 30 grads and guests typically have a rousing time cheering on the Falcons against a WAC or Liberty Bowl opponent.

If you live or work in the Orange County area but haven’t joined the chapter, please call Scott Jackson at (714) 851-7427 or Ken Wentzel at (714) 641-6093 for chapter information. (F. Scott Jackson)

PUGET SOUND CHAPTER

Greetings from the Great Northwest. The Puget Sound Chapter has been busy planning some exciting events for grads in the

Lt. Col. (Ret) Bob Fay ’59

NEVADA

3267 E. Flamingo Rd #206

Las Vegas, NV 89121-4341

Mr. Maurice Ecung ’68

MOHAWK

1008 North George St. Rome, NY 13440-3414

Mr. Michael J. Galbreath ’64

GREATER NEW YORK

18 Woodside Drive

Greenwich, CT 06830-6730

Brig. Gen. Bobby O. Floyd ’68

TAR HEEL

23 WG/CCE

259 Maynard St., Suite J

Pope AFB, NC 28308-2394

Mr. Tom Rausch ’62

RED BARON

PSC #2, Box 8868

APO, AE 09012

Mr. Ed Mechenbier ’64

SOUTHWEST OHIO

3342 O’Hara Drive Beavercreek, OH 45434-7301

Mr. Henry Johnson IV ’79

OREGON

14966 SE Lone Oak Lane

Milwaukie, OR 97267

Mr. Jim Lyons ’68

GREAT LAKES

ConSearch

911 Poplar Street

Erie, PA 16502-1253

Lt. Col. (Ret) Peter O. Hugdahl ’67

ALAMO AREA

area this summer. To start with, the chapter has over 80 members and is diligently looking for new members. We began the spring festivities with a post-graduation squadron party at John Banbury’s, ’69, house. The party was a great success with over 25 area couples joining in the fun. Plenty of good food, drink, and friendship was had by all. It was an excellent opportunity to meet local grads, exchange stories, and reminisce. By the end of the evening, the Class of ’69 digressed and played an old theme song of theirs “We’ve Got to Get Out of This Place”.

The chapter has started a local graduate occupational directory. The directory was put together by Phil Meinhardt, ’60, and is for the benefit of those of us who are pursuing work or may be interested in new horizons. We hope to develop our networking capabilities to their fullest potential and have distributed the directory to chapter members for their information.

This summer we plan to host several events for grads and their families. On July 17 we’ll be hosting a “pig roast/picnic” and on Aug. 29 the chapter will be sponsoring a picnic at McChord AFB. The picnic at MeChord will be highlighted by a demonstration by the Thunderbirds. In October the chapter will be hosting an inter-service

9327 Laurel Grove

San Antonio, TX 78250-3581

H. Ownby ’69

NORTH TEXAS

P.O. Box 866791

Plano, TX 75086-6791

Mr. Robert G. Mansfield ’77

SAN JACINTO

5607 Spring Lodge Humble, TX 77345-1467

Col.(Ret) Andrew W. Biancur ’60

UTAH

4174 E. Cumdrah Dr. Salt Lake City, UT 84124

Dr. Dean Bristow ’60

MEDICAL

342 S. 950 E. Circle Payson UT 84651

Brig. Gen. James L. Cole, Jr. ’64

CAPITAL

7711 Griffin Pond Court Springfield, VA 22153

Mr. Richard Belden ’69

PUGET SOUND

4880 Forest Ave. SE Mercer Island, WA 98040-4602

SOCIETY CONTACTS

Mr. Russ Carparelli ’70

Air Force Academy Society of Colorado

8833 S. Maplewood Drive Highlands Ranch, CO 80126-2623

Mr. Jeff Levy ’64

Air Force Academy Society of Washington, D.C.

4214 Pickering Place Alexandria, VA 22309-2821

academy alumni dinner at the Seattle Museum of Flight. Grads from the Point, Canoe U, the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine Academies will get the chance to compare notes.

Well, that’s it for now. If you’re interested in joining us, contact Richard Belden, ’69, at 206-236-7621 or Daucey Brewington, ’70, at 206-888-2426. (Joe Cavazzini, ’82)

SOUTHWEST OHIO CHAPTER

About 100 of the faithful responded to my letter polling interest in reviving AOG activity in the Dayton, Ohio area. We’re fortunate to have Capt. Leona Flores, ’81, here who is helping to identify the best path in organizing an event that will be well supported and, perhaps, provide the springboard for other activity among the graduate community.

If you missed my letter, want to reconsider, or want to help in an effort that will be of interest to active, separated, and retired grads, call Ed Mechenbier, ’64, at Science Applications International Corp., 513-429-6789. Our target now is a State of the Wing Dinner sometime this fall with a senior officer from the Academy as the speaker. (Ed Mechenbier, Ersatz President by Default!)

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General Dynamics Offers

The Association of Graduates has been participating in special conferences initiated by the superintendent to coordinate fundraising by the multiple organizations supporting the Air Force Academy. The association is pleased to assist the Academy Research and Development Institute (ARDI) in its efforts to secure endowed chairs in each academic department, as well as a perpetually-endowed fund for the superintendent, commandant, dean, and director of Athletics. The ARDI has been very supportive of the Association of Graduates in many of our efforts.

We are currently pursuing plans to enhance our opportunities for mutually-advantageous fund-raising contacts. The AOG was especially pleased recently to work with ARDI in consummating the institute’s two-year effort with General Dynamics Corporation to secure an endowed chair related to defense economics. As a result of the ARDI initiative, all three U.S. service academies have now received a perpetually-endowed chair from General Dynamics. ARDI’s long-range plans include increased cooperation with the AOG for the ultimate integration of operations after completion of the ARDI fund-raising campaign through their allvolunteer staff.

The General Dynamics Corporation recently announced its intention to contribute $4.5 million to the three military service academies for perpetual endowment of chairs in Economics of the Defense Industrial Base. Transfer of each of the $1.5 million grants from General Dynamics to the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy will be subject to approval by the respective service secretaries.

With General Dynamics Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer William A. Anders (U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1955), from left are Rear Adm. Thomas C. Lynch, U.S. Naval Academy superintendent; Lt. Gen. Howard D. Graves, U.S. Military Academy superintendent; Mr. Anders; Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer, U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent; and Capt. (USN, Ret) William S. Busik, President and ChiefExecutive Officer of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association.

Send your donation now to The Air Force Academy Fund Association of Graduates

Doolittle Hall

3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100 U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-4475

$4.5 Million to Academies

General Dynamics Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William A. Anders said the company has offered the grants in recognition of the importance of preparing America’s future military leaders to deal with future needs in preserving a viable defense industrial base. “Both the defense industry and the service academies are faced with similar problems: shrinking budgets and the need to respond to new and, in some cases, yet undefined threats and sound financial management,” he said in letters to the three academies.

Anders, a 1955 graduate of the Naval Academy, noted that his company and its operating divisions have had a close relationship with the service academies and their graduates for over 50 years. “We have worked hand-in-hand with the services to develop the weapon systems that have contributed to the defense of freedom around the globe,” he said. Noting that many other employees of General Dynamics also are alumni of the academies, he said the company’s contribution of $1.5 million for each chair in Economics of the Defense Industrial Base recognizes “that the nation will continue to need the skilled and committed service” of the officers who emerge from those institutions.

Through future cooperative efforts, the AOG and the ARDI hope to secure perpetual endowments that will honor patriotic Americans from every walk of life, and to specifically honor Air Force leaders whose contributions to national defense have been exemplary. Many of our alumni will be among those honored for their individual contributions to history.

Four Academy Grads Among Women Chosen for Fighters

Four Academy grads are among the seven women selected for fighter training following Defense Secretary Les Aspin’s announcement in early May that women are no longer excluded from combat aircraft.

“I’d always hoped to one day serve as a fighter pilot in the Air Force. This is a dream come true,” said Capt. Martha McSally, an ’88 grad. At the time of the announcement, McSally was a T-37 instructor pilot at Laughlin AFB, Texas.

The road to a fighter slot wasn’t easy for McSally she fought two years just for a height waiver to become pilot-qualified. Fighter training is just another challenge to be met by her. “I don’t feel there’s any pressure on me to prove anything,” she said. “Some people may scrutinize us a little harder, but I don’t think about that... I never have. If you have a job, you just go out and do it and don’t worry about what other people think.

I’ve found as a woman, you really do have to work a little harder, but it pays off,” she said. “The thing is just to do it. Don’t complain. Do the job and make your own opportunities.” McSally said the new ruling is, “a very senstive issue. There are a lot of negative preceptions out there because many people don’t understand how the seven women were selected. The people making the decisions worked long and hard to ensure a fair system was used.”

Basically, the best qualified were selected. McSally’s selection was based on her performance in pilot training school and as an instructor. It’s not the first barrier she’s broken. McSally was also the first female cadet commander of the assault course during Basic Cadet Training in 1987.

The Academy grad hopes to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt, but will have to wait eight months to a year before she finds out what aircraft she’ll be training in.

The other Academy graduates selected for fighter taining are Capt. Dawn Dunlop, Class of 1988; 1st. Lt. Sara Beyer, Class of 1991; and 2nd Lt. Dawn Shohfi, Class of 1991. (The Falcon Flyer)

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BUILDING FUND DONORS

The AOG Board of Directors acknowledges with sincere appreciation the following contributors who pledged and made cash contributions to the AOG Building Fund from March 15 through May 31, 1993. We encourage others to join these dedicated graduates and friends in this most important project. Contributions and pledges made after May 31 will be listed in the next publication of Checkpoints.

CHECKPOINTS DONORS ($25,000 - $99,999)

Estate of Hetman L Frank Gates Foundation

CONTRAILS DONORS ($10,000-$24,999)

Mr Edward D Hopkins ’60 match of SX Foundation

Mrs Opal Thompson Skinner in memory of Douglas L Thompson ’64

DON’T

FALCON DONORS ($5,000-$9,999)

Col(Ret) ft Mrs Jock C H Schwank ‘60

TALON DONORS ($1,000-$4,999)

Mr Gerald L Ahmarm *63 match of The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Maj Michael E Anderson ANG ’73

Col Andrew W Biancur Ret '60

Lt Col John A Blind ’71

Mr John C Braund in honor of Sharon M Gann ’S3 and Bradford A Gann '83

Lt Col Dean L Bristow ANG ’60

Mr ft Mrs James B Bronson match of Abbott Laboratories

Lt Gen Anthony J Burshnick ’60

Mr ft Mrs Lawrence Cameron

Mr ft Mrs John N Carlson

Mr ft Mrs Everett M Christensen

Mr ft Mrs John P Crawford

Mr ft Mrs William Delahanty match of Allied-Signal Foundation Inc

Maj Russell Denis USAFR '72

Mr ft Mrs Glen Downing

Mr James H Fleming ’64

Col(Ret) ft Mrs W Foster

Dr ft Mrs Vinoe Giustino

Mr A Mrs Michael C Hammond match of Bell Atlantic

Col James T H Ret *63 match of Texas Instruments Foundation Mrs Mary S Haywood

Haywood Foundation, Inc Foundation

Mr John A Hewitt, Jr ’65 match of TRW Foundation

Mr ft Mrs Edward V Hinds match of New Jersey Bell/Bell Atlantic

Dr ft Mrs Ralph W Hinds ffl ’73

Mr Rudy M Jiricek '80 match of The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Mr ft Mrs Robert E Johnson

Mr ft Mrs Sterling Johnson

Mr ft Mrs Henry C Johnston match of Caterpillar Foundation

Mr Gary L Karschnick ’60

Mr ft Mrs Richard Krupp

Coi ft Mrs John G teaman

Mr William W Maywhort '68

Mr ft Mrs Winsleigh McDonald

Mr ft Mrs Michael D Miller

Mr ft Mrs Join O’Comell

Mr ft Mrs Robert Patterson

Lt Col Join F Peebles Ret ’60

Mr ft Mrs Thomas E Peterson

Lt Col Melvin E Pollard Ret ’59 match of TRW Fowdation

Lt Col Alan W Price USAFR ’68 match of The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Mr ft Mrs John S Rarey match of CIGNA Foundation

Mr ft Mrs William Rice

Col James N Roberts ‘66

Lt Col Karl W Schmidt Ret ’59

Mr Edward C Stadjuhar *67

Omni Concepts Inc

Mr Terry W Theken '73

Mr ft Mrs Lloyd A Ward match of Caterpillar Foundation

Dr ft Mrs Carl E Whitehouse

(Continued on next page.)

Lois W Dow MD

Building Fund Donation

Neila Werner, past president of the Air Force Academy Parents Club of Nassau and Suffolk Counties in New York state, shakes hands with Col. (Ret) Jim Shaw, AOG vice president, Development. The parents club provided a $1,000 check to the AOG Building Fund, which represented a total of $6,000 donated on a pledge of $10,000. Presenting the check during graduation week is her daughter, then-CIC (now 2nd Lt.) Tracy Werner, who was headed to undergraduate pilot training at Columbus AFB, and Tracy’s fiance Dan Gisselquist, who was headed for Wright-Patterson AFB.

(Building Fund Donors: Continuedfrom previous page.)

Col(Rct) A Mrs Junes L Williams, Jr

Lt Col H S K Willi* ’73

Maj Geo A Mr* Thad A Wolfe ’64

TAKEOFF DONORS

($25-$999)

Col(Ret) A Mr* Benjamin L Abramowitz

Mr & Mrs Carlos G Alafita

Mr A Mrs George Alexievc

Maj Join T Allton Ret

Lt Col Herbert Altman Ret '62

Mr A Mrs Tom Alvarado

Mr A Mrs Steven E Amundson

Mrs Ruth M Arete

Mr A Mrs Richard W Armstrong

Mr A Mrs John M Awtrey

Mr A Mrs Jeffrey C Babbitt

Mr A Mrs Aniello Balzano

Mr A Mrs Johnny L Barnes

Mr A Mrs Glenn H Bartholic match of Rockwell International

Col Roy H Bass, Jr ’73

Mr A Mrs Bal Bautista

Lt Col Byron E Beal ’73

Mr A Mrs Charles S Bedard

Mr A Mrs Bernard Bedgood

Lt Col Bruoe G Bennett ’73

Mr A Mrs Alan E Benson

Mr A Mrs Robert A Bemandini

Mr A Mrs Oscar Berzins

Mr A Mrs Joseph J Bessel

Mr A Mrs Tim Bice

Col Kenneth H Biehle Ret ’60

Donation and Recognition Levels

Please check your donation level TAKEOFF

Dr A Mrs Guy O Bilek

Mrs Janet Bittingcr

Mr A Mrs Walter W Blake

Lt Col James G Boehm ’73

Mr A Mrs Victor Bofancy

Mr A Mrs Michael W Bolen

Mr A Mrs William J Botchers

Mr A Mrs Richard Boussy

Mr A Mrs Patrick J Boyd

Mr A Mrs William E Bradley

Mrs Robert L Bratman in memory of Robert L Bratman

Dr A Mrs John E Bremer

Capt Michael J Brennan m *84

Mr A Mrs Freddie Brewer

Maj A Mrs Raymond Biczinsld

Mr Frank L Brienzo ’73

Mr A Mrs Terry L Britain

Mr A Mrs Dana R Brooks

Lt Col Jeffrey H Brown ’73

Ms Martha W Buck

Mr A Mrs Don Burbank

Mr A Mrs H Carl Burnett

Mr George G Burnette m ’76

Mr A Mrs Herbert L Bums

Mr A Mrs Byron Burt

Mr A Mrs Dean E Butler

Mr A Mrs Edward Cabrera

Mr A Mrs Robert L Callihan

Mr Allan Calomino ’73

Capt John D Casey ’81

Mrs Dorothy Jean Cassingham

Mr Marty J Cavato ’69 match of

The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Lt Col Michael Chalifoux ’73

Mr A Mrs John W Chaplin match of Siemens Energy A Automation Inc

Mr A Mrs Silvio A Chiavacci

Mr A Mrs Victor Christian

Mr A Mrs Frank Cimino, Jr

Maj A Mrs James W Cizek match of McDonnell Douglas Foundation

Maj James W Clark, Jr Ret ’60

Ms Joan E Claus

Mr A Mrs Kenneth R Chigston

Mr A Mrs Don Colcoid

Mr A Mrs Patrick Collier

Mr A Mrs Thurman Conley match of

BP America Inc

Lt Michael R Contralto ’90

SMSgt(Ret) A Mrs L Conway, Jr

Mr A Mrs C Lee Cook

Lt Col Timothy W Cooper MD ’73

Mr A Mrs Joseph R Corby

Mr A Mrs James Cax

Mr A Mrs Wiley Cax

Mr A Mrs Richmond Coy

Mr A Mrs Stephen E Crane

Mr A Mrs Fred W Cunningham

Mr A Mrs Edward Cyran

Mr A Mrs Dan Daack

Brig Gen Terry L Dake USAFR '63

Mr Robert D Damuth

Lt Col H Spencer Daniels Ret ’66

Lt Col Dennis L Danielson ‘73

Mr A Mrs Eddie P Davis

Mr Kenneth L Davison, Jr ’84

Mr A Mrs Harold A Defendorf

Mr A Mrs Willard G DeGraaf

Mr Michael E Dendinger ’73

Dr A Mrs Peter DeRosa

Mr A Mrs Allen Deutscfaer

Col John C Diller USAFR Ret

Mr A Mrs Richard Doiron

Mr A Mrs John R Donnelly

Mr A Mrs Anders J Doom

Mr Clcmetmt T Douglass m ’60

Mr Philip Quentin Dowsing ’68 match of

McDonnell Douglas Foundation

Drum A Bugle Corps Retmion Committee

Mr A Mrs Scott A Drummond, Sr

Mr A Mrs Reeves Dudley

Maj(Ret) A Mrs D B Duncan

Mr A Mrs William M Elligott

Mr A Mrs Darvin Engel

Mr A Mrs Kenneth R Erb

Mr A Mrs James E Espey

Mr A Mrs James Everitt

Lt Col Richard G Ewers Ret ’68

Mr A Mrs Jerte E Fager

Mrs Patti E Fehrman

Mr A Mrs Rudy Ferrari

Dr A Mrs Charles Fisher

Lt Col Gordon R Flygate Ret '60

Mr Charles C Ffynn ’73

Mr A Mrs Harvey Folloerts

Ms Ana Maria Fax-Baker

Mr A Mrs Cecil Franklin

Drs Gunter A Wanda Franz

Mr A Mrs J Freeman

Ms Julie A Friberg

Mr A Mrs William J Friday match of James River Corporation

Col George J C Fries Ret ’60

LtCol(Ret) A Mrs Thomas J Fritzinger

Mr A Mrs Dean Fromm

Lt Col Thomas A Fryer Ret ’63

Mr A Mrs A Duane Gale

Mr A Mrs Jerome Galfano

Mr A Mrs Robert Gallegos

Mr A Mrs Cyrus A Galley Jr

Mr A Mrs John W Gardiner

Mr A Mrs Arthur E Garey, Jr

Lt Col A Mrs Steven E Gamer

Mr A Mrs Dan O Garraway

Lt Col Stephen R Gaat '73

Lt Col Dennis E Geesansut ’73

Mr A Mrs Joseph H Gehringpr

Mr A Mr* Joseph A Gcndron

Ms Nancy Gerst

Mr A Mrs Ronald F Gerth

Mrs Coocfaita Gervais

LtGco(Ret) A Mrs Francis C Gideon

Maj A Mrs Herbert L Gingras

Mr Michael E Girard ’83

Lt Col Robert J Glitz USAFR ’73

Mr A Mrs Richard Goeke

Mr A Mrs James Goggin

Mr A Mrs Longinos Gonzalez

Col William G Goodyear Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs James G Gray

Mr Hatyle Greene

Mr A Mrs Robert O Greene match of The BOC Group Inc

Thank you for your support of the

Mr A Mrs Dennis L Murphy

Mr A Mrs Norris C Groocrt

Mr A Mrs William Gross

Mr A Mrs Charles E Gruber

Mr A Mrs James Gumick

Mr A Mrs Michael T Gyves

Mr William D Hales ’60

Mr A Mrs Michael J Halick

Mr Herbert W Hall

Lt Phillip T Hamilton ’91

Mr A Mrs Clayton Handshoe

Mr David G Hardie

Lt Col Steven A Harman ’73

Mr A Mrs Richard Harmer

Mr A Mrs Lewis Harper

Lt Col Charles E Hart Ret ’60

Mr Dennis E Haugh ’73

MSgt(Ret) A Mrs Harris A Haymond in honor of Capt Martin A Haymond ’82 and Capt Jeffrey E Haymond ’85

MSgt(Ret) A Mrs John T Hcffeman

Mr A Mrs Michael J Hegarty

Mr A Mrs Paul R Heitmeyer

Mr A Mrs Stanley H Henderson2

Mr Robert Hendrix

Mr A Mrs James K Hennees

Mr A Mrs Hector A Hernandez

Col Joseph L Higgins Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Jerry D Hilger

Dr A Mrs Phillip L Hilton

Maj(Ret) A Mrs Richard F Himebrook

Mr A Mrs Richard T Hiold

Ms Joyce M Hite

Mr A Mrs J A Hogan Jr

Mr A Mrs Donald N Holbrook

Robert C Homburg MD '73

Mr A Mrs William T Homewood

Mr A Mrs Robert V Morgan

Col A Mrs Edward J Hospodar

Mr A Mrs Joseph Howard

Mr David G Huelslmmp ’73

Mr A Mrs Milbum D Hughes

Mr Paul J Hurley *68

Mr A Mrs Larry K Huston

Mr A Mrs Q Grant Hutchins, Jr match of Hoecfast Celanese Foundation Inc

Mr A Mrs Michael K Hynes

Mr A Mrs Dagoberto Ibarra match of Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation

Mr A Mrs Lonnie Jackson

Mr A Mrs William H Jackson

MSgt(Ret) A Mrs William A James

Mr A Mrs Jerome L Jeslis

Col(Ret) A Mrs James M Johnson match of Texasgulf Inc

Mr A Mrs J P Johnson Jr

MSgt Frederick L Johnson Ret

Col John A Johnson Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Emmett J Jones

Mr A Mrs Jack H Janes

Col Karl M Jones, Jr Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Loyal Kaeding

Mr A Mrs Sylvester W Kafer

Lt Col Richard J Karvosky ’73

Lt Col Michael D Kaufman ‘73

Ms Mary Kavanagh

Maj Carl R Keil Ret ’69 match of TRW Foundation

Mr A Mrs Dale L Keith

Mr A Mrs Hunter L Keller Jr

Mr A Mrs Berry Kelly

Mr A Mrs Charles R Kerick

Mr A Mrs Thomas A Kindsvater

Mr A Mrs Kenneth Knabenshue

Mr A Mrs David M Knapp

Mr A Mrs Dennis E Knaub match of Caterpillar Foundation

Mr A Mrs Peter D Kncrx

Lt Col Anthony W Konoel '73

Mr A Mrs Fred Koons

Lt Col Michael C Koser ’73

Mr A Mrs Wallace Kowalski

Mr A Mrs Alfred Krampe

Mr A Mrs Ananth Krishnan match of

The Mitre Corporation

Lt Col John D Kuenzel Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Sungnam E Kuk

Maj A Mrs Richard Lamb

Mr A Mrs Edward E Lamphier

Mr A Mrs William B Lancaster

Mr A Mrs Richard B Lander

Lt Col(USA) A Mrs Robert R Landry

Mr A Mrs John Langsdorf

Mr A Mrs David Lankford

Mr A Mrs John B Larson

Lt Col Earle C Lauderdale '73

Mr A Mrs Theodore W Lauer

Mr A Mrs William Law, Sr

Dr A Mrs Erwin F Lessel

Mr A Mrs Jon S Levinson

Mr A Mrs Robert L Lewis

Mr A Mrs Juan C Limon

Mr A Mrs Carl C Lindenlaub match of The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Lt Col Anthony H Long Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Stewart C Lotz

Mr A Mrs Leon Lawman

Mr A Mrs David W Lubey

Mr A Mrs Marv Lund

Mr A Mrs William F Lusher Col Russell R MacDonald, Jr Ret ’60

Dr A Mrs Edward L Maceda

Dr A Mrs Albert F Macho

Maj Claybourne S Magee D Ret ’67

match of McDonnell Douglas Foundation

Mr A Mrs Walter F Mandeville

WHAT IS PLANNED GIVING

Personal Financial Planner

IDS Financial Service

Planned giving is an opportunity for each individual to ensure a strong and promising future for the Association of Graduates (AOG). Properly structured, it can provide financial support now and create a larger gift than you might otherwise be able to provide through small annual donations. You don’t have to be v^ealthy to care about and support the AOG. Nor do you need a lot of money to take a planned approach to charitable giving. Planned giving allows your association to grow and be responsive to the needs of the graduates and the institution.

This is what it means to our Association of Graduates, but what does it mean to you? First, it means investing in ideas and principles that are important to you. It can provide an enduring memorial to you and your family. Giving can also reduce income, estate and gift taxes. By planning your gift, you can enjoy the results during your lifetime and make a significant investment in the future of our Association of Graduates.

Some alternative approaches to planned giving include:

Donating assets and avoiding unnecessary taxation,

Managing your gift using life insurance,

Making a bequest to reduce or avoid estate taxes, or

Providing for yourself and your organization through a trust.

Specific articles on some of these options will be included in upcoming issues of Checkpoints.

(AOG note: Like many ofyou, we are alsojust beginning to think about planned giving. In thefuture, we will expand our capabilities to offer more assistance to our graduates in this area. In the interim, we can work with you to accommodate any planned-giving needs you may have.)

Mr A Mrs A1J Mankus

Mr A Mrs Joseph Marshall

Mr Lyman Marshall ’62

Mr A Mrs Frank R Martin

Dr A Mrs Montie Martin

Lt Col Richard A Mrs Cynthia Martin

Mr A Mrs Robert Martinez

Mr James Mateos Jr ’73

Lt Col Alfred C Maurer ’73

Mr A Mrs Brad B McAlister

CMSgt(Ret) A Mrs Joseph M McBrearty

Mr A Mrs Glenn F McCadams

Lt Col Michael J McCall Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Jeffrey McClure

Mr A Mrs Thomas McDonald

Mr A Mrs John McDonough

Mr A Mrs Charles P McDowell

MCI Telecommunications Corp

Capt Gregory J McKee ANG ’82

Mr A Mrs Raymond McLaren

Mr Steve A McPhail '68

Mr A Mrs Marvin L Meier

Col A Mrs Raymond H Melberg

Mr A Mrs Charles P Meyer

Maj Theresa A Meyer ’80

Mr A Mrs Leroy G Meyering

Mr A Mrs Kenneth Miles

Mr A Mrs C H Mills, Jr

Mr A Mrs James Miner

Dr Orderia F Mitchell '73

Mr Kenneth P Montgomery ’75 match of

The Delta Air Lines Foundation

Dr A Mrs Richard Moore

Mr A Mrs Leonard P Morris

Lt Col Michael L Mosier ’73

Lt Col Donald J Mrosla Ret ’68

Mr David A Muckley '73

Mr A Mrs Sergio C Muniz

Mr A Mrs David W Myhre

LtCol(Ret) A Mrs Alexander J Napier, Jr

Col(Ret) A Mrs Joseph Nastasi

Mr A Mrs Robert A Navarro

Mr A Mrs Lee Nelson

Mr David C Nielsen ’77

Ms Maria Nifakos

Lt Col Michael P Nishimuta ’73

Mr A Mrs Ralph J Nypaver

Mr A Mrs Gerald O’Neil

Ms Gloria Ochomogo

Mr A Mrs Jay H Olson

Mr A Mrs George D Oosterhous

Capt A Mrs Ramon Ortega

Mr & Mrs Charles J Overbeck

Mr A Mrs Wayne A Overland

Mr A Mrs Lee S Owens m

Mr A Mrs James H Owens, Jr

Lt Col John M Pace ’73

Mr A Mrs David Paine

Mr A Mrs David Paldz

Mr A Mrs Charles R Parker

LtCoKRet) A Mrs Richard J Parks

Mr William W Patterson '73

Mr Michael C Patton '73

Mr A Mrs Edmund D Felka

Mr A Mrs George G Femble

Mr A Mrs Ralph H Perkins

Mr A Mrs Siegfried M Perz match of

The Akzo America Foundation

Mr A Mrs Francis Pete

Mr A Mrs Reinhold Petty

Mr A Mrs Myron B Pio

Mr A Mrs James W Plumb

Mr A Mrs John Plummer

(Continued on page 83.)

Honorary Membership Presented

AOG President Bill Richardson presentsflowers to Mrs. Edna Littrell, wife of Harold U. “Hal” Littrell (center), who was awarded honorary membership in the AOGfor his long-standing, dedicated service to the Air Force Academy and the association. Among his many contributions to the area, he was chairman of the local Chamber of Commerce and its Military Affairs Council and Defense Missions Task Force. He was also the Air Force Association Man of the Year for Colorado in 1987 and received the AFA National Medal of Merit. He is an active member of the AOG Building Fund Advisory Committee and is on the boards of the Friends of the Library, Falcon Foundation, and the Air Force Academy Foundation.

DONATIONS ARE STILL NEEDED FOR THE AOG BUILDING FUND TO COMPLETE DOOLITTLE HALL.

Please use the donor card on the facing page to make your tax-deductible donations.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LIKED MCDERMOTT PIECE

Gentlemen:

I write to thank you for your very perceptive article about Bob McDermott. I found it of absorbing interest. I doubt he knew when he changed AFA’s “lock-step curriculum” that he would shame the other academies into following suit.

Ben Cassiday and I congratulated McD as he was known on his appointment as dean. I remember being told at the time that we were the only ones who did so, but so many years have intervened that I can’t recall who told us that. Such are the petty jealousies among faculties...

One passage in particular caught my eye, that cadets spent the (1955) summer firing the “carbine, the 50-caliber machine gun, the 60-mm mortar, and the bazooka.” In truth cadets fired the Ml, the carbine and the .45 pistol for record on the ranges at Buckley Field. On the old bombing range near Buckley they fired the 30-caliber MG, 60-mm mortar and the 57-mm recoilless rifle. The bazooka and the 50-caliber MG were not airbase defense weapons; we used only those weapons found in airbase defense inventories. You might be interested to know that we also familiarized cadets with live grenades and had an interesting course in mines, booby traps and barbed wire.

I’m sure that none of that matters any more, but I wonder about the source or sources of information regarding the weapons noted above. If your information came from the Academy archives, those have to be in terrible shape. And they may be Eula Harmon told me the archives had me as Cadet Wing Commander on 1 January 1955! Perhaps she misread things, but that glitch will always be with me.

Oh yes, how would I know? I wrote the airmanship curriculum in 1955 and commanded the bivouac on Buckley’s old bombing range.

Thank you for a wonderful article.

Cordially,

James B. Townsend

The First AOC

GOBBLEDEGOOK SUSPECTED

Dear Editor,

This letter has been a long time writing mostly because I didn’t quite know how to begin nor how to politely say what I truly believe and feel. Enough procrastination, here goes:

Garbage! I quote from the Winter 1992-93, issue, Commandant’s Corner, “Data received within the past year indicated that one of the major challenges facing the Cadet Wing is lack ofinternalization of pro-social behaviors. What gobbledegook! Despite the many protestations from several official quarters otherwise, I am now more than ever concerned about the future of the Air Force Academy and the graduates it will be sending to the Air Force and the real world.

Sincerely,

Jon A. Gallo, ’59

PERSPECTIVE URGED

To the Editor:

I read with some amusement the recent letters regarding changes at USAFA.

With the exception of Major Kirk Yost, who offered several interesting and measured insights, the other writers seem to have lost all semblance of perspective.

Those of us who have been confronted with, struggled with, and even fostered change for many years have little sympathy for the incessant whining of individuals who have been insulated against the real world for years.

Welcome to the complicated new realities of the 1990s.

Sincerely,

John Gunyou,

Class of 1970

“BRING ME MEN”?

President, AOG

Dear Col. Richardson,

Over the years, the “Bring Me Men” sign has generated a lot of discussion, anger and frustration. This past week, I heard the same arguments (on both sides) I have been hearing for the past 12 years. I hope the Association of Graduates can be a forum to help clarify the broader, long-term implications of the decision and to generate support for the superintendent as he leads the institution.

This is a complicated debate with many aspects and side issues. Certainly the effect of the sign on cadet training (beyond the simple question of whether the sign offends) should be considered. The powerful unifying message of this tradition is also part of the discussion. In this letter, however, I will confine my remarks to an aspect of the debate I have not heard well developed. Specifically, I will discuss the “Bring Me Men” sign in relation to the Academy’s external environment and

subsequent organizational effectiveness. Responding to our external environment does not come easily to members of the USAFA community. There is a strong urge to protect “our” Academy from outsiders; we must not “sell out.” Yet awareness of the environment is critical to the success of any organization. I point out it was blindness to the external environment that got the United Way, General Motors and IBM where they are today. USAFA is not a corporation and I do not suggest we should think as one. Nonetheless, if it is to be effective, the Academy must understand how it relates to the external environment.

Let me clarify that analysis of the Academy’s external environment is not synonymous with a crusade to purge the English language of male-specific words. I am not primarily concerned about USAFA anticipating pressures from a vocal minority. I am, however, very concerned about USAFA in relation to a silent majority. Precisely, I am concerned about how “Bring Me Men” affects our relationship with the majority of Americans who know very little about the Academy and who are not aware that the words come from a poem symbolizing lofty goals. Most Americans know the Air Force Academy only by what they see, in this case 2Vi foot letters with the words “Bring Me Men.” No poem, no tradition, no explanation. These Americans parents, high school students, high school counselors, business people, senior civil servants, members of Congress are our lifeline for high quality recruits, continued funding and general community support.

Let me compare “Bring Me Men” with other major symbols of the Academy. One very popular and traditional representation of the Academy is the Eagle and Fledglings Statue “Man’s flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge.” I don’t suppose most Americans are interested in or informed about the potential gender implications of the masculine pronoun. However, they will almost certainly notice a primary message that lifelong learning is a major goal of the Academy. They will have an accurate understanding of an important aspect of the Academy. Likewise, if they first see a picture of our chapel, most will have a vivid image that spiritual growth is something important to our purpose. Indeed all the Academy’s monuments, symbols and traditions clearly communicate some important part of what we do and I would be perfectly happy for any American to see any of them, with no further explanation.

Except one.

If an otherwise uninformed person sees USAFA through a postcard or poster with the words “Bring Me Men” they will have a very misleading image of what we are. They certainly will not guess the words refer symbolically to meeting challenges. They will not think about how far women in the Cadet Wing (and in the USAF) have some since 1976. They will not admire our commitment to mutual respect and human dignity. They will not recognize our good works.

Going further, how might parents, high school counselors and high school students respond to this misleading message? (Remember, they don’t know the poem.) Will high school girls see the Academy as a place they will be given a fair chance? Will their parents see this as an emotionally-safe challenge to recommend? What about

potential sponsors for endowed chairs, scholarships, or research? Do the words “Bring Me Men” clearly show them our commitment to human dignity? Would many other public organizations unequivocally welcome close association with the sentiment “Bring Me Men”? Finally, let us remember this is a time of significant drawdown in all sectors of DoD. Do these words represent us well to potential friends in the Departments of Defense and Air Force, on Capital Hill, the White House? Americans with an inaccurate image of the Academy are a constant difficulty as we pursue the institution’s interests. At best, we have to overcome their misconceptions. At worst, they will simply take their college applications, their donations, their votes, and their support elsewhere and we will never even have a chance to explain what we really mean.

Academy Motto, “Bring

(Editor’s note: Our thanks and appreciation to the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph newspaper for permission to reprint this article which also appeared in the Air Force Times. Genevieve Anton is a reporter and writerfor the Gazette Telegraph.)

The Air Force Academy’s motto, “Bring Me Men,” is stirring a heated debate that pits tradition against political correctness. The controversial words came from three stanzas of a famous poem called “The Coming American,” by Samuel Walter Foss.

In 1964 academy officials decided to adopt it as the school’s motto, and the phrase is now emblazoned in aluminum letters over the battle ramp that new cadets pass through their first day at the academy.

The question, it seems to me, is not simply whether the sign offends current cadets or graduates. It goes far beyond that. We must ask if this tradition serves the longterm, overall interests of the Academy well. Do these words unify all members of the Cadet Wing so much they are worth any cost? Do these words have such positive developmental impact on individual cadets that confusing messages to our public can be overlooked? Does “Bring me Men” capture so completely what the Academy stands for that we should defend it, no matter what?

For this graduate, passionately concerned with the long-term effectiveness of the Air Force Academy, the answer to these questions is no.

Sincerely,

Mike Wenger, ’73

Me Men,” Stirs Debate

Ever since women were admitted to the school in 1976, some have suggested the motto was no longer appropriate. But others including some women see it as a harmless tradition that should be preserved.

The controversy has prompted Lt. Gen. Bradley Hosmer, the academy superintendent, to reverse a decision he made quietly in May to replace the motto with something that better expressed the academy’s core values, such as honor and integrity.

“I simply thought it appropriate and a right note to strike to put these core values in a place where they would be prominently displayed,” Hosmer said. But Hosmer admits many people thought it was a way to remove the “Bring Me Men” motto without attracting a lot of attention. “Having this impression out in the open lets me tell you directly that it is incorrect,” Hosmer said in a letter that was sent to cadets, faculty and staff in early June. The letter also said the academy would reconsider whether the motto stays or goes and asks for other opinions over the summer.

“This is not a vote,” said Hosmer, but a survey to find out how people feel about this emotional issue so he can decide what to do.

But the letters and phone calls already are pouring in from both sides. Some believe the motto should come down out of deference to female cadets and staff at the academy. But others argue the word “men” as used does not specifically exclude women, but refers to the proud character of cadets.

“The power of that symbol to many people is clear,” Hosmer said. Faculty, alumni, cadets and sponsors none of whom wanted to be quoted expressed concern that the initial decision to remove the motto appeared to have been made behind closed doors. They heard rumors that the academy had secretly planned to take down the motto after the June 2 graduation during the summer after daylight hours when the campus is almost deserted.

Hosmer’s reply: “In the dark of the night? Absolutley not.” The superintendent said he had hoped to make the change before the Class of 1993 left but realized from the emotional backlash that he might be rushing into it.

“This has a long-term bearing on the institution and therefore deserves thoughtful consideration,” he said. “I plan to take a slower pace, to allow anyone who wants to come forward a chance to do so.”

Here is the poem “The Coming American” by Sam Walter Foss from which “Bring Me Men” is taken: Bring me men to match my mountains, Bring me men to match my plains, Men with empires in their purpose, And new eras in their brains.

(Continued on next page.)

“Fired” General Stresses Integrity, Professionalism

By now most of you are at least aware of the fact that I have the dubious honor of joining the distinguished company of General Mike Dugan as having been fired by a Secretary of Defense. General Dugan suggested that we might have an annual reunion of those who find themselves in this unique status.

While we all have to maintain our sense of humor during times of duress, humor is not my intent in writing this short essay. My purpose is to pass along a personal philosophy that is based upon the solid foundation that the Academy provided me over 30 years ago. That foundation is one of integrity and of professionalism. It can serve you well if you live it. It will serve you well if you let it. That is what I want to talk about.

Maj. Gen. (Ret) Butchko

We in the professional officer corps are held to a higher standard. The military in this country is held in the highest regard by the American people as evidenced by public opinion polls. We are held in such high esteem because of the standards of integrity and professionalism we live by. That standard and esteem are targets of some in the government and they take great delight in “getting a general”. I have first-hand experience of late in this arena. Integrity and professionalism helped me get through the trauma and I think it is a lesson that can serve us all well. Let me elaborate.

Integrity has many definitions. Its synonym is honesty. If you are honest, you always tell the same story about a subject and that story is the truth truth that is not even stretched. The beauty of the truth is that when you retell it, you don’t have to worry about what you said the last time because the truth is ALWAYS the same.

That is the situation that I found myself in on the C-17 Program over two years after the fact. The story I told about the C-17 Program during my entire tenure as program director was the truth as I knew it. When the DoD IG and the Congress rolled in with their allegations, I merely had to tell the same story over again even though it was more than two years after the fact. None

(Bring Me Men: From previous page.)

Bring me men to match my prairies, Men to match my inland seas, Men whose thoughts shall pave a highway Up to ampler destinies, Pioneers to cleanse thought’s marshlands, And to cleanse old error’s fen;

Bring me men to match my mountains—

Bring me men!

Bring me men to match my forests, Strong to fight the storm and beast, Branching toward the skyey future, Rooted on the futile past.

Bring me men to match my valleys, Tolerent of rain and snow, Men within whose fruitful purpose

of us who were involved had to get together to come up with “the story” to cover our six because there was only one story. As each of us who was involved related our story, it matched with stories of the others.

Truth does not always prevail as it should. It did not in this case. But each of us who “exited stage left” did so with our heads held high because our integrity was intact. Some might say that that is a hollow victory but I would strongly disagree. Imagine how you would feel walking away with your head hanging low because you had not displayed the highest level of integrity.

How does professionalism play in this equation? I found that I had a choice in how I conducted myself after the Secretary took his action. Always remember that we serve at the pleasure of the Secretary, among others. Regardless of what we think about the action he took he has the right to take it. I could have chosen to be bitter and outspoken against the Secretary and the system that allowed such a thing to happen. After all what did I have to lose? I had already been fired.

That was not the course I chose. Those of you who know me know that I am not afraid to make a wave. Professionalism would not allow it. The Air Force leadership was with us and fought for us throughout the ordeal. My loyalty to the Air Force remains absolute because of that support. Professionalism demanded that I respect the institution known as the USAF. I had given over 30 years of my life to that institution and the American people. I had a professional obligation to let those who remain behind at Eglin AFB, Fla. the current holder of the Commander-in Chief’s Installation Excellence Award know that they needed to serve the Air Force in the same professional manner that had just won them the much-deserved award as the best in the Air Force. There was no other standard that I could accept and move forward with the rest of my life.

The Academy provided me and the rest of the original RTBs with the solid foundation of integrity and professionalism that sustained me throughout my Air Force career a career that I am very proud to have lived. I would do it all over again.

So, in case there are any of you out there who are wondering if this is all worth it, I submit to you that it is. Integrity and professionalism won’t always prevail but they beat all of the alternatives.

O 9Malley A ward Winner Named

Col. Roger R. Radcliff, ’70, and his wife, Suzanne, are this year’s recipients of the 1993 General and Mrs. Jerome F. O’Malley Award.

The Radcliffs were selected by the Air Force chief of staff for their contributions to the service, and the personnel of RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge, plus their excellent relationships with the British public. Radcliff was commander of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at Bentwaters before its inactivation.

Time’s consummate blooms shall grow,

Men to tame the tigerish instincts

Of the lair and cave and den, Cleanse the dragon slime of nature—

Bring me men!

Bring me men to match my rivers, Continent cleansers, flowing free, Drawn by eternal madness, To be mingled with the sea— Men of oceanic impulse, Men whose moral currents sweep Toward the wide, infolding ocean

Of an undiscovered deep—

Men who feel the strong pulsation

Of the central sea, and then Time their currents by its earth throbs— Bring me men!

New Commandant a Texas A&M Graduate

Brig. Gen. Patrick K. Gamble replaced Brig. Gen. (Maj. Gen. select) Richard C. Bethurem, ’66, as commandant of cadets on July 28. General Bethurem was being assigned to the Plans and Programs Division at the Pentagon.

General Gamble, who became the Academy’s 17th commandant of cadets, was commander of the 58th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., at the time of his selection to be commandant. He is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours and 394 combat missions. His military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 13 oak leaf clusters, and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm.

Brig. Gen. Gamble

Graduating from Texas A&M Universtiy in 1967, General Gamble also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn Universtiy in 1978. He completed Squadron Officer School in 1973, Industrial College of the Armed Force in 1978, Air Command and Staff College in 1978, and Air War College as a distinguished graduate in 1984. He is married to the former Sylvia Ailese Houston of College Station, Texas. They have a son, Jeffrey.

His assignments prior to commanding the 58th Fighter Wing, in reverse order, include executive officer to the Air Force Chief of Staff, commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, South Korea; and commander of the 18th Combat Support Wing, Kadena AB, Japan. Beginning in 1986 he was director of operations and later became vice wing commander of the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, Nev., flying the F-16. Prior to that he was chief of operations, Analysis Division, chief of the Contingency Plans Division, deputy director, then director of personnel plans and systems at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, Langley AFB, Va.

In 1981 he was commander of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, McChord AFB, Wash., and flew as team leader in the 1982 William Tell Competition. In 1978 he was chief of the Air Threat Analysis Group, Project Checkmate, Directorate of

USAA Chief Resigns

Brig. Gen. (USAF, Ret) Robert McDermott resigned in late July as chairman and chief executive officer of USAA.

Gen. (Ret) Robert Herres, vice chairman, president and chief operating officer, will take over as chairman and chief executive officer Sept. 1, 1993.

McDermott, 72, will become chairman emeritus of USAA. McDermott, a former brigadier general who retired as the Air Force Academy’s first dean of faculty in 1968, joined USAA 25 years ago. During his tenure, USAA evolved from an insurance industry to become a diversified financial services company that was recently named one of the nation’s best places to work.

San Antonio-based USAA employs 15,000 workers worldwide, including 800 at its Colorado Springs regional office. (Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph)

Operations and Readiness, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, in Washington, D.C. He was chief of Standardization and Evaluation and the air combat tactics training officer of the 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich, in 1975 and in 1974 served an Air Staff training assignment tour at Headquarters Air Force.

From 1971 to 1974 he was a life support officer, instructor pilot and flight commander in the 460th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Grand Forks AFB, N.D. In 1970 he flew the F-102 and then the F-106 at interceptor training at Perrin AFB, Texas and Tyndall AFB, Fla. He served as a forward air controller in the 0-1 Bird Dog at Bein Hoa AB, South Vietnam in 1969 and took his pilot training in 1967 at Randolph AFB, Texas.

President Picks Widnall for Air Force Secretary

President Clinton in early July nominated Dr. Sheila E. Widnail, an associate provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to be secretary of the Air Force.

She was confirmed by the Senate on July 30 and became the first woman to head a branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Widnall, 54, was a member of the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors from 1978-84 and was chairman of the board in 1980-82.

“Sheila Widnall is a woman of high achievement a respected scientist, a skilled administrator, and a dedicated citizen. I am confident that she will do an outstanding job of guiding the Air Force through this period of post-Cold War change,” Clinton said.

Widnall also served on advisory committees to the former Military Airlift Command at Scott AFB, Ill., and WrightPatterson AFB, Ohio. A native of Tacoma, Wash., Widnall is known internationally for her work in fluid dynamics, particularly in the areas of aircraft turbulence and the spiraling airflows called vortices created by helicopters.

In addition to being an associate provost, Widnall is a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. She was the first MIT alumna appointed to the faculty in the school of engineering, and the first woman to chair the entire MIT faculty from 1979-80.

Widnall received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT in 1961 and a doctor of science degree in 1964 the same year she joined the faculty as an assistant professor. She became an associate professor in 1970 and a professor in 1974. (The Falcon Flyer)

Career Transition Seminar

Mr. John Lucht, at left, nationally-known executive recruiter and author of Rites of Passage at $100,000..., discusses careertransition options with two seminar attendees. The AOG recently sponsored the one-day career-transition seminar as part of our exponding service to the graduate community.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

On May 24, 1993

Joe Bill Dryden, Class of 1962, was killed in an F-16 crash near Fort Worth, Texas. He was on a routine test flight of a new F-16 when the accident occurred.

We will miss Joe Bill. His subtle sense of humor and love for flying were treasures he shared with so many. He wasn’t just a test pilot, but someone who enjoyed helping others understand and love the planes they flew. Joe Bill wrote for Code One, an F-16 quarterly magazine distributed worldwide. He was famous for his articles and received acclaim from pilots, engineers, maintainers and flying enthusiasts around the world. His articles were always witty and insightful ending with the salutation, “check six,” which became his well-known trademark. He spoke from the heart and told it the way it was. Today many pilots fly better and many engineers design better because of Joe Bill’s work.

For a while I thought aircraft accidents were over. After all so many Red Tags gave their lives in the air to fight and build our nation’s defense. But Joe Bill stayed on the leading edge. He kept on probing and learning and passing on to others what he discovered. And for this he gave his life. He did it because he loved doing it. I don’t know anyone who enjoyed his job more. I think this excerpt from a poem by an Irish fighter pilot sums up Joe Bill’s outlook on life.

Nor law, nor duty bade me fight

Nor public men, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight

Drove to this tumult in the clouds

William Butler Yates

To Dianne, Joe Bill Jr. and Debbie, we send our deepest condolences. We share your sorrow and wish it were different. But as you said, Dianne, no one ever had it better. He lived every minute and smiled all the way. And to you, Joe Bill, we miss you, we envy you your life and we’re proud to have been your friend. Check six! (Tuck McAtee, ’62)

Mike “Condor” Quirk was killed during a test flight of a company C-7 Caribou in Canada on Aug. 27, 1992. He is survived by his wife, Ann, his two sons Tim and Andy; his daughter Denise; his parents, Mike and Kit; sisters, Sharyn, Connie, Kathy, Penny, and Denise, and brother Pat.

Those of us who started as doolies in “Frat Five” remember Mike’s good humor and devil-may-care attitude. He excelled within the system and was an academic whiz. I was jealous that he could relax with sci-fi books while the rest of us struggled through dummy-math. He was a real jock, both in intramurals (rugby and

lacrosse were his forte) and on the Academy varsity diving team. He was fearless: while he was wearing a cast for a broken leg, he was hung from the roof so he could paint the class numbers on the outside of the Comm Shop windows. We shared summer leaves crossing the country from his house to mine trying to get test flights and hops in anything our dads could arrange I got a flight in a ’104, but with his cast (different injury this time), Mike had to settle for a T-bird. We once spent the night sleeping on a roof of the Tampa terminal that time, Mike got an F-4 ride from his dad’s wing and I went home the loser. (Lt. Col. Chris Moore roommate, Class of ’71)

Mike’s career in aviation started, after pilot training, in fighters. He flew the F-4D at Holloman AFB with a break in the middle to fly the OV-10 in Thailand. He returned to New Mexico to fly with the Black Sheep (8th Tac Fighter Sqdn) at Holloman. Mike loved New Mexico and spent his time flying, hunting, skiing, hang-gliding, and rock climbing. After Holloman, Mike was assigned as an F-4 RTU IP at George AFB where, in 1980, one hang-glider accident too many grounded him.

Instead of accepting a desk assignment, Mike kept true to his adventurer’s soul and was hired to fly C-7 Caribous on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific. While on Kwajalein, he had numerous scuba adventures and met his wife, Ann. After Kwajalein, Mike flew as a firefighter for several seasons in Klamath Falls until hired on, once again, for his Caribou experience. This time his need for adventure led him to sub-Saharan Africa. He flew C-7 missions in South Africa, Mozambique, and Liberia, delivering supplies (in hair-raising flying conditions) to refugee camps while instructing foreign pilots in the C-7s STOL capabilities. During his flying escapades in Africa, he was shot down by small-arms fire from bandit factions in Mozambique.

In recent years, Mike continued as the chief C-7 pilot for NewCal Aviation in New Jersey and it was in this role as chief test pilot, flying turbojet-modified Caribous, that Mike lost his life.

I can say, without reservation, that Mike Quirk was the finest aviator it’s been my privilege to fly with, in both fighters and private aircraft. He was a warrior in the finest and actual meaning of the term. When told by a commanding officer that he should train young F-4 aircrews with a peacetime mindset, Mike told him bluntly that he trains for wartime period.

Mike’s many adventures were not without risk: a rock climb on the north face of the Rabbit Ears in New Mexico that turned into an overnight survival ordeal in a thunderstorm, a Citabria crash in the middle of the night and ice climbing sheer frozen waterfalls during an Adirondack Mountain winter, several hang-gliding

mishaps from New Mexico to California, scuba free-ascents in deep Pacific waters, shot down in Mozambique, and a final crash in Canada. Through it all, Mike strove for aviation excellence and had the fortitude to be true to his adventurer’s calling. (Maj. Bill Diemand, Mike’s F-4D wingman and mountaineering partner)

Mike Quirk was also a devoted father and family man who doted on his children and cherished his lovely wife, Ann. Although squaring an adventurous life-style with the responsibilities of a family is difficult, Mike did his best to provide for his family. Mike had a true Irish wake in Washington, D.C. and is buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Bethesda, Md. Family and friends toasted his memory with “Irish Eyes” playing in the background. So, here’s a nickel in the grass for a courageous, fallen comrade not too many of his breed are left and the world is a lesser place without him.

Charles Gailen Stewart, ’74

Charles Gailen Stewart, Class of 1974, was killed in a fiery, two-car collision with a drunken driver, April 24, 1993. He was 40 years of age, single, never having been married. Just two weeks before, he had spent Easter with his family in Grand Saline, Texas, where he was the center of attention of nieces and nephews, Glen and Hollie Davis, Jaclyn and Blake Stewart, whom he dearly loved. His AFA class ring, which he proudly wore, was all that was recovered from the ashes of his BMW by police officers and returned to his family.

Charles Gailen was born July 13, 1952, in Crockett, Texas, to Eleanor Whitley Stewart and Gailen Stewart. At age 17 he entered the Academy. The youngest son of a reserve Air Force officer who was also a liaison officer for the AFA, he spent many summers in Colorado Springs. It was the fulfillment of his dream when he was appointed to the Academy. He had one sister, Carol Ann, and one brother, Scott Erwin, who was only eleven and onehalf months older and was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of ’73. The three siblings were very close, and the brothers shared a healthy rivalry. Completing his close family circle were sister-in-law Miryam Stewart and brotherin-law David Davis.

In 1974, Charles Gailen was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, with his father, Lt. Col. Gailen Stewart, administering the oath, and his mother pinning on the bars. He served his country six years in the Military Airlift Command, fulfilling another of his dreams, that of seeing the world. He was stationed at Mather AFB in California and at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, where he enjoyed off-duty hours playing rugby with Air Force buddies.

On May 23, 1983, upon completion of two years’ study at the University of Texas in Austin, the master of business administration degree was conferred upon him. He was designated a Sord Scholar and received the Dean’s Award in recognition of academic excellence. He was a member of the MBA Honorary

Society, Phi Kappa Phi, and was elected a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He was a member of First United Methodist Church, Grand Saline.

After graduation, he entered the financial world and was employed by Joint Venture Enterprises as director of Contract Administration for Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas, at the time of his death.

Charles Gailen was proud to be a part of the Academy and all it represented. When his beloved father passed away in 1988, it was his suggestion for the family to honor him with a memorial of permanent display cabinets in the Library of AOG Headquarters. In August, 1992, accompanied by his sister and mother, he flew to Colorado Springs for the ribbon-cutting and dedication of Doolittle Hall.

The highlight of the banquet was a visit with General Clark, who was superintendent during his years at the Academy. The general inquired of his achievements since leaving the Academy and graciously wished him continued success in the future. While in Colorado Springs they toured the Academy facilities and grounds, and Charles Gailen enjoyed acquainting himself with the old familiar as well as the new improvements. He was anxious for his mother and sister to understand and share his appreciation of the Academy. He was a member of the Academy’s Association of Graduates.

Charles Gailen eagerly looked forward to his Air Force Academy Twentieth-Year Class Reunion in 1994. In spirit, he will keep this rendezvous with his former classmates, in the majesty of the mountains, the brilliance of the sunsets, the stillness of the mornings, and the comradeship of treasured friends.

Doyle Keith Freeman, ’76

Doyle Keith Freeman died April 7, 1993 as a result of injuries sustained in a light aircraft accident while instructing a student pilot on April 6 near Omaha, Neb. He is remembered here by two of his classmates from the Class of ’76.

It’s ironic that a man can spend a good deal of his life flying eight-engine behemoths at speeds and altitudes no right-thinking person would attempt, only to perish flying a small, basic flight trainer. Doyle died, however, doing two of the things he loved best flying and teaching people about flying.

Doyle spent his early years in the farm community of Mountain Grove, Mo. In his youth, he was known as a leader with high aspirations to excel. He was a football player, a track star and an outstanding academic student.

Friends and coworkers will always remember Doyle as a tireless, dedicated guy devpted to his work, church, community and family. Throughout his relatively short life, he relentlessly pursued his dream to fly. After graduation from the Academy, Doyle went to Undergraduate Navigator Training at Mather AFB and chose a B-52 assignment to then-Blytheville AFB, Ark.

In the squadron, he could always be found in the background,

doing the tough, thankless jobs without complaint or fanfare. At Blytheville AFB, he also began flying civilian aircraft to work to fulfill his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot. In 1981, his efforts were rewarded with his selection to Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams AFB, Ariz. As you would expect, Doyle excelled in training, both as the student class leader and as one of the outstanding student pilots, earning the class leadership award.

After training and indicative of his desire to maintain strong family ties, Doyle returned to Blytheville AFB to fly the B-52. At Blytheville, he took advantage of every flying opportunity and progressed rapidly in both the B-52 and T-37. In 1986, Doyle and his family moved to Offutt AFB, Neb., where he was chief, Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff for the Ground Launched Cruise Missile. He returned to flying in 1989 as a B-52 instructor, flight commander and eventually the wing training officer at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Mich.

As testimony to his will to fly, when he shattered his leg while playing intramural soccer, the flight surgeons doubted he would ever fly again. Through perseverance and intense therapy, within six months, he was back in the cockpit. With the force drawing down and limited flying opportunities on the horizon, Doyle elected to separate from the service in late 1992 and pursue an airline job.

Private Aircraft Crash Claims Thirdclass Cadet

Roman Santana. He was our friend. A person in whom we confided and with whom we spent valuable time. It was easy to be his friend. He was strong, truthful, brave and not without a sense of humor. He was a brother, a son, a musketeer and a soldier. He was our friend.

C3C Roman A. Santana

Roman’s two years at the Air Force Academy were full of learning experiences. He met each challenge with determination and a smile on his face. Roman played soccer, was on the Academy judo team, an officer of the Spanish Club and a Big Brother to children in the area and achieved the Superintendent’s Medal for Excellance in both academic and military achievement. Roman loved the Academy and the pride and tradition associated with it. He easily made friends and this spring break brought five cadet friends home with him. What a time they had!

Roman’s dream was to fly and to this end he went out to attain his private pilot’s license. He was killed in a plane crash on Friday, April 16, 1993 near Black Forest, Colo. He was the pilot and only passenger.

Thank you Roman for having brought so much happiness to everyone you met. We’ll all miss you very much. You have earned your wings.

(Written byfamily andfriends of Roman Anthony Santana.)

He served his community and church with a passion similar to his love for flying. At every Air Force community along his path, he could often be found helping out with or Coaching his children’s tee-ball, soccer, basketball or football teams. As his three boys grew, he also grew with them, as a scout den master and base troop leader. In his church, Doyle served as a trustee on the board of advisors and taught junior high religious education classes. When it snowed in Michigan (which it does a lot), Doyle often showed up to shovel the church walkways. Once again, always operating silently in the background, Doyle always served his fellow man.

We knew Doyle for a short 20 years. Over that time our paths crossed several times. Doyle is a series of memories that ran through those 20 years: the flash of a silver Trans-Am with headers and a CB radio whizzing past, a ski weekend, June Week, playing golf, our 10-year reunion, our families together for a Thanksgiving dinner. The country in transition has made it difficult to keep continually in touch with friends. As such, many did not know Doyle was gone until several weeks later, learning of it through the network of human connections that has always existed in the Air Force community.

At the funeral in a rural community cemetery in southeast Missouri, you would have seen a flag, off in the distance, at halfstaff, watched a folded flag presented to his widow for his dedicated service to the country and heard the notes of Taps on the wind. With only a little imagination, you could feel the passage of four B-52s as they flew a missing-man formation.

Doyle was a member of the Association of Graduates and is survived by his wife, Rita, his three young boys, Broud (16), Jason (12), and Dal (11); his parents, Lloyd and Ruth Freeman; and his sister, Darlene Norris. Please say a prayer for his family and hoist a glass to another fallen Falcon who made the world a bit better, a little brighter with his passage through it... gone but not forgotten. We’ll miss you. (D. Berg and M. Hughes, ’76)

Richard E. Olson, ’82

Capt. Richard E. Olson, Class of 1982, died in a civilian aircraft accident on May 1, 1993. Capt. Stephen Shepard, Class of 1989, with whom he shared his last flight, also died in the same accident. Both were enroute to a TDY assignment when Rich’s plane crashed on final approach in Sedona, Ariz.

Rich was born into the Air Force in Big Spring, Texas and punched his brat ticket at most of the MAC bases before graduating from Vanden High School at Travis AFB, Calif. From there he received an appointment to the Academy and graduated from CS-31 with the Class of ’82. He was a member of the Association of Graduates.

Rich earned his pilot wings from UPT at Reese AFB and then began his flying career in the C-130E at Little Rock AFB. From Little Rock he moved up to the Great White North flying

C-130Hs at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. In December 1990, Rich crossed over to the C-12F with an assignment to Norton AFB, Calif. When Norton AFB began closing the 459th ALS was transferred to March AFB. Rich planned and successfully led the first and only Operational Support Airlift (OSA) eight-ship formation, with four C-12Fs and four C-21As, from Norton AFB to March AFB.

Rich’s career both at the Academy and on active duty was characterized by motivation, integrity, and achievement. At the Academy he was the squadron honor rep. At Little Rock he was the squadron safety officer and the chief pilot scheduler. While in Alaska he flew as an instructor and combat tactics officer. His flying career carried him all over the world. From “one-way” runways at remote Alaskan radar sites, to the Pacific, Central America, and Europe, Rich excelled at what he loved to do FLY.

After checking out in the C-12, Rich continued to excel. He upgraded quickly to instructor, evaluator, and finally chief of Stan/Eval. Even though he was flying OSA Rich was an airlifter at heart. He was instrumental in getting OSA involved for the first time with a joint readiness training exercise. Rich was the project officer for the first OSA exchange program to the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB. He was also the first-ever line pilot qualified to fly functional check flight missions when the Air Force assumed responsibility for the C-12 Function Check Flights (FCFs) from Beechcraft test pilots.

Rich’s love of flying carried over into his personal life. Rich bought his first airplane while stationed in Alaska and soon upgraded to his Mooney 201. While most people would take a drive in the country, Rich would take his family for a flight over the country. He lived to fly and shared his love of flying with anyone willing to take a ride in the sky in his Mooney. Rich was a quiet individual, but it was apparent in both his professional and personal life that his actions spoke louder than his words.

On May 10th, Rich was put to rest with full military honors at the Air Force Academy. It was perfect flying weather, clear and a million, cool and breezy. As a C-130 from Little Rock AFB performed the fly-by we felt the warm propwash roll over the field and blanket Rich’s grave. A fitting sendoff for a “HerkDriver.”

Rich’s passing leaves behind his wife and copilot, Lucy; his two beautiful daughters, Traci and Nicole; his parents, Donald and Charlotte Olson; his brother Mike; and sisters, Debbie Witherspoon and Janice Olson; along with many friends. His memory will always remain in our hearts.

Catch you later Rich, keep on flying. (Capt. Gary Hogg, ’82)

Stephen Erik Shepard, ’89

On Saturday, May 1, 1993 we lost two of our best. Capt. Stephen Erik “Sheps” Shepard, Class of 1989, and Capt. Richard Olson, Class of 1982, were taken from us in a private aircraft accident at Sedona, Ariz.

We had “Sheps” for only 26 years, but he accomplished more during his lifetime than most could ever hope for. Stephen was born on Jan. 25, 1967 and grew up in the small town of Newport, Vt. He was a man with an abundance of love and commitment and it is these qualities he will be remembered for.

What Stephen gave to all of us grew from the love he had for his family. During his high school days in Vermont he found the true love of his life, Cindy Joseph. It was also during this time that Stephen developed the commitment he had for life. He did it all. He was a musician, scholar, and an athlete.

The combination of all of his qualities brought him to the Air Force Academy during the summer of 1985 where he became a member of the Class of 1989. During his four years at the Academy, “Sheps” was committed to following his father’s footsteps down the path to his degree in electrical engineering. His interest in and knowledge of electronics prompted some of his friends to kid with him about being a “computer geek.” Kidding which his squadron commander, Lt. Col. Short, said he took well. Kidding which was really recognition for his intellect.

In addition to his schoolwork, “Sheps” remained dedicated to music as a member of both the Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps and the Cadet Stage Band. Even though this would have been enough to overwhelm most of us, Stephen was also a member of the Academy’s aero club, where he earned his private pilot rating. And somehow, there was always time to go skiing on the weekend or skating in the field house.

After graduation in 1989, Stephen headed off to pilot training at Columbus AFB, Miss. Upon graduation from pilot training, “Sheps” was off to Norton AFB, Calif, to fly C-12s but not without stopping back home in Vermont to marry Cindy. Six years of waiting were finally over. Their relationship endured through the long separations of Stephen’s Academy years and his time at pilot training until they were finally married in Vermont on Aug. 25, 1990.

The smile that came to “Sheps” face explains it all. It was there when he played his horn for an audience. It was there the day he graduated from the Academy. It was there when he was flying. It was most noticeable in the presence of his family, friends, and especially his best friend, Cindy. Those of you who were fortunate enough to know Stephen know the meaning of that smile. It was an expression from a man who will be deeply missed.

Stephen was buried in Pond Island, Vt. on May 8, 1993. He is survived by his wife, Cindy Shepard; his parents, Bud and Larissa Shepard; and his brother and sister, Mark and Cecily Shepard. If you wish to make a donation to the Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps in Stephen’s name, please send contributions to the Stephen Shepard Memorial Fund, Cadet Drum and Bugle Corps, c/o The Association of Graduates, 3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-4475. Stephen was a life member of the Association of Graduates. (1st Lt. Aaron M. Prupas, ’90)

At press time we had learned of the deaths of the following graduates:

Carl Richard Talafous, Class of 1976, who died in a helicopter crash on July 14, 1993, in Wayne County, Ga.

Scott R. Wolfmeyer, Class of 1976, who died of complications from a heart attack on April 26, 1993, in McHenry, Ill.

Carlton P. Wickliffe, Class of 1984, who died in a motorcycle accident on July 17, 1993, in New Mexico.

Capt. (Ret) Timothy S. Sweterlitsch, Class of 1987, who died of an illness on July 3, 1993.

Our sincere condolences to the relatives and friends of these graduates.

FALCON FACTS

Greetings to all graduates, family and friends of the Air Force Academy. I welcome this opportunity to report to you on the status of our athletic programs, and also voice a few thoughts and concerns.

Our mission, in concert with the commandant of cadets and dean of faculty, is to develop leaders of character to serve our country. The physical and emotional demands of our competitive athletic programs develop leaders with confidence, courage, discipline, and “team before self” characteristics. The core elements of the athletic program continue to be physical education classes, fitness testing requirements, squadron intramurals, and intercollegiate team competition. Here’s a quick update on each of these:

The physical education curriculum was revised twice in the last decade and the annual course load was reduced from four classes to three. We’ve also expanded our course offerings by seven to the present total of 23 and instituted an elective system for the cadets. Core requirements continue to include swimming, water survival, boxing (men), self defense (women), unarmed combat, weight training, physical fitness methods, and two of the following three: golf, racquetball, or tennis. The core is complimented by 12 electives of which the cadets must choose four from the following: aerobics, basketball, judo, soccer, softball, volleyball, walleyball, and advanced courses in golf, racquetball, scuba, and tennis.

If you’ve heard the physical fitness test (PFT) and aerobics fitness tests (AFT) have gotten “weak” it is not true! Proficiency in both tests is still required each semester of a cadet’s career. In addition to meeting the minimums on all five PFT events, cadets must also attain a score of 250 total points (minimums will only earn 139 points). We’ve also added a flexibility check to the beginning of the PFT where a cadet in a seated position with locked knees must be able to grab and hold their toes for five seconds. The AFT is currently a 1.5 mile run with plans to convert to the stationary cycle ergometry test next year.

An exciting new program which just completed its third year is the “Super PFT”. Any cadet previously scoring 500 points on the regular PFT could enter and compete for “Most Physcially Fit” honors. This test consists of the same five events as the regular PFT, but scoring goes above the 100 point-limit for performances superior to the maximums in the regular PFT. Competitors have three minutes to complete each event with a one-minute rest in between.

This year’s Male Super PFT Champion was C4C Christopher Lantagne who amassed an Academy record 1,042 points. His in-

dividual event scores were: 46 pull-ups, 8’4” long jump, 174 situps, 90 push-ups, and a 600-yard run time of 1:33. The 1993 Female Champion was C2C Mary Hartmann who also set an Academy record with 999 points. Her individual event scores were: 16 pull-ups, 7’9” long jump, 173 sit-ups, 61 push-ups, and a 600-yard run time of 1:43.

The squadron intramural program continues to offer outstanding leadership opportunities for cadets through competitive team sports and supervisory roles as coaches, referees, and administrators. The program is mandatory for all cadets not on intercollegiate teams and is divided into three seasons with two days of competition each week. The 40 cadet squadrons compete in a total of 20 different sports for the coveted Malanaphy Trophy. Last year’s winner was the Second Cadet Squadron.

The intercollegiate athletic program wrapped up another highly-successful season with the annual Athletic Awards Ceremony during June Week. The program consists of 27 teams 17 men’s teams competing at the NCAA Division I level and 10 women’s teams at Division II. Overall, Falcon athletic teams won 56 percent of all contests played this season and received numerous team and individual honors.

Season highlights included: the football team winning its fourth consecutive Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and earning its fourth straight Liberty Bowl trip; the rifle team’s best season ever with a third place finish at the NCAA finals; the women’s swimming team finished fifth in the NCAA Championships, their best showing since 1983; men’s and women’s fencing teams finished 11th at the NCAA; and the men’s soccer team qualified for the NCAA Championship Tournament for the first time since 1985. Individual All-American honors were garnered by 22 Falcon athletes, with four of them earning Academic All-American recognition.

Contributing to our success was the newly-created Sports Medicine Division which consolidated the athletic trainers, strength training, and developmental sections under one chief. Coordinating the efforts of these sections is smart business and the results have been extremely positive. Our trainers have done a tremendous job keeping our athletes on the playing fields by using state-of-the-art equipment to rehabilitate injuries. Our newest and most impressive addition is the intercollegiate weight room. Located in the cadet gym where the indoor rifle range used to be, it has 12,600 square feet of floor space filled with new equipment and is undoubtedly one of the finest training facilities in the country.

In addition to this overall physical development, our “Human Performance Laboratory” uses the latest research in sports science to prepare our athletes for peak performance. The lab concentrates their efforts in three areas: physiology, biomechanics, and psychology. Physiological profiles determine an athlete’s body composition, power, endurance, speed, and flexibility levels. Through biomechanical analysis we can identify faulty technique with goals of improving performance and reducing injuries. Our sports psychologist provides counseling to develop communication skills, time management, goal setting, team building, and a host of other skills. Using our newest “sports vision” equipment we can also assess reaction speed, peripheral vision, hand-eye coordination, and overall visual awareness with application for future pilots as well as athletes.

After a look at our athletic program I think you’d agree with the saying “Every Cadet is an Athlete”. Let me also assure you

(Continued on next page.)

Football Team Faces Year of Rebuilding

Starting over.

That’s an ominous thought for a football program that has strung together five straight winning sesons and four consecutive bowl appearances. Then again, who is better equipped than the men who make up an ultra successful program to find all the missing parts, put them in the proper place and continue a winning tradition.

Air Force’s Fisher DeBerry has been adept at this part-finding and proper fitting in the past and expects to be no less competent at molding a winner as he celebrates his 10th anniversary as the Falcons’ head coach in 1993. “We always have good quality peopie here at the Academy and we find they have a great ability to come through when they are needed most,’’ said DeBerry. “We are counting on those traits this year very strongly because we did suffer quite extensively in graduation loses. It’s time now for this next group to come along and perform.”

PLEASE SEE THE BACK COVER FOR THE 1993 AIR FORCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE!

DeBerry’s first nine teams compiled a 72-38-1 record an average of eight wins per season. He’s done it with all kinds of teams. Strong wishbone offenses. Stingy defenses. Stellar special teams. But if the ’93 Falcons are to continue the trend, they’ll have to bounce back from an inconsistent offensive season while completely rebuilding the defense and honing a shaky kicking game.

Does that daunting assignment make this DeBerry’s toughest challenge yet? “In some ways, yes it is,” he said. “But we have a steady flow of players up through the system and we think we have what it takes to put together a solid team. The thing we’ll be trying to achieve is consistency.”

Especially on offense.

The Falcons expect to get an offensive boost where it matters most; the offensive line. All but one member of the ’92 line returns and that’s a plus for a wishbone outfit that depends upon split-second execution to make yards. In center, Erik Mitchell, right guard Jim Remsey and right tackle Chad Mathis, the Falcons could have standout linemen. DeBerry believes the 6-foot-6 and 260-pound Mitchell could be AFA’s best center ever and worthy of All-Western Athletic Conference attention. And Remsey was second-team all-WAC last season.

“The line will be improved,” assistant coach Bob Noblitt said at the end of spring practice. “This group has worked together

(Falcon Facts: From previous page.)

that “Every Athlete is a Cadet”. We’ve taken several positive steps this past year to increase intercollegiate athletes’ participation in squadron activities. The elimination of “RAMPS” now allows cadet-athletes to eat meals with their squadrons without sacrificing the supplemental portions some of our team’s require. Team practices on training weekends are closely scrutinized by the Academy Scheduling Committee to deconflict where possible. Maximum participation by cadet-athletes in “Recognition Week” activities has occurred the past two years like never before. Cadetathletes are also highly encouraged to return to their squadrons by 1930 following the evening meal to participate in scheduled training activities. Additionally, Cadet Fifstclass Trace Thurlby, a member of the varsity men’s tennis team, was chosen to be the 1993 fall semester Cadet Wing commander.

The communication channels between the mission elements are open. We work closely to handle the challenges of Academy life amid changing times and a somewhat uncertain future. As graduates, friends and family of the Academy, we thank you for your support and ask you to become actively involved in this process. Together we will continue to develop high quality leaders of character for tomorrow’s Air Force.

for a year now and they know what they’re doing. What kept us from being a better line last year were little individual breakdowns. We expect knowledge and experience to eliminate those breakdowns.”

The AFA running game boosted by a trio of talented halfbacks, should also be a strength. Seniors Obasi Onuoha and Wayne Young were part of a three-man rotation last season. They’ll be joined this fall by Chris Washington, a game-breaker type who merely has to put it all together.

Wayne Young

Although the two fullbacks who alternated last year are back, Joe Parisi and Joe Pastorello will have to fight off the challenge of Jason Maloy to hang onto the position. Maloy had a good spring and the three are expected to fight it out in fall practice.

But, of course, no wishbone can travel faster or farther than its

(Continued on next page.)

USAFA Football and Basketball

on Telephone Pay-For-Listen

No matter where you are, you can hear the live play-by-play of Air Force games even when it’s not on TV or radio in your area. Just call TEAMLINE© at 1-800-846-4700 and enter the fourdigit access code 0671. Charge the call to your credit card and listen to all the action as it’s broadcast live from your team’s flagship radio station.

You can listen as long as you like, and pay only for the time you listen. The longer you listen, the less you pay as low as 20 cents a minute. And you can call from any phone home, office, car, hotel even a pay phone.

TEAMLINE © provides full coverage of over 200 college and professional sports teams. To learn about other TEAMLINE© programming or for more information with no obligation, call the TEAMLINE© Information Line toll-free at 1-800-846-4700.

Falcon Football on TV

The Blue-White TV Network recently announced its nationwide fall schedule which includes six Academy football games. The network can be contacted at 801-378-8455 to determine where you can watch the game in your area. Their current TV schedule for Air Force football is:

25 Sept AF at BYU

2 Oct Wyoming at AF

23 Oct Citadel at AF

30 Oct UTEP at AF

6 Nov Army at AF

13 Nov AF at Utah

President Presents Commander

On May 6, 1993, President Bill Clinton presented the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy to senior members of the Air Force Academy football team. The Falcons earned the Trophy, which symbolizes service academy football supremacy, with vietories over Army and Navy during the 1992 season. The ceremony took place in the White House Rose Garden and was attended by

President Clinton shares a story with Falcon football team seniors while headfootball coach Fisher DeBerry chuckles at the podium.

(Football: From previous page.)

quarterback can take it. Although senior Scott Teigen has never started a game for the varsity, the coaches and his teammates think he has the ability to make the Falcons a big winner. Quarterback coach Paul Hamilton often compares Teigen to Rob Perez, who led the Falcons to a pair of Liberty Bowl victories in 1990 and 1991. The difference between the two, says Hamilton, is Teigen’s passing ability.

“Scott is a much better thrower,” Hamilton said. “He has the best arm of any quarterback we’ve had since I’ve been here. It’ll be our job as coaches to get him in the right plays and give him the time to throw the football. If he has the chance, he can be a very effective passer. And he’s very adequate as a runner.”

For the Falcons to be a winner, the offense will have to be much better at scoring and controlling the ball because the defense figures to put up less resistance.

Defensive coordinator Cal McCombs went into spring workouts faced with the challenge of replacing 10 starters, ineluding All-American cornerback Carlton McDonald and AllWAC linebacker Vergil Simpson. McCombs went at his task in a unique way. He listed only left tackle Curtis Sutton as a first team player on the original April depth chart. The reasoning was simpie. Sutton, a 6-4 and 260-pound senior, was the only returning starter and McCombs wasn’t handing out positions until they were earned.

At the end of the spring, nine positions had solid starters. Rod Melzer had taken over at nose guard. Johnny Harrison and Saxon Yandell had won the outside linebacker slots while Steve Russ and Michael Black had earned the starting assignments at inside linebacker.

The secondary had three starters cornerback Brian Watkins and safeties Tommy Scheel and LeRon Hudgins. The battle beween Matt Newby and Erik Davis for the left tackle spot and the fight for the weak corner positon between Kevin Williams and Kelvin King will be continued in the fall.

In general, the Falcons will be looking for another winning season, their fifth straight Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in their series with Army and Navy and perhaps a bowl bid. And while a bowl bid might sound outrageous for a team that admits to starting over, DeBerry says it is not out of the question.

“With cadets, nothing is out of the question,” he said.

-in-Chief’s Trophy to Seniors

Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell, Acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley, Air Force Chief of Staff Merrill McPeak, Congresswoman Pat Schroeder, Academy Superintendent Bradley Hosmer and Academy Head Football Coach Fisher DeBerry.

This is the twentieth year the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy has been awarded. Air Force’s 1992 victory marks the first time in the trophy’s history that one school has won the trophy four consecutive times. In fact, neither Army nor Navy has won it more than twice in a row.

(Photos courtesy Maj. Steven A. Simon, 77)

AOG To Host Tailgates for All Home Football Games

Your Association of Graduates will be hosting tailgates at Doolittle Hall prior to each USAFA home football game for Academy football fans. In addition to super, catered foods, soft drinks and beer, the price includes bus transportation from Doolittle Hall to and from the cadet parade and to and from the game. So park early at Doolittle Hall and enjoy some pregame and postgame camaraderie!

Price for each tailgate is $13 a person if you make your reservations at least a week in advance ($15 if you wait until the last minute or don’t buy your ticket until you arrive at Doolittle Hall).

The usual Doolittle Hall schedule for football game Saturdays will be:

0800: Doolittle Hall opens.

0830: Buses depart for cadet parade (tailgate ticket required).

0900: Begin serving tailgate food and beverages in the fields surrounding Doolittle Hall. (If weather is inclement, we’ll eat inside.)

0945: Buses return from parade.

1000: Doolittle Hall pay-as-you-go bar opens in the Library Lounge.

1100-1200: Buses depart for Falcon Stadium (riding the bus requires a tailgate ticket).

1200: Tailgate complete.

As Required: Buses return to Dollittle Hall (riding the bus back also requires a tailgate ticket). If you need to leave the game early, a bus will be available to bring you back to Doolittle Hall.

1500-1900: Postgame pay-as-you-go informal get-togethers in Doolittle Hall.

ATTENTION GOLFERS!

Tri-Service Academy/Alumni Golf Classic

October 29-31, 1993

Dallas, Texas

A UNIQUE EVENT combining the golf teams from ARMY MERCHANT MARINE, AIR FORCE and their GRADUATES competing for the USAA/ALUMNI TROPHY!

SITE: Four Seasons Resort and Club and the prestigious Tournament Players Course (host to the PGA Tour annual GTE/Byron Nelson Classic).

COST: $250 per player (includes two rounds of golf, range balls and carts; Friday evening BBQ; Saturday evening Alumni Awards/Mexican Fiesta; Sunday Awards Luncheon; on course refreshments and other goodies). Probable visits to area cultural establishments with local grads. Non-playing guests welcome at all meals for additional cost.

FORMAT: Friday and Saturday: Four grads will be teamed with one of seven golfers or the coach from their school. Collegiate player plays own ball. Grads play best ball with handicap on Friday, a scramble on Saturday.

ACCOMMODATIONS: The Four Seasons Resort and Club is offering special packages to all participants. Call: (214) 717-0700.

LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Graduate players limited to 32 from each Academy. Reservations on FIRST RECEIVED BASIS - WAITING LIST IN ORDER OF RECEIPT.

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS: After expenses, all available funds will be equally divided and donated to the three Academies to help finance their golf programs.

SPONSORS: USAA - Anheuser Busch - E-Z Go Golf Cars - Ben Hogan Company (To Date)

QUESTIONS? Call Bill Reemtsma, USAFA '63 (214) 357-5502.

TRI-SERVICE ACADEMY/ALUMNI GOLF CLASSIC RESERVATION

Name: Print Name School / Year Handicap

Address:

Phone: Non-Golfing Guests: ($60 each) Name(s)

If you want to organize your own foursome, list your partners:

Enclose check for $250 (plus guest fees if applicable) payable to North Texas AFA Grads. Send to: NORTH TEXAS AFA GRADS, PO BOX 866791, PLANO, TX 75086.

Graduation Increases Alumni to 26,600

The ranks of Air Force Academy alumni increased to more than 26,600 with the graduation of approximately 950 members of the Class of 1993, including 106 women, on June 2. Approximately 924 were commissioned in the Air Force. This year’s class, including international students, late graduates and medical holdovers, was the 35th to be graduated since 1959.

* • »■ 4

The new Air Force second lieutenants reported to a variety of assignments, including 225 to pilot training and 25 to navigator training. Eighteen graduates expect to attend medical school while others go immediately to nonrated assignments Air Forcewide. In addition, 10 graduates will accept commissions in the U.S. Army, four will enter the U.S. Navy and five will enter the U.S. Marine Corps.

More than 100 members of the class received scholarships and fellowships for graduate study. Since 1959 more than 750 graduates have been recipients of scholarships and fellowships, including 30 Rhodes, 92 Guggenheim, 62 National Science Foundation, 30 Fulbright-Hays, 32 Hertz Foundation, 45 J.F. Kennedy Scholarships, 12 National Football Hall of Fame Scholarships, and 33 NCAA Scholarships.

Among the graduates who earned military honors is Capt. Lance P. Sijan, Class of 1965, who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in Southeast Asia and for whom one of two cadet dormitories is named. Two graduates were declared

“aces” in Southeast Asia: Air Force Reserve Col. Richard “Steve” Ritchie, Class of 1964, and Lt. Col. Jeffrey S. Feinstein, Class of 1968.

To date, some 155 Academy graduates have been promoted to general officer rank, including Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer, Class of 1959, the Academy’s first graduate to be named superintendent. Gen. Hosmer is the Academy’s number one graduate from the Class of 1959 and the first Rhodes Scholar. The former Commandant of Cadets, Maj. Gen. (select) Richard C. Betherum, is a member of the Class of 1966 and Brig. Gen. Reuben A. Cubero, dean of faculty, is a 1961 graduate.

Secretary of Defense Speaks at Graduation

Secretary of Defense Les Aspin delivered the the 35th commencement address at the Air Force Academy Graduation June 2 in Falcon Stadium. Aspin’s appearance marked the fifth time a secretary of defense has delivered the graduation address.

Outstanding Group Award

AOG President Col. William E. Richardson presents the Outstanding Group Award, sponsored by the Association of Graduates, to 2nd Group fall semester commander Donald V. Bohney at the graduation organizational awards parade. The group’s spring semester commander was Dawn M. Muzyk. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Secretary ofDefense Les Aspin addresses the Class of 1993 on June 2. (Photo by S.S. Hampton)

Previous secretaries include Melvin R. Laird, James R. Schlesinger, Dr. Harold Brown and Caspar W. Weinberger. Other recent speakers have included former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle. Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Donald B. Rice and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Larry D. Welch have also been commencement speakers.

Les Aspin was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be Secretary of Defense and was confirmed by the United States Senate Jan. 20. Secretary Aspin was born July 21, 1938, in Milwaukee, Wis. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University. He majored in history where he received “Honors with Exceptional Distinction,” and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Aspin earned a master’s degree from Oxford University for a combined major in economics, politics, and philosophy. He completed a doctorate in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He began his career on the staff of former Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire and moved on to the White House as staff assistant to Walter Heller, chairman of President Kennedy’s Council of Economic Advisors.

Aspin was commissioned in the Army through the ROTC in 1966. Over the next two years, he served at the Pentagon as one of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s “whiz kids.” In 1968, Aspin returned to Milwaukee to teach economics at Marquette University.

Aspin was elected to the House of Representatives in 1970 and was appointed to serve on the Armed Services Committee. In 1985, he was elected committee chairman over six more-senior members. (The Falcon Flyer)

Announcing The Service Academy Database Of Graduates

USMA, USNA, USAFA, and USCGA graduates combined in a common resource Quickly matches job seekers to employment opportunites

Easy to use

Out of a job? In the market for an exciting new opportunity? If so and you want to be included in the database of Service Academy Alumni which will be distributed to Employers, simply send for your software kit today! Send $20 (check or money order) payable to the AOG and in a few days, you will receive:

Resume Program

• Makes quick work of the difficult task of creating a resume Produces professionally appealing, typeset resumes

Job Preference Program

Collects personal data and employment preferences:

- Education

- Language ability

- Industry and position preferences

- Geographic preferences

- And many more

• Used by Employers to identify You

Complete the easy-to-use, menu-driven job preference and resume programs on any DOS computer and send a copy of the program output files to AOG for inelusion on the database.

HIRE ONE OF YOUR OWN

If you are in a position to make hiring decisions for your Company and wish to obtain a diskette of Service Academy Alumni resumes and job preferences with search and retrieval capability, send your request to the AOG with a check or money order for $25 payable to the AOG.

□ Yes, I would like to be in the database and I enclose a check or money order for $20

□ Yes, I would like to receive a database of Service Academy Alumni and enclose a check or money order for $25

Your Name: Return the Completed Form and your check to:

Address:

Association of Graduates

United States Air Force Academy

3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100

USAF Academy, CO 80840-4475 (719) 472-0300

Seven Earn Graduate Dependent Scholarships

Graduate Dependent Scholarships totaling $5,300 were approved by the Graduate Dependent Scholarship Committee for 1993-1994. After a careful review of approximately 55 fully qualified applications, the committee identified seven nominees and two alternatives as exceptionally well qualified and highly deserving of this special recognition from the Association of Graduates. The awards are available on a highly-competitive basis to children of AOG members who plan to attend or are attending a post-secondary education institution.

The Graduate Dependent Scholarship Fund was initially endowed from contributions to the Air Force Academy Fund. As the number of gifts given to the endowment increases, the number and size of the awards will continue to grow. This year’s scholarship winners and alternates are:

Adrienne Prahler ($1,300), who was a senior at Aquinas High School, LaCrosse, Wis. where she ranked first in her class with a

Adrienne Prahler, at right, accepts her $1,300 Graduate Dependent Scholarship from Aquinas High School guidance counselor Carolyn Newkirk. Adrienne was one ofseven scholarship winners this year.

perfect 4.0 grade-point average. In addition to her numerous academic achievements, she also received all-conference honors as a cross-country runner and was a three-year member of her school’s varsity track team. She is an active volunteer in several community-service and religious activities and still finds time to work at a local plumbing supply company. (David S. Prahler, '72)

Marcella Kearns ($1,000), who was a graduate dependent scholarship winner for the 1992-1993 academic year also, provided strong evidence that excellence is habit-forming. She was a sophomore at Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. where she maintained a 4.0 grade-point average. Ms. Kearns’ extracurricular activities include membership on the editorial board of her college newspaper and involvement as a photographer for the college literary magazine. During last summer, she was employed as a mover and housekeeper at Reinland-Pfalz, Germany. She is continuing her pursuit of a double major in psychology and English. (Wade J. Kearns, '73)

Laure Stobie ($700), who as also a graduate dependent scholarship winner for the 1992-1993 academic year, was a freshman at Duke University where she maintained a 4.0 grade-point average. Since arriving at Duke, Ms. Stobie has been elected to her dormitory house council and has earned a position on the Duke Women’s Crew. Following graduation, she hopes to attend medical school and to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon. (James G. Stobie, ’71)

Elizabeth Thompson ($700), who was a senior at Cleveland High School, Portland, Ore. where she ranked first in her class and graduated as co-valedictorian with a 4.0 grade-point average. She was editor-in-chief of her high school yearbook and a twoyear varsity letter woman on her high school golf team. In addi

tion to numerous extracurricular and community-service activities, she also works part-time as a receptionist and substitute dance teacher. Ms. Thompson hopes to pursue an engineering degree at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif. (Howard C. Thompson, ’65)

James Brannick ($600), who was a senior at Airline High School in Bossier City, La. He ranked first in his class of 246 carrying a 4.0 grade-point average. In addition to several academically-related extracurricular activities, Mr. Brannick is an Eagle Scout and a junior assistant scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout troop. He would like to pursue a degree in marine biology at Texas A&M University. (Michael R. Brannick, ’72)

Tiffany Stealey ($500), who was a senior at Hereford High School, Parton, Md. where she carried a 4.0 grade-point average. She was president of the National Honor Society, vice president of her senior class, and an officer on the student council. She was also captain of the women’s varsity soccer and basketball teams and has been recognized as a Maryland Scholar-Athlete and a Maryland Distinguished Scholar. Ms. Stealey hopes to study business at Duke University, the College of William & Mary, or Virginia Tech. (John W. Stealey, ’70)

Jennifer Roberts ($500), who was a sophomore at Texas Women’s University, Denton, Texas, where she is pursuing a major in dance. She is active in various artistic activities, ineluding the Texas Women’s Dance Ensemble, the Dallas Dance News, and the Dallas Black Dance Theater Academy. She also works part-time as a file clerk for a pre-eminent national law firm. Upon graduation from Texas Women’s University, she would like to attend law school. (Earl E. Roberts III, ’69)

Michelle Perron (First Alternate), who was also a recipient of a graduate dependent scholarship for the 1992-1993 academic year. She attends the University of Virginia, where she carries a 3.75 grade-point average. She is active in the university’s Big Sibling program and the Catholic Students’ Association, and is a religious education teacher for elementary-age children at her church. She is pursuing a pre-med curriculum and hopes to attend medical school following her graduation. (David H. Perron, ’70)

Clair Grazier (Second Alternate), who also won a 1992-1993 graduate dependent scholarship. She is currently a sophomore at Cedarville College in Cedarville, Ohio, where she carries a 4.0 grade-point average and is active in a variety of religious activities. She is pursuing a double major in biology and mathematics and hopes to attend graduate school in biophysics. (Victor W. Grazier, ’65)

In light of the exceptional quality of all of the applicants, the committee was confronted with some extremely difficult decisions and often-painful choices. The AOG is very pleased to have been able to make these awards to the children of our graduate members. We encourage members with children who will or are attending a post-secondary educational institution to read the accompanying article in this issue of Checkpoints for more details on how to apply for these annual scholarships.

Upcoming Graduate Events

AOG, Academies Offer New Joint Employment Service

Your AOG is pleased to announce a new service to graduate AOG members. We have joined forces with the alumni associations of West Point, Annapolis, and the Coast Guard Academy to jointly provide resumes on graduates from all academies to prospective employers. Please see the announcement on page 39 of this issue of Checkpoints for further details.

The goal of this service is to maximize the employment opportunities for our graduates seeking a career change. Establishing a network of employers, as well as a database of potential graduate employees, is an integral part of this joint alumni association effort. By combining forces with the other service academies we have greatly enhanced our graduates’ probability of being evaluated by a company that knows the value of an academy background.

The cost to graduates to take advantage of this program is minimal and only offsets most of the cost associated with producing the various disks and instruction booklets. The AOG is underwriting the administrative costs associated with this service.

Whether you are an individual graduate investigating a career change or an employer seeking a superior performer, this new AOG service for graduate members may well provide you the best approach. Send in the completed form from page 39 or contact the AOG vice president, Services, Col. (Ret) Jock Schwank at 719-472-0300 for further information.

Dependent Scholarship Criteria

Graduate Dependent Scholarships are being offered for the upcoming 1993-1994 academic year. Recipients for these annual awards will be selected by the AOG Board of Directors Selection Committee. This AOG scholarship program is intended to directly support post-secondary education for the children of AOG graduate members.

To be eligible to apply:

A. The applicant must be the child of either a graduate life member of the AOG or a graduate who has maintained annual membership for at least the five consecutive years immediately preceding the submission of the application package. AOG membership requirements for applicants who are children of deceased graduates will be evaluated on an individual basis by the selection committee.

B. The applicant must either be the graduate’s natural child or legally-adopted child, but need not be financially dependent upon the graduate,or his/her surviving spouse.

C. The applicant must agree to enroll as a full-time student, as defined by the institution, at a college or university accredited by an appropriate regional or national accrediting body. The applicant’s program of study may be in any field at either the graduate or undergraduate level.

D. The applicant must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for the six most-recent semesters as a full-time student.

The scholarship amount can be as high as $2,000 for the academic year and is paid in one lump sum directly to the student upon his/her demostrated acceptance into the accredited institution. An individual may receive a total of four of these annual scholarships, but they do not have to be applied for, or awarded, in consecutive years.

Scholarship award winners, as well as those applicants not selected to receive a scholarship in a given year, are encouraged to reapply for scholarships in subsequent years. These applicants compete with all new applicants for subsequent-year scholarship monies.

The number of scholarships to be awarded each year and the dollar amount of each scholarship is determined annually by the board of directors. The scholarship winners will be determined based on overall demonstrated merit. The deadline for receiving application packages is March 1 for both initial applications and reapplications.

Send requests for application forms and direct questions on this scholarship program to Col. (Ret) Jock Schwank, AOG vice president, Services, Association of Graduates, 3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-4475 or call (719) 472-0300.

ALL CLASSES ARE INVITED TO HOMECOMING 1993

Make your plans now to attend Homecoming 1993, Oct. 1-3, 1993. Another record crowd of alumni is expected to return to the Academy for the celebration to be held in conjunction with the USAFA vs. Wyoming football game.

Homecoming registration forms were mailed to members of the 20- and 10-year reunion classes in July. Other alumni are heartily encouraged to join these two major reunion classes in the annual return to campus sponsored by the Academy and the Association of Graduates (AOG). Those from classes other than ’73 and ’83 must contact the AOG office to request registration forms. Forms will not be printed in Checkpoints. All attendees must register through the AOG. The deadline for registration is Monday, Sept. 20, 1993. Those attempting to register after this date might well find most, if not all, events sold out. Send requests for registration forms to:

Association of Graduates (Homecoming) 3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100 U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-4475 (719) 472-0300 / DSN: 259-2067

ALL-CLASS EVENTS

Friday, 1 Oct ’93

Breakfast with Cadets Mitchell Hall

0700-0745

0800-1800 (preregistered grads only)

All-Class Registration Doolittle Hall

0800-1400 Golf Tournament Eisenhower Golf (grads & spouses only) Course

0800-1130 Open House Cadet Dorms

1200-1245 Lunch with Cadets (preregis- Mitchell Hall

1130-1400 tered grads only/200 max) Buffet Line Officers Club

1300-1400 Open House Cadet Dorms

1400-1600 USAFA Briefings Arnold Hall Theater

1500-1600 Next-of-Kin Coffee Arnold Hall

1630-1700 Memorial Ceremony Class Wall

1700-1800 ’73 & ’83 Class Photos Cadet Chapel

Saturday, 2 Oct ’93

0800 Fun Run to Jack’s Valley Cadet Gym

0800-1100 All-Class Registration Doolittle Hall

0900-1000 Cadet Wing Parade Parade Ground

0900-1130 All-Class Tailgate Doolittle Hall

1200- USAFA vs. Wyoming Falcon Stadium

1800-2100 Jabara Award Reception Mitchell Hall and Banquet

Sunday, 3 Oct ’93

Catholic & Protestant Services Cadet Chapel

REUNION CONTACTS

’63 (30th) 4-7 Nov 93

Col (Ret) Jimmie Butler

7635 Delmonico Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Ph.: 719-528-5978

Hotel: Antlers Doubletree

’68 (25th) 21-24 Oct 93

Lt Col (Ret) Manuel Bettencourt

1825 Summit Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80921

Ph.: 719-495-0225 (H)

Hotel: Embassy Suites

’73 (20th) 30 Sept - 3 Oct

Lt Col (Ret) Bill Stanton

3435 Windjammer Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Ph.: 719-598-0997 (H)

Hotel: Marriott

’83 (10th) 30 Sept - 3 Oct

Capt Jeff Barnson

4303 W Antelope

USAFA CO 80840

Ph.: 719-472-0668 (H)

DSN 259-4552 and Capt Dennis Moore

Quarters 4207-E

USAFA, CO 80840

Ph.: 719-472-0905 (H) 719-472-2507 (W)

DSN: 259-2507

Hotel: Embassy Suites

Association of Graduates Available Member Benefits/Services

AOG offices are open Monday through Friday, 0730-1630 Mountain Time. For all offices, telephone: (719) 472-0300 (DSN: 259-2067/2073).

CHECKPOINTS MAGAZINE— your quarterly link to friends, classmates and the Academy.

REGISTER OF GRADUATES— annual presentation of biographical information on all Academy graduates.

CHAPTERS—

support for some 29 chapters throughout the world

AOG MASTERCARD—

favorable terms and credit limits from Air Academy National Bank. (800) 365-5890

LINE OF CREDIT

unsecured line of credit at 6.4 percent over prime rate from Security Pacific Executive/Professional Services. For information call (800) 274-6711.

SCHOLARSHIPS—

a preparatory school scholarship via the Falcon Foundation.

post secondary scholarships to graduates’ children

SABER RENTAL—

sets of six for the military wedding.

LOCATOR SERVICE— need to find a fellow graduate? We help!

LONG DISTANCE CALLING DISCOUNT—

sign up for USAFA AOG long distance program with MCI and get a special 5% AOG discount over and above MCI’s regular long distance rates at home and on the road. This discount can also be combined with MCI’s Friends and Family discount program for a total savings of 25%. You’ll receive a personalized USAFA AOG long distance calling card absolutely free. To enroll call 1-800-SKY-USAF (1-800-759-8723).

TRAVEL SERVICE—

year-round member rebate travel program for vacation, business and reunions. Call Camelot Classic World Travel at 1-800-877-5444 and reference the AOG Travel Number T-8106.

REUNION/HOMECOMINGS— coordination and planning by your AOG.

MERCHANDISE/MEMORABILIA—

Academy/AOG-unique items created especially for members.

CAR RENTAL DISCOUNTS—

special rate from Budget - (800) 772-3773 (AOG ID # 876-00-09402/Rate Code: WE91). You must present your AOG-provided Budget card when picking you your car.

Rules Outlined for Grad Golf Course Use

Through the efforts of the Association of Graduates (AOG) and the Directorate of Development and Alumni Programs, the following procedures have been arrived at for graduates wishing to play golf at the Academy’s Eisenhower Golf Course.

Active-Duty and Retired Graduates may schedule their own tee times by calling (719) 472-3456, 24 hours in advance. These are the same reservation rules applicable to all active-duty personnel and retirees not stationed at the Academy. Green fees are $14. Reciprocal privileges are in effect for active-duty graduates who have annual memberships at other Air Force courses. Golf cart fees are $14.

Nonretired, Nonactive-Duty Graduate AOG Members: The AOG is allocated eight tee times per month. Nonretired graduate AOG members who are no longer on active duty may play at these special times. Graduates wishing to use these tee times must make reservations through Steve Knight at the AOG. He will contact the golf course to schedule your desired date and time. After confirmation of the tee time, he will notify you of the date and time. We emphasize that these graduates must go through the AOG office for reservations (719-472-0300).

Graduates may schedule only one tee time per month to insure all graduates have an opportunity to use one of the eight tee times. If by the 25th of each month the eight tee times have not been reserved, a graduate who played earlier in the month may schedule a second tee time. Green fees for nonretired, nonactiveduty graduates are $30 and golf cart fees are $14.

Reunions and Homecoming: A tournament will be scheduled by the Academy and the AOG to accommodate graduates at a set fee for all players. The fee will be independent of military status or golf course membership.

SEND IN YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION NOW TO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY FUND.

HOTEL DISCOUNTS—

save 10% at participating Clarion, Comfort, Econo Lodge, Rodeway, Friendship, Quality and Sleep Inns, Hotels, Resorts-(800) 4-CHOICE. (Ask for the travelers discount for AFA AOG members, ID ^ C00041511).

15% savings at Woodfin Suites-(800) 237-8811.

an approximate 20% saving at the Embassy Suites Hotel of Colorado Springs. Call (719) 599-9100 and ask for the AOG RSVIP Rate (excludes special and group events). You must present your AOG membership card on check-in.

save 10-25% at the Radisson Inn North (formerly Sheraton Inn North) just outside the USAFA South Gate. Call (719) 598-5770 and ask for the Association of Graduates rate (excludes special or group events... discount depends on time of year and room availability). You must present your AOG membership card on check-in.

save 50% at the Colorado Springs Marriott when traveling January, March, April and October, November, December. Call 1-800-962-6982 and ask for the AOG VIP Rate (excludes group, special events and promotional rates). Discount based on rack rates and subject to availability. Must present AOG membership card upon checkin.

Corporate Life Members Association of Graduates, USAFA

Air Academy National Bank

Air Force Association

Ampex Corporation

Betac Corporation

Boeing Aerospace Company

Budget Rent a Car Corporation

Continental Electronics

(Division of Varian Associates,Inc.)

Electronic Data Systems Corporation

Embassy Suites Hotel of Colorado Springs

General Dynamics Corporation

McDonnell Douglas Corporation

The MITRE Corporation

Motorola, Inc.

Government Electronics Group

PRC,Inc.

Rockwell International

TRW, Inc., Electronics & Defense Sector

United Services Automobile Association

United Technologies Corporation

USAF Academy Athletic Association

Walsworth Publishing of Colorado

Westinghouse Electric Corporation

Defense & Electronic Center

Corporate life memberships are being offered for $2,000. With the exception of voting and holding office, members enjoy all privileges of regular members. For more information on corporate life memberships write to Col.(Ret) Jock Schwank, vice president, Services, Association of Graduates, Doolittle Hall, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. 80840-6600. Phone (719) 472-0300.

AOG Biographical Information

From: NAME DATE SSN

To: AOG, USAF Academy

1. Make the following changes in my graduate/associate (circle one) records:

I am a GRADUATE/ASSOCIATE member. (Circle One)

Member #

Qty.

3116

AOG Gift Merchandise

BOOKS: The Iskra Incident by Col. (Ret) Jimmie H. Butler, ’63; 366 pages, hardbound, signed by author.

Vietnam Above the Treetops by John F. Flanagan, ’62; 300 pages, hardbound, signed by author.

Into the Mouth of the Cat about Lance Sijan, ’65; by Malcolm McConnell, 253 pages, hardbound.

Academy 25th Anniversary Book, a pictorial history of the Academy, 260 pages, 9x12”, hardbound.

WILD BLUE U. Video (45-minute VHS tape of Academy life produced by KUSA Channel 9 Denver)

Academy Sport Cap With class year:_

Without numerals

License Plate Frames (Imprinted either “Alumnus” or “Falcons” at top & “U.S. Air Force Academy” at bottom)

One

Two

Circle Choice: Alumnus Falcons

CADET ISSUE CLOTHING (AOG members only) (indicate quantity in front of size)

Qty.

USAFA or AOG (circle choice) Blazer Patch (pin back, metallic thread)

Coffee Cups (white)

Doolittle Hall Marble Coaster

Falcon Etched on Marble Plaque, 10Va”x12 1A”

Laser-Engraved Walnut Plaque (of Cadet Area) 17 1/2”x13'/2”

Cadet Saber (Sold to graduate AOG members only)

FINE ART PRINTS: ‘‘Here’s a Toast” Limited edition of 850 signed and numbered by the artist Keith Ferris. 24x30” print of F-16 missing man formation flown during the 1983 Homecoming Memorial Ceremony.

“Gyrfalcon:” Limited AOG commemorative issue signed by artist, Charles Frace. 20x26” print.

’82 “Thunderbirds Over Academy:” Limited edition of 750 signed by artist, Rick Broome, 20x28” print.

USAFA Silk Tie blue or garnet (circle choice)

AOG Charm (%” sterling silver by Jostens)

TOTAL ORDER

NON-AOG members please add 20%

Print

1980 Graduate Named Jabara Award Winner

Maj. Ali C. Frohlich, Class of 1980, was named winner of the 1993 Jabara Award for Airmanship by Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer for his sustained superior performance from Jan. 1, 1991 to Jan. 1, 1993, especially during the period from Operation DESERT STORM through enforcement of the no-fly zone over northern Iraq. Major Frohlich was the nominee of U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

During the preparation for DESERT STORM, Major Frohlich was sent to Ankara, Turkey to work with the U.S. Planning and Liaison Team, Turkish General Staff (TGS), and Turkish Air Force (TUAF) for the deployment of the U.S. composite strike forces to Incirlik AB, Turkey and to develop a U.S.-Turkish bilateral air-to-air refueling program for overland refueling for U.S. strike packages an historic agreement, resulting in the first-ever “strategic” activity of air-to-air refueling over the sovereign Turkish mainland.

Maj. Frohlich

Among numerous outstanding achievements during this period, Major Frohlich successfully completed extremely politically-sensitive coordination for integration of a limited number of Turkish Air Force assets into U.S. strike packages to allow for a contingency that included Turkey as a formal member of the United Nations Coalition. He then flew as the only U.S. instructor pilot in the TUAF in combined U.S. Turkish large-force packages.

During DESERT STORM, Major Frohlich displayed superior aviation skills flying numerous combat strike missions, including one against one of the most heavily-defended targets in Iraq, their main nuclear research facility in the north. Despite heavy flak, he destroyed his assigned target.

Major Frohlich also played an influential role in the Joint Task Force’s (JTF) search and rescue (SAR) mission by influencing timely decisions for establishing Batman Air Base, Turkey, as the Forward Operating Location for all JTF SAR activities. He worked closely and continuously with the JTF commanding general during all formal activities in influencing Turkish President Ozal’s decision to continue to support the northern operation from Turkish soil.

Returning to Turkey to support Operation PROVIDE COMFORT, Major Frohlich worked as the special assistant to three different commanding generals. During this period, he solved a myriad of problems which ensured smooth coordination of flying airspace and procedures for combat escort and humanitarian missions, as well as streamlining customs procedures for relief supplies, significantly contributing to the overwhelming success of Operation PROVIDE COMFORT. He also flew over 75 missions during this relief effort as an F-16 instructor pilot and flight leader.

During this period, Major Frohlich flew missions on which he directed the rescue of a downed French reconnaissance pilot deep in northern Iraq and two Turkish truck drivers who were stranded in the middle of a flood-swollen river. He further distinguished

himself by continuing the instruction he had begun with the Turkish F-16 pilots during the war by establishing a comprehensive air-refueling program with formal classroom and airborne instruction. He then personally flew with the Turkish F-16s out of Incirlik AB as he had done during the war.

The exceptional achievements during these periods and his outstanding performance in his wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, earned Major Frohlich high praise from numerous Turkish, American and other Coalition dignitaries. The 1993 Jabara Award will be presented to Major Frohlich by Superintendent Lt. Gen. Bradley C. Hosmer, ’59, during the Jabara Award Reception and Banquet the evening of Saturday, Oct. 2 at Homecoming 1993. This year there were two runners-up for the Jabara Award. They were:

Lt. Col. JOHN H. BEARD, ’73, nominated by the Air Force District of Washington for his exceptional leadership and airmanship skills as the airborne commander of the first strike package launched in Operation DESERT STORM. This mission, over five months in the planning, required seven B-52s launched from Barksdale AFB, La. 12 hours prior to the start of Operation DESERT STORM. It was the longest combat mission flown in aviation history, covering over 14,000 miles in 35 hours of nonstop flying originating and returning to Barksdale AFB.

Col. KEVIN P. CHILTON, ’76, nominated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for his preparation and flight as pilot of Space Shuttle Mission STS-49, the maiden flight of ENDEAVOR. Launched on May 7, 1992, STS-49 was one of the most ambitious space shuttle missions ever, including the plan to capture, repair and redeploy the stranded International Telecommunications Satellite-VI.

The other distinguished Jabara Award nominees for 1993 were:

Lt. Col. ANDREW D. PERONA, ’73, nominated by the Air Force District of Washington for his heroic actions on Feb. 25, 1991, which directly prevented the capture or death of a special operations team on a reconnaissance mission more than 200 miles into enemy Iraq territory. His superb airmanship under fire resulted in the flawless extraction of eight men, the destruction of six vehicles, and the halt of three enemy advances on the special forces position.

Maj. CHRIS R. GLAESER, ’75, nominated by the Air National Guard Readiness Center for his sustained superior performance while deployed as an air defense interceptor pilot at Howard AFB, Panama as part of Operation CORONET NIGHTHAWK. During four active air-defense scramble missions, his superior skill and professional dedication resulted in the successful interdiction of multiple drug-smuggling aircraft.

Lt. Col. CLARENCE A. MCFARLAND, ’75, nominated by Air Training Command for superior professionalism and outstanding leadership as commander of the T-1A Flying Training Squadron Provisional. His contributions in preparing for the Air Force’s newest training system aircraft prepared all 23 initial instructors for future training, flying 1,002 sorties and 2,820 mishap-free hours.

Maj. JAY H. LINDELL, ’78, nominated by Air Combat Command for his heroic actions on Feb. 25, 1991, which directly prevented the capture or death of a special operations team on a reconnaissance mission more than 200 miles into enemy Iraq territory. His superb airmanship under fire resulted in the flawless extraction of eight men, the destruction of six vehicles, and the halt of three enemy advances on the special forces position.

Maj. MARK W. NIECE, ’79; and Maj. STEVEN W. HERRING, ’80, nominated by Air Force Material Command for their outstanding work on the deployment of the developmental E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (STARS) aircraft for operations DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. The Joint STARS E-8 aircraft flown in DESERT SHEILD were the first USAF deployment of test aircraft to a wartime environment.

Maj. LARRY D. WHITE, ’80, nominated by Air Force In-

1993 Graduate Blazes Trail at Euro-NA TO School

C1C Amy Santmyer has never been afraid to blaze a trail. Santmyer was a member of the first class to graduate with four years at Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, Ariz. She’s the only member of the Academy’s synchronized swimming team, but that hasn’t stopped her from going to national competition for the last four years. And the fact that there isn’t a coach was only a hindrance.

The next barrier Santmyer plans to break is women in the cockpit of combat aircraft. She was one of 13 cadets selected for pilot training. But she has an even greater distinction. Santmyer was selected as the first American woman to attend Euro-NATO

telligence Command for his oustanding professional contributions in maintaining USAF capability to conduct emergency reprogramming of USAF electronic warfare (EW) equipment installed in a variety of combat aircraft. He was the USAF exercise manager for exercise SERENE BYTE 92, the most comprehensive test of the Electronic Warfare Integrated Reprogramming system this far.

Capt. JOHN B. NORTON, JR., ’82, nominated by Air Mobility Command for his sustained superior performance as a leading member of the C-17 flight test team. He was the first nontest pilot to be qualified in the C-17 and his efforts in flight test have been monumental.

Capt. MICHAEL J. STUART, ’82, nominated by Pacific Air Forces for being the driving force in taking his squadron to mission-capable status in converting the unit from A-10 to F-16 capable. Through his efforts, the squadron became combat-ready in only one year and over 8,000 hours were flown without a Class A or Class B accident.

Jabara Award winners are selected by the Academy and the Association of Graduates on behalf of the Jabara family. The award honors a “USAFA graduate whose contributions are of such significance as to set them apart from their contemporaries.” Nominees’ actions must be directly associated with an aerospace vehicle or component. The award is named for Col. James Jabara, America’s first jet ace and second leading ace in the Korean War. The nominees are screened by a Jabara Award Selection Committee composed of graduate members of the Association of Graduates. Their final recommendation is forwarded to the superintendent for his approval.

Serving on this year’s selection committee were Col. William F. Porter, ’70, chairman; Lt. Col. John Stubblefield, ’70; Maj. Robert Chmielewski, ’78; Capt. Marcus Darling, ’82; Capt. Eldra D. Carson, ’83; and Capt. Michael L. Brown, ’86.

Joint Jet Pilot Training Program at Sheppard AFB, Texas.

“It’s a 13-month program and the syllabus is a little bit different,” she said. “They do more low-level (flying) to prepare the students to fly fighters. Additionally, flying low-levels is exciting because everything happens so fast you really have to know what you’re doing.”

The European undergraduate pilot training program trains approximately 300 students each year. Eight nations contribute students and instructors: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Four other countries Canada, Greece, Portugal and Turkey contribute instructor pilots to the multinational staff.

The NATO UPT program also includes 260 flying hours about 70 hours more than other programs. The extra flying hours are to prepare the student pilot for follow-on training in a varitey of fighter aircraft. “I think it’s going to be very interesting to learn from the different instructors from different countries getting their perspective on things.”

Being selected to fly is the culmination of a dream inspired by Santmyer’s father. “My dad was a pilot; he flew for the Army Air Corps,” she said. “When I was growing up, he flew commercially. I really wish he was alive to see this.

“Two years ago Christmas he gave me his Army Air Corps wings. The’re more than twice my age. They’re sterling silver but were black with tarnish. I got them shined up; they’re in my room. I’m looking forward to wearing them.”

Santmyer doesn’t believe there’ll be any additional stress to being one of the first women in a fighter cockpit. “It’s a tremendous experience. I feel very fortunate that I’ve been selected but hope I’ve been selected on my merits. And I want to continue to advance based on my performance. I don’t want any special treatment.” (The Falcon Flyer)

Tony Marietta ’70

Since 1975, selling Colorado homes, homesite and recreational land

Current market analys

1983 Realtor Salesman of the Year. Buyer Broke

1987 President of Colorado Metro Broke rs in

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Real Estate instructor since 197C

Law, Practice, Finance, Appraise

Owner & Broker of Marietta & Compa*.

Seller warranties New & existing he

Member: Relo-lnternational Reloca

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Since 1975, selling Colorado and recreational land Curren

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1987 President of Colorado i\

Adjustable rate mortgages Alj

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The “Brotherhood ofAirmen”

It was one of those long formal dining tables centered in the banquet hall, Army Guest House, Hanoi, Vietnam. The enemies past, long in the tooth, sat on one side. Everyone spoke Vietnamese, everyone but me. I knew what they were talking about, though. “Robbie”,... they were talking about Robbie, and about the photograph. I thought about him again.

Robbie had been seated in front and a bit to the left in the main briefing room that morning 26 years ago. I listened as the intel briefer delivered his pitch in a polished “bedside manner” monotone. By the time the brieferfinished running through the intense MiG, AAA, and SAM defenses around Hanoi, the tension was thick. We were all nervous before a big strike and Robbie had reason to be even more agitated. I remember he blinked more than normal.

Weather was next. That’s what really mattered. If it was clear below 6,500feet, we’d launch. The verdict: “Scattered clouds and visibility three to five miles at the lower elevations. It was a go.

Major John “Robbie’’ Robertson would likely log his third line, this time in Route-Pack-Six, the most heavily defended area of North Vietnam. Usually you got 10 “easy” missions before you made the run “downtown”, but losses had been heavy, so the major was added to the strike package. Robbie’s eyelids were doing a drumroll.

Then we all stood up and went off to war that morning, only Robbie didn’t make it back.

Ken Quinn, the State Department representative, spoke in Vietnamese. What he said hit the room like an M-117 “seven-fifty”. Every head swiveled in my direction.

Quinn switched to English. “I just told them you used to fly up here, Ralph, and that you knew Major Robertson.”

They studied me. The senior man spoke first, his English heavily accented. “You knew the man who they say is in the photograph?”

I told him that I knew Robbie quite well. We had been stationed together in the U.S. before coming to Asia.

“Do you recognize him in the photograph?”

Quinn had shown me the now-famous snapshot of the three “still alive MIAs” while I piloted the aircraft on the way into Hanoi. I had covered the caption below the picture and then tried to guess which one he was supposed to be. I’d chosen the guy on the right.

“No, I couldn’t recognize him from the photo,” I said. Robbie was supposed to be the one on the left.

They seemed satisfied by my answer.

“Now that the war is over,” said the leader, “what do you think about Vietnam?”

“It’s a lot quieter now.” When my answer was translated, they

laughed politely and that seemed to break the ice.

It was an opening so I dove in. “I would really like to meet and talk with some of your pilots who flew during those noisier days.”

“Fax us,” came the reply, “and next time we will arrange for you to meet with one of our pilots.” I cracked up “Fax us”!

Okay, four months later I faxed them and true to their word on my next arrival I was informed that a meeting had been arranged.

The Vietnamese have several war museums: Army, Air Defense (radars and SAMs), and Air Force. The Army museum has a bit of everything including fighter and B-52 parts, POW helmets, and grunt stuff from the ground war. The Air Force museum is strictly aircraft and helicopters. It was to the Air Force Museum in “downtown” Hanoi that I was taken.

As we drove through the entrance, my pulse quickened. There were MiGs of all types, some helicopters and a few prop planes, but this was definitely fighter country. Over by the main building, a man dressed in olive drab blouse and blue trousers stood waiting.

MiG-17, tail number 2011. Nine air-to-air kills.

He was short and stocky, no neck. Colonel Pham Ngoc Lan was anthropromorphicly perfect for the life of a high-g fighter pilot. He even wore aviator’s sun glasses. Two minutes after I met this guy I knew he was the genuine article. We crawled all over the MiG-2Is and the older-17s, and -19s. He lectured about guns, the Atoll and Apex missiles, about blind spots and JATO (jet assisted take-off) scrambles We even inspected a captured South Vietnamese F-5 and an A-37. He had flown them all. His description of the heavy stick forces on the F-5 was right on. “Stiff at 600 kilometers but not as heavy as the MiG-17,” he said. In front of each aircraft was a plaque listing the significant dates, pilots and events in the aircraft’s past. On one it even listed the name of the U.S. pilot who had been shot down by the aircraft. Col. Norman Gaddis, released from Prisoner-of War status in 1973, would probably be interested to meet the pilot and see the MiG-17 (tail number 2011) that brought him to grief. Another plaque indicated MiG-21 (5121) shot down a B-52 in 1972. Another had 12 kills including an F-4. I wondered if my friend Bob Lodge had been one of its victims.

After a lengthy tour, we went inside the main building and through a translator we spoke for two more hours. I drew a map of North Vietnam and he watched patiently as I marked all the DRV airbases. Colonel Lan then leaned over and drew the map of Thailand and filled in Ubon, Korat, and NKP. We all laughed. There was a Vietnamese intel guy with us and he was in a writing frenzy. Everything I said, every reply from Colonel Lan went to paper. He didn’t quite know what to make of the map we’d drawn.

I asked Colonel Lan what life was like for him on the ground during the war. He explained that their families didn’t live with them since the airbases were prime targets. Relatives stayed in the

MiG-17 FIGHTER AIRCRAFT #2011

FROM THE 921st AIR SQUADRON WHICH SHOT DOWN 106 U.S. AIRPLANES

On 12 May 1967, four Vietnamese pilots, Cao Thanh Tinh, Le Hai, Ngo Due Mai, Hoang Van Ky engaged in an air combat with a larger force (nine times more in number) of U.S. fighter aircraft. The Vietnamese pilots fought courageously and used their skill to shoot down three U.S. aircraft and foiled the enemy attack southwest of Hanoi. Lieutenant Ngo Due Mai, the pilot ofMiG-17 #2011 shot down U.S. Colonel Norman Gaddis, a U.S. expert in counter MiG tactics. (Translation by T. Lee)

countryside while the pilots lived in tunnels and caves near the runways. He pointed out several bases where he’d been stationed during the war. I asked him if he knew that we weren’t allowed to bomb the airfields, but he wasn’t having any of that. He’d been there. He remembered the darkness underground, the heat and choking dust, felt the dirt clods and roots pop loose and rain down from overhead while bombs rocked the airfield. No, he wasn’t having any of that.

He had flown combat in every type of fighter they had. I asked him which he preferred. He wasted not a moment in reply.

“The MiG-17, good visibility, and good turn rate.”

At that point, the beer came out big bottles of robust ale. Things were warming up!

Lan rolled out behind the twisting fighter and when the aircraft filled his gunsight he raised the trigger guard and let rip with his 30mm cannon. The thump, thump, thump from the slow-firing cannon rattled through the old bird. His tracers found their mark.

As the translator spoke, Colonel Lan watched my reaction. Apparently satisfied, he continued. The Thud immediately caught fire and started coming apart.

I asked if he saw a chute, but Colonel Lan didn’t know whether the pilot ejected prior to the impact.

It wasn’t one of my missions, so I related some of my sorties “up north.” He listened to the translator, but we weren’t able to get a match. It didn’t matter though, because we both were able to put the past bitterness aside and talk about family and times present, about his country and its prospects. And then it was over before I could come to terms with the full magnitude of this encounter. We were deadly enemies once, but we were airmen, and that made us part of the brotherhood that flies. Now we’d become friends as well.

I wanted to find out if we had ever “looked across the circle” at each other. This was more difficult to determine. Colonel Lan couldn’t fix dates and events clearly. For him the war wasn’t 100 missions and a wake-up, but he remembered one fight during the period of my first tour. It was a dogfight he’d had between August and October (the dry season) in 1966. He had attacked four F-105 “Thuds” that were escorted by four F-4C Phantoms just west of Thud Ridge (a ridge so named because of the number of F-105s shot down over its slopes) near Yen Bai. The F-105 lead element broke left while the second element and all the F-4s went right. Colonel Lan crossed over the top of the formation in full after-burner and dove after the two loners. He latched onto the trailing “Thud” as the driver jettisoned his bomb-load. Colonel

The next day as I strapped in the cockpit at Noi Bai, I looked across the field at the row of active MiG-21 fighters, then up at Thud Ridge. It loomed out of the thick haze like a ghostly sentry standing guard over the many mysteries of that country’s wartorn history. It had been a unique experience for me, yet I couldn’t help but imagine how much better it could turn out if ol’ “Robbie” would just come running in from the past, climb aboard and shout “take me home”.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ralph F. Wetterhahn, ’63 is currently chairman, R&R Aviation Services, Ltd. Bangkok, Thailand.

In 1966-67, then Lt. Wetterhahn was assigned to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand, where he completed 100 missions in the F-4 Phantom over North Vietnam and was credited with one confirmed aerial victory (MiG-21). He then served as an F-4 instructor pilot for two years. After futile attempts to return to combat, he volunteered and was selected for exchange duty with the U.S. Navy. Captain Wetterhahn flew 77 combat missions in the A-7 Corsair and completed 144 carrier-arrested landings. In 1973, he was reassigned to Korat Air Base in Thailand for his third tour when U.S. participation in the war ended.

After a brief staff tour at Hq PACAF (’74-’76), Major Wetterhahn joined the first operational F-15 wing at Langley AFB, Va. where he accumulated 1,000 hours in the Eagle and progressed to the rank of colonel. He then served a Pentagon tour as deputy director of International Programs (Foreign Military Sales) from 1983-86. Colonel Wetterhahn returned to PACAF as assistant deputy chief of staff for Plans and then as chief of Safety. In 1988, he was selected for attendance at the Defense Language Institute and follow-on duty as chief, Air Force Division, Joint U.S. Military Advisory Group, Thailand.

Colonel Wetterhahn retired in 1992 after accumulating more than 4,000 hours flying time in the A-4, A-7, F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16, F-20 and C-12. His military decorations include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with 19 Oak Leaf Clusters. He has a master’s degree in busines administration from Auburn University and is married to the former Carol Leviton of Teaneck, N.J. “Khun Ralph’’, as he is known in Thailand, has three sons one of whom is a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

1970 Graduate Gears Up for Governor’s Race

Mike Burkett, a 1970 Air Force Academy graduate, is gearing up to run for governor of the State of Idaho in 1994. Following two productive terms as a senator in the Idaho Legislature, Burkett’s returning to statewide elective politics will advance his senate accomplishments in education reform and improving public education in Idaho.

Burkett, 45, graduated from the Academy with a bachelor’s degree in economics. As a captain, he served a tour of duty with the Air Force in Washington, D.C. from 1970-75. He worked on weapons and manpower management at Andrews Air Force Base and was then assigned to the Department of Defense where he designed the organization and staffing needs for the then-new Defensive Investigation Service. He graduated from the University of Idaho Law School in 1979, and is a partner in the Boise law firm of Park & Burkett.

In its endorsement of Burkett in his second race for the state senate in 1990, The Idaho Statesman newspaper called Burkett “a solid and thoughtful legislator... Mike Burkett brings ideas, plus energy and compassion... His advocacy of open government and financial disclosure reflects the increasing desire by all Idahoans to keep close tabs on Statehouse doings.”

Burkett, a Democrat in a strongly-Republican state, won his first state senate term in 1988 with a stunning upset over a 14-year senate veteran described in a newspaper story as “the most powerful, most visible legislator in the state.” Burkett’s primary messages improve Idaho’s public schools, ensure government ethics and end partisan bickering garnered broad and deep support. He forged a highly-effective grass-roots campaign supported by top community leaders and business executives, teachers, political newcomers and hundreds of volunteers from both political parties, as well as independents. He represented an “at large” legislative district, the biggest in the state with a population of over 200,000, about 20 percent of the entire state,

including the capital city of Boise.

Burkett’s election signaled the end of years of partisan bickering that stifled effective legislation and discredited the legislative process in the eyes of many Idaho citizens. In 1990, Burkett easily defeated a former state senator to win a second term.

Burkett’s campaign theme, “A Governor for ALL of Idaho,” includes his commitment to “Speaking Up. Reaching Out. Getting Results for Idaho.”

Mike Burkett, known for hisfrequent contact and outreach to his constituents, chats with George and Elvera Klein, long-time supporters of Mike’s efforts in Idaho.

“Idaho is a very special state where people speak their minds and expect their government to serve them, not the other way around.” Burkett said. “To this day my Air Force experience gives me an important perspective on government and public service. These are critical times for our state and the nation as a whole. My family and I are looking forward to the challenge of leading Idaho into the next century.”

The Secret Life of Waldo F. Dumbsquat

C/4C Waldo F. Dumbsquat numbly double-timed away from the Dental Hobby Shop. The doolie now had a new respect for The Marathon Man. He navigated his way around the Air Gardens and headed toward the Old Dorm. Once inside the stairwell in front of Command Post, the freshman marched stiffly down to the mailroom. It required three attempts at the combination before the stubborn mailbox door would open. Inside, the resident spider clung tenaciously to the flyer from Congressman Armstrong. To Waldo’s delight, however, there was a yellow slip of paper behind the paid political ad. Clutching the precious paper, he got in line at the postal window.

“I’m here to claim my care package,” grinned the doolie.

The clerk put down the M-l he was holding and grabbed the prize from Waldo. Waldo waited anxiously as the clerk frowned at the yellow slip and fumbled for an ammo magazine in his coat pocket.

“There’s been some mistake here. This isn’t for you, squat.”

“Sir, that’s Dumbsquat, Waldo corrected the man with the rifle.

Dejectedly, the doolie double-timed back to the stairwell. Waldo thought he heard the sound of gun shots echoing through the dormitory. He was glad he hadn’t asked for stamps.

One thing Waldo could never figure out was why the Cadet Store was so close to Wing Staff. One wrong turn in the hallway... Waldo shuddered to think about it.

The Cadet Store was the freshman’s heaven. The shelves

overflowed with treasures rivaled by only those of the ancient Egyptians and Tack’s Liquor Store. Waldo marveled at all the different types of cotton balls one could buy. While looking at shoe polish, the freshman bumped into his friend, Warren Heels.

“Hi, Waldo!”

“Hi, Warren. What brings you here?”

“Well, my element leader told me to write a letter to my mother, so I need to buy some flashlight batteries.”

“Good idea.”

“I also asked the girl at the cash register out to the fourthclass mixer,” added Warren coyly.

“Wow!” exclaimed Waldo admiringly. “What did she say?”

“She said she didn’t know if she could get a sitter.”

“Oh... I wish I could buy that Carpenters tape.”

“Why? You don’t even own an eight-track tape player, Waldo.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. The wing commander won’t give us stereo privileges anyway.”

“Well, Waldo, I’ve got to go. Second period will be starting soon.”

“What class do you have?”

“Industrial Technology. I’m learning how to type.”

Waldo nodded. “I have to go back to the room before chemistry class.”

“Why? Do you have to study?”

“No, I have to shine my shoes. Captain Litmus is going to have another IRI.”

“Don’t forget your slide rule.”

“I won’t,” sighed Waldo.

CLASS NEWS

Pete Todd

1250 Big Valley Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80919-1015

Home: (719) 531-5874

FAX: (719) 531-6697

Percent members: 81

This quarter’s news is mostly about folks going places. First, the Cruise report: On 22 May, Rog and Lora COUNTS, Joe and Jo DESANTIS, Leigh and Cealie HUNT, Ed and Lucia MONTGOMERY and the TODDs departed Vancouver, British Columbia, aboard the Holland America Lines ms. Westerdam. Joining us (and about 1,400 passengers) were Gordon and Ann FLYGARE, Ralph and Darlene LALIME and Doug and Vicki REKENTHALER from the Class of ’60, Charlie and Sylvia Emmons (former ATO), and a number of friends and business associates of the foregoing travelers. The accompanying photo shows the ’59er contingent and the Emmonses at our Last-Night-At-Sea party. Everybody’s sucking it in pretty good.

notes and chat before going in to dinner. The cruise was a first for Wendy and me and, despite some spotty service, we highly recommend the experience to everyone. My videos and Wendy’s 11 (!) rolls of film will, of course, be required viewing by all future visitors to Hilltop (which should cut down the amount of our company substantially).

In other travel news, Ed MONTGOMERY filled me in on some of the details of a fascinating “working vacation” he took from his multiple jobs at United Airlines last year. Ed was hired to go to Moscow to “facilitate” the flight of a Russian-crewed TU-134 (roughly DC-9 equivalent) full of Russian scientists to the NASA facility at Wallops Island, VA. The occasion was a joint US-Russian oceanographic survey and the airplane was specially modified for that task, to include two huge, externally mounted Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) antennae.

The departure base turned out to be dear old Ramenskoye, the oncesuper-secret Soviet aviation R&D center. Ed noted that, for an American fighter pilot to stand there on the tarmac in sight of what appeared to be at least one model of every airplane the USSR had built in the last half century was a stirring reminder of just how much the world has changed in the past few years.

The TU-134 wasn’t designed for transoceanic travel, so the plan was to “island hop” across the Atlantic: Moscow to Oslo, Keflavik, Gander and Wallops Island. After a two-day delay in taking off from Moscow while the striped pants set on both sides of the Atlantic got their bureaucracies harmonized, the leg to Oslo went fine. However, after SAS had sent them on their way toward Iceland, the news arrived that unscheduled repairs on the intersection of Keflavik’s two main runways had just begun and would take several days to complete. This meant that, with the usable runway available, the airplane couldn’t take off with enough fuel to reach Gander.

After landing and verifying that, indeed, there wouldn’t be enough runway, the Russian “Aeroflot” crew (obviously military) starts to get nervous because it looks like they, their airplane, and the gaggle of scientists won’t get to Virginia in time for the scheduled kickoff of the project. Ed is getting even more nervous because he’s the bag man for the trip and an unplanned layover until the runway is fixed would quickly exhaust his cash reserves, his checkbook and his MasterCard credit limit.

Now, I hope you don’t think that, just because a group of ’59ers went on a cruise, we acted like all those other weak-willed civilians who were aboard. Actually, I am proud to report that everyone exercised the iron discipline that has always been the hallmark of our class and, during the entire week, not a single member of our group had more than nine meals in any 24-hour period. At first, we were distressed to discover that the sea air was causing such pronounced shrinkage in our clothing, but the crew assured us that this was a common and completely natural phenomenon in the northern latitudes.

The ship sailed up the inside passage along the west coast of Canada, stopping first at Ketchikan and the next day at Juneau, Alaska. We then spent one spectacular morning and afternoon cruising in Glacier Bay National Park, marveling at the more-or-less unspoiled beauty of these mighty and stately rivers of ice inexorably sculpting their channels to the sea. In Sitka the next day, we made the final stop in our economic aid mission to Alaska before sailing back to Vancouver.

We were incredibly lucky with the weather; our port calls were in places that normally measure their annual rainfall infeet, rather than inches, yet for most of the week the weather was severe clear and, except for the day among the glaciers, almost balmy. We told the locals we had been conducting daily human sacrifices aboard the ship to assure cloudless skies, which some of them appeared to accept without question and with considerable gratitude.

Having friends and classmates along provided just the right balance of togetherness and solitude. Everybody more or less went their own way during the day, availing themselves of a wide choice of tours and activities on board or ashore. Then we’d meet for a drink in the evening to compare

However, calling on his vast aviation experience and employing the inherent flexibility of airpower, Ed recalled that there is another runway of comfortable length in that part of the world, Sondre Stromfjord in Greenland. It wasn’t exactly in the right direction, but they could reach there from Keflavik and take off again with enough fuel to reach Gander. Ed calmly made the arrangements to change the flight plan on his own authority, a deviation which appeared to cause major sphinctertightening among the Russian crew.

The next day, as they were flying over Greenland, the Russian captain commented to Ed that, in Russia such a change of plans would have had to be referred to the highest headquarters and the decision would have taken weeks. Ed replied that such was often the case in the U.S. Air Force, but that a philosophy had evolved to deal with such situations. Digging out his pocket dictionary to be sure he had it right, Ed translated, “Sometimes it is easier to seek forgiveness than permission.” After that, they even let him fly the airplane a bit!

Dean WOOD has also been on the move and wrote me a note with a report on R.L. PENN’s befuddlement at his and Eugenia’s nupitals on 22 May. The ceremony was conducted in a Russian Orthodox church near their home and R.L. reportedly carried off the event with the aplomb of somebody who has just opened a Christmas gift which surpassed his greediest dreams. Dean said the wedding party also included (at least) Doug GRAFFLIN, Dick GOETZE, Larry JOLLY, Ed JOSEPHSON, Don LIVINGSTON, and Jimmie SMITH. Acknowledging his advanced case of CRS, Dean said he might have missed a couple. Not to worry: Jo Anne Grafflin promises a social column-quality account of the proceedings next issue, complete with pictures. (It would have been in this edition except for a short-notice change in deadline.)

Dean also said he has moved 170 miles east of San Antonio to Matagorda Bay and the Gulf. He now lives in Port O’Connor, population 763 people and 785 black Labrador retrievers. Hunting, fishing and birding are the principal pastimes in the area and Dean, who had been going there

for years to participate in same, finally decided to just stay. I also got a good-news call from Paul LASEN who told me he and Barbara had left Wichita for greener pastures in Tennessee. They are in Memphis where Paul serves as chief pilot for Sparks Commodities and gets paid actual money to fly a Beechcraft 400, the civilian version of the Air Force T-1A. They’re also having a home built there, so it sounds like the well-earned and overdue good times have finally arrived.

Speaking of new homes, Ed Montgomery and I recently accompanied Jim BROWN for a no-notice progress inspection of his new digs in Monument. As the accompanying picture suggests, there’s still some finishing work to be done, but Jim and Rose hope to be in and settled by the time this issue of Checkpoints is on the street.

Finally, a few weeks ago I opened a letter that contained a church program. At first, I thought some misguided local clergy person was foolishly risking lightning damage to his or her bell tower by inviting me to a service. Then I realized Bonnie JEFFERSON had sent this program and that it was for May 2 services at Christ Church in Alexandria during which Kent MONTAVON delivered not one, but two sermons. (Kent is further cited in the program as Senior Warden of the Church Vestry.) Bonnie says she and Wayne were there for this historic event and that Kent did a superb job. No surprise; Diane told me Kent has been preaching to her for years!

Hope everybody had a great summer and is now looking forward to the changing of the leaves. Go Falcons!

Chris Warack

690 Winding Hills Road

Monument, CO 80132

Home: (719) 488-2504

Percent members: 78

Here it is almost football season again! Of course, I am writing this in June to meet the deadline. Speaking of football, just last month (May), Jim GLAZA, Roy and Barb JOLLY and I spent a enjoyable spring Saturday watching the Blue-Silver game. It was vastly different than those we have seen in the past. The football was in the air most of the first half! AIR POWER! Anyway they ran up over 60 points between the two teams. Just maybe we’ll see more of that type of offense this season. Let’s all cheer on the Falcons.

One of the regulars of our football crowd has moved. Doug and Leeanna MILLER have moved back to Pennslyvania where both originated. I haven’t received any word but fully expect Doug will provide news for the next issue. Another move which is rumored is that Bill HODSON has gone to the D.C. area. Would someone please prod Bill into reporting in.

Congratulations to Dale and Cherie THOMPSON on Dale’s promotion to Lt. Gen.! Here’s Andi BIANCUR’s report on the event. “The reason to write is mainly concerned with the ‘Major Media Event’ that occurred here in Utah on 26 and 27 May. It surrounded the promotion of Dale THOMPSON to Lt. Gen. It was a class act all the way. On Wednesday evening Joan and I, along with Stu and Marnie BOYD (’61) joined Dale and Cherie at the farewell dinner that the ALC gave them. It was made special by the fact that Dale Thompson senior and Dale’s mother could be there and enjoy all of the ceremonies. On 27 May, Ron and Connie YATES flew in to officiate at the promotion and the change of command. George PUPICH and son Alex (an incoming doolie) arrived from Colorado Springs where they had to leave Diana, as her father’s health is

Dale Thompson’s promotion ceremony: from left are Gen. Ron Yates, new Lt. Gen. Thompson, Dale Thompson Sr., and Cherie Thompson. not good. In all, Dale was surrounded by his three roommates at the Zoo. During the ceremony, Cheri graciously asked Dale senior to take her place in pinning the third star on Dale; a gesture that met with instant approval from everyone present. We did not have much time to chat but did manage a war story or two. On Friday morning, after seeing Ron and Connie off to McClellan, Dale and Cherie departed for the long two-car caravan to Wright-Pat. The big hurdle facing them was to get past Indianapolis on Sunday without running into the “500” crowd. (Just a couple weeks later Dale was in Europe investigating the MGen. Campbell flap! Hang tough guys!) I ran into the “Garboon,” Jerry'GIRARD, at a series of briefings in D.C. in April. He is currently working with Hughes Missile Systems Co. in Pomona, CA. They are in the process of moving the operation to Arizona, and Jerry is not sure of his next move. It is the same Jerry we all knew in school. A ton of enthusiasm and an idea or vision for each pound in that ton. His older daughter is graduating from law school in Ohio this year.” Thanks Andi!

Rich CARTER reports he has sold his stock transfer company and is working to get a mortgage service company going. He also has been drafted to become the CEO of a Russian/American company that is working to cure soft-tissue cancer. He was chosen for his size and percieved ability to take names and kick butt. The impending greed is apparently bad enough that pure physical size was deemed to be the greatest attribute of the new CEO! The Carters report that their daughter has recently married after graduating from Regis College with summa cum laude honors. Rich and Kathryn are settled in a Frank Lloyd Wrightdesigned home in suburban Denver. It has a pool, sauna, hot tub, bar and lots of room for overnighters.

Paul and Kay VALLERIE are still content living in the Northwest. Paul is busy working on keeping the cost down on the 777 avionics electronics. Tonya, their daughter, has just graduated from U of Wash with a degree in law and society and hopes to get on with the FBI. Paul saw Ralph MILLER in L.A. recently. Ralph had been with GE, but they were bought out by Martin. Anyone in the Seattle area is welcome. Call Paul at 747-3726. Great telephone prefix for a Boeing employee!

Ralph LALIME’s voluntary contribution to the column follows: “Chris, I received a threatening phone call from Tony BURSHNICK at your behest last night! Apparently you have not received an appropriate

trip report yet on the Alaskan Cruise. Yes, Darlene and I along with Gordon FLYGARE, his attractive wife, Ann; Doug REKENTHALER and his charming wife, Vicki; RTA (Doug’s company) chief scientist Doug Currie, RTA’s accountant Bill Miller, ’59er’s Ed and Lucia MONTGOMERY, Joe and Jo DESANTIS, Lee and Cealie HUNT, and Pete and Wendy TODD, all under the able leadership of ATO Charlie Emmons and his bride, Sylvia. We enjoyed a truly magnificent cruise. We sailed out of Vancouver eh? (humor) Stopped at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Sitka; went up the inland passage into Glacier Bay and had glorious sunshine and balmy tempatures the entire trip! The food was absolutely fantastic; we were gaining two lbs per day even though we were all trying to exercise it off. I ended up jogging 15 miles in the six days and still gained eight lbs. They awarded ‘heart’ points for group exercise participation and many of our group earned T-shirts, etc. Darlene had just come out of her Utah ski cast but even with a leg brace she earned a visor. Over-achiever, my friend Ed MONTGOMERY, earned enough points in the first two days to receive a T-shirt! In Sitka we saw six eagles chasing a seventh eagle with a freshly caught fish in its mouth and I couldn’t help but remember how much fun it used to be to swoop and soar and grunt and sweat and be blinded by the sun... how did it go? ‘...and danced the skies on laughtersilvered wings.’”

Ralph also passed on an extraordinary response by Doug REKENTHALER to Mike LOVE’s children as a result of my plea in the previous issue. Doug has a business which takes him to faraway places. He had some time on his hands in Budapest, Hungary, where he was attending a conference on “Remote Sensing,” Doug wrote eight pages about time he shared with Mike. I hope there are others of you who responded or will soon. Doug also went to Prague, Moscow, Kiev, and Rome on this trip. Doug if you have another moment free in that busy schedule of yours; perhaps an open letter to all of us would bring us up to date.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS; Lt. Gen. Dale W. THOMPSON, 419 Johnson Dr, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433; Brian KALEY, 853 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Naples, FL 33963.

I’m always in need of news. Thanks to you who have written. Please continue. And you guys who haven’t, I’d sure like to hear from you. If you don’t write; you’ll read about my two-week vacation at a family reunion in Michigan and visit with grandchildren in North Carolina. Keep in touch!

Hanson Scott

1300 Onava Court, NE

Albuquerque, NM 87112

Phone: (505) 293-4486

Percent members: 81

fGreetings from sunny/windy New Mexico! Summer has finally arrived and I have several news items on the class.

I received a note from Hector NEGRONI with an enclosed newspaper article regarding Wayne WHALEN’s law firm in Chicago. The article mentioned that Wayne’s office (96 attorneys) is currently twice the size envisioned after a decade their clients include four of the five largest public companies in Chicago. Further, Wayne’s firm was tagged by the Chicago Tribune Magazine as “Chicago’s hottest law firm” in 1991. Wayne is the managing partner of the office no doubt he has been a major factor in the success of his firm.

Jim CASSIDY checked in following his trip to North Carolina for a week at the beach. He has been in the real estate/insurance business in his home town since ’66 he purchased the business from his father in ’85. Daughter Sheila is married to a Navy Lt with duty in Washington; second daughter, Maureen, is a physical therapist, and Jim III is on the verge of completing college. Young Jim spent a tour with the 1st Special Forces Group at Ft. Lewis following high school.

Sam HARDAGE writes that son Adam is entering USAFA this summer with the Class of ’97. Sam adds that his son is “terribly excited” and that “ole dad here is looking forward to seeing Adam in a blue uniform, following in the tradition of so many fine young men who have gone before him.” Sam also added a recap of the Winos and Derelicts annual ski weekend in Vail. In attendance were Bob BEST, Bob BRICKEY, Randy CUBERO, Brice JONES, Frank KISZLEY, Rich MAYO, Mike QUINLAN, Jim HINKLE, and Sam. Sam said the only guys “who could get it up and get on the slopes were Randy, Mike, Frank, and myself. All the rest had bum excuses, i.e. bum legs, bum knees, and just bummed out!” Thanks for the update, Sam. Pass the word to the rest of the crowd to convert some of that energy into a letter or call to their class scribe !<

After reading Sam’s letter, it was time for a call to Ripley, Tennessee to check up on Bob BEST. Bob said he had visited New Jersey recently and had lunch with Ed SPRAGIA. Ed passed on his regards to all his former classmates. Bob is in the process of building a new house said if he came up short, he may have to make a trip to Las Vegas. Bob said the more years he puts into his business, the longer the days get.

From San Antonio, Larry FREEMAN reports that the gang gets together locally three or four times a year. He ran into Earl AMAN at the BX Earl is busy flying for UPS. Larry and Kathy are planning a trip to Ft. Collins to check up on Don and Joyce BOX.

From New Hampshire, Ron WEEDEN reports that his youngest, daughter Kim, has just finished college at Plymouth State and will be an elementary teacher. Son James works in Manhattan, and daughter Sherryl is married and living close by.

Our gentleman farmer in Virginia is still getting the place in shape. Twy and Nancy WILLIAMS had just completed a family reunion when we visited. Nancy teaches music in the Lexington school system, and Robert will be a sophomore next year. Twy’s place is located north of Lexington just off 1-81 to the west. His parents are still doing great they live down the creek a mile and a half. He asked that if any classmates happened to be driving by and noticed a barn with a roof needing repairs, they are invited to stop in and lend a hand.

From inside the beltway, Charlie STEBBINS reports that number two son, James, is getting married soon in Pennsylvania. Charlie and Sarah are extremely pleased that Mrs. Ida Vacirca, Larry VACIRCA’s mother, will be flying in from Los Angeles for the wedding. Charlie and Larry were roommates First Class Year. Charlie added that the “seat of government” ’61ers had a social recently at John and Ellen SULLIVAN’S. Also, it appears that Charlie is still being bothered by disturbing phone calls from the West Coast apparently the authorities have been unable to locate the source.

More about the Jim and Nancy WILHELM’s trip to Arizona. They spent February and part of March playing snowbirds in Tucson and had a great time visiting Jerry and Sue LEFTON. The Lefton’s live “in a beautiful home overlooking the 16th hole of the El Conquistador Golf Course.” Jerry and Jim played a couple of rounds on the club’s 18-hole course in addition to a game at Davis-Monthan’s course. Jim said that Jerry’s handicap is a comfortable single-digit. During the same period, Ron and Jeri FULLERTON came to town to visit Jeri’s folks. The three couples got together several times, highlighted by a gathering at one of the local Mexican restaurants. Jim enclosed the following picture, which was taken “just before they threw us out.”

Sue, Jerry, Jeri, Ron, Jim, and Nancy

Tom ELLER provided a recap of his and Anne’s trip, along with Randy and Jan CUBERO to the World Croquet Championships (singles) hosted by Brice JONES. For the last eight years, Brice has arranged the championships in support of various charities this year it was the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Tom added that Brice has provided one of the best croquet courts in the world.

In order to find out a little more about the event, I called Brice who added that there were 28 croquet players from eight different countries, including six players from the U.S. Included in the schedule was a wine auction a bottle of Brice’s white wine was auctioned for $6,000. Brice said the wine auction was one of the top five in the U.S. Brice also mentioned that Dave PHILLIPS, ’59, had purchased a dinner for $XXXX for 26 people at Sonoma Cutre next year and was looking for folks to “fill up the table.”

From Michigan, Jerry MASON reports that his small environmental

testing and remediation company is becoming a profitable venture. He describes his business as filling a specialty niche and he is beginning to look at expanding to other locations in Michigan and maybe Ohio. Son Mike, who used to play “Goofy” and get paid for it (at Disneyworld), is now a convention manager for the Marriott Corporation in Ft. Lauderdale. Number two son, Dave, whose first love is music, is co-owner of an engineering firm. The youngest son, Jeff, is completing undergraduate studies and will attend law school.

Terry and Carleen STORM’s daughter Shari will be marrying this summer whatever happened to that little girl that used to come and watch our basketball games when we were in the Pentagon?

From several sources I have learned that R.D. SMITH will be retiring soon and will relocate to San Antonio. R.D. and Carolyn are going to visit the Masons in Michigan and then make their way to San Antonio. Also, Frank WILLIS is planning a career change as well. From my count, there will soon be only five from ’61 left in uniform.

As I was putting the finishing touches on the column, I learned that our esteemed executive vice president of the Association of Graduates, Dick COPPOCK, was “under the weather” but is doing great and is back on the job.

Changes of address: A1 BLAISDELL, 29 Crown Place, Richardson, TX 75080-1603; Paul HINTON, 3841 South Versailles, Dallas, TX 75209; Tom LAPLANTE, 14975 N. Oak Summit, San Antonio, TX 78232.

As always, I solicit your calls, notes, and letters. Thanks for the info standing by to copy.

John W. “Jack” Jamba

4 Judy Court

Satellite Beach, FL 32937

Home: (407) 777-5520

Office: (407) 861-3519

Percent members: 73

HI REDTAGS!

The summer heat has started. Stay indoors during the afternoon and come out at night. While I’m indoors, I can type this column. Here goes.

Got a letter from Bob FELTS which was a repeat of one he sent me in December and I lost. “Hey Jack, what’s happening? Long time, no correspondence. I have never been the world’s best at corresponding with the classmates; but thought I would finally take time out to say hello to all the Redtags through your column. Hope everyone is well in ’93.

“Sorry I could not make the reunion, but my time has been taken up lately with helping my wife run her new corporation which we decided to call Invictus Corporation. Where did that come from? Invictus Corporation is the evolvement of our sole proprietorship environmental consuiting service which we started in 1989. Margaret handles the engineering portion and I handle the business end. Right now we have five employees besides Margaret and me a registered geologist, an environmental specialist, a staff geologist, an accountant and an office manager. We provide a variety of environmental services to various clients, including litigation support; Phase I, II, and III property evaluations and cleanups; property assessments and so forth. Much of our work has been for California state agencies; however, we have a broad base of private clients as well. We operate out of offices which we built on our land in the small

town of Wilton, about 25 miles southeast of Sacramento, and have managed environmental projects from Eureka to Bakersfield. So far we’ve had a good time and have done well, having just passed the magic three-year point during which most businesses fail. We are still looking for that major federal or state contract which will launch us into the big league, though our bids are always out there and someday one will land on our steps.

“Margaret and I have lived in California since I retired in 1982. We have four children: David, 27, an Air Force captain currently stationed at Yokota AB, Japan with his wife, Janet; Shane, 18, a high school senior graduating in two weeks; Jonathan, 15, a 10th grader; and Julia, 13, also a 10th grader. The kids all go to school in Elk Grove which is about 15 miles from our house. Although I am still a Southerner at heart and would probably be more at home in my native Alabama or in Texas, the kids are Californians to the core.

“I really don’t have much else to add, I guess, except to say that I have enjoyed your news column over the years, Jack, and look forward to receiving the Checkpoints mag each quarter so I can track the doings of the class members. Regards to everyone and if you’re ever in the area please give me a call. We can always pay BANFORD a visit at North Lake Tahoe. P.S. Saw Banford a couple of days ago ornery as ever, fun to be with, never a dull moment his restaurant is doing great. Keep in touch.”

Thanks for the letter, Bob. Hope I can get out that way sometime soon. Got a short note from Owen HAWKINS shortly after I mailed the last column. He commented on my tired fingers from all the typing I did for the reunion stories. Thanks for the note, Owen. Let me know when you and Connie are out this way again.

Fred and Arlene HENDRYX were here for a visit with their parents a couple months ago. Fred drove over to the Tampa area to see Tom YOUNG and do some deep-sea fishing in the Gulf. Tom got some goodsized keepers. Tom is getting into the real estate business there having relocated from Columbus, Ohio. While I was at Fred’s parents house we called Tom and talked for a while and I told him we would look him up the next time we were in Tampa.

Got a call from Duke GREEN a couple of weeks ago. He was going to be at Patrick AFB and wanted to get together. We made plans to have dinner the following night after he arrived from MacDill AFB. As I was finishing my call with him, I got a call-waiting beep and, lo and behold, it was Randy SCHAMBERGER calling from north Florida. He called to tell me that only two people responded with inputs to the proposed 30th Reunion Memorabilia Publication. So he is going to return the materials to the two and close the project. I was sorry to hear that, but I was partially to blame because I have about four rolls of pictures that I could have contributed. I think that Randy had a good idea. Is there anyway that we can do a similar project now or for the 35th Reunion? Some advance planning might yield better results in the future.

Caroline is the operations supervisor at Patrick AFB Base Billeting, so she made sure Duke’s VIP room was in excellent condition. The following night Duke called when he arrived so Caroline and I took him and a fellow investigator for dinner at an Italian restaurant in nearby Suntree. (Fred and Arlene HENDRYX will have to try it the next time they’re in town.) Duke retired last year and now has a job as a staff investigator for

the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. He travels around the country and the world researching issues for the committee. He enjoys the travel but not the report writing. There is a “significant other” in his life who takes up his free time whenever he isn’t on the golf course. He says his golf game is doing fine and the hip is performing well; hasn’t slowed him down. While we were talking, Duke mentioned that he heard about an F-16 crash at Ft. Worth involving a civilian test pilot. He asked me if I had heard anthing about it, since Joe Bill DRYDEN was a test pilot for the Ft. Worth assembly plant newly acquired by Lockheed. I din’t know. The next day I got a call from Gail PECK in Las Vegas saying he was at a Daedalians meeting the night before when he was told that Joe Bill had indeed been the pilot of the F-16. So I called Tuck MCATEE in Ft. Worth the next day. Tuck told me about the crash and the funeral. He said that Diane held up well. Their grown children were there and it was a very fitting tribute to Joe Bill. He was a Fightin’ Fourth compadre who I enjoyed knowing very much. I’m sorry that our paths didn’t cross during the past 30 years. The Redtags will miss him.

Got a call from Fred Hendryx last week. He was back in Melbourne because his father had died. His dad had some severe heart trouble last fall that put him into a nursing home. His condition worsened until he finally passed away. Fred’s brother and sons were at the funeral. After a trip back to Ohio, Fred’s mom will return to Melbourne. Fm going to miss Mr. Hendyx... whenever Fred and Arlene came in to town, we always got together for dinner. But we first had snacks and cocktails at his parents’ house. Those were fun times with his parents.

I called Tuck this past weekend and told him I was going to be in Dallas for a convention in the middle of June. So he’s going to try to arrange a Redtag get-together during that time.

Lynn and E.C. Newman share a moment together.

Got a call from Mike BUTCHKO as I was going to press. He sent an essay on integrity and professionalism to the AOG for inclusion in Checkpoints. He is also writing a book on the C-17 story from his perspective. If he finds a publisher, he hopes to be in print this fall. He and Kay plan to stay in Ft. Walton Beach and build on their property. He expressed his heartfelt thanks to the classmates and friends who called and sent letters of support. You can contact him through the Center Cmdr’s secretary, Martha, at 904-882-5422. By the way, on 21 May, Eglin was awarded the Best Base in the Air Force. The award cited outstanding leadership as a contributing factor.

I got a change-of-address from Erv ROKKE. He has been transferred to Washington, DC. He has a residence on Bolling AFB. I guess that’s it for now. I’m going to dig out some reunion photos for this column. Reminder: I have two weeks from the date you receive Checkpoints in the mail to the deadline I have to send out my next column. Drop me a line now! Go Redtags!

Norman I. Lee III

17532 N.E. 38th Court

Redmond, WA 98052

Work: (206) 294-1665

Home: (206) 882-0968

Percent members: 77

Today is June 5, 1993; 30 years since we listened to John F. Kennedy talk about supersonic transports and then put the Rampart Range in our

CLASS OF 1963 30th REUNION

4-7 November 1993

USAFA vs Army

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!

rear view mirrors. Can it be that many years ago? Hard to believe! Fred FROSTIC sent me a letter, along with list of classmates from Southern California, suggesting that since we really graduated on June 5th a class gathering on that date would be appropriate. He also claimed a “practice reunion” was needed. Like practice parades? The selected spot was the DC-3 restaurant adjacent to the Santa Monica Air Museum. Fred just reported in and the gathering of Yellow Tags was a grand success. Twelve classmates plus dinner partners attended including Jim BODNAR, Grant BORINZIN, Bob BRECKENRIDGE, Terry DAKE, Merrill EASCOTT, Rae HODGES, Fred KOHL, Ed MAHER, Warren NOGAKI, Rob POLLOCK, and Bob STORMS. Skip BRITTENHAM, Chuck BUSH and Wayne LEFORS made contact but were unable to make the party. Ed REISDORF initally planned to attend but was later forced to call from Mexico and cancel. Fred says Ed is heavily involved in the construction of a two-hotel, two-golf-course resort in Cabo San Lucas. Now that is news! I can’t wait to hear more.

Henry HOFFMAN sent a post card that almost showed me his new house in Pompano Beach, FL. Hank’s note said his house was just out of the picture in the lower left hand corner. Based on that intelligence, the house is either on the beach or darned close. Single, and flying the Boeing 767 and 757 airplanes for American Airlines, Hank promises to be home with enough frequency to host any of us who find ourselves in the Ft. Lauderdale area and want to stop by for some whiskey or golf, not necessarily in that order. Typically a day late and a dollar short, I was in the Ft. Lauderdale in late March looking for a big white cruise ship. Since we had an extra day on our hands it would have been a lot less expensive and much more fun if I had known of Hank’s house and invitation. Linda and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary a bit early by taking a seven-day western Caribbean cruise aboard the Crown Princess. What a way to go! Also great to have a travel agent for a wife.

Larry DAY sent a nice letter updating me on his future plans. Larry accepted a job as the director of Administration and Finance he calls it the LG/RM and base commander for Bay Path College in Longmeadow, MA. The college is a small liberal arts school with a student body of 600 women. Longmeadow is located in the Connecticut River Valley five minutes from Springfield, MA and 20 minutes from Harfort, CT. Limiting golf to seven or eight months appears to be the only drawback to the whole scenario. Larry says he will leave San Antonio at the end of June and move into a house on the campus in early July. Fran will be at the beach Neddick, Maine from Memorial Day until the end of September. Larry is planning to be at the beach during his vacation and on most weekends. Their house in Neddick is called “The Boulders.” If you find yourself in New England an open invitation exists for sun and golf in the summer, leaf watching in the fall or skiing in the winter.

Lesli ZIMMERMAN wrote to let us in on the doings of the Zimmerman family. Lesli and Jack are planning on Colorado this November, but

in the meantime are working on selling their home in Texas and moving to Georgia. Jack is employed as a sales consultant/manager for a security company and working on a new family. Since their marriage in 1989, the Zimmerman family has grown: Sean (8), Ariel (3) and Amber (8 months) plus Jack’s children from his first marriage. As Lesli put it, Jack has six kids ranging in age from 29 years to eight months. Jack claims the kids keep him young.

Jimmie BUTLER mailed out “Reunion Update 2” back in April. For those of you who can’t find the mailing or set it aside thinking November is a long way off, I need to emphasize you are already behind. Included in the package was an order form for memorabilia, reservations forms for the Antlers Doubletree (they will handle reservations by telephone) and instructions for biographical information and slide-show inputs.

Although Jimmie has used July 15 as the deadline, I am sure you can be accommodated, but get moving! I am printing the photograph Jimmie enclosed with the mail out as a sales pitch for the memorabilia because a picture like that should not go unpublished. From left in the back row are Bob HAYES modeling the sports jacket, Stinky STEINBRINK in the T-shirt, John HELINSKI looking good in the sweater, and Ev VAUGHN showing off the silver-grey sports jacket. In the front row is Jimmie wearing the sports cap, Butch VERDIER with a firm grip on the coffee mug and Ken KOPKE very smart in the white sweater. Don’t you think the sweaters look marvelous!

Dave NUSS wrote Jimmie and Jim DIFFENDORFER a note suggesting the Friday evening reunion banquet be black tie/mess dress affair. I immediately said no way; however, after thinking about it, the idea has a lot of merit. The formal nights on our cruise were by and large the ones we remember the most. It is great fun to dress up. Anyway, for those looking for something special to do during the reunion, you might consider bringing your tuxedo or mess dress if you can still get into same.

Jim DIFFENDORFER and Tom FRYER have coordinated the class gift with the organizing committee. To help the AOG finish the second level of Doolittle Hall, our committee decided the purchase of one of the stairwells will be a worthy undertaking as a class gift for this reunion. The estimated cost of the stairwells is $50,000 each. Don’t know what that will mean per head, but I am sure we can all find some extra cash to put toward the project. How? It’s easy if 190 of us donate $263.00 or 263 of us donate $190.00. By now you should have received more detailed information. If not, please get hold of Jimmie BUTLER.

Jim JAMERSON has moved from Europe seems like he has been there a long time to take over command of 12th Air Force at Bergstrom. As 12th AF/CC, Jim will also hold down the position of commander, U.S. Southern Command Air Forces. Jim was the vice CINC, U.S. Air Forces Europe and director of the European Air Combat Operations Staff. Now that he is back in the U.S.A. and Texas, can we expect to see Jim’s happy face in Colorado this November? Hope so.

Jim FAIN moved from director of Requirements at Air Force Materiel Command to commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center, both at Wright-Patterson. Jim was also selected for his third star. Congratulations! Before he gets much of a chance to enjoy his new job, Jim, according to several periodicals, will head up the defense study panel to determine the fate of the C-17. I’m not prejudiced much but the answer is obvious: no other airlifter can do the job and the country needs airlift! Maybe Jim can give us an up close and personal on what, how, and why during our business meeting in November.

Some other changes include John NEHRING from Bozeman, MT to Chamblee, GA, Bob MURPHY retiring June 9th, Charlie PARKER retiring to Richland (Tri-Cities), WA; Mike FERGUSON retiring and

moving from Honolulu to Fairbanks, Alaska (wow!); and Jerry THIES retiring.

This has been great. My sincere thanks for all the cards and letters. By the time you get to read this issue of Checkpoints, the next stop will be the Antlers Doubletree and Reunion! Please bring a business card or something that tells me what you are doing for fun and profit these days. You too can grace the pages of the Class News article. Until then, take care and have fun.

Bob Hovde

1360 Green Hills Court

Duncanville, TX 75137

Home: (214) 780-0724

Work: (214) 708-6340

Percent members: 75

'-sms**

'PSil

AIR FORCE TIMES: My old roomie, “Stevie-B” CROKER was in the Air Force Times twice lately. The first week he was quoted as saying, “The average B-52 is older than the pilots who fly them”, and that we need a plan to replace the old aircraft. I’m not sure that it had any connection, but in the next issue, he was reported as moving from being vice commander of the Air Combat Command at Langley AFB to being commander of Eighth Air Force at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. (Speaking of old, Steve can’t possibly be an OLD roomie maybe I should say EXroomie.) Thad WOLFE will move to Langley from Fort Meade to replace Steve, and will be promoted to lieutenant general. Not bad for an exwrestler!

CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS CARDS: There were two cards this time. Gary MATTHES moved from Palmdale, CA to Fort Worth, TX. Also moving to Texas (San Antonio) from California (McClellan AFB), is Bob WOODS. Welcome to Texas, y’all (or is it “All-y’all” for plural?).

NOTAFAG DINNER: That’s the North Texas Association of Air Force Academy Graduates dinner. They just wanted everyone to know how they stand on at least one issue. Five ’64 classmates were there. Four of us brought our wives, and Manny CARDENAS showed up with another American Airlines pilot but she was a lot better looking than he is! Tom and Linda MORRIS had recently been to New Orleans, where they learned about the See Food Diet (See it, eat it!). Bill and Maria SKAER were also there. Bill is responsible for organizing the ’64 group in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Guy and Sandy GRUDERS were there for their last function in Dallas. He has taken a job in York, PA as the chief of Management Information Systems for McCory’s Department Stores. Sandy (my Sandy) and I had a great time just talking to the group. (Dinner at the Dallas Athletic Club was classy, and the floor show by the “Fine Sisters” was racy, funny, and “fine”.)

PHONE CALLS: I received a call from Dave NEAL, who said that he and Dan FINK had been talking about the number of ’64 classmates who had been on the wrestling team. After looking them all up, they decided that a mini-reunion in San Francisco would be a good idea. I was in San Francisco with Sandy in May. (Just business, of course. I was presenting a paper at a conference.) We visited with Dave and Sue across the Golden Gate Bridge in Mill Valley. We had dinner at the Mountain Home Inn, halfway up Mt. Tamalpais the inn is owned by Ed CUNNINGHAM, ’67. It is only 20 minutes from downtown San Francisco, and I highly recommend it.

A1 HERZBERG called in April to tell me that he knew of about 11 classmates in the Colorado area. He wanted everyone to know that they were welcome at the meetings of the Rampart Chapter of the AOG. He also suggested that we had better get started on the 30th Reunion. “Good idea,” I said. “Why don’t you call Pete LOPRESTI in C-Springs and tell him to get on it?” About 10 minutes later, I got a call from Pete, who said that he was way ahead of me (well, at least a little ahead!). He had already talked to the AOG.

Unlike the 25th, when the Academy wanted us to have the reunion in the spring at the Blue and Silver scrimmage game, they will do anything they can to help set up a fall reunion. We had a choice between an early

Send your donation now to The Air Force Academy Fund

Association of Graduates

Doolittle Hall

3116 Academy Drive, Suite 100

September (possibly good weather) BYU game, or an early November (guaranteed bad weather) Navy game. Everyone I asked here voted for the Navy game. I’ll give up the possibility of getting in a game of golf for a good chance of winning a football game during the reunion (especially since it ALWAYS snows when ’64 returns to USAFA, anyway!). If you have any strong feelings on the matter, call Pete soon, because I’m writing this in June and the decision will have already been made by the time you read this. Why am I telling you this then? Because I’m working in a DOE laboratory now, and decisions are only temporary. (Direct orders are an invitation to debate!)

Pete says that the AOG will also try to find our “lost souls”, of whom there are quite a few. If you know of anyone who doesn’t have a current listing in the Register (we all aren’t AOG members), please let Pete or me know where they are. This also extends to classmates who didn’t graduate with us.

Lastly, Pete says that he has been counseled that the wives were not treated as well as they could have been at the last reunion. He guarantees that we will pay more attention to them this time. I have also been counseled that if Pete is wrong on this point, I’m dead meat.

Thanks for the letters and phone calls.

Ronald R. Flake

256 Lake Ridge Seguin, TX 78155

Home: (210) 557-6612

Office: (210) 658-5305

FAX: (210) 658-1855

Percent members: 67 w

Happy 28th anniversary! I am writing this on June 9, 1993 just ahead of the publication deadline as usual. Writing this column each year just seems to make time go even faster and the 30th will be here soon. Remember Skip COX’s challenge to write or call at least three friends and former squadron mates, especailly non-AOG members and try to get them to commit to the 30th Reunion. We will pass on information as soon as it starts to come together. Hope to see everyone there.

Chuck COLEMAN wrote me last fall and I did not get his news in the previous newsletter. Since it is so rare that anyone voluntarily writes, I am going to include his picture with the column, even though seeing bald, gray-haired guys makes me feel old. The picture is Chuck, his son C.B., Tom Plank’s sons, Kenny and Craig, and Tom PLANK enjoying the bayou behind Tom’s home in Niceville, FL. Chuck retired in Nov, 1992 and found work in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He has a threeyear contract to run the fighter training program for the UAE Air Force. He will be joined by his wife, Mary, after his youngest daughter, Lucia, graduates from high school in Niceville. Chuck hopes that she will follow her sister Amy to Florida State. Her older brother, C.B., graduated from Embry-Riddle and now works for Delta Airlines in Tampa. I am sure that Florida State is a lot cheaper.

Tom PLANK lives near Chuck in the uptown section of Niceville called Rocky Bayou and has lots of toys including boats! Tom retired in 1986 and recently completed a defense contract with Sentel Corp. in the Niceville area. Tom is now selling life insurance and relaxing. His wife, Diane, is a teacher in Niceville High School and their son Kenny is a junior in college at Florida State.

Joe KOENIG is preparing for a second career as a teacher. He started

at the University of Dayton Graduate School of Education immediately after his retirement in Aug, 1992. He recently completed his first student teaching assignment and says that it was worse than “HELL WEEK”. He taught at an urban school and learned about “at risk” children. Joe strongly suggests that all of us maintain contact with our school-age kids and grandkids and when they are safe, get involved with our local school board. Joe and his wife, Marlene, have six children all grown and seven (going on eight) grandkids. He knows whereof he speaks. Joe’s new address is 5120 Tallview Court, Dayton, OH 45424. Joe reports that Bill CATHEY and wife, Kay, have sold their house, married off their daughter (Maryann) and are headed for Texas looking for something to do. We will have to watch for them. He also reports that Vic and Marsha GRAZIER’s daughter Claire is marrying an Air Force captain in July (Bob BOLHA, USAFA 1987).

While I am in the Joe K’s, I also heard from Joe KOLEK. Joe is retiring from the Air Force in July, 1993. He mentioned that he has been here in San Antonio job and house hunting and looked at places on Lake Placid and Lake McQueeney. My house on Lake McQueeney is for sale maybe we can make a deal. Joe has been in the Corvette restoration business for most of the past 20 years, specializing in the 1963-1967 models, but knowledgeable about all and enjoys talking about Corvettes. Joe is also looking for work and sent me a copy of a most impressive resume. If you know of a job or have a Corvette question, call Joe at 513-372-5428. Joe is the proud father to two daughters. Daughter Nicky lives in the Denver area and works for Johnson & Johnson. Daughter Kelly is a 1991 USAFA graduate stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base. Joe reports that he had lunch with Lynn LUEBKE recently. Lynn lives in Enon, OH and works for a civilian contractor at Wright-Patterson.

Rob LARSEN wrote and told me about his rough life with wife, Lin, and daughters Dana and Erin in Mission Viejo, CA. Rob retired in 1987 and is an MD-11 production and training pilot for McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach. He does “First Flights” on new MD-lls and then flies with customers (Korean Air, Garuda Indonesian, China Air, American, Delta, FinnAir, etc.) as they introduce the aircraft into service. He says that it is a great job with lots of travel, but the competition is tough from the subsidized Europeans. Rob says that Dave NOLTING was an MD-11 flight test coordinator during the test program and he used to see Fred DEGROOT who was working on the C-17 at McDonnell Douglas.

Jim LAWSON is an administrator at Tri County Hospital in Wadena, MN. He and his wife, Mickey, have three children, Debra (24 a registered nurse at University of Minnesota Hospital), Terry (23 an art instructor) and Michael (11 a fifth-grade hockey defenseman). Rick LINDEMANN, who retired in Sept 1992, lives with wife, Sandy, in Batesville, IN. Their children are Kurt (23) and Lee (17). Rick’s letter was pretty brief, so I guess he is enjoying his retirement. Maybe we can get more details at the reunion. Another man of few words is Mike SMITH. He is president of Insyte Energy Software in Houston. They do software development and consulting.

Barry WATTS, who retired in 1986 and now lives in Bethesda, MD with wife, Hope, says that he and Bob HAFFA both work for Northrop as analysts. Barry has spent the last 18 months working on the Gulf War Air Power Survey (GWAPS) which is an independent survey of air power’s role in the Persian Gulf War. Barry ran the portion of the survey that focused on operations and effects. He expects about 10 reports from GWAPS to be published within the next few months some of which should be unclassified initially and all of which should eventually be unclassified. Barry’s main focus was the report on effects and effectiveness which he and Tom KEANEY (USAFA 1962) authored together. Barry says that most of their conclusions were quite positive, but some of the actual results were not what was claimed publicly after the war. Barry thinks that some members of the “bureaucracy” may not be too happy with their conclusions. I would like to get John WARDEN’S views on Barry’s work. Barry feels that the Air Force will benefit from GWAPS because the reports are, on the whole, reasonably comprehensive, balanced and as objective as they could be made. He thinks that the Air Force will benefit greatly from having told the truth as best it could be told for a change. On a different note, Barry mentions that anyone interested in purchasing a Squadron B-2 should call either he or Bob Haffa direct (credit cards accepted).

Another Northrop enployee is Stan TALLEY, who retired in 1989 and lives in Whittier, CA with wife, Bonnie. Steve is a project manager working avionic upgrade programs for the B-2 division. Maybe he can get a better price on the big bird.

Gary SILENCE wrote to tell us about his rough life with wife, Sherri, in Monument, CO. Gary flew for Mesa Airlines for a while after he retired in 1991, then became director of Operations for Skyfighters, Inc., in Englewood, CO. Skyfighters, Inc., is a group of former military fighter pilots who take “wanna bes” on air-to-air missions in T-34s. It sounds

like fun to me. If you want to try it, call Gary at 1-800-sky-fite at Centennial Airport south of Denver.

Don SHINAFELT lives in Vienna, VA with his wife, Annette. He works for Unisys as a project programmer/analyst and is presently TDY to Huntsville, AL working on a DoD contract proposal. Howard ROSE is another old (1986) retiree who lives with wife, Carol, in Edmond, OK and works for the Boeing Company, Del City.

Steve SHEEHAN wrote and told us that he had recently retired and moved to Cleveland, OH with wife, Fiona. He is the deputy commissioner for Operations, Safety and Security, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Steve passed on that Bruce LEONARD has retired and lives in England with wife, Judith, and daughter Stephanie and is a flight simulator instructor for British Aerospace Saudia Arabia. I heard that Mike KRAUSE is instructing in some special government program in Baltimore. Apparently, Mike teaches both military and civilians. I am not sure what he teaches, but I am sure they need the instruction. Mike, let us know what you are doing if you get a chance.

Van SANDERS retired to Woodland Park, CO in 1992 with wife, Juliette. He is gainfully unemployed. He spent his last three years on active duty in the Embassy in Lisbon. Van says that he was the military front man at the Embassy for Tom PILSCH for his last year there. Tom was commander of U.S. Forces Azores. Van says Tom is doing a superb job under very difficult conditions and deserves a second star.

Speaking of second stars, “congratulations” to Tad OELSTROM on his second!

Skip COX recently visited Tom OWENS in Washington, DC. Tom and Sherrard bought a new home in Oakton and want ya’ll to know the welcome mat is out, ready for “hospitality checks.” In addition, they are very proud new grandparents. Son Christopher (the new father) is flying F-18s off the USS America.

How about Mike RYAN who pinned on his third star. He and Jane moved to a “three star” house on Bolling AFB one with hot running water, flush toilets and a full-time enlisted aide. As special assistant to the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Mike travels with secretary of state Warren Christopher on military-related trips. Mike says his duty cuts into his weekly golf match with Larry FARRELL and Tom OWENS.

During spring break, I had the pleasure of entertaining two cadets, my son Jason, and his friend, John Mangan (both Class of ’96). John is the son of “Crazy” Bill MANGAN, and is apparently trying to follow in his dad’s footsteps. I heard stories about everything from a watergun soaking of an uncooperative classmate in the middle of the night to liberating the wing commander’s shoulder boards before a parade. Apparently, there is something to this heredity business.

John SWAN is deputy attorney general in San Diego, CA and would enjoy seeing anyone who is in the area. He and wife, Catherine, live in Carlsbad with Susan (16), Karen (14) and John (8).

John sent me some information on Tim WHEELER. For those of you who don’t know, Tim had a stroke about nine years ago. He has recovered mentally, but is confined to the hospital. To quote his wife, Diane, “Tim is as smart as ever and still has his great sense of humor.” He can communicate by letter. Write to him at 990 Peninsula Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025. He is also on CompuServe.

1 will close on the same note 1 opened on spread the word about the 30th! We will be glad to act as clearinghouse for any information. Since Skip can’t seem to stay in one place, and 1 am trying to sell my house and move, we are using Neil Stone’s address: 3506 Hunters Sound, San Antonio, TX 87230. Keep those cares and letters coming. It really makes this job easier when we hear from a few people.

Ryan Denny ^ 1210 Applewhite Roadr; O’Fallon, IL 62269

Home: (618) 624-4255

DSN: 576-5007

Percent members: 71 5#

Greetings, Redtags! Dale ELLIOTT wrote to ask me if “we ever really had red tags?” Dale blames his lack of memory on old age, but that dog won’t hunt because a) we’re not that old, and b) the memory is not the first thing that goes I don’t remember what the first thing is, but it will come to me. The real cause of Dale’s lack of memory is too many years of oxygen starvation from sucking air out of an oxygen mask. For the rest of you who can’t remember: Yes, we had red name tags outside our doors and red blankets on our beds. We also painted an airplane or two with red paint it was red enamel one year and cost us about $600 to have repainted. We were a little smarter in June 1966 and used a water-based

Life Memberships Available

paint. Of course I have no direct remembrances of such unmilitary conduct, but only overheard these stories at one of our reunions.

We also got a letter from Jim GARLAND’S wife, June. They are living in Coral Gables, FL, and Jim is flying for Southwest Airlines. June writes that another classmate from Sixth Squadron, Mike CHARLES and his wife, Cynthia, dropped into Coral Gables and gave them a call. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in 25 years, they had a great time and plan on meeting again in another 25 years to catch up on all the latest news. (Actually, they plan on getting together at our 30th Reunion we’ll see you all there!)

Another couple of short notes (you are beginning to disprove my theory that writing is the first thing to go) that were attached to change-ofaddress cards. Lee SMITH, who had so many assignments with the Army that he was beginning to like field conditions, has retired and is working for Hughes Aircraft in Huntsville, AL. Lee is a senior systems engineer on the Army’s Space Command contract. He says that at last someone is finally gaining from his MS in aeronautics that he got at Purdue way back in ’67. Russ MORRISON writes that he has retired and is working for the SenCom Corporation in Bedford, MA. Russ is also a senior system engineer (I’m not sure what that is, but a lot of you guys are doing it).

The next best thing after real letters, letters from your wives, and short notes attached to change-of-address cards, is press releases that someone else wrote about you and you were thoughtful enough to have your press agent send me a copy. Clark HIGGINS has been named president and CEO of VSI Fasteners, a California-based distributor of pre-packaged fasteners for the do-it-yourself hardware market. Clark had been president and CEO of another hardware company in California before moving to his new position. Clark was one of about a dozen of us who went to UCLA after USAFA for a graduate degree in business. Now there’s a degree that is really paying off! I thought that all he studied was the beaches.

The Astronaut Office in Houston called me the other day to give us some information on some of our astronaut classmates. Ron GRABE should have flown the Endeavor by the time you read this. The mission, STS 57, is supposed to retrieve the Eureka satellite and will be the first flight of the Space Habitat. John CASPER is scheduled to fly the Columbia in Feb ’94 on an extended trip of 14 days.

My next source of information is the General Officer Announcements that I dig out of the trash after my boss gets done reading them. They were full of great stuff this quarter. BG John WORMINGTON is finishing up a short tour as the J-6 at TRANSCOM here at Scott AFB and is moving to Wright-Patterson AFB to become the commander of the Joint Logistics Systems Center. He is being joined at Wright-Pat by BG Rusty GIDEON, who is moving from the vice job of the Sacramento ALC to become the DO of Air Force Material Command. I would never accuse Rusty of homesteading at Wright-Pat, but he went to high school there and this will be the sixth house he has lived in on the base.

Speaking of DOs, the DO of ATC, BG J.O. MCFALLS, is retiring this summer and rumor has it (my other source of info) that he will be working for the National Rifle Association in Washington, DC. BG Jim HIGHAM is moving from Kirtland AFB, where he has been the wing commander, to Hurlburt Field where he will be the vice commander of Air Force Special Operations Command. Another one of those notices tells me that BG Karen RANKIN, wife of classmate Bill, will become commander of the Keesler Training Wing. By inference (another source of info), I am guessing that Bill is also going to Keesler to head up the Officers’ Spouse Club.

From change-of-address cards without notes attached (my second worst source of info), I see that Jim PATTERSON has moved from USAFE/XP to Albuquerque, NM, and Ron ANTHONY has moved from Alexandria, VA to the attache’ office in Ankara, Turkey. Thanks for taking that job, Ron.

Since you all did such a great job of writing this time, I won’t have to resort to my last source of information (my imagination). Until next time

Happy Landings!

Greetings, one and all...

I received a pleasant surprise, in the form of a letter from my old former NoDak traveling companion, Terry BROADWAY, who sent a note from his home in Tallahassee, FL. His two kids are 21 and 19, in college and looking forward to being out of college and into the big wide world, while their daughter is “...13 going on 25 and driving dad batty.” Wife, Carol, is a nurse practitioner in a busy practice while Terry works for the Florida State Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, which is developing a health plan they hope will serve as a model for the pending national plan. Terry also passed on word that Abe ESTAVILLO, after a career in the Air Force of the Philippines, emigrated to the U.S. and is now living with relatives near Trenton, NJ. Abe’s address in the current Register is correct. Terry indicated that Abe would appreciate contact with classmates and friends. Thanks, Terry, for extending that helping hand for one of our own.

My timing with Bill HALL and the Seagram’s Seven newsletter improved, and I received both spring and summer newsletters. His spring note described how George FRUSHOUR is still at his air attache digs in Oslo, Norway. His kids are in school, one destined to excel and the other to survive... Bill GERBER retired from the Pentagon and headed to the warmth of Orlando, where he may return to school in pursuit of a PhD. Some of you may have seen a familiar face on the news a while back not from ’67, but one of our warm and friendly doolie summer “camp counselors:” Harry PEARCE (’64) is a vice president at GM and he was on national news when he took on NBC about their sensationalistic reporting of fabricated “news” and won. All who knew Harry also know that his actions now are completely in character and consistent with his training and leadership from way back then.

Len VERNAMONTI has relocated self, family and business to Mississippi where he is dealing with Martin and other big companies on computer technology issues. Rick RODRIGUEZ punched out at 26 years and retired at Bergstrom AFB. Bill reminded all that AFA vs USNA is in Annapolis this fall, and that he is looking to a party. Joe KRUZEL took a break from his job at Ohio State and vacationed with Pat and Annie BADELL near Montego Bay. Joe has been invited to join the USNA Sup for the Big Game. He plans to accept but to cheer for the team wearing the correct shade of blue. Give Bill a call at 414-544-2350 if you can attend the game. Thanks again, Bill, for your info.

And another retiree: message traffic recently reflected that Dale STOVALL will retire this summer from his job as deputy commanding general of the Joint Special Ops Command, Ft. Bragg, NC.

From the AOG: Mike LUMBARD retired at Beale AFB from his position as 2nd AF SJA. He started out as a procurement officer, then completed law school at the U of California in ’72 and had a worldwide series of good jobs. He will practice law in the Nevada City, CA area following his retirement. A1 ROWE has moved, from North Carolina to Grand Rapids, MI. Bill GERBER has headed south to Casselberry, FL, from Virginia. And Rod WEEKS changed only his last zip code digit in moving from Dyess AFB into Abilene, TX.

From beautiful downtown Bitburg AFB Roger CARLETON is alive and well and busier than a thirsty German at Octoberfest... the drawdown and realignment and various AF activities in this unsettled part of the world keep him hopping all over, locally, nationally, internationally and intercontinentally.

The WILSONs are just fine, thank you, and have had some worldwide, world-class experiences in the recent past. Pat and daughter Kate participated in an exchange visit to Russia, spending a few days living with a Russian family in addition to touring (and shopping, of course) a bit. Larry had intended to go, but could not because he was part of a group that went to Niger, Africa, for MEDFLAG 93-1, one of a series of joint service humanitarian missions into third world countries. Let me assure you that Niger qualifies; it is one of the poorest of the poor. Theirs is not the nationally-broadcast starvation and strife of Somalia; theirs is simply poverty and primitive living at a level that you can scarcely imagine. I took many, many pictures, but not all of them together can convey the ambience of the place. Count your lucky stars that the roll of the cosmic dice did not put you and yours living honest in a grass hut, herding a few goats, pounding your millet into flour with wooden tools, watching yourself and your family go blind, or die young of diseases easily prevent

able in our modern, more blessed society... It was a helluva experience. And with that best wishes to you all. Drop me a line and let me know what you and yours and our classmate contacts are up to.

Tim Davidson

3050 S. Buchanan St., B-2 1 8 f jyfj;Arlington, VA 22206

Home: (703) 931-6475

Office: (703) 697-5656

DSN: 227-5656

Percent members: 67

Hello ’68! This is the last class column that you will see before our 25th. If you have not made reservations yet, and still want to attend, you need to take real action to make it happen. While travel expenses are a concern to one and all, don’t forget the significance that a modest check will make toward our class gift. We need you! The picture shows our reunion gang, who have devoted a great deal of their time to make it a quality affair. Thanks guys!

’68’s Reunion Honchos A l Blumberg, Manny Bettencourt, Vince Rusinak, Chuck Yoos, and Chuck Jones.

Please note my letterhead in this column and my new temporary address and home phone number. Effective date of this change is 15 September, 1993. I am begin reassigned to the Pentagon to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support.

FROM THE MAILBOX: The recent greetings from Steve and Connie STALEY included an invitation to their daughter Shannon’s wedding on 19 June to her CU classmate, Dave Wood. Congrats to mom, dad, and daughter!

Jack and “Fred” WEBB had a wild and wooly 1992 with Jack flying for Continental and Fred getting in some world travel to some hot spots (I mean really hot!) such as Saudi Arabia. They are in a long-distance commuting marriage as Fred pulls a two-year stint to Guam while Jack visits via flights out of Hawaii.

I received a lovely letter from Valerie GOSNELL telling of her family’s exploits. Paul commutes to Marietta, where he works for Lockheed as a

A 24th wedding anniversary for the Gosnells of Stone Mountain, Georgia Tim, Valerie, Kelly and Paul.

manager for Service Master. He is big into Total Quality Management (TQM). Son Tim graduated in 1991 from Duke with a BS in EE and was a DG from AFROTC. He received his pilot wings at Sheppard last April. Kelly is a senior at UNC and is still savoring the basketball national championship that the Tarheels won in 1993. She is on an AFROTC scholarship in physics. Val writes that she heard from: Tony MARSHALL, who married a lovely lady in April, 1992; Geo and Heidi ROBERTS, who are alive and well in England; and Hal and Kathi HIGLEY, who plan to attend the 25th. Thanks for the letter, Val!

Jody SMITH will retire in September. He and Susie plan to keep the family in the Colo Spgs area. Son Joe is now a sophomore in high school, while another son, Chris, is in 7th grade. Jody continues to devote much extra time to the Gideons.

Rob and Maureen REYLING are sharing the joy of parenthood with the adoption of a handsome three-year-old son, Nicholas. They have been busy with a range of activites from Hurricane Hunter reunions to renovating their home to coping with a dramatic change in lifestyle that only a child can bring.

A beautiful Christmas present for Rob and Maureen Reyling a son named Nicholas!

I also received a nice letter from my doolie roommate, Jim PARKER. He notified me (two years late) of his transfer to the friendly environs of Wisconsin, Jim’s home state. He is still with the FBI and is stationed in the “People’s Republic of Madison.’’ He said it looks as though he will be devoting the rest of his life to the drug war. He can’t believe how bad the copies of the photos I use for the column must be, because they make all the people whom he knew look a lot older. He also can’t believe that Elton POLLOCK is a grandfather! In reading the Commandant’s Corner of Checkpoints, he wondered what “internalization of pro-social behaviors” meant and whether he should be for it or against it. Wife, Janice, is working in the Chemistry Department at the U of Wisconsin. Daughters Anne and Jennifer are in the 11th and 9th grades, respectively. For any of the class who happen to be in the area, Jim has offered to provide the 10-cent tour (flashing lights and sirens are extra!).

One of our class’ infamous Delta pilots, Jim REESE, took advantage of the special airline privileges offered by his company to return to India and to revisit places he and his family went to during Jim’s embassy duty in New Delhi. The Taj at Randolph AFB still has a way to go before it matches the splendor of the real thing! Son Matt was married in December and daughter Beka graduated from high school in June and will attend the U of Georgia in the fall. Jim is staying in touch with Cecille CASTRO and will try to give us an update on her status at the reunion. For those who still wish to contribute to the Armando P. Castro Fund, please send you contributions care of the AOG.

The final letter for this column comes from Dave KOZAK (formerly Dellwardt). Dave admitted that his once-in-a-decade letter might be a littie sparce, but at least he was trying. As a member of Basic Summer Cougar Flight and then 7th Squadron, Dave was as shocked as I was about Ian DUNCAN’s death. He said this serves to highlight our own mortality and makes our attendance at reunions ever so much more important. Dave was promoted to colonel in AFRES this summer and leaves his F-16 billet and the 924th Fighter Group vice commandership in Austin, TX for an IMA position at the Pentagon. He is flying as a DC-9 captain for Continental out of Cleveland. He and wife, Vera, had a visit with Mike BARIBEAU in Scottsville, KY and promised to try to convince Mike to join in the festivities at our 25th.

LONG-DISTANCE CALL DEPT: After reading the winter column, Dan EIKLEBERRY felt compelled to give me a more complete list of United bretheren than the “not so rich and not so famous” A1 VASQUEZ had attempted to do earlier. Here is Dan’s effort at names, locations, and crew positions: Dave“Sluggo” ALLEN, DEN 787 F/O; Brooke BAILEY, DCA 737-300 F/O; Bobby BEANBLOSSOM, ORD 727 CAPT; Jim COCHRAN, SFO 737-200 F/0; Dan EIKLEBERRY, SFO 747-400 F/O; Bob “Flash” BLACKMAN, LAX DC-10 F/O; Jim HASTINGS, SFO 737-300 CAPT (also full-time lawyer); Jim HAZEN, SFO 747-400 F/O; Hal HIGLEY, ORD DC-10 S/O; Jim HIX, ORD 737 CAPT; Tony MARSHALL, LAX DC-10 S/O; Mike NAVARRO, ORD 727 S/O; Brian O’HARA, SFO 727 F/O; Phil PIGNATARO, DCA 727 S/O; A1 VASQUEZ ORD 727 CAPT; and Gordie WAGNER, ORD 727 F/O.

BUMPED INTO DEPT: Saw Bob and Thuy JOHNSTON and Dan AHERN while I was at Maxwell attending a senior software manager’s course called Bold Stroke. Dan and I called Bob, who in turn gave Thuy a 25-minute notice that we were in town. Thirty minutes later, we were sitting at their lovely decorated table eating stir-fry noodles, a salad, some wine, and homemade chocolate chip cookies. TDYs aren’t like they used to be when we were Lts! Thanks again for a great meal Thuy! Children Carolyn graduated from FSU and Michael is hoping for USAFA.

While at a worldwide plans conference at Andrews, I had lunch with Dan AHERN, Henry HUNGERBEELER, and Phil PIGNATARO. Dan is the Vice Wing CC, Henry is Ops Support Group CC, and Phil and I were just hungry.

’68 SPOTLIGHT

The ’68 Spotlight for Summer 1993 falls on Carl JANSSEN. Why should we remember Carl? Some may remember that he was the one who

At home with Heidi, Carl, Debbie, and Molly Janssen in Hermosa Beach, California.

really did understand all the economics and engineering courses. Others may recall that he graduated second in our class and then went to UCLA for his MBA. But, I suspect despite Carl’s phenomenal academic prowess, he will always be remembered for a 27-yard pass that he caught from Paul Stein in the end zone of Soldiers Field after the Cadet Wing traveled

CLASS OF 1968 25th REUNION

21-24 October 1993

USAFA vs The CITADEL BE THERE!

all night by train to Chicago to watch the Falcons beat Army for the first time in history by a score of 14-3. While memories may fade of other events that occurred during our four years at the Academy, Carl Janssen’s circus catch on a bone-chilling cold day in Chicago stands out as one of those life events that is etched forever on our brains as something very special.

Following his outstanding college years, Carl served for nine years on active duty as a pilot in Vietnam flying C-123s, a T-38 UPT instructor at Willimas AFB, and admissions officer at USAFA, and a training advisor in Saudi Arabia. He then went into the civilian world to work for Ross Perot at Electronic Data Systems for three years in managerial positions related to banking systems, compensation, and real estate investments. He then joined ARCO 11 years ago filling a number of key positions and now serving as manager for Corporate Aviation and Real Estate.

When asked what the Academy meant to him, Carl answered, “I truly went there for a top-quality education and to serve my country.” ‘‘What I got out of it was personal development and growth. It enforced earlier life lessons in self-discipline, high work level, and integrity. With those qualities, most anyone is ready to have you work for them in a position of great responsibility. The Academy also gave me the opportunity to practice lifelong ‘truths’ with lifelong friends. I am still associated with the Academy as a liaison officer.”

Concerning something he would like the class to assess, he stated, ‘‘I would not like to see the Academy be the last bastion of anything. It should not be isolated from the salient issues of the day such as women in combat or from situations that result from changing world such as a need to compete for regular commissions. The Academy needs to keep pace with change.”

Thanks for your insights Carl and for savored memories of Chicago.

That about covers all the news fit to print for this column. I’ll catch you up on ’68ers on the move next time. Mind the flak; keep’em flying; and keep those cards, letters, and photos coming in! See you at the Embassy Suites on 20 October!

Top of the summer to all. Though you’re reading this in October, at this writing, for purposes of comparison: the Bulls are leading the Suns 2-1 and Michael Jordan has not become the first human to land on Pluto (only because he gets fouled every time he touches the ball); President Clinton’s budget is being debated heatedly in Congress; AF Special Operations people are in action in Africa, thanks to Somalian strongmen; Bosnia and NAFTA continue ‘‘up in the air;” and the DJIA is a tick below 3500. And now, on with the class news.

I received short notes from Steve RANSDELL and Rich HAGELIN. Steve retired in 1989 and has been with Century 21 Real Estate in Indianapolis ever since. He’s having a marvelous time bringing buyers and sellers together in the classic exercise of a free market equilibrium economy. He would love to swap a drink and a story or two with any of you who venture to Indiana’s capital.

Rich is the DO of the Northwest Air Defense Sector at McChord AFB. Unlike many, he still gets to fly F-15s and F-16s. He passes along that Tom ALLEN is the commander of Air Forces Iceland, with end-of-tour programmed for this summer. Tom FLEMING is the wing commander at Eilson AFB in Fairbanks, AK. Ron MARCOTTE has moved to become the commander of the first B-2 wing at Whiteman AFB. Bob JONES, formerly at Langley as the director of Training, has changed titles and is now chief of Safety for ACC. Jeff TOBOLSKI is flying for a corporate operation at Hillsboro Airport, in Portland, OR. Chris CURTIS is in the coal brokerage business in Charleston, WV and handles European sales operations for his company. John REDDY left McChord to take over as

base commander at Little Rock AFB. Tom CASE is PACAF/IG. Ed ALLEN, formerly the vice wing commander at Elmendorf AFB has now become the vice commander of the 13th AF in Guam. Rich reports that an AOG chapter is forming in the Puget Sound area, and the first gettogether was in March at John BANBURY’S home.

Dick DOWNS writes that after retiring (from his position as a politicalmilitary planner in the South American Branch of J-5 on the Joint Staff) he became director of Communications for the North-South Center at the University of Miami. The center is an information and research organization mandated by Congress to improve relations among Western Hemisphere nations. Things are almost back to normal now after much recovery from Hurricane Andrew. Dick’s welcome mat is out to one and all.

John BRUMMITT has a new address in Pennsburg, PA. He and his wife are continuing to own and operate a small chain of high-end optical boutiques in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas, and with annual buying trips to Milan and Paris will no doubt continue to enjoy this business for some time to come!

The University of Colorado has named Tom HUBER a president’s teaching scholar for 1993, a distinction accorded to only five professors in the CU system for the year. The award recognizes faculty members who excel at teaching as well as scholarship. Tom has taught geography at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs since 1981, was named UCSS’s outstanding teacher in 1985, has studied flash flooding and geological hazards facing the city of C-Springs, offered programs at local public libraries to conduct discussions on current science issues, and has worked on several grants, including one for $50K from the National Science Foundation. The flatiron and orographic barriers we studied at the Zoo have led to big things for Tom. Congrats.

Joe PERSONETT has moved from Hawaii to Monument, CO. Tom KECK as previously noted, is now in place at Offutt AFB. John DALLAGER moved down McClelland Road at MacDill AFB, and Ron MARCOTTE is now at Whiteman.

Tom MIKOLAJCIK, the commander of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston, spent over four months in Somalia as the Air Force component commander for Operation Restore Hope.

Tim COURINGTON encouraged a beer call at Fort Myer, VA in early June. Warren LAWS, living Charlottesville, is flying for American. Denny MCGUIRK is retiring from his job with the University of Florida’s AFROTC unit and will be working in fund-raising at the NRA. Terry BRADY has sold his home in Arlington, and will be relocating to Denver, where he will be flying for United. Vic TAMBONE, having worked inauguration issues as a special assistant to the Military District of Washington’s commander, will be retiring this summer. Jim ‘‘By Golly” WILLIAMS is preparing to become the defense attache in the Philippines. Bob SUTTER is in the Advanced Computer Applications Center at Argon National Laboratories. Jack OVERSTREET continues doing things legislative for Lockheed. Bob PAINE is working Foreign Military Sales on the AF Secretariat. Paul MUNNINGHOFF is in international business development for Lockheed, and working in Crystal City. And in D.C. for the executive refresher Defense System Management College course, Buff TIBBETTS heads up the Seek Eagle weapons qualification program at Eglin. Buff still contends, as did Mark Twain, that ‘‘clothes do make the man,” noting that naked people have had little or no influence upon society at large.

If you’d like a good gut check on time’s going by, pick up your latest AOG Register, and begin thumbing through it. Remember when all you needed to do was turn to the back to find ’69? That tactic now will leave a massive, if not daunting, clutch of pages to fan to look up a classmate. Certainly, then, Diane must have been correct: youth lasts much longer than young people think!

Write. Call. Fax. But have a great summer.

Tony Marietta

1070 Knollwood Circle

Monument, CO 80132

Home: (719) 488-3201

Work: (719) 593-8888 (800) 451-7217 (outside of Colo. Spgs.)

Percent members: 59

Have lots of great information, so lets start flying!

Great news from Dana ARBAUGH. In addition to being an electronics wizard in the San Jose area, Dana is also an LO. He called me super excited that Kim Reed (Chuck and Paula REED’s daughter) received an AFA appointment.' He said Kim began contacting him her freshman year in high school. She was selected her junior year to attend the AFA Scien-

tific Seminar, and even after actually visiting the Academy, still wanted to come. Now that’s motivation! Congratulations! Dana, wife, Linda, and the Reeds live only a stone’s throw away from each other and enjoy water skiing. Dana also mentioned that Joe and Diane BURKE’s son was going to be Kim’s classmate at the AFA as he just graduated from the AFA Prep School. Hopefully, I will have pictures and more info next issue.

Got a quick call from Mike and Lori POMPHREY. Mike is a computer consultant with a company that is defense oriented. They have a son in college and a daughter in high school. He promised me more info and pictures.

Got a Christmas card and letter from George RAYL. I didn’t have the heart to tell him Christmas was in December. He may be on the lunar eclipse calendar. However, he redeemed himself by providing two pictures and tons of info. Wife, Mary, teaches school and loves working with the younger children. Son Mike is a senior at Annapolis (boats versus planes wait a minute). Fortunately, he is considering pilot training. Daughter Kara is doing super at Duke, and will be spending her spring semester living with a French family at the Univ of Grenoble. Son Matt is in 10th grade, growing like a weed, and doing super in football, baseball, and skiing. (Where did he get his athletic ability from?) George is flying the Airbus A-300, which must be difficult. I have never ever seen a bus get up enough speed to lift off a highway. But, George says it can carry up to 257 people.

For a complimentary

Only their hairdresser knows for sure.

George RAYL’s info line: Roger HILL flies for Continental out of Denver, and wife, Sharon, received yet another degree in either psychology, physiology, or physcogog. Those are the only possible words that can be deciphered from George’s handwriting. Congratulations Sharon, I think. Jim BARRALL is an A-300 captain out of New Jersey, runs marathons and plays tons of golf. Mike DUNN, tt\ B737-100/200 is a captain out of New Jersey and, according to George, lives with a harem at “Dunn Hill,” drives a Jag and plays with Ping Zings (whatever they are). Jack NORMAN lives in Pennsylvania and is a captain with Con

tinental. Bob BASKETT is a captain for UPS and lives in Pee Wee Valley, KY (I am not making that up; George never lies). Bob HILB is a 757 checkairman/mgt with UPS and involved with a big satellite communication project with UPS. Rick SINE is a maintenance manager at UPS in Kentucky. Fred WHITNEY flies for Fed Ex out of New Jersey. Jim HAAS is a 727 pilot out of Denver. Tom RAYL is part of the United ’70 Mafia team and flies 727s.

George wrote FO and SFO after Tom’s name. That may be a code to help you decipher the picture of them above. John BAILEY is a 737-300 standards captain out of Denver training center. Dave PERRON, Charlie LONGNECKER, and Glenn LEIMBACH are with the United Denver training center. George’s info on Dave ANTOON is too confusing to print. Dave, call me. Mel BLOWERS is a captain with Delta out of Atlanta. Ed EPPING either manages a concrete plapt close to West Point or is stuck in concrete, George’s notes were unclear. Eric MYERS flies for Alaska Air out of Seattle. Bill STEALEY is president of Microprose Software (F-15 Strike Eagle) and owns his own T-6. (George is using entirely too many letters and numbers.) Rick TUSETH is a Continental DC-10 checkairman in Hawaii. Terry TABOR retired and flies for American out of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Mike ROSENBLATT is a captain for American out of D.C. Dennis LEUTHAUSER is a MD-80 FO for Alaska. (Dennis, I have absolutely no idea what that means; call me.) Dennis and wife, Linda, live in Tacoma, WA and are enjoying home remodeling. (Must be a misprint; no one can enjoy home remodeling.)

Chuck WEIR started his own business in Mesa, AZ called Controlled Equity Inc., which assists AF officers in obtaining promotions. Skip PENNY is a “big wig” (George’s words) in Phoenix with Motorola, helping put satellites in low-earth orbit to handle phone calls. Bill BENEDICT is involved with commercial real estate construction in Phoenix.

The next picture is of ’70 grads at an AF Society of Colorado meeting and includes (Back Row) Chuck KELLERMAN, Mike KELLER, Ray BARLEBEN, Roger HILL, Joe YORK, and Mike TORREANO. (Front Row) Keith BENNETT, your world famous class scribe, Russ CARPARELLI, and Dennis HALL. It was great seeing everyone. Hope more ’70 grads come to the meetings.

The best of ’70.

Got a great letter and picture from Chuck WHITECHURCH. Unfortunately, the picture must have been taken at night with no flash. It is almost impossible to print Polaroid or color copier photos in these columns. Our editor just laughed at me, but I gave him Chuck’s address so he can haze him for improper picture taking. Chuck, send me another picture taken at high noon with a real camera. Chuck and wife, Alice, have moved from D.C. to Germany, where Chuck is director of Academics and Operations at the NATO School in Oberammergau. He says it is a great international environment with faculty and staff from 14 nations. They had over 4,000 students in 1992. Chuck and Alice live in Oberammergau, a beautiful Bavarina village of 5,000 people near GarmischPartenkirchen, a popular winter sports and vacation area. Sounds like a hardship tour. Daughter Chris is graduating from William and Mary, is vice president of the KKT sorority, and majoring in government and history. Son Dennis is a sophmore at CU in Boulder. Chuck says he thinks Dennis is majoring in skiing. The enclosed photo, that only I can see, shows the following people that are with Chuck: Tom WASCOW, special assistant to the chief of staff, SHAPE, Casteau, Belgium; Denny NEWHOUSE, assistant chief of staff, Evaluations, 6ATAF, Inzmir, Turkey; and Brian SPITZER, chief U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation, The Hague, Netherlands.

Bill OLDENBURG’S dad called me from Boise, Idaho to identify Bill in the free lunch contest. Sorry, parents are disqualified because of their

unfair advantage in knowing their sons.

I talked with Ken AKE and he said things are getting better. Ken has a son at West Point and daughter in junior high. Good luck Ken!

Great call from Lloyd HARVESON. He and wife, Christie (who he married three days after graduation), live in Littleton, CO. Lloyd is a pilot for Continental and an AFA LO (LtCol USAFR). They have two sons and one daughter. Son Matt is at DU and doing great on the swim team. Son Jonathan is also an excellent swimmer, and enjoys acting and drama at UNM. So Lloyd had to sit on both sides during the AFA/UNM football game. Teenage daughter Tiffany has been attending the AFA summer camps for gymnastics and cheerleading since she was nine years old. Lloyd gave the following info: Andy (Wade) PATON is in New Mexico. Wade, give me a call and send pictures. Mark Paul HALE is in sales for Embraer Air, a U.S. marketing arm for Brazilian Aircraft, lives in Ft. Lauderdale with wife, Leticia, and is doing fantastic. Dave SEXTON is a safety engineer with IBM in San Jose, and is thankful for the safety courses when he was a C-141 officer. Eric (Rick) MANN and Harry ARNOLD are Continental pilots.

Got a note from Mike (Mickey) HARPER who is a Lt. Col. at Kirtland in New Mexico. Wife, April, just got her master’s in education at UNM and is working with the public school system. Son Ben was accepted at Albuquerque Academy, a school with exceptionally tough admissions requirements; only two people were accepted from his entire school. Congratulations to Ben and April.

Small moving van this issue: Harold BOWIE from Tempe to Tempe, AZ (I think he just walked and used a backpack). Russell WIISANEN from Wisconsin to Canada (wanted colder weather).

Thanks for all the pictures and info. Keep writing me; but remember, no Polaroids, and a grad must be in the picture. You can use Crayola to write if necessary.

Paul D. Knott

8941 Bellcove Circle

Colorado Springs, CO 80920 (719) 282-1402

Percent members: 50

This column is going to be short and sweet. You can take credit (blame?) for the former, and I, of course...

The Tom CURRYs and Mike LEAHYs have moved into beautiful new houses. Russ LOGAN has a new assignment in Washington, DC. Bob and Margaret CURNOW were honorable mentions in an article in the local paper about good neighbors.

Joyce HIGGINS, John’s bride, is home from the hospital and doing better. She is able to get around with a wheelchair, both in and out of the house. “Vertical” is how she describes herself now. Merilee is also doing better. Elder son Brian is learning about nuclear propulsion in Idaho. (It’s the Navy, OK?) with hopes of an eventual posting with submarines at Pearl Harbor. Younger son Shaun is doing well in school, with interests in animals and rocks. A recent article in the paper made the point that with airbags, people like Joyce are surviving crashes that used to be of interest mainly to coroners. Does John’s new car have airbags? As Joyce put it, their new car has every safety device known to man! Will my next car have them? Just ask USAA.

Bill BLUMBERG is reportedly in Denver teaching Martin-Marietta how to do it right the first time and better every time after that what smart business people know as TQM.

From the mailbag... Barry BRUNS isn’t moving anywhere, but his ANG unit is converting from RF-4s to KC-135Rs in October. Bet you can’t wait until you take one of them babies on a low-level, eh, Barry! Now to the address changes: Bob RYALS left Rhode Island for the Pacific somewhere, Mike SPATOLA traded the East Coast for San Pedro, CA. Andy CERONI, Jeff MCBRIETY, Dr. Pat PAGLEN, and Dave RANGE all moved around in their respective towns. At least Pat switched his ZIP code.

It isn’t as if i didn’t try, gang. I had occasion to fly into Offutt in May to see my family, and neither Jon STEVENS nor ED NOLTE were available for comment or referrals.

If you look at this (or any) issue of the column and say to yourself, “I want to see my name in a national publication without starting a cult or stealing a million dollars,” have I got a deal for you! Just drop me a line or two about you, your family, business, hobbies, opinions, etc., and I’ll put it in the column. Deadlines are normally the last month of each quarter, first week of the month. All that free publicity, and it will be worth every penny, I assure you. Photos need to have grads in them

someplace, but you guys have been pretty good about that. The alternative is for me to get out some of my old war stories and adapt them for print. (Did I ever mention my trip to Egypt?...)

To end on a happy note, here’s a photo of Mark ZABLOTNY, wife, Suze, and daughters, Piper, Lauren and Vannah. Mark has promised to try and find a “Lost Soul” for the next issue. Go for it son!

Hope to hear from lots of you guys this summer.

Harvey Le Cato 7460 Taos Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Ww/

Home: (719) 599-8604/7070

Percent members: 48 ^SrraBS

Remind me never to use my new business calendar when setting up events for the class. Since the calendar week goes from Monday to Sunday, instead of Sunday to Saturday, a quick glance made me think that the 7th was Sunday rather than Monday. However, not to worry, I received no calls of interest for the class picnic for Sunday the 6th or the 7th!

Next note of interest is that I am stepping down as Class Scribe, primarily due to the kind volunteer statement by Bob BELL at the reunion to recover that position from me any time I wanted. Additionally, my business is taking up so much of my time (55-60 hours per week), combined with many local extracurricular activities, that the ability to transfer just one of them is a welcome relief. So send your future column inputs to Bob BELL, 13 Pacific Ave., Sinking Spring, PA 19608.

Mail this last quarter was from Mike GREBB who is still working for Betac in Northern Virginia, which is no small feat considering all the layoffs among DoD contractors. He is also teaching Sunday school and coaching soccer. By the way, Mike was promoted to colonel in the Reserves. Also got a letter from the BROWN brothers, well one of them, Ralph, but with a picture of he and Charlie in Saudi Arabia. Ralph was

deployed there from MacDill where he was an F-16 IP and was commander of the 61st Ftr Sq. Both he and Charlie are working on the JTFSouthwest Asia staff. They are pictured here with a nonalcoholic San Miguel out by the pool. Obviously it’s a rough life out there in desert field conditions. Charlie is the second AF rep working surveillance (U-2 and RC-135) issues and is stationed at Beale. Ralph also mentioned that they work closely with the Operations Support Squadron at Dhahran which is commanded by John GREENLAW.

Received a note from Dave NEWILL with a reunion shot of the SEAGRAM SEVEN Firsties. Standing: Dave NEWILL, Sumner St. CLAIR, Tom NEAL, Bob SORENSEN, Andy CALTAGIRONE and Cal KING. Squatting: Tom O’RIORDAN, Ed PAINTER and Pete HARRY.

The last letter came from J.C. HALL, shortly after the last Checkpoints hit the mailbox. He was distressed over the short column for ’72 in that issue, and included the latest edition of his autobiography included here in unedited form. Enjoy.

“First, I lay claim to 1972s most successful flying career! We all know that the TRUE measure of success in life is getting to stay in the cockpit and fly a variety of fun aircraft. I am still in the cockpit (after 21 yeas of goofing off) without having to leave flying. This wasn’t easy! To manage it, I had to leave the active duty USAF, join the ANG, leave the ANG (no WSO in the F-15?), enter USN active duty for schools, and fly for the USNR! In the process, I’ve been a navigator, navigator/bombardier, weapon system officer, naval flight officer, and electronics countermeasures officer. I’ve gotten the chance to be operational in several models of F-lll, and F-101 Voodoo, the F-4, and now the EA-6B. Can anyone in ’72 match 60 traps?

“The USNR has treated me really well. In addition to allowing me to keep flying, they sent me through nine months of active-duty schools, gave me six weeks of per diem in Monterey (safety school), sent me through Strike U at Fallon (Airwing Strike Lead training), and promoted me to commander. Not bad for four and one half years in the Navy. But, they did make me buy all those damn uniforms!

“Currently, I’m special projects officer for VAQ 309, the USNR Prowler Squadron at Whidbey Island. My most recent boondoggle was twin trips to Italy for exercise planning but the exercise was cancelled due to the Bosnian no-fly implementation. Now no one can tell if I did a good job or not!

“I will probably be forced out of the cockpit this fall as the Navy discards young guys from active duty. I’m looking at Reserve options with Naval Air Systems Command or the Naval Strike Warfare Center. Either one could give me the break I need to make 0-6 despite my meager naval experience (1989 on).

“In the civilian world, I have been the King of Cat Dung (project manager for a cat litter made from papermill waste), manufacturing manager, graduate student, electronics executive, Guard bum (sorta civilian!), and currently an aerospace manufacturers representative. That means that I get paid real money for talking about airplanes!

“Mary and I split up in 1990 after 18 years of marriage, so I’m still trying to figure out the single-thing. Our two kids, Jeremy (18) and Megan (16) are great kids and the dual lights of my life.

“My greatest satisfaction of recent times were the F-16 AMRAAM kills on the Iraqis. At one point, the AMRAAM program was down to one missile which had a 30 percent change of failing each time it was turned on for check-out. I was leading a subcontractor design team trying to replace a flawed Hughes-designed subassembly. The effort was suecessful, we replaced the component in time, and USAF never knew the

problem’s magnitude. With the anti-AMRAAM climate of the time, exposure of the situation would probably have been the trigger for cancellation. So, I felt some personal pride in the successful shootdowns. The civilian workplace may not be glamorous, but it can be satisfying!

“The low point of my recent existence was running into the Rolling Stones (sans Mick Jagger of course) while waiting for a commercial flight. I bought them a drink to say I had done it, but are we really getting that old?

“I haven’t seen a classmate in so long that I can’t even spell ’72! So, I can’t be of much help in that regard. I missed the reunion because I was traveling on business in Germany, Switzerland, and England it was a tough choice, but after an arduous three seconds of thought, I left for Europe instead of C-Springs. My apologies to my old roomie, Bill BECK, and the rest of the reunion committee!

“That’s life in a nutshell from the Puget Sound. If any of the ’72 bubbas pass through Seattle have them give me a call. The current address and phone are shown below.

“Anchors Aweigh! J.C. Hall, 6858 139th Ave NE, Apt 712, Redmond, WA 98052. 206/454-7922 (work). 206/883-4208 (home).”

Only two moves this time as evidenced by the PS Form 3576: Terry SLAWINSKI from Medford, NJ to San Antonio, TX; and Jerry DRENNAN from Grand Forks to Springfield, VA (THE PENTAGON most likely). Cheers! Harvey.

Thomas D. Bailey, M.D. 1221 New Crest Lane Shelby, NC 28150-9782

Home:(704) 482-3110

Percent members: 50

WMy

1-800-776-1054 W

Wow! It makes you stop and think when you get the first notices that your classmates are now retiring! Talk about a shock! It hardly seems possible that, as I write this, it has been 20 years since we graduated. It makes me stop and wonder about those guys I haven’t seen or heard from for so long. Thinking back I realize what a unique, life-defining experience our sojourn at USAFA was. Some of it was a bit silly but most of it represented an invaluable education which prepared us well for whatever diverse paths we took from the last official duty 20 years ago. As I’ve been asked so many times since then, “Are you glad you did it? Yes. “Would you do it again?” I’ll let you fill that one in. I know I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

I got a call from Rob ZACHRITZ (9th Sq) who recently moved to Albuquerque to be a product manager for a company called Basis International. While waiting for his family to arrive he’s staying with Denny CLARK (also of 9th Squadron). Rob’s been out of the “real” Air Force even longer than I have. According to him, Denny “flies jets” and don’t ask what kind! I guess it would be a waste of time to ask what engine(s) they have and how many pounds of thrust they generate. Oh, the things that stick in your mind when you get to playing “remember when”, even by yourself! Rob and his wife, Blake, have three children, Rebekah (11), and twins Galen and Hannah.

I got a letter from Scott STINE who was honored by being asked to give the Memorial Day address to his local American Legion. Though we don’t have room to print it, the copy of his speech he sent was very lucid and thought-provoking. He spoke well of the sacrifices made in the past to preserve our freedom and the clear and present dangers to those freedoms we have, often from within our country, today. If anyone would like a copy, I would be happy to send it. Maybe we can get Scott to be the next class scribe when the time comes for me to give it up.

I spoke to Roger F. HEALY (12th). He, his wife and five children, ages 7-14, live now in Highlands Ranch, CO. Roger has been an engineer with Boeing for the last six years and has been enjoying his job immensely. We received an address change from Robert W. ALTMAN. He was the first to mention retirement. But, to prove he isn’t ready to hang it all up he in-

HOMECOMING ’93

CLASS OF 1973 20-YEAR REUNION

30 Sept 3 Oct 1993

eluded that his wife, Becki, is due in August. He wants to know if it will the last child born to a ’73 graduate. Any comments on that one? The ALTMANs are moving to Millbrooke, AL.

I’ve gotten several address changes to pass on. Thomas H. LARNED has moved from South Carolina to Scarborough, ME. Wade J. KEAVUS has returned from Europe and now resides in Colorado Springs. David (LTC) and Cathy SCHRUPP have also come back from Europe to live now in Bozeman, MT. David had the foresight (?) to put his phone number on his card.

David, his wife, Cathy, and son Michael (5) have just retired to Big Sky country where he is planning to teach. His career included a tour at the Academy as an instructor. He says he’ll try to make it to. the reunion if he’s not too busy and maybe check up on some of the other guys from 13th Squadron. He relayed that Eric NICKERSON had been working as an exchange instructor at West Point and also had been managing an “investors club” for a series of limited partnerships which had been very suecessful for the investors.

Robert A. MUNSON, MD has moved from San Antonio to an APO AE address. He’s the only one in this group heading overseas rather than returning. Col. Norton A. SCHWARTZ is going from the heat of Hurlburt, FL to the heat of the D.C. area having moved to Oakton, VA.

LTC Clay A. STEWART is returning from Europe to reside in Woodbridge, VA also near Washinton. Earl E. and Deborah A. WHITT have moved from Austin, TX to Ft. Stewart GA. LTC and Mrs. Thomas M. KENNEDY sent in what looks like an address correction rather than a change. They live in Richmond, VA. Michael R. HAY has gone further west leaving Oak Creek, WI from sunny Mission Viejo, CA. LTC Dennis E. and Kathryn GEESAMAN have also returned from Europe and now live in Austin, TX.

That’s all I’ve got for this issue. Like I told Dave SCHRUPP I’ve got an 800 number listed above and would welcome any news you would care to pass along, so call now. I’ll likely be doing the next class news within a week of when you read this. I hope to see as many of you as possible at the 20th reunion. I’d like to get enough material together to do a decent-length article for the next issue and your help would be greatly appreciated.

Joe Brezovic

P.O. Box 154

Raymondville, NY 13678

Home: (315) 384-4623

Office: (315) 268-6662

Percent members: 43

wGreetings to all! Hope all is well with everyone. A small mail bag to respond with: seven post cards and one phone call. The shortest move for this issue goes to two box holders. Bob JENSEN moves from a P.O. Box to Englewood, CO, and Jim BRICKELL moves from AFA base housing to an AFA P.O. Box! Dave FUNDAREK moves from Montgomery, AL to O’Fallon, IL. Mike MCCOY helps to keep the U.S. balanced to move from Lansine to Prattville, AL.

Phil IRISH leaves Titusville, FL to colder Ft. Belvoir, VA. So, to balance, Ed LOSKILL leaves Fairfax, VA to move to Lubbock, TX. Don BERRYMAN crosses the Arizona desert from Tucson, AZ to Irvine, CA.

Joe and Darlene BREZOVIC have moved to the north country of New York: the center of North New York culture is Potsdam, NY. Please note the change of address. You can also contact me through E-Mail: Brezovic@CLVM.Clarkso.EDU.

Do you remember looking at the cover of the last Checkpoints? One of own, Don MCMONAGLE, was the pilot of the mission. Yeah! I’ve also found out that Ron SEGA is an astronaut mission specialist. Ron’s wife is Bonnie Dunbar, an astronaut mission specialist and payload commander of several flights!

No other inputs, and I’m still moving furniture while Darlene unpacks boxes. I’ve only been at Clarkson University for a few weeks (March). The position is manager, Flight Programs and Payload Integration for a Center for Commercial Development of Space. I’m sure I’ll be meeting some of you in the space/commercial/small business environment sometime in the future, and look forward to it! May all of you live long and prosper!

DON’T MISS A MAGAZINE SEND US YOUR NEW ADDRESS GET A FRIEND TO JOIN THE AOGl

Jeff Hackett

1825 E. Jeanine Drive

Tempe, AZ 85284

Home (602) 831-9439

Office: (602) 891-2734

PRODIGY E-Mail: SFWD67A

Percent members: 33

AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY... Here I am on a Sunday morning trying to recall the prayer the chaplains used to invoke divine assistance in composing/delivering their messages to us, or in this case, you (the unwashed masses). I need help; I’m at Hill AFB in the middle of my USAFR annual tour and I believe the mountain air has the creative Muses gasping for breath or maybe it’s a result of Friday night at the O’Club. In any case, I’m conceding from the “get-go” that this particular column isn’t going to be cited by the Pulitzer folks. But it will meet the Checkpoints editior’s standards for length, format and timeliness. (Recite after me, “if the ‘min’ wasn’t good enough, it wouldn’t be the min!”)

BRING ON THE NEXT CHALLENGE! When we last were in touch there were just three names to go in making the interesting, if not pitiful, milestone of getting half the ’75ers’ names in print. We made it... barely (see “min” rule, above) and I found it fascinating that the three names come to us in three different ways.

While telling stories/swapping lies with Dave and Belle WALLACE earlier this week, Byron HUDDLESTON’S name came up. Hard to believe he’s never taken time to call or write; we’re both from Dallas, we were at FR-4 RTU together, and for God’s sake he’s an airline pilot it’s not like he shouldn’t have the time! (A dig intended to get those of you in that particular line of work to use some of that hotel stationery and idle time between takeoffs and landings to write.) Can’t give you much in the way of details on Byron; flies 767s back and forth across the Atlantic for Delta and lives in Louisville, KY.

Steve GIBSON gets credit for directly answering our “half-the-class” challenge in the most succinct letter of my tenure:

Dear Jeff

Ok, I’ll write. I graduated, flew fighters, got an MBA, got paid outrageous money in corporate America, then quit to become a writer. My first novel’s central character attempts to outperform his Academy classmates. The net result makes Walter F. Dumbsquat the model of cadet perfection.

I’m sorry to be so wordy.

Sincerely,

Steve T. Gibson

The only thing I could possibly add is that the return address included a “Mrs.” and came from Modesto, CA.

Phil PEARCE’s wife, Chris, gets kudos for not only bringing us the 378th name but also for one of the most creative and thoughtful birthday gifts of all time. Like many of us, Phil eased on by the big four-oh this year. A few weeks before the big day, Chris burned up the phone lines chasing down people she’d heard Phil mention when talking about the “golden days of yesteryear” and setting up a schedule for each of us to call Phil on the night of his birthday. Great idea! Besides having a charming wife, Phil is VP and general manager for MedCo Containment Company’s (Mail-order Rx) operation in Schenectady, NY. They’ve been there since ’91, have a son at Florida State University, a daughter (13), and another son (8). Ever the scribe, I quizzed Phil about classmates he’d kept tabs on. In his (voices-from-the-past, understandably-flustered) state he could only come up with the fact that Perry LAMY is working B-2 test activities (at Edwards AFB?) and that Paul WILLIAMS is living in Goldsboro, NC (flying KC-lOs at Seymour-Johnson AFB?).

HIGH TECHNOLOGY CORNER. Got only my second-ever input via PRODIGY E-Mail in late April. It was from Mike ANDERSON who was gathering himself together for a PCS to Misawa AB, Japan where he’ll be the 14FS (F-16) chief of Maintenance. A (typically?) odd assignment for a guy who spent the majority of his life in the bomber world and who is finishing an assignment as an Air Force Fellow with the RAND thinktank folks. But after 18 years and no overseas tour, Mike thinks he was just due for a “good deal.” Mike also reports seven years of happy marriage to Courtney and life with her two boys.

As of this writing the Shuttle Mission STS-57 crew (including pilot, Brain DUFFY) were still waiting to embark on their journey. Brian will be working for Ron GRABE, a ’66 grad, as they retrieve a Eureca satellite and make the first SpaceHab (precursor of Space Station) flight.

THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO KICK SAND IN THE FACE OF FORTY! Like Phil, I feel kind of like I’ve gracefully moved into the fifth decade just happy that I no longer have to compete with the 30-39 hard bodies at In-Line Skate races. Chuck and Donna MOLZON on the other

hand are out there giving birth to babies! Their third child, a boy, was born in March! (As a guy whose only daughter is about to start high school, I can not fathom this.) When not changing diapers Chuck is working on “B-2 stuff” (Donna’s words, not mine) at Langley AFB, VA. His other protest to age comes in his devotion to cycling although that is, to some extent, just “an excuse to wear tight, bright-colored outfits” (again, Donna’s words... I didn’t know Chuck well enough at school to have an opinion). It’s not much more than a change-of-address card, but Donna reports that Rod KALLMAN and Bob HERRING are also at ACC HQ and that J.P. OWENS is on a second tour at Eielson AB, AK (loves it!).

I GRADUATED IN SPITE OF GEOGRAPHY. I am therefore unable to explain a post card that Dave WALLACE passed on to me. The card, from Dave BEATTY, has a great view of Athens, Greece, talks (in the present tense) about being in a secret staging area waiting for a “GO” from that [deleted], [deleted], [deleted] CINC in Washington... but the card carries a Fayetteville, NC postmark. We’ll look forward to an explanation in Dave’s next letter to the scribe.

Your scribe and his lovely wife.

SPACE FILLER IT’S YOUR CHOICE! A fairly marginal amount of inputs leaves me with space to spare which I’ll vainly fill with a picture of Debby and I! Half of this should give you more than enough motivation to write next time it just may be a portrait of me confirming for each of you that it’s much later than you think.

Terry Newton

19855 Hidden Springs Glen J 3 Monument, CO 80132

Work: (719) 472-4470

Home: (719) 481-9846

DSN: 259-4470

Percent members: 35

It is two days after graduation, finals are graded, most cadets are on leave or TDY, and it is springtime in the Rockies. Yes, life is good! However, all is not well since I have only five change-of-address cards and one letter to glean information from for this column. I started beating the bushes last week and came up with a few sources. Please write or call soon and you can get your name in print.

My first call was to Bill BRUNDAGE (Dilys) at the Pentagon because I wanted to complain about the crummy job he gave me. He works in XOXI and does conventional-treaty work and some arms-control work. He claims to have a shorter commute to work at the Pentagon than he did at USAFA. Maybe it just seems shorter since he can sleep on the train and I assume he did not sleep while driving his car.

Bill MORRIS (Jane) showed up for the 557th FTS change-of-command ceremony in June. Bill is currently the operations officer of the 1st FTS at Hondo, TX and will become the commander of the 1st FTS on or about 9 July. He came over for dinner, but he did not provide me with much printable information. However, congratulations on your new job, Bill.

I talked to John ANDREW (Sandi) at the Pentagon and he shared some information about the following classmates who he has seen or has talked to lately. Tom MALLARY (Vicki) is the commander of a recruiting squadron in Omaha, NE. Stan RADER (Barbara) is returning to the Academy this summer after a sabbatical at the Pentagon to work in the Civil Engineering Department. Scott GOUGH (Laurie), a golfing partner of John’s, is currently the exec to the assistant vice chief and was recently picked up on the ACC return-to-fly board. However, he is

waiting to see what it is he will be returning to fly. Jim TURNER (Cathy) is working on the Secretary of the Air Force Staff Group and has recently been selected for the ACC squadron commanders list. However, he is planning to make a PCA and become the deputy military assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force. The Andrews are enjoying the D.C. area and are golfing as much as possible.

Russ LANEY showed up here at USAFA as the assistant athletic director for Marketing during the summer of ’92. Russ got out of the Air Force a few years back, but he just couldn’t stand being too far away. As an additional duty, Russ has been announcing for the men’s home basketball games, and since I attended numerous games this season, I can say that he has been doing a super job.

The lone letter I received came from Jim PHILLIPS (Sandra). Jim (better known as Whale in the ACC world) is currently the operations officer of the 415th Fighter Squadron (FS), but will take command of the 417th FS at Holloman AFB in July ’93. He wrote like he was excited! Whale reports that Jim HUNT (Patty) is the squadron commander of the 416th FS at Holloman AFB. Sounds like ’76ers have the stealth business pretty well covered. Thanks for the great letter, Jim, and you are welcome in Colorado Springs anytime!

Now for some rumors I heard on the street. I cannot really vouch for the total accuracy of this information, but I think it is true enough to repeat it. Phil JULIEN (Kay) is returning to flying somewhere while Mark WHALEN (Susan) is an F-16 operations officer somewhere. Maybe they are at the same somewhere. Mike GEGG is an F-15 operations officer at Seymour-Johnson.

There are numerous ’76ers at USAFA and a few of us are working on Air War College together. Members of our study group are Jim KOGLER (Becky), Ben DILLA (Sharon), Tome BOWIE (Beth), John AUSINK, Dave MAZUROWSKI, Rich KING (Mary), and myself. I received the following information from this illustrious group. Jack CATTON (Janet) is headed for the National War College this summer and plans to spend some time during July visiting the Colorado Springs area. Tom MUCKENTHALER (Debbie) is at Space Command right here in Colorado Springs and Roc WHITE (Barbara) is teaching physics at USAFA. Chuck MCGEE (Lynn) is an operations officer at Cannon AFB while Kent ESBENSHADE (Cheryl) is returning to the English Department from a PhD program at the University of Maryland.

Jeff LARSEN (Cyndy) has left the Political Science Department at USAFA to become the director for the Institute for National Security Studies at USAFA. The purpose of the institute is “to act as the focus for all arms control-related research sponsored by the Air Force.” Jeff seems to be very busy with numerous TDYs to terrible locations such as San Francisco, San Diego, Washington, DC and Alcapulco. He has even published his first newsletter for the institute (which is where I copied the quote from). Brad MOFFET (Elizabeth) is Jeff’s main contact in XOXI at the Pentagon which is where Jeff gets his funds to run the institute.

Change-of-address cards. Tom (Spindle) HOLTZ (Rhonda) moved from Charlotte, NC to San Antonio, TX. David KRISTENSEN (Elaine) changed addresses in Albuquerque, NM. Mike FRICANO (Debra) moved from O’Fallon, IL to Alexandria, VA. Tim CANTWELL moved off of Shaw AFB to sunny Sumpter, SC. Dr. Greg TOUSSAINT (Susan) moved from Wellesley, MA to Brookeville, MD.

I literally bumped into Tim HASS (Dineen) at a junior high open house right here in Colorado Springs. Come to find out our kids attend the same school and we live within a mile of each other. Tim is flying for American and loves it. We have been planning on getting together but it just hasn’t happened. Dave MCKENZIE (Connie) will be returning from a remote to Korea this summer. We have been keeping in touch during his remote and he tells me that the only thing to do in Korea is work and exercise. He will be glad to get back to his family and the land of Burger King.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: I ran into Joe DREW (Vicki) at a flying safety meeting and he plans on staying here at USAFA for the next year and flying the Otter. Until recently, Joe has been in charge of Stan/Eval at the Academy. However, he is also flying the UV-18 for fun. Joe also told me that Dave WILSON (Carolyn) is working safety at Space Command and Roger YAUCHZY (Sandy) is the chief flesh peddler at ATC (soon to be AETC).

LATER BREAKING NEWS: Rich KING called and gave me the following information. Willy SHELTON (Linda) will be taking over as the 50th Operations Group commander on 16 June. That is a first for our class as far as we know. Congrats Willy. Terry NEW (Patricia) has left Legislative Liaison in D.C. and is enduring F-16 requal for an assignment at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Larry NEW (Diane) is a squadron commander of an F-15 squadron at Mountain Home AFB. Mike ELY (Michele) is an operations officer in F-16s at Moody. Bill SULLIVAN is working on the NASP at the Pentagon. Matt MARTORANO (Diana) is working airlift at XOFM in the puzzle palace and Carl NORDGREN

(Sue) and Steve KRIKORIAN (Kathleen) are working for the Buckley ANG flying the T-43. Rich says that he sees them all of the time since they support the Academy’s Nav programs.

It is true, there is talk of taking the “Bring Me Men” sign down in favor of a more politically-correct/appropriate saying. As of 4 June, ’93, the superintendent has rescinded a previous decision to replace the sign with the Academy’s core values. However, there is still pressure to do something. I will try to keep you updated on this issue if it is not completely covered in the Checkpoints issues. If you want to send me your thoughts on the issue, I will be glad to tabulate the results. As the same time, please write some information that I can include in the next column. This column is a little shorter than it needs to be and I hate making up stuff about people.

To those who wrote or contributed information, a big THANKS! If I misquoted or erred, please write and correct my error and I will publish the errata in the next issue. If you have any format or content suggestions, I am open to your comments. Cheers to all and fly safe!

John J. Michels, Jr.

9513 Pine Shadow Drive Richmond, VA 23233

Home: (804) 527-1873

Work: (804) 775-1137

Percent members: 36

INTRODUCTION: Summertime and the livin’ is easy. Unless, of course, you are moving to a new assignment, working at a law firm, or a nominee for a position in the Clinton administration. As you might guess, I fall into one of those categories but seem to find enough time to read your mail, which by the way, there wasn’t much of this time.

THE BIG STORY: Charle PRECOURT (Lynne) wrote me a great letter after his space-shuttle mission in April. He hauled the class banner, designed and built by Tom HANEY (Joan), along with him. Charlie said that “space flight is more than I had ever dreamed of.” I guess that’s true since very few of us dream of sitting on top of 7,000,000 pounds of thrust going 100 miles an hour vertically after traveling only 250 feet into the air. I had to read that part of the letter twice before I actually understood the implications. Charlie reported they heard a loud bang at Mach 22 at about 350,000 feet. I can only assume it wasn’t a bird strike.

He is now certified as an aircraft commander on the Citation II, which NASA uses to train mission specialist crew members. Tom is slated to go up in the shuttle next spring using the Jet Propulsion Lab’s synthetic aperture radar to do some fairly serious radar mapping of the earth. He enclosed this shot of himself “hanging around” weightless in the KC-135 trainer. I’d believe this was hard work if it wasn’t for the big smile on his face.

Charlie Precourt displays the classflag during his space-shuttle mission in April. The flag was designed and built by Tom Haney.

Charlie also waxed poetic about the scientific return, which was considerble. The shuttle crew returned 120% of the expected scientific data, including zero “G” cell fusion experiments and a half dozen turbine blades produced in a zero “G” furnace. Charlie ran off shortly after the flight to Germany to talk about the science mission with the German science lab folks. Congratulations Charlie, and we were all happy to hear that the problem with the zero “G” toilet worked itself out.

Among other interesting stories, Charlie dined on vacuum-packed beefsteak, which was preserved by radiation. I asked Charlie if he was now providing his own night light, but he said that the steak actually was quite good and the glow he feels is attributable solely to his euphoria following the flight.

The other class astronaut, Tom JONES (Liz), wrote me a couple of notes from various places Texas, Hawaii, Orlando, FL. Tom assures me it’s hell traveling to all these remote locations, but that he’s adjusting.

Both Tom and Charlie are concerned about NASA and the space program’s future in this era of uncertain funding. I am hopeful the new administration will honor its commitment to maintain our high-end industrial base, and keep our R&D efforts going in space as a means to that end.

Charlie plans to present the class banner to the Academy sometime this fall, along with some other items from the flight. We discussed hanging it in the Association of Graduates building, but decided to try to get it placed where more cadets would have a chance to see it. I will let you know how it all ends up.

SHORT LIST: Not much in the way of mail this time around. I suppose everyone’s out at the pool or the beach and it’s hard to hold a pencil with sunscreen all over your hands. Chuck CURRAN (Claudia) wrote from his new job at McGuire AFB. When we last left Chuck he was living at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, but he’s now a deputy base commander for the 438th Comm Group. Chuck was at Mogadishu from December through March of this year working with the Airlift Mobility Element. He ran into Mark HORKULIC who was with the Airlift Control Squadron from Rhein-Main. Chuck also ran into Ed MURPHY (Vickie) who is with the Joint Communications Support Element for the Joint Forces. Chuck noted that Ed gets to play airborne ranger in the new job and is having a whale of a time. Chuck made CNN when he was invited to the White House to welcome back the remainder of the Joint Staff from Somalia. He got to meet the CJCS and the president and vice president. Bill LORD also was part of the rent-a-crowd on the White House lawn for the welcome-back ceremony. Bill is working as chief of Operations for the White House Communications Agency. Chuck ran into Art BIERSCHBACH (Laurie) over at the Pentagon. Art is working in the “Fighter Mafia”, trying to scrape enough bucks together to get full production run on the F-22. Chuck sees Charlie GERSBACH (Jane) around McGuire. Charlie is flying for the Guard and commercially as well. Thanks for the update Chuck, and I hope to be back in Moscow sometime this year.

Not content to leave the hyping to someone else, Bill LORD (Cindy) also wrote me a letter. I love getting letters from Bill, because the letterhead either reads “The White House” or, in this case, “Aboard Air Force One”. Bill said he was in Russia at the beginning of the year with President Bush to sign the START II Treaty. I believe the president actually signed the treaty. I think Bill was there just in case the President needed to talk to somebody if the Russians changed their minds. Bill was quick to point out to me that although he is with the Communications Agency, he has nothing to do with the speech-writing portion of the White House communications process. None of us would accuse you of that, Bill. Bill is beginning ICAF this summer and leaving the White House environment. Thanks for the note and good luck at Industrial College.

CLOSE OUT: Sorry to make this such a short one, but output in this case is directly related to input. Hope to get some more news for the fall column. The cutoff date will be around September 10th. Until then, be seeing you.

General Delivery

Holloman AFB, NM 88330

Percent members: 35

J2l|2§lp

wAs I sit and stare at my lack of material to put in this quarter’s article, I’m starting to wonder if it was something I said. The response to my call for news or information was unremarkable at best and weak at worse. So unless you gents want me to pontificate on my favorite Rush Limbaugh quote or recite the first page of the Colorado Springs telephone directory, please send me some information for the next article. I really don’t want to resort to some of the slimy tactics I’ve seen other scribes do but I do have the latest photo of the KAY family...

Speaking for the KAY family, we increased the litter to tour witn me birth of Jonathon David on the 4th of May. He sleeps during the day and parties at night but I’m confident that one day he’ll figure it out. We have started to drink bottled water in the hopes that Jonathon is our last but the flight surgeon suggested that maybe we consider other solutions technique only.

The Return-to-Fly Board results and assignments hit the Zoo recently. T.J. (Nan) BRONDER will be going to Reese AFB in the T-38 and Moose (Steph) EVERS who was originally going to fly Tweets at Reese had his assignment changed at the last minute to an AT-38 at Columbus. I was supposed to join T.J. at Reese next July but was called yesterday (I swear that this is the truth) and asked if I would be willing to move in three weeks to meet a July IP upgrade class at Holloman and go to Columbus in an AT-38 as well (my boss is even willing to let me go I don’t know if that’s good or bad). I thought about it for about 30 seconds and we leave in two weeks. So much for long-term assignment notification. Other ’78ers that I recognized on the list were: Chris KRISINGER, John BARRY, Ken GRONEWALD, Eric THOMPSON (C-130); Bob MCADAMS (Bombers); Bill HOLWAY, Pitt MERRYMAN, Joe REYNES, Bob STEEL (who I ran into at the Pentagon last week), Vince WISNEWSKI, Tim WOLTERS, Bert CONROY, Greg KENNEDY, Matt LACOURSE, Dave MINTZ, Ron MITTENZWEI, Rande READ, Mark RENELT, John SWARSBROOK, Carl UST, and Kip WARTON (Fighters). Congrats to everyone!

Former Bulldog “Rude” Pete (Rosanne) SHOCKEY called from March AFB where he was just hired as the operations officer for the KC-10 squadron there. The flying and trips are good and he hopes to stay in the area for a while he still finds it interesting to fly IFR when there isn’t a cloud in the sky (those of you who have been there know what I’m talking about). I heard through the grapevine that some other classmates are ops officers as well: Doug (Claudia) RAABERG in B-ls at Dyess, Scott (Donna) ROGERS in Mudhens (F-15E) at Elmendorf, and Ed (Mitzi) HAZLETT at Holloman in the AT-38 (he’ll probably be my boss when I go through there next month).

Also got a call from Maj Bill GREGORY (’79) at NASA who mentioned that Rick (Julie) SEARFOSS will be flying the September shuttle mission. Rick gets to go on one of those lengthy trips and will be up for 14 days on STS-58 doing life-sciences work sounds interesting. Another classmate and former Bulldog, Jim HALSELL, is done with all of his training and is waiting to be scheduled for a mission soon, hopefully. Space work is no stranger to Jim who flew SR-71 missions for NASA before getting the nod for the shuttle program.

The telephone seems to be the best source of information I have (hint). I got another call from Tim (Lorraine) TAYLOR who is the chief of Stan/Eval for the training wing at Randolph AFB. Tim flies both the T-37 and T-38 and says that the flurry of activity in ATC/AETC is picking up at a rapid rate. Turns out that my replacement in CS-02 worked for him so he gave me a quick background check. I’m pleased to say that the squadron will finally get some solid leadership for the new semester.

Last by not least there are a few change-of-address notifications in the mailbag this month: Neil KRAUSE from Norton AFB to Albuquerque, NM; Dave LENGYEL changed houses but is staying in Herndon, VA; Jerry LUDKE from Springfield, VA to down the road in Mounument, CO; Rob HEIM from Ft. Leavenworth, KS to Castle AFB, CA; Art PENA from Naranja, FL to Fairfax Station, VA; and Mark SCHULER from Oxnard, CA to Northridge, CA.

Do not let my impending TDY/PCS deter you from either calling me at Holloman or Columbus (my old shop will have my number) or write me at the above address. This article will only get better if I have information to put in it so don’t be shy. See you next time.

Bob Edmonds

104 Wicomico Turn

Yorktown, VA 23693 r SB

Home: (804) 867-7815

Work: (804) 764-5279

DSN: 574-4446

Percent members: 35 V'

Greetings from the Hampton Roads area and Air Combat Command Headquarters. The reorganization/merger, by and large, has gone pretty well. Now, if the budget wasn’t getting cut so deep and so quick...

Quarterly Maxwell Update: Since ’79ers work so well together as a team, Bud VAZQUEZ (Molly) not only writes the best ’79 articles, but he also keeps the rest of us up on the news. Bud, who just pinned on lieutenant colonel (OK, Bud, congratulations!), passed the following information: He is leaving Maxwell this summer, finally, and will take his newfound knowledge from the School for Advanced Air Power Studies (SAAS) to the Pentagon where else would these intellectually-superior, strategic-thinking, doctrine-expert professional officers go? He is going to work in the office of the program executive officer for Tactical and Airlift systems. Originally, he was going to work on the #\ program in the AF, the F-15, and this frustrated fighter pilot was fired up! But alas, another major program has gotten a lot of negative press lately and they need Bud to straighten things out. I’ll reserve comment on that program or to reveal the name until Bud’s finally in place things could change.

As reported in the last article, Tom GRIFFITH (Liz) is leaving SAAS to pursue a PhD and will attend the University of North Carolina for a degree in military history. Also leaving Montgomery, Mike RHODES (Sarah) is going to the D.C. area to a classified position. Don PALANDECH (Elizabeth) is off to the cockpit as a backseater in the F-15E at SJ. Mark OWEN (Sharon) launches off to SPACECOM. Greg SMITH (Cheryl) is Pentagon bound. They have had their prayers answered: Cheryl delivered early a 1.5 pound baby and the infant in now “on track” after four months. Chuck O’DONNELL (MaryAnn) will fly an RC-135 at Mountain Home. Vance SKARSTEDT (Sandra) goes to DIA. Not reported last article from Montgomery, Mike LONGORIA (Judy) is leaving SAAS for (where else?), the Pentagon and AF/XO somewhere. Larry BRITTENHAM (Judy) graduates from ACSC and goes way north to Iceland to work in CE for how long, who knows? Steve NEWBOLD is going to Germany somewhere (probably only a coupie places still open to go now) and Bill MURPHY will become a watch officer at the NNMC.

News Flashes: Speaking of the Pentagon, Mark SVESTKA (Kelli) is in the Fighter Mafia office in XO and Rick DAVIS (Susan) is with Test and Evaluation there.

Also, going to D.C. this summer, Dave RHODES (Gloria) was selected for a White House Fellowship from over 800 applicants and will work as a special assistant to a cabinet-level official for one year. Congratulations, Dave, you deserve it!

On one of my recent trips to McDonnell Douglas, Mark BUECHTER was also at the same meeting. He is still flying test missions in the F-15E at Edwards, but by the time you read this article he should be settled in the Dayton, OH region. He’s hanging up his G-suit for a real staff job working at the F-15 System Program Office at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Also, on a recent trip to Atlanta, I had lunch with Steve DICKSON (Dawn). He’s really enjoying life there flying for Delta and working around the house. They have a nice, big home and I’m sure would love some visitors how about during the upcoming Olympic games?

Medical News: Bob KADLEC (Ann) made it to the final 35 National Finalists for a White House Fellowship, but the commissioners missed an opportunity to select two ’79ers probably would have presented much too large a threat to really make things happen in Washington. Bob’s doing well in Fayetteville, NC as a doctor with the Special Operations Force there. Other “doctor” news, Butch RAYFIELD (Karen) is a civilian pediatrician in D.C. Also, word is that Craig BASH (Margaret), as reported in the last article a radiologist in the D.C. area, is planning a one-year stint as a doctor on an Indian reservation with his wife, also a doctor.

Langley News: Bill TRAVNICK (Deb) is off to Leavenworth for “1 to 3,” as he puts it, because that’s how long it will take to educate him. Deb has been working very hard to complete her degree here before they leave and Trav has been planning that horse ranch out West for six years down

the road. Pete BUNCE (Paulette) just took over as the operations officer of the 27th FS (good training for running a restaurant) and will deploy to Saudi for three months in July for the standard rotation. I’ve seen John BINGAMAN (Tami) walking the ACC HQs halls in the XP area and also John MCCORMACK (Ruth) in the DR halls, so they appear alive and well(?). Roy CLELAND is soon leaving the staff for a B-l assignment at Grand Forks. Since he’s on the Squadron Commander’s List, he’ll probably move right into some sort of leadership position. He deserves to go back to flying after all the long hours he worked here preparing three B-l summits in one year for the chief. Frank FRANCOIS (Diana) surveyed the “lay of the land” in the F-16 community and decided to take the exit bonus. Diana is going to Maxwell this summer and Frank wants to continue living with his wife and kids.

Bob TETTLEBACH (Ellen) and I are liaison officers in the local area here and recently had an appointees luncheon for the new Class of 1997! Can you believe it? It’s been 18 years since we entered the Academy and for most of us, that’s half our lives.

Archie RIPPETTO (Sue) is escaping the staff with “by-name” request to Elmendorf to fly Eagles again and will arrive in early September. Archie updates us on Tom “T-Mac” MCCARTHY (Jodi). She’s with child and due in late fall while they are at Kadena. Les LONG (Lynn) is leaving NORAD in late fall for Hill. Burt FIELD (Lisa) plans on graduating from Leavenworth this June and also goes to Hill in August.

Keith TROUWBORST (Karen) is still roaming the halls of ACC Headquarters and sneaking into his office behind big, thick doors (to play computer games, probably). He passes on that Mike LEGGETT (Wendy) is now at Nellis flying F-4Gs. Mike recently met up with Jori CROMWELL (Kenalyn) at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis for some business. Keith also reports that Jim WHITE (Kristi) is flying for Delta and living in the Fort Worth area. Also, Clyde SPENCER (Lisa) flies for Northwest and the Michigan Guard F-16s. Dave SAFFOLD (Linda) is no longer flying B-ls and is working in the TENCAP office at SPACECOM in Colorado Springs.

Joe RENIS (Carol) left the staff here at Langley and is the active-duty advisor to the Otis ANG unit. Mike “Omar” BRADLEY (Patti) just left Luke AFB where he was flying the backseat of a F-15E at Luke to the left desk in the new Air Education and Training Command (AETC) F-15E Training shop. Jeff MCCHESNEY (Diann) has been at Harvard during this last year fulfilling his War College square and is off to Kadena, I think (or somewhere to fly the mighty Eagle).

Guy WILLS (Judy), the keeper of all ’79 knowledge at Langley, passed on that Jim CALLAHAN (Leezu) is down at Eglin in F-16 Operational Test Evaluation, Tom TAKAI (Cindy) is an IP in the Wing Weapons and Tactics office at the F-16 ANG base at Selfridge, MI, and Dave GIBBS (Cathy) is working programming and budgeting issues at Offutt AFB with USSTRATCOM. Here at ACC, Steve ALSTON (Jill) is also working programming issues for SC and Jim BELT, also on the SC staff, is in the Security Branch.

Mailbag: The mystery moves this edition are Rob GORDON (Janet) from Hawaii (HQ PACAF, maybe?) to 3402 Driftwood Pass, San Antonio, TX 78247 (HQ AFMPC, possibly?) and Joe BARRON (Beth) from Elbel Street to 3604 Habersham in Schertz, TX 78154 (built a new home, could it be?).

Jim POOL (Carol) also sent in just an address change, but as luck would have it, I was fortunate (depends on your perspective I guess) to have Jim as the first officer on one of my Delta flights not too long ago. I recognized his name on the flight lineup card as I entered the airliner (Delta’s attempt at putting the pilot’s name on the side of the jet) and sent him a note via the flight attendant. He would have offered me a free drink, I’m sure, except I was already getting those since I was in first class (all these frequent flier miles should be useful for something). He had been flying out of New Orleans and moved to Aledo, TX where I assume he’s out of DFW now.

Fred VANWICKLIN was the winner in the mailbag sweepstakes because he actually wrote with some news using the biographical information form that’s in every edition of this magazine. Thanks, Fred. He moved to the Pentagon to work in HQ USAF/XORW. Another hero from Desert Storm, he flew the longest combat mission in history, logging over 35 hours in the air! On 16 Jan, ’91, he took off from Barksdale in his B-52, flew to the Gulf, launched the first Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) used in the war and then flew back to Barksdale... talk about using No-Doze! He was awarded an Air Medal for his contributions.

I got a great letter from my good friend, Rob GAYLORD (Pam). He moved this past year from Goldsboro, NC to Plantation, FL near Ft. Lauderdale. He’s still flying with American (only about four days per month, though!) and KC-lOs with the Reserves back at SeymourJohnson. All this free time is spent helping home-school his boys with

Pam and a lot of remodeling the house they bought. He reports that Glen HANBEY (Shari) is working at the Pentagon in International Affairs/Security Assistance and traveling a lot to the Middle East peddling airplanes over there. They’re moving to ACSC at Maxwell this summer (along with a number of ’79ers these years are the heart of our time frame). Mitch DAVITTE (Donna) is in Rob’s Reserve squadron at SJ and works for Fed X living in Birmingham. Tom LOCKIE (Gina) is a 727 captain now with American and living the good life in Naples, FL with a great family (and big, too!). Some think that Bill BOYD is flying for United out of San Francisco and flying Reserve C-5s at Travis. Great letter Rob, thanks!

Correction: My article last year had one mistake (at least) that I would like to correct for the record, although the mistake probably brought a few laughs to some. I reported that I saw Tom WINGO (Kim) at Nellis while we were both out there TDY and he was there for a 3-1 conference. Well, after editing at the AOG, this came out that he was there for a B-l Conference. Pretty funny, considering it was about Wings you know, there are bombers in the traffic pattern at Nellis now... blasphemy to the fighter guys.

Question of the Quarter: With all the cutbacks in the budget and in the space program, in particular, will Bill GREGORY (Mary Beth) ever get a shuttle mission, and, if so, which century?

Lost and Found Department: If anyone has heard of the whereabouts and latest news on the following, please write or call me at the above address. TEN MOST WANTED: Jeff ASHBY, Lance BEAM, Mike BOHAC, Beith BOYKIN, Randy GRICIUS, Mark HILBURN, Ron PERRY, Steve RASMUSSEN, Frank SYNDER, Steve WHEELESS.

That’s all for this update. Send your information for the next article to Bud Vazquez, 12668 Catawba Dr., Woodbridge, VA 22192 by early September. Cheers.

Don Myers

110-B Tree Point Alley Kodiak, AK 99615-6813

Home: (907) 487-2598

Work: (907) 487-5218

DSN: 317-487-5218

FAX: 487-5273

Percent members: 40

GOTTA TWO PAGER from Dan ADAMS right after last issue’s deadline. He was one of the few that got an “E-ticket” invitation to see Susan HELMS blast into space. They were Best Buds together while serving time in the Aero Department. He flew down early to visit as the crew’s in quarantine a week before the mission. Eileen Collins, Pat YOUNG’s wife, gave him a grand tour of the Kennedy Space Center. Dan said Pat couldn’t attend due to flying commitments, but Dan suspects it was a tee time somewhere out west which Pat couldn’t pass up. Oh, NASA managers said Susan did very well and until assigned another mission will be a capsule communicator.

Finally, there was a mini-reunion at the Patrick AFB O’Club after the launch and here are some of the folks who shared the gift of gab with Dan: Dave CONWAY works at the Eastern Missile Range for AFSPACECOM; Pete and Maureen (TRITLE) VACCARO are now living in Utah with three children; Fred and Kathy (UTLEY) KORNAHRENS now live in Florida with their threesome; Nancy (BERGER) (Gary) SYNDER works in AF Studies and Analysis in the Pentagon she hopes to move as you read this to HQ AFSPACECOM in the beloved Springs; Paul and Ricky (SMITH) SELVA are at March (as you know from the winter issue) Dan calls Paul’s KC-lOs “Gucci Jets;” Anne (MARTIN) (Chuck) FLETCHER flies the VP’s plane at Andrews; Mary DALEY works with the flesh peddlers at MPC; Karl and Julie (RICHARDS) APFEL fly for American and Delta Julie gave Dan max grief for being single and loving it; Sue (Rich) SLAVEC-EASTERLY came down for the launch from ACSC with Bonnie HOUCHEN and Terry MEYER. Dan related how he ran into Mike MOELLER and the gals above at the Maxwell AFB O’Club while house hunting and had a great evening. Seems the whole ACSC class there is test driving a new curriculum which puts the focus on the “Air Campaign.”

On trips Dan ran into: Paul THORNHILL and Brad (Julie) DUTY at Offutt as part of CINCSTRAT’s “inner circle,” where they prepare congressional testimony, write speeches, etc. Brad was anxious to get to ACSC this summer after six years in Nebraska. Tom (Karen) EHRHARD is also at STRATCOM as a SIOP Timer (nuclear attacks are wellchoreographed affairs!). He’s joining Brad in Montgomery. Tom LESTER is also there working arms control issues in J-5. While at AFSPACECOM, Dan chatted with Mark (JoLynn) GARLOW who works Advance Space Requirements and was previously part of the B-2 test team at Edwards. Dan (Laura) VALLADO leads a sharp engineering team developing satellite control software for AFSPACECOM out of the Phillips Lab in Albuquerque, NM. Frank OTT is working advanced systems requirements at HQ ACC (Langley); Dan SAVILLE and Jim POWELL are also on staff. John (Joanie) CHERNIGA heads for Maxwell from the USAFA Behavioral Science Dept along with Ross (Kym LARSEN, ’85) ROLEY, who have a new daughter. And Steve “Pink” FLOYD was met at a Virginia USAFA/ROTC admissions liaison officer meeting. Steve is a contracting instructor at Ft. Lee, VA and says he has a better appreciation for the AF. Finally, Dan fit in a little about himself as he works in ICBM Requirements and Test Programs at ACC (but will also be at ACSC when you read this). The Cold War may be over, but there’s still plenty going on with ICBMs as we draw down the force and extend life/upgrade Minuteman Ills. He works with Dale SHIRASAGO on test launches at Vandenberg as a member of the TOP HAND team.

MUCHAS GRACIAS, Dan!

A TIMELY LETTER. Got a note from Rudy JIRICEK’s wife, Sandy, three days before deadline. They live near Salt Lake so Rudy doesn’t have to commute to work with the Big D. Sandy is the senior orthopedic physical therapist in a local rehab hospital. They have three children, ages 2.5 - 7. She noted her husband has become allergic to the Postal Service since graduation. (Hard to believe of a grad.) To all of us she added, “Mi casa es su casa.” Thanks, Sandy.

ANOTHER CLASSMATE sees the light. (Literally, since here it gets dark at midnight and light 0500 now/June). Mark (Melinda) GRAPER hunted me down because he is going PCS to Elmendorf after ACSC and wanted to know the ins and outs of the Alaska Highway. He’ll be swinging through the RTU at Luke before settling into the F-15E. He noted Paul “Mace” (Karen) CARPENTER and Bill ELIASON are going across the street to the School of Advance Aerospace Studies. Mark calls it a high-powered book-a-day club. Other ACSC follow-ons: Sue MASHIKO, Pentagone “Black World Space Stuff;” Sue SLAVECEASTERLY, AMC at Scott; Terry MEYER, the Zoo as an AOC she’s newly married to an intel type. Thanks for the call, Mark.

SHORTS: It’s Rodeo time in AMC. The event has been moved from Pope to Little Rock. Talked to TJ JOHNSON, TDY from Pope to “the Rock,” and the 317AW Rodeo Team commander. Seems the317AW will be transferring all assets to ACC and deactivating. More changes.

Ed HERLIK wrote a book coming out this summer about the Gulf War. McGraw-Hill bought it and that’s a big deal, considering this was his first try. The book’s title was in flux when I talked to Ed (seems the publishers have a lot of input here), but it promises to be good.

With the military downsizing and related industry shrinkage, times haven’t been great for some of us. If you’re anywhere near the D.C. area, there’s a good networking organization for USAFA grads (many who are getting some clout in their own or other strong companies): AFA Society of Washington, DC. See ads in this pub or contact me.

AH, YES, the infamous COA cards. I neglected to put any in last issue. Even though I got no complaints: Dan (Susan) SAVILLE to Yorktown, VA; Kurt (Susan) BULLARD to Monument (from C-Springs moving

to Yuppieville?); Neil CATONE to Columbus, MS; Craig SEEBER to another APO AE (I didn’t look them up this time); Tom JORDAN to Fort Worth; Brian WAECHTER to Sheppard AFB; Mark REIDINGER to Beavercreek, OH; Bob EISENBERGER to Pleasanton, CA; and Don (Kathy) MYERS to a humble abode on base with a nice guest room and just a short walk to the ocean; five minutes to world-class fishing. Which leads me to continue...

NEW VOCABULARY. I’m finding new words here in Alaska to add to my dwindling gray matter: Reds, Silvers, Pinks, and Kings (different types of salmon); and King, Tanner, and Dungeoness crabs. They all taste great! Alaska is like Colorado with water and we’re loving it. By the way, not a day goes by that I don’t see a bald eagle.

I feel these articles are just an open letter to my friends and I’d especially like to hear back from any of you. Godspeed, Don.

Greetings. Since I’ve grown accustomed to a steady stream of phone calls and letters from eager classmates and I don’t want to suffer even a single day of interruption, please note that my address has changed, effective 1 Aug, ’93. (Who am I kidding? Even if you doubled the number of letters and calls I’ve received in the past two years, I could still count them all without taking off my socks.) I don’t have a phone number as I write this column, but directory assistance in Lawrence will have my number by the time you read it.

My first target this time around, selected with the same careful randomness with which a serial killer might choose his victims, was Pete DEGRAAF who is finishing up his PhD in EE at Purdue under Academy sponsorship. Before returning to the faculty, however, he will have a full assignment at NSA at Ft Meade. Although this will probably embarrass someone of Pete’s humble nature, I must tell you that his dissertation research is so innovative that he has already published two articles in the field’s leading journals. Pete and Betsy are also busy raising their twins, Michael and Emily, who were considerate enough to arrive the day after Pete finished final exams during his first semester nearly three years ago. Pete was a communications engineer beginning with tech school at Biloxi and three assignments at Wright-Pat (including getting a master’s degree at AFIT) before teaching at the Academy for more than two years. Pete still keeps in touch with Bill MCCLURE who teaches aero at the Academy after getting a PhD at the University of Texas, and Jim MCKINNEY, an EE at Wright-Pat who is switching to a headquarters job at Materiel Command.

I tracked Pat FIELDS down to the caribou country of eastern Maine where he is commander of the Ashland Electronic Combat Range, 50 miles from Loring. Pat was a B-52 EWO and instructor at Mather, Fairchild, and Castle for many years before moving to Maine, and he stays in touch with, among others, two classmates at Wright-Pat: Phil MILLER, who works at the AC/MC-130 program office, and the long-lost Kyle BYARD who is finishing up a degree at AFIT. In addition, Linda MCCULLERS has moved from several assignments as a KC-135 pilot to a tour as a command briefer at Scott, and Tom ARKO flies B-ls at Dyess.

My old roommate, Delta pilot Mike LEIGH, wins this issue’s Heroic Dad Award. A few months ago, his new daugher Lauren decided to come out and play sooner than Mike’s wife, Debbie, was able to make it to the delivery room. In fact, Debbie couldn’t even make it to the car, so Mike delivered Lauren himself, aided over the phone by the advice of his obstetrician’s receptionist. (I’m not making this up.) It would seem this medical school stuff is vastly overrated. Mike’s deliberate, calm demeanor (which some have described as ambulatory comatose) was just the ticket for delivery duty. It’s nice to know he can fall back on a midwife career if the airline gig doesn’t work out.

Steve HENDERSON called to try to prove he is as pleasant a conversationalist as his wife, Danette, who I talked with at length several months ago when I telephonically pounced on the Henderson family. Sorry to disappoint you Steve. But he did give me updates on several classmates he has seen at Nellis including Craig FRANKLIN, Chet NOWAK, and Keith BEAM who are instructors at weapons school. Departing instructors inelude Mike WINSLOW who is going to Tyndall and Kurt NEUBAUER who is moving to Hill. Joe ZEIS was a WSO who went to test pilot school at Edwards before making major early and moving on to ACSC, and Paul BUNT flies 757s for UPS out of Louisville while living in North

Carolina. Finally, Steve recently saw Paul KELLY and Brian DOOLEY, Delta pilots out of Atlanta, when they were flying their reserve 130s in Red Flag.

I found Phil LANDWEER in Albuquerque where he is manager of advanced simulations for BDM Corp. Phil was a triple major at the Academy (!) who went immediately to grad school for a master’s in applied math before going to pilot training. Unfortunately, he was medically disqualified from UPT for very slight high blood pressure that he hasn’t had before or since. He then worked at AFOTEC at Kirtland before moving on to BDM, but he still wears the blue suit as a major in the Reserves. Phil has kept in touch with many of our classmates ineluding John MASON who is a surgeon at Kirtland, Tom TOMARAS who does B-2 staff work at Langley after several assignments piloting B-52s and B-ls, and Bruce STARK who recently went to the prestigious DSMC school in D.C.

I recently received a Navy news release, through channels I still don’t understand, that describes the recent heroics of Jeff BENOIST who flies helicopters for the Coast Guard out of Houston. By way of directory assistance, I had pleasant conversations with two different Jeff Benoists in Houston, neither of whom had ever heard of the Academy, or even the Coast Guard for that matter. Unfortunately, I was unable to track Jeff down since his parents have an unlisted number in St. Louis, but I’ll give you the essentials from the news release. Jeff, who apparently separated from the Air Force before joining the Coast Guard in 1991, was recently awarded the Coast Guard Humanitarian Service Medal for flying his HH65A “Dolphin” through horrendous weather to medevac a heart attack victim from an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Way to go Jeff.

I had a very nice talk with the mother of our erstwhile wing commander and former C-5 pilot, Ted KNOWLES, and she told me all of the cute things Ted used to do or was that his brother, Jim? She was also kind enough to give me his phone number, so I can tell you that Ted couldn’t resist the urge to dabble in the capitalist system he had been defending, so he turned down an early promotion to major and formed his own real estate company, Pilot Properties, in Denver. (Clever corporate name, Ted.) In addition to owning over 100 rental units in the city, Ted is one of those entrepreneurs profiting from the S&L debacle by buying up property from the Resolution Trust Corp and selling it to developers.

Mike MCGOVERN was TDY when I called, but his wife, Becky, filled me in on the happenings in the McGovern family. (She said Mike will kill her when he discovers she became the scribe’s informant. I have put the San Antonio police on alert.) Most important is the arrival of their first child by the time you read this. Mike is an acquisitions specialist who had three assignments at Wright-Pat before getting to his current job at AFIC headquarters in San Antonio, and he hopes to go to the Pentagon sometime soon. When he’s not TDY or getting the house ready for his progeny, Mike practices his skill at hitting balls hard and far in both softball and golf.

Finally, Karen MANOS wrote, with dismay, to say that the assignment history I printed in my last column must have been some other Karen Manos. There is no such thing as space law, apparently, and even if there was, she has never practiced it. While I hang my jurisprodential head in shame, please let me set the record straight. Karen was a contract negotiator in Colorado Springs before going to law school at Duke, where she graduated first in her class. Then she had three different assignments in the D.C. area, (successfully avoiding space law during all of them) ineluding one year as a felony drug prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s office as part of the DoD’s contribution to the war on drugs. 'She then moved to San Francisco three years ago to become a government contracts attorney, and she expects to leave for another assignment in Los Angeles by the time this column is published.

Perhaps I should explain why some of the information I print is occasionally outdated, inaccurate, or completely incorrect. I am usually able to track down about 10 classmates for each article (This isn’t easy. For each column, I pile up about 10 dollars in directory assistance charges alone.), and I ask each of them for information on other classmates. Unfortunately, I have neither the time nor the budget to track down these additional people to verify the details. You can always preempt any misrepresentation, however, by dropping me a quick note. I’ll even quote you directly, if you prefer, to ensure complete accuracy.

As usual, a number of classmates covered their tracks well enough to prevent me from finding them. For example, I left messages on the answering machines of Nancy MILLER and Mike MCNERNEY. Peter BLOME was probably on vacation because he never answered his phone, and the aforementioned Brian DOOLEY’s babysitter told me that Brian and Jan are expecting their fourth child. (Their other three kids are very well behaved according to the expert.) Finally, I was not able to locate the following randomly-selected classmates bcause their trails were just too cold: Dennis NORTHCUTT, Brian GREENSHIELDS, Russ HERN-

DON, Bob TILLEMA, Bob RENAUD, Rich PELICAN, Janice BENHAM, Jim TILLEY, and Bruce PEDEY.

Jim Ratti

6329 Pheasant Valley Road

Dayton, OH 45424

Home: (513) 235-1750

Work: (513) 255-4776

DSN: 785-4776

Percent members: 43

I’m afraid I have to start this column out on a sad note. As you’ve probably read in the Gone But Not Forgotten column, another of our classmates has, as the Daedalians say, made his Last Flight. Rich OLSON was killed on 1 May 93 in Sedona, AZ, when his Mooney 201 crashed on short final. Rich owned the plane, and was making a gas stop while enroute to Wichita for a TDY. His passenger, Steve “Shep” SHEPARD (’89), was also killed in the mishap. Steve and Rich were both C-12 pilots in the 459 ALS at March. I learned the news from Eddie MCALLISTER, who by coincidence, was at Rich’s house when the casualty notification team arrived. Rich’s and Eddie’s wives are sisters, and Eddie was visiting while TDY to Edwards. I’m sure I speak for our entire class when I express my deepest sympathy and fervent prayers for the families these men left behind. Rich’s squadron has set up a scholarship fund for his two girls (Tracie, four years old, and Nicolle, two). Send contributions to: Olson Scholarship Fund (c/o Tina McPhetres), 459th ALS, 2990 Graeber St., March AFB, CA 92518-2349. Eddie told me that the funeral was at USAFA, and that it was a class act. A C-130 from Rich’s old unit (61st TAS) performed a flyby, and that pallbearers included Tracy “Wiley” DICKENSON and Gary HOGG. Both are MC-130 Combat Talon IPs at Hurlburt, and Wiley recently married a young lady named Susan. Eddie says I’m to tell you that Wiley is a slim “one biscuit below 220 lbs”. At the risk of getting you mauled, Eddie, here’s the quote!

Also attending the funeral were Major (Sel) Sue (JOHNSON) ROSE (C-12 pilot with Rich’s unit), Barney GHIM (getting PhD at U. of Denver before returning to a research slot at USAFA), Charlie GLASSIE (flying for Alaska Airlines, out of Seattle), and Maj Jeff “Good Hairs” BEENE (CS-09 AOC).

Now it’s time to get my duster out and clean off some really old letters. I found two that I had put aside for “safekeeping” when we moved last winter. First up is Jill STERLING, who should be married to Steve UMLOR by the time you read this. She sent me a New Year’s card announcing their engagement and plans for a July wedding in Vail, CO. Jill will finish her three-year fellowship in pulmonary/critical care at Wilford Hall just before then, and she is hoping the USAF will transfer her and her new husband “anyplace other than Texas”. Congratulations, and best of luck, Jill. Sorry it took so long for you to see your name in print!

The next moldy oldie is from Dean MILLS. He and his wife, Deena, sent me this picture of themselves and their children, Jessica, Melissa, Zachary, and Joshua. Dean is an instructor nav in the T-43 and also serves as the OIC of the parachute team at USAFA (no, he’s NOT the one you may have read about in the papers...) and sent word of lots of other USAFA types from the Best in Blue. Peggy SHERMAN is in CWIT teaching military training, and Barb FAULKENBERRY is in the athletic department. The 50th ATS is home for Kevin CRENWELGE (Flight Commander), Marcus DARLING (Stan/Eval), and Julie (ROSBURG) KECK (Ops). Steve WERNER is teaching math, while Jim HARKINS is a soaring IP in the 94th ATS. Mike FLYNN, Angus SIMPSON, Steve TOLDY, and Rick BURGESS are all AOCs or associate AOCs.

Classroom instructors include Phil BOSSERT (Mil Art & Science), Cathy (COLEBROOK) CLOTHIER (Behavioral Science), her husband Bryan CLOTHIER (Physics), Mario PAUDA (Physics or Chemistry), Gail (COOPER) ALLEN (Management), and Joe DHILLON (Law), among others that Dean can’t remember. Dean also says that Tom LAVALLEY is a pilot of United living in the Springs area, and that Lori (FULTON) NOWACK is out, and her husband Mark is a Mech instructor, so she too is in the area.

I received a more recent letter from Mike SINISI, who is being “schooled” at ACSC at Maxwell with a lot of other below-the-zone majors. Among them are Dave and Faith (INTERRANTE) FADOK. Dave will be staying at Maxwell for some follow-on fun, a course in Advanced Airpower Studies. Dave and Faith just had their second child, a boy. Bob RANCK will leave for USAFA to be an AOC, and Ray PHILLIPS will take a joint job at J-7, Altantic Command, NAS Norfolk. Sue VAUTRINOT will travel to Falcon AFS, and Lyn SOUTH will join USAF/XO at the Pentagon. Daryl “Bones” JONES will take a job at the wargaming center at Maxwell, and Tony MAUER will go to the J-3 shop at EUCOM in Stuttgart. As for Mike, he will go to Castle AFB to be a Comm Sq commander. Mike said he ran into Greg TATE at Maxwell. Greg is “doing something” at HQ ROTC there. Mike also said he saw Heather WILSON on a PBS show opposite William F. Buckley, defending women in combat. To hear Mike tell it, Bill never had a chance!

And, just to prove that being overseas is no excuse for not writing, I got an E-Mail from Dake VAHOVICH, who is flying MC-130Es out of Kadena. Dake said that Kevin MCDONOUGH is an MC-130 pilot at Hurlburt, and that Jim GALBRAITH has a staff job at Osan. Dake also told me that Tom SCHLUCKEBIER is living in Hawaii, still in the Air Force, but Dake didn’t have any job details. Finally, Dake was TDY to Kirtland awhile back and ran into Ron MATTSON, who is a Talon II IP there.

Bob WELLER (who works with me in the F-16 SPO) and his wife had their third daughter this past April, and they named her Melissa. My F-16 job also had me at the National Aerospace Electronics Convention (NAECON) here in Dayton a couple weeks ago, and I saw Mike SKAFF manning the Lockheed booth. Mike was an F-16 pilot who resigned to work for what was then General Dynamics. When Lockheed bought GD and turned it into Lockheed Fort Worth Company, Mike went along for the ride and is now working various pilot-vehicle interface issues for the F-16. I promised Mike I’d stop in the next trip I make to Fort Worth. Chances are very good that’ll happen by the time you read this, since Ft. Worth seems to be my second home.

On a personal note, I’ve completed my aero club checkout, and now hold a commercial instrument rating in single and multi-engine airplanes. So, I’m no longer completely desk bound. However, the price (and performance...) isn’t quite as attractive as it used to be. I’m working on some TDYs to see if Uncle can offset some of my rental fees! I had Eric and Valerie BJORN up for a little fun flying in May, and we had a great time photographing our houses.

Well, that’s all the news I have this time around. As always, keep the inputs coming. You can E-Mail me via INTERNET at RATTIJM@asdyp2.asdyp.wpafb.af.mil, and over CompuServe at 72477,1255. If you have INTERNET access and want to send mail to me at CompuServe, use 72477,1255.@compuserve.com. Until next time (and even after next time. BE SAFE. RATMAN.

Stu Pope

340 The Village #315

Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Percent members: 47

We’re in a sort of strange timewarp situation here. As I write, the 10-year reunion is a future event. As you read, the event is historical. So, let me just say it was, is, and evermore shall be a great party, and I hope

HOMECOMING ’93

Class of 1983 10-Year Reunion

30 Sept - 3 Oct 1993

USAFA vs Wyoming

MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!

we’ll all be there and are there and, um, were there.

But before all that, other events worthy of mention took place, some of which can be published in a family-oriented journal like this. Tim “Doc” JACOBS and Mary Beth had a baby, for instance, and named it Tim Jacobs the Younger. Not “Junior,” though. Apparently there was a subtle reworking of the middle name, from Martin to Merlin or whatever. I saw Tim and Mary Beth in D.C. in March, and was happy to find a functional microbrewery in Doc’s basement. Sort of restores my faith, man.

Tim the Elder, Tim the Younger, and Mary Beth Jacobs.

Speaking of brewing beer, my buddy Bill and I have concocted some righteous ales ourselves lately, and have graced the bottles with nightmare labels straight out of Joe Strack comix. “Screaming Steam Beer” is but one example. It features Joe’s obnoxious cron Emil, for all you Dodo fans out there. All eleven of you.

Coming soon to a Class Six store near you.

Received a letter from my old SERE bud Scott POPPLETON “Goes the Weasel” a few months ago. I’m really losing my knack with nicknames, obviously, and hey, I apologize, but anyway, Scott’s doing F-16s in New York, and says he’s married to “Goodlookin’ Kari,” and has two boys.

Scott also reports Mark “Stinky Gumby” MURPHY is flying for American and moonlights with the New York ANG, F-16s. Married with children, lives in Syracuse. Sam GEDDIE “Museum” is also flying for American and is with the Oklahoma ANG, F-16s. Married with children, lives in Tulsa. Yes, it’s the tale of two men, sharing one identity, separated only by a bunch of midwestern states.

The Poppletonian goes on to say that Mike EDWARDS was last seen at King Fahd AB with Mike BARTLEY, Terry FEATHERSTON, and Landis “On the Runway” COOK, flying A-lOs. Landis returned to be an A-10 FWS instructor at Nellis. Everyone else was reportedly having too much fun in Saudia Arabia to even dream of leaving.

Dave ROSS and Brad GUTIERREZ were Desert Stormers as well. Brad’s now chief of Bombers (cool job title) in B-52 Stan/Eval at Fairchild AFB. Dave’s flying for Airborne Express (fierce competitor of Freefall Express) in Texas while wife, Sue (NEWHOUSE), is working on her master’s at UT Arlington. They recently had a baby boy and named

him “Sean,” figuring, “Hey, this is the ’90s, people can pronounce Celtic names.” Sue’s preparing to return to the Zoo to teach Irish mythology.

Emily REGH is out of the Air Force, but is married to an “Air Force guy” known only as “Wayne.” They live in Central America and have a baby girl. Sorry, that’s all I’m allowed to say on the subject.

For those of you who watch TV, there’s apparently a show called “American Gladiators” bouncing around the airwaves, and none other than our own “Oglala” Sue ROTH reportedly took part as a contestant/gladiator. After demolishing the set, Sue is said to have thrown the host, javelin-like, through a series of suspended innertubes, much to the delight of the audience and home viewers. Stay tuned.

Pete BARTOS stopped by for lunch a few days ago. He’s had it with Navy F-18s and is going back to fly real jets F-15s at Kadena. He denied, not very convincingly, that he was the model for the Postal Service’s new 29-cent “Buddy Holly” stamp. “Hey, I don’t even own a set of B.C. glasses,” he whined, but I just smiled knowingly.

Saw Vinnie RENAUD’s name next to mine on an alpha roster for SDO here at Los Angeles AFB. SDO! OIC! BMEWS! The fun never ends. Vinnie’s a civil engineer, presumably busy in these times of civil unrest. No truth to the rumor that he masterminded the Whittier quake back in ’87, though. That was Craig PROPST.

On to other tangents. I’m not saying I’m a prophet or anything, but I do recall questioning, in a past Checkpoints’ article, how Bill VOLKER, Mark REINECKE, and Drew WACKER could all fly for the same airline without achieving some sort of critical vulgarity mass. (I’m assuming that’s a bonafide physics term.) Well, sure enough, Drew spun off, electron-like, and is now flying for United, while “Bug Slum” and “Reenike” have stabilized at American. Funny how the laws of nature work, isn’t it?

So, Drew ends up at United and flies C-130s with “the Reserves” in the Springs, along with Eric “I” OPITZ “Not Raining Today.” Or so I’ve heard. And thus Drew’s wife, Tracy, is assured of a stable, familyoriented environment in her ancestral homeland, far from Tom KING, and the threat of a dangerous Wacker/Volker/Reinecke three-way 727 raunchfest (imagine Mark in the right, Drew in the galley, and Bill somewhere in the aisles, “entertaining” the passengers frightening, eh?) is effectively avoided. And all’s well that ends well.

O.K., enough of that. Ready for the “where are they now?” paragraphs? Here we go. Chris WIEDENHEOFT now lives in Jacksonville, FL and is a project manager for “Abba Construction,” which I hope has nothing to do the eponymous Swedish pop group. Mark SCHARF “and gloves” moved from APO AE to APO AP. “Hey” Jude VILLARS moved from Gretna to Marrero, LA. Rick RAGALLER left Sacramento and the sublime Rubicon brewpub for Phoenix, home of the Red Rock brewery. Emily TATE escaped from Great Falls, MT and is now residing in New Braunfels, TX. Yee-hah, and pass the schnitzel. Pete PENNINGTON has relocated to Alpine, CA. Gayle “Rennaissance” FAIRCLOTH made the wise move from Fort Worth, TX to Huntington, Beach, but hey, I’m biased when it comes to California.

Wynne (BOTTS) WALDRON, whose last name is sort of a condensed anagram of “Fort Walton,” has drifted closer to the water and now lives in Navarre, FL, vice Hurlburt Field. I just saw Wynne at the Phillips Lab Spring Review in Albuquerque, where we strung shards of Acoma pottery around our necks and danced for rain. “Why Be” Norman BROZENICK is also in Navarre after leaving Rochester Hills, MI. Peter “Comet Kah” PUHEK informs us of a minor zip code change in his current domicile of Arlington, VA. Craig “Ace” EDIMAN caught a hop on the sleigh from North Pole, AK and now lives in Fayetteville, NC.

Jim WHITACRE is in Shepardsville, KY flying for UPS. Benard WILLIAMS made the big move from Alexandria, LA to Garland, TX. Mark “My Words” ABBOTT is either in Seattle or Nairobi, depending on which source you want to believe.

Ron GAULTON made the quick move to Rapid City, SD. Steve “Back in the” SADLER is in Valdosta, GA and Ron WIEGAND and his groovily-named wife and son (Solita and Levi) are hanging out with Wayne Newton and Charo in Las Vegas.

Vince SARONI is in a seminary in Dallas and is married with two kids. Mike “Indian” BURNES was sighted in Dayton, as was Mitch DELAROSA. Mitch is married and has two little girls. Randy “Probability” RUSHWORTH is in B-52 Weapons School at Ellsworth, SD. Don WILLIAMS and Sally (JACKSON) CRAIN were last seen near Tinker AFB, OK. OK? OK? Brian WALSH is reportedly playing bass for a group called “Soulhat” in Austin, but it may be a case of mistaken identity. Phil DISMUKES was the top grad from his FWS class in ’90 and is now at Hill AFB. Dan MCMILLIAN “and wife” are in Plano, TX where the civilianized Dan’s a project manager for MCI. Bobby KELLIHER is strafing Avenue K in Del Rio with his Tweet after flying F-15s at Holloman, and Tim“Pounce” STRAWTHER is currently

moody, or maybe that’s “at Moody,” flying F-16s.

Saw Rick “Steal Your Face” SCHOLZ in San Francisco last weekend. Colin “Luna Mof” MOFFAT also flew in from Miami for the Memorial Day festivities, with la femme Sophie in tow. We consumed mass quantities of crab and Jaegermeister and brainstormed possible Pat VEILLETTE T-shirt ideas for the reunion.

Colin and Soph were also with us in Greece last summer for the nuptial rites of Pete “Petros” WILLIAMS (’84). After groovy weirdness on the Bulgarian border, we ended up in Turkey, the island of Samothrace, the Cyclades, and finally Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon.

Sophie and Colin Moffat, Noelle and Stu Pope at Sounion, Greece. And that, my friends, is all he wrote. Send your cards, letters, photos, souvenir Cluster Bomb Units, and whatever else you think Ray might like having around the house to Mr. Blust, 149 W. Park St., Wheeling, WV 26003. Ray will see they make it, in one form or another, in a future Checkpoints article. I’ll see you/am seeing you/saw you at the big reunionfest.

Carlton P. Wickliffe

2801-B Quay Loop

Holloman AFB, NM 88330-8108

Home: (505) 479-2937

DSN: 867-5224

Percent members: 33

Up(Editor’s note: The A OG was informed near press time that the ’84 scribe, Capt. Carlton P. Wickliffe, died in a motorcycle accident on July 17. Our sincere condolences to his family andfriends. Any class inputfor the next magazine should be sent directly to the A OG editor. Any volunteers for the Class of 1984 Scribe position should contact the editor at 719-472-0300 or DSN 259-4513.)

I enjoyed my tour in the Sandbox, but there’s nothing like being home in my own bed...

This column has special significance for a couple of reasons. First, this issue contains the most names of people who haven’t graced these pages in five years or more. Second, when you read the next column, we’ll have less than a year to go until REUNION!

Speaking of which, mark your calendars for 14-18 Sept, 1994. As of 10 June, those are the dates we have. Make your hotel reservations accordingly. When I called the AOG folks and asked who our point of contact was, I was told there wasn’t a firm one as our class leader had left the area and could not be reached at the time. (Yo, D.J. you out there? Answer your mail, son!) In the meantime, John ZERBEL’s holding the reins, so we’ll at least have a central repository for incoming/outgoing communications. If you want to get on the committee, and make ours the best get-together yet, contact John as soon as possible: 7680 McFerran Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80908-4329. (719) 495-4908 (Home). (719) 472-3667 (DSN prefix 259). The Embassy Suites is our tenative reunion site. All other arrangements are purely speculative, so if you want to stay posted on the latest info, insure you keep your address and phone number updated with the AOG, because that’s where the committee will be getting their info to contact you. Remember, you don’t have to be an AOG member to keep your information current! If you’re in the Springs area, how about giving John a hand and volunteering? Even if you’re not in the area, I’m sure we can put you to work in some capacity. September ’94

will be here before you know it, and past reunions have proven it doesn’t pay to wait until the last minute.

And now, on to the news: Received a call from Dave MULLINS, who can be found in the skies over Andrews, flying short-notice 727 missions for the Guard. Dave, who arrived with wife, Laura, and three kids last fall, had quite a list of names to pass on. Also at Andrews are Don GRESHAM, Mark MILLER, and Joe WILEY. Don and Mark came out of C-5s at Dover recently, while Joe’s been around a while and is looking for a C-130 assignment out of there. Moses “Mo” MALONE, who was in T-41s at the Zoo, transferred to Instrument Headquarters at Randolph; Dave LAMERS, seen last winter in Panama flying C-141s via Travis, may possibly be going to Randolph; Arnie BUNCH’s still doing his thing as a test pilot at Edwards; Carl BLATZ was flying MC-130s out of Alconbury, but his current locale is unknown; Cap WABEKE, after a tour in Korea, got married, left, and is back in Korea working out of Intel; Herb ERHMANN continues to fly C-160 transhauls out of Landsberg, Germany as part of the German Air Force exchange officer program.

On the civilian side, Jim KALIAMOS is in Denver as a 737 instructor for United; Jeff RAINES checked out as a DC-10 engineer for American Airlines and stages out of the Dallas/Ft. Worth area; Dominic STRUG also works for American, but as a 727 engineer out of Raleigh-Durham.

Got a letter from Mike BRANNAN (no, not Mike BRENNAN two different people, folks), who’s been shifted halfway around the world to Woomera, South Australia, where he works for Lockheed Technical Operations Company. But I get ahead of myself let’s back up a few years. After doing his five-year stint with Space Command and AFOTEC, he got out and worked for his church in the C-Springs area. He then moved on to LTOC, where he serves as a satellite systems engineer for the Space Support Program. He, wife, Angela, and their three children have been “downunder” since last year and seem to have adjusted to the Aussie lifestyle relatively well, even to the point of liking kangaroo meat “... they are like rabbits over here” (don’t tell me tastes like chicken, right?). Actually, he compared “roos” to rabbits in the context of the same problem we have down here how may will you run over in a single night? Mike promises to include the kids in the next photo as they are planning on adopting more.

Mike and Laura Brannan

Mike has an issue to bring up, so here it is, verbatim: “Why is it the classes of ’84 and ’85 have the lowest percentage of people who are members of the AOG? I know that we had some problems at the Academy close to graduation (physics honor scandal). I was an honor rep. I also know that some things came out after we were gone. I now look back and I know that although there were some problems the only way that we can do something about it is to remain informed and make sure that you make your voice heard. One way of doing it is through Checkpoints. I know that is not a lot, but it sure does help... The $30 a year is worth it.”

Well, you heard him. Our numbers have risen slightly, but they’re still below the average. If you’re reading this and aren’t a member, please consider Mike’s words and act upon them. The phrase “I live in the Springs and get my news directly from the source” is a dead excuse. The AOG is more than Checkpoints. Look elsewhere in this magazine for details.

A call down the street to Clay WISNIEWSKI, 49th Operations Group

quality improvement advisor extraordinaire, found him a busy man. Besides making sure his boss and fellow workers are in the know on all the latest TQI stuff, he wears the mantle of OIC, Base Honor Guard (continuing that proud practice from his days at the Zoo), and serves as a USAFA liaison officer and CFT director with me. Clay informs us that Bob MACK, with the Weapons Lab at Kirtland, and wife, Kim, are expecting their first bundle of joy in the near future; Scott REED, flying F-15s at Elmendorf, and wife, Lisa Kay, are also expecting their first; and Ken GURLEY is still at the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque) studying laser physics so he can go to the Zoo and fill hungry young minds.

HITHER AND YON: John BAKER in Merced, CA; Marifrances DANT from Macungie, PA to Durham, NC; Joe CLADERON from San Antonio, TX to Moreno Valley, CA; Geoffrey JOHNSON from Laurel, MD to Yorkshire, England; Greg QUANDT from Mayville, WI to Cincinnati, OH; Michael SCHETTERER from Omaha, NE (Offutt) to C-Springs; and Paul SUAREZ now at Langley as the chief, TACS Maintenance Inspection Section (hangs his hat in Yorktown what a commute!).

That’s all for now. Be good, take care, and God bless. Think reunion!

Charlene Jardin Harding

915 Royal Crown Lane Colorado Springs, CO 80906

Percent members: 29 w

Our first Major! Read on for details.

Writing this article makes me reflect on my memories from college like Von CAMERON throwing up red wine on my white cloth car seat or Scott MCCREEDY looking to fill his Form 10 quota. Seriously though, there were a few good times (spring break, summer vacation, and Christmas leave).

I just got back from Shanna and Mike LAWLESS’ wedding. It was beautiful (reception at the Broadmoor). Mike lives in Boulder. They’re honeymooning in France and the Canary Islands. Tony SEELY (the best man) came all the way from Bentwaters, England or Holloman AFB (I’m not a good listener) flying A-lOs. Mr. Mike OTT came from Chicago with a beautiful girlfriend named Stacy Rudman (we’ll hear more exciting news from Mike in the future I’m sure). Mr. Geeter KYRAZIS came from Dayton with his lovely wife, Kory, who looked great even with a bun in the oven (expecting in October).

Pre-Lawless-wedding picnickers: Brooks Freeman, Geeter Kyrazis, Tony Seely, Mike Ott, Mike Lawless, Charlene Jardin Harding and little Christina Harding.

I’m living on the southwest border of COS (Broadmoor Bluffs), but I feel like it’s a different city than when I was at the Zoo since I rarely go north of Platte (Citadel Mall) now, although as a ’dink I rarely went south of Platte. I spent my first assignments at Cape Canaveral AFS and Patrick AFB in Cocoa Beach, FL. After six years there, I thought I’d better ask for an assignment before someone else picks one for me. It only took me a year here at Cheyenne Mtn AFB to realize “ASAP, BMEWS” wasn’t just an exclamation. Bill says I interfered with his beach circuit, since he was at L.A. AFS before Cape Canaveral and was planning on Eglin, but he liked the idea of going to the football games.

I had a strange experience last fall. I went to Bill’s ‘82 reunion. Folks from ’82 were all over the place! It’s funny what some grads say to you when they think you’re just some spouse that doesn’t know anything

about the Academy. When they found out I was in ’85, an eyebrow did rise (and frat was probably the only rule I didn’t break!).

Well, here’s news from other classmates (I can’t vouch for their identity for some of these folks I’ve never heard of). Butch BENNETT is a T-37 IP at Sheppard AFB. Ben BELLIS is still single and flying the MC-130 out of Kadena AB whose mission is special operation and training which takes him throughout Asia.

I have no idea what’s up with Jackie CHARSAGUA and family. I quit corresponding to her when I saw a photo of me with baby, the day I gave birth, in Checkpoints. I’m still recovering from receiving that issue. But really, Jackie CHARSAGUA said Brenda DEINLEIN is in Yokota, although Brenda hasn’t returned any of her calls. Tish DIERLAM is doing a super hero job of single parent with three and holding down a sparkling career. We love you Tish! (I probably shouldn’t say that with the current administration. On the other hand, it’s actually O.K. now.)

Quintel WILLIAMS transferred to Patrick with Renee (new address: 2960 Pebble Creek St/Melbourne/FL/32935/DSN 854-5101. I ran into Quint when I first moved to the Springs and he was looking great as usual. Yesterday, I called in our missile warning test results to the AFSPACECOM Command Post and Sue BESSILEAU answered. She sounded cheerful as usual.

Wanda (WRIGHT) KERN lives in Arizona with her husband, Pete, a jacuzzi, and a pool. She made TAC Budget Officer of the Year at DavisMonthan, but when she was offered SOS and another master’s (this time at Wright-Pat) she declined and got out. She worked for Hughes Aircraft for two years, then joined the National Guard and pinned on MAJOR!

I dropped by Mike WALKER’S beautiful Florida home as he was moving in after he left Cheyenne Mtn. I hope his black bear (he calls a dog) will stand the heat. Lynn STEER is flying the 747 International for United. Her husband returned from Korea and is at Ft. Carson. Kevin and Wendy (LINK) ROUTHIER moved to Hill AFB with their half-filled quiver.

Sara (HELLWIG) ELLERT-BECK (poor thing sounds like a feminist and they’re not even her last names) is now married to Dan and his last names. They are thoroughly enjoying married life. She said that Pam (GOODEN) HEIDI tied the knot in an outdoor ceremony in Yosemite last Halloween. (Did everyone wear costumes?)

Denise (O’BRIEN) SENN is working as chief of computer operations and Ulin (GREEN) WHITE is on the Air Staff, both at the Pentagon. Mr. Dave NIKOVITS is in the Civil Engineering Dept for the city of Charleston, SC. Danielle (HATCHETT) HARGROVE had two kids while getting a law degree and is working for my brother-in-law at Randolph AFB, TX (Area Defense Council). Todd BANDUCCI is in the Springs. He coaches T-ball, plays softball, fishes, and camps.

Steve BUTLER’s here in the Springs (HQ AFSPACECOM) with wife, Kathy, and three boys. Dave RIESSELMANN is an IP at Sheppard with wife, Kelly. RK WILLIAMS is flying helicopters (pavelo?) at Hurlburt Field, FL there with wife, Crystal, and three kids. Ken VAN RAVENSW AAY just left HQ AFSPACECOM for Patrick AFB, FL with wife, Cheryl, and three kids. (You guys don’t waste time increasing the population.) Does anyone have four or five kids? Tony CARELLI (an IP) is in San Antonio with wife, Paula, and little Stephanie. Mr. Ken STAUFFER is a civilian financial advisor in the Springs. Brad JONES is selling drugs and skiing in Jackson Hole, WY. (He’s some vice president of a drug company, but I didn’t ask further questions lest I lose my clearance.) Todd STERNS is at Patrick (AFTAC) with wife, Patty. Steve VISEL is doing 20XX assignments at HQ AFSPACECOM (probably gets some strange bribes from guys headed to Thule). According to

Steve, Dan JORDAN is also a personnel toad, the 20XX functional manager. Steve VISEL, Jim COOPER, Dave STOCKWELL, and Matt BRIDGERS taught at UST (University of Space Technology). COOPER is waiting to separate and start a second career/childhood as a professional diver (wonder if that means SCUBA or springboard). His latest plan-of-the-week was to be a commercial diver in Antarctica (in that case, maybe there’s another kind of diving?). BRIDGERS is working for AFOTEC at Buckley AFB, CO. Steve GRUPENHAGEN is learning to tap-dance in mukluks at Thule AB, Greenland (work on that bribe, Steve).

“Fast Al” FRAGALA is working Launch Ops in Florida, enjoying the beach and scenery. George HUPP is now a med tech for the Wyoming Air Guard and is in Cheyenne with his lovely wife, Karin, and a Jeep that doesn’t go in reverse (good vehicle for getting stuck in snow drifts). Kurt HELD is pretending to be studious at AFIT with wife, Diane, and very ugly dog, but I hear, those who know him know better much better.

Jeff SIEGEL was last seen doing academic things at Naval Postgraudate School in Monterey. STOCKWELL left the service and was last seen growing germs in a jar at a Texan postgraduate school (see where all the studying gets you). Doug BURNS is happily married and living in the Springs as is Clive PAIGE (does that mean Clive is also happily married or just in the Springs? probably both). Orlando CARTAGENA is engineering for food out east and loving it (I must have slept through that engineering lesson) his brother is at Peterson AFB.

Hope there weren’t any mistakes, most of this was hearsay.

My deepest condolences to the Scott PORTER family. We all have the fondest memories of Scott.

Well, see you in two years! Party at BANDUCCI’s house!

Send your letters to Butch BENNETT by 5 Sept (106 Cutter Cove/Lakeside City/TX/76308/DSN736-6797) and Mike OTT by 5 Dec (524 W Belden Ave. Unit H3/Chicago, IL/60614/312-472-2804).

Gary L. Burg 2013 Timberline Drive

Colorado Springs, CO 80920-3723

Home: (719) 548-8126

DSN: 259-3791

Percent members: 29

It’s time again to touch base with my fellow classmates. I received enough in the mail box this time around to fill our column. The first bit of news came from Derek BROWN. Derek has left Saudi Arabia and is now at the Air Force Academy teaching in the CE department.

Derek Brown and wife on the

I talked to Larry COOPER on the phone and received a bit of information about some of our classmates stationed at Falcon AFB. Along with Larry are Dave OUTLAW, Gene BROWN and Carl MARTIN. They are all working in the 1st Space Operations Squadron. Debby JOHNSON is working at the 50th Space Wing. Larry said he saw George CHANDLER and that he thought George was the fencing coach at the Academy. Larry has been at Falcon for one and a half years. He is married (his wife’s name is Mary) and living happily in the Springs just east of the Academy’s airfield. Larry has his master’s degree in physics through AFIT. I also received a call from Larry MAUCH. Larry is out of the Air Force. He called in response to an article in the Air Force Times about “Negative motivation can be a learning tool at the Academy”, May 24. It is obvious Mr. Norton wasn’t part of the Class of ’86 and must have been in the closet for most of that year! Larry is doing well and is married with one

child. (Sorry, Larry, I should have written down more of what we talked about!)

Ken BARTCZAK wrote the first of May from Little Rock AFB where he is a C-130 pilot. Ken is married (his wife’s name is Summer and she is the chief, Base Info Mgt) and has one child. Anyway, Ken had just finished SOS and had the lowdown on a bunch of our classmates going through. “Bob COLELLA and I just graduated from SOS together we were in the same flight. Anyway, there were so many ’86 grads there (66 in all) we thought it would be great to get everyone together for a picture. From our count it looks like all but six showed up. It was really great to see everyone. Saw Matt SHEPERDSON he’s out now flying for ASA out of Atlanta. To keep from writing a book I’ll list some names and anything I heard about each. Bob COLELLO, Castle AFB, wife Katy, no kids, B-52 pilot. Jim BURTON, Lakenheath, F-15E WSO. Beth HANEY, instructor International Officer School, Maxwell AFB. John

LOPES, C-130 Dilot, Pope AFB. Rick MERCADO, KC-135 pilot, Mildenhall, wife Carol, two kids. John ROOP, CE dude, somewhere in Saudi. Carol (TRAVIS) VELDHUIZEN, KC-135 nav, Ellsworth AFB, trying to go fighters. Tish (MOONEY) WODETZKI, helos, Whiteman AFB. T.J. PORTERFIELD, Eglin AFB, Blackhawk helo pilot. Bob and Julie (DAHNKE) MANSFIELD Bob’s applying to get out, Julie is pregnant, Laughlin. John BARATOWSKI, Reese AFB, T1A instructor, one kid on the way. Steve SEAMAN, Tinker AFB, AWACS controller, not married. Jim GOOD, Little Rock AFB, C-130 pilot, not married. Doug BENTON, Little Rock AFB, CE dude, not married. Vera TU, Rhein-Main, C-9 pilot. Leigh (BARTLEY) SCARBORO, Eielson AFB, Wing Scheduling. Todd BEER, Randolph AFB, T-43 pilot. Kelly and Mary Jo PITTMAN, C-141 pilot, Travis AFB, Mary Jo is pregnant. Jim and Donna GULSVIG, C-141 pilot, Travis, no kids. Of course, that’s just the small of it. I’m sure a lot of others heard more hopefully they will take it upon themselves to send you some input.”

’86ers at SOS.

The next letter I received was from Kelly BARLEAN, “Just a quick note to say hi and to verify the rumor that on May 14, 1993,1 received my juris doctor from the C.U. School of Law. My wife, Michele (USMA ’86), and 13-month-old daughter Mary Kathryn, were in attendance at the

commencement exercise, but my old roomie, Lloyd BALLARD, thought it would be cool to stay home at Charleston AFB and hone his skills as a new C-141 aircraft commander and count his bonus. Larry FAHY also politely declined to attend claiming that it looked like he was leaving Altus for a tour in Japan and needed to brush up on his Japanese language proficiency. I plan on taking the Colorado Bar Examination in late July, and plan on starting my practice in the Denver area sometime later this fall.

The final letter this go was from L. David LUKE, “I am out of the Air Force. When in, I worked at Onizuka AFB in Sunnyvale, CA. Onizuka used to be the hub of the Air Force Satellite Control Network. Now most of that work has gone out to Falcon AFB in C-Springs. I was in charge of getting the ground network and mission support team ready for Defense Support Program launches. The last one I launched went on the Shuttle (STS-44) in Nov ’91. I was fortunate to have the commander, Col. Fred GREGORY, take my Academy ring up on the mission. After being unemployed for eight months (vacation, really), I found a job with Loral Space and Range Systems in Sunnyvale, CA doing spacecraft requirements analysis stuff.

“Various hobbies I am into now: mountain biking, pen-and-ink drawing, volleyball, computer geeking, and going to Grateful Dead shows (seen about 60-70 now). All in all, I’d say I’m about as happily immature now as I was at USAFA.

“The big news is that I am getting married. Her name is Karen, and the big date is 21 Aug 93. If anyone I know doesn’t get an invitation, feel free to crash the party. Call me at (408) 737-2909. Also, my internet E-Mail address is NERVID@cup.portal.com. The “Nervid” is a nickname Ross GOODING gave me at USAFA. Here’s some brief news on others in our class: Daryl SIMON, married, flying for United out of San Francisco. Rick METZGER, manager-in-training at Avis Rent-A-Car at San Francisco Airport. Bill BROGAN, married, one daughter, surprisingly cute. In the AF at Los Angeles AFB. Just finished his master’s at UCSD. Mark CROSBY, married, living in Davis, CA. Got a staff job at Sacramento Airport (base commander-type stuff). Still into water polo. Tim HARRIS, married, also in Sacramento, but I’m not sure what he’s doing. Frank Copertino (ex ’86er), married, went stop-out and never came back. Went to RPI in New York (ROTC). In the AF here at Onizuka AFB. Mike ROGERS, working for some computer company in Madison, AL. Curtis GREEN, after Onizuka AFB, Curtis was reassigned to Los Angeles AFB. He was supposed to get out with me, but he wimped out. Win IDLE, here at Onizuka AFB. George BIRSIC, married, after Onizuka AFB, was reassigned to Washington, DC doing something.”

That is all the mail. Other items of interest, I ran into an ex ’86er, J.P. Harvey who was in CWIS at the Academy. J.P. flew helicopters before returning to the Academy and is enjoying his assignment at USAFA.

Tony HOGAN is at the Academy now in my squadron, the 50th Airmanship Training Squadron. Tony is here on a humanitarian assignment. Nothing in the change-of-address section that can’t be covered next go. Have a great summer and take time to write a friend (or class scribe, hint hint) in between catching rays. Until the fall!

Glenn L. Strebe

3030 Commodore Drive u, -hL s FT* Colorado Springs, CO 80920 H

Home: (719) 260-8315

DSN: 259-2317/19

Percent members: 35

Greetings fellow classmates! Once again I find myself at a word processor trying to get this article to my favorite Checkpoints editor late. I got a few letters and some tidbits of information. Here goes. Our infamous wing commander (Dale HOLLAND) wrote with an update letter. Dale went to Sheppard after the Zoo and remained there as a FAIP until recently. After six years at wonderful Wichita Falls, TX Dale is at Ft. Rucker for a 12-week conversion course to the UH-1. Then he will spend 12 weeks at Kirtland upgrading to the UH-IN and also do some NVG work. Then he will go to Malmstrom AFB. He says he is looking forward to the SAR mission and also the hunting, fishing, skiing, and whatever other outdoors sports he can get into. Dale is still single and in the market he promises to send a picture if he ever gets married. He also writes that R.J. JOHNSTON was at Sheppard and hopefully will be getting an F-15E. Rob LYTWINIKgot a’141 toMcChord; Mike LEWIS, ’130 to Pope; Vinnie BACHALIER?, but looking at an AOC slot as well as a U-2; Tim ROCKWELL, T-37 at Sheppard; and Bill MUELLER, T-37 at Sheppard. Dale ran into Jim EMERICK at SOS. Jim is out, married, and living in Tampa. Finally, Terry BROWN is still flying ’141s.

I also got a letter from Dave GOULD and as requested, I will print in its entirety. Here goes: “Howdy neighbors! It is I, Dave GOULD, overseas correspondent for our beloved Checkpoints. That’s right, I am currently flying C-130s at Yokota AB, Japan. Before this I was stationed at Beale AFB, CA flying tankers. Tim APPLEGATE was in contracting and Blaine HOLMAN was a navigator there, now on his way to MC-130 Talon IIs. Here with me in my squadron in Japan are Darci LUCE, Mike BETTNER, Dave “Doc” MILLER, Steve GARTSKA, Mary (MORLOCK) BYERLY, Bill “Dobie” GILLIS and Phil LUTS with Keith BEATTY in intel. Phil GUY is flying F-16s at Misawa AB while Ted DANEK is there in MH-60s and Sarah ZABEL is doing electronic stuff (hush-hush). Over in Kunson AB, Korea are a couple of knuckle heads that need to be kept track of. I’m speaking of John WYNN, Steve CLAPP (I’ve always loved that name), and perhaps the ringleader Gerald LANAGAN, who is leaving in May to get married and start instructing at Luke AFB, AZ. Down at Kadena, Scott “The Doctor” HAVERKATE and Chris BURKE were told that they were to arrive in Feb ’94 after training in MC-130 Talon IIs. They both are coming from Griffiss AFB in B-52s. While I was at Little Rock in training, I ran into John TOMJACK who’s there flying Hercs full-time. I also saw Colin BERRY and Todd OLIVER on their way to Dyess. (I’m not sure Dyess knows what it’s in for.)

“I’ve gotten letters from the fellas from Del Rio, and it sounds as though the good deals, although long in coming, are finally coming down. Keith WAGNER, after waiting about 30 years in a dog’s life, finally received a C-5 to Travis. He’ll be flying with Mike CARR, who just got there from Reese, and Doug WOODBURY, who I understand should be a new arrival from C-21s. Terry BROWN (WING-TEN HUT!) is still there in C-141s (question answered from above). Steve SCHIFANI got AWACS to Tinker and now should be enjoying his third year of marriage (who would of thunk it). Tom BENKE, after returning to Del Rio in T-38s after a tour in F-4s in the PI, is now teaching Germans how to fly the F-4 at Holloman. Paul CALTIGERONE is still at Hondo in T-41s and both Nick RADOVCICH and Bill DEMASO are pulling ALO tours, Nick in Italy and Bill in Louisiana. I understand that both are considered overseas assignments. I saw Bob MORSE in Saudi as an ALO with the 1st CAV and he was, let’s just say, a little less than pleased with the whole prospect. Good luck guys.

“Marty NELSON and his wife, Tina, got an all-expense-paid extended vacation to Minot, ND. (I hear that if you like to hunt and fish...) Rip LEE (I still can’t believe it) and his wife, Becky, moved from McConnell to Fairchild in KC-135s. Matt RIORDAN and his wife, Katie, just had a little boy after departing Ellsworth for Edwards in CT-39s. Tim and Traci SIPES also gave birth (okay, Traci did all the hard work) to a perfect little (as if it wouldn’t be little what a huge kid!) baby girl. Dave POOLE and Anita along with their two little boys moved to Barksdale from Carswell in the BUFF.

“And lest we forget our comrades who have followed the music to different lands (or more accurately, were lucky enough to get hired), Jenny HELLAND is a flight engineer in DC-lOs for American out of southern Cal. Gemma (WILMARTH) MEEHAN is living in Dallas with her husband, also flying for American (I see a trend here but can’t put my finger on it). Eric DODSON is flying F-16s for the Guard in South Carolina and flying for American while his wife, Hannah (METCALF), recently passed the bar exam. We all hope the two of them live through their time of bad fortune.

“And finally, Dave KAHL dropped me a letter, letting me know that he is alive and well. He owns and operates a landscaping business in New Jersey with his wife, Heather, and son Taylor. So you see brothers and sisters, there is gold in them thar hills and happiness is where you truly look for it. I wish all of you the best and invite you to drop in or write me at PSC 78 Box 2552, APO AP 96326-2552. Dave GOULD.”

TIDBITS: Phil PRATZNER is stationed at Sembach AB, Germany as the chief, Target Intelligence; Dennis DABNEY is at Kadena; Judy MAYRAND is in Fayetteville, NC; and Mary PONKO is now in the Springs. Tom REMPFER is in Wilton, CT; Art and Cindy ZEMKE had a baby boy; and Dave HOLLENBACH is stationed at Peterson. As for myself, I bought another house (helps to be a real estate agent) and therefore have a new address. See top of column.

DON’T MISS A MAGAZINE.

SEND US YOUR NEW ADDRESS NOW.

GET A FRIEND TO JOIN THE AOG!

Mark Peters

22779 Mesa Springs Way Moreno Valley, CA 92557-2628

Home: (909) 242-3442

DSN: 947-5604

Percent members: 36

\-SWipf

Beaucoup mail! Gotta love it when the column almost writes itself. Unfortunately that leaves no room to tell you about my stimulating life; perhaps next time...

Let’s start with info from Kim GREEN, who wrote from 22,000 feet while flying off the Iraqi border this past April. She ran into Pat MAES at Plattsburg and managed to get a photo for Checkpoints. Pat, Melanie and Buster (the one that seems less than thrilled with being photographed) recently PCS’d from Ira Eaker AFB, AR.

They’re really liking Plattsburg and have just bought a new home. Pat will be upgrading soon, if he hasn’t already. Also at Plattsburg from Ira Eaker is Bob DITTUS, who is married with a baby. John FENSKE was the only other ’88er at Kim’s base in Saudi. Also, Gerry JOUETT, a KC-135 AC at Fairchild, got married in May to Katie, a lawyer in Spokane.

Since I’m talking about Kim, I should mention a rather glowing report that appeared in Military Sports. In the October, 1992, issue a large article expounded on the stellar efforts of our Air Force Tennis Team. I’ll just quote directly form the article headlined, “ARMED FORCES CHAMPIONSHIP: AIR FORCE NETS TENNIS.”

“Air Force claimed the Armed Forces Tennis Championship by overwhelming Army and Marine Corps teams by identical 14-1 scores. Team scoring was based on matches in men’s and women’s open singles, men’s junior vet singles, men’s seniors, and doubles in all four categories.

“Air Force players dominated the event by winning all but two of their matches... Women’s singles players registered double victories with Cpt Kimberly GREEN, Fairchild AFB, WA, and Cpt Jennifer Perry, Offutt AFB, NE, contributing outstanding tennis. GREEN and Perry kept up the momentum in women’s doubles. In fact, they did not lose a game in

Arnie’s Employee Thanks Class

George Mendes

In regards to the Air Force leather jacket given to me by the Class of 1988, I wanted to personally thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. Every time I wear the jacket, I think of you all. Good luck in your careers and lives. (George Mendes)

the entire tournament. The women’s singles title was won by GREEN 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 over Army Cpt Elizabeth Money. GREEN and Perry captured the doubles 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 against Army lLt Julianne Hiebert and Cpt Money.”

Molly QUILLIN was also mentioned in the same issue when she came in third in the Armed Forces Golf Championship, only two strokes behind second (332 to 334). Molly is based out of Travis where she’s flying the C-141.

In case you didn’t notice, two ’88ers were selected as part of the initial cadre of seven women candidates for training in combat aircraft. Dawn DUNLOP, and Martha MCSALLY graduated second and fifth in their respective UPT classes. Martha is an IP; I don’t know where Dawn is. I’m sure they’ll do well.

I’ve been bothering Ralph GALETTI for a few years to send me some info and he finally felt guilty enough to write and send some pictures in.

“A little info on the planes. Ken TURPEN’S (top photo) is a wildlymodified Vari-Eze, modified for speed. The trade off, of course, is that it’s really hard to handle because it’s so sensitive it’s practically unstable. In any case, he can cruise about 180 statute mph. Mine (bottom photo) is a Long-EZ. It’s more conservatively configured with a slightly-morepowerful engine, much longer wings, and cruise/climb prop. I only cruise at about 160 mph. Both planes are experimental homebuilts, designed by Rutan, and are constructed almost entirely of composites. They each burn about five-six gallons per hour which gives better than 30 mpg in Ken’s plane and slightly less in mine.

organization designs, develops, and tests night-vision devices. We are currently in the process of writing a specification (that’s acquistion talk) for a visually-coupled acquistion and targeting system. This helmet will be used on F-15C/E aircraft to ‘lock-up’ ground and air-to-air targets. It’s been an enjoyable assignment. I recently finished a flight test program at Hurlburt Field with the Special Ops folks flying the MH-53J pave Low II helicopters. I got to fly on all the flights, wear goggles, and even shoot the .50 cal machine gun out the side window. Flying at 100 knots, 100 feet, at night was quite a rush.

“Anyway, I’ve been at WPAFB since graduation and will be departing station August of ’93. I’ve been selected for an AFIT program called Education With Industry. I get to work with a defense contractor (if there are any still in business) and observe their management techniques. No uniforms. Suits are the prescribed UOD. This goes on for 10 months then it’s back to the USAF at another assignment. To date I have not received any word on my location.

“Iam somewhat-recently married. I got married last year on 4 July to an ’86 grad (Kathy BENKA). She separated from the AF in August and is currently a pilot with UPS. We don’t have any kids and don’t plan on any for a while. Things are going well with us and life is great.

“Now that I’ve bored you with my life story I’ll do a data dump regarding some of our classmates. I’ll be employing the ‘whoever-pops-into-myhead’ method. Larry EICHHORN (CS-17) is at WPAFB going to AFIT. He will graduate this September and probably get a follow-on assignment at WPAFB. Steve DION (CS-08) is doing the Air Traffic Control thing at Randolph. He and his wife, Jenny, have a little boy named Jason. George ADKINS (CS-17) is at Langley AFB doing something. He and his wife, Linda, are new homeowners. Dennis WOLF (CS-17) recently left Reese AFB where he was a T-38 driver. He is now at Altus learning to handle a C-5 and will be moving to Travis AFB afterwards. Keith COX (CS-17) is at Hill flying Hueys. He’s been there since graduation and it doesn’t look like they’re going to let him leave. He too is somewhat-newlywed. He married a gal named Penny who is stationed at Hill. Fran WHITING (CS-17) has separated from the AF and is trying to become employed with Fed Ex. Keith HIGGINBOTHAM (CS-17) is stationed at WPAFB. He’s PCSing to McClellan AFB come this June. He is a real newlywed. He and Paula were married this February. Brian BAGLEY (CS-15) is in EWI and is working at Boeing in Seattle, WA. He will be going to Kelly AFB this June. Bruce BRADY (CS-18) and Tom MCKENNA (CS-35) are T-37 drivers at Laughlin AFB. Scott BREWER (CS-17) is at Osan flying F-16s. He’s due back stateside this June. John STEELE (CS-17) is at Columbus AFB and is a T-38 driver. He and Danielle have two children which keep them busy. Dave HATHAWAY (CS-13) was stationed at WPAFB but PCSed to the Pentagon this March. I will be meeting up with Hathaway this May at Maxwell AFB for SOS class 93D.”

where his family live.”

Ralph should be leaving New Mexico for Edwards (Test Pilot School) this summer.

Tom SADLO has become quite the world traveler, but I’ll let him tell the story. “I just finished a tour in Ankara, Turkey, and am heading to Yokota, Japan, via SOS. My wife, Debbie, and I are expecting our first child in the next few weeks and we should be in Japan by mid July. Here’s a quick laundry list: C.J. BEODDY and Heather have three children and are living at Kirtland AFB while he works on his AFIT-sponsored master’s. Darrin and Cheri DANIEL have a daughter and are at Vance AFB where he’s an IP. Dave and Erin BRIAR just had a boy in early May (8 lbs, 11 oz). Dave’s an SP along with Jeff HUNT at Rhein-Main. Ed RIX is a maintenance officer at Keflavic, Iceland. Jim MARRY is an SP at Incirlik, Turkey. He and his wife are expecting their first in June. Mike SCARANO is a C-12 pilot out of Ankara, Turkey. Lastly, John MOES is an SP near Ankara. That’s all for now.”

My last letter was from Christian BENEDICT who’s stationed at Wright-Pat. “I’m currently the test director for the Helmet-Mounted Systems Technology Advanced Development Program Office. My

Literally minutes before I faxed this I got a call from Nancy BALKUS. She’s recently moved from San Antonio to Edwards where she’s working in the Environmental Management shop at Edwards as a GS-12. However, she’s still TDYs for months at a time to San Antonio. Also at Edwards is Lorelei FABER who’s flying Huey helicopters and loving it. I’ve been blowing off the COA notices due to lack of space, so some of these may be old. Mike BLALOCK, now a physics instructor at the Zoo, married, expecting first child on 3 June. Erik DEMKOWICZ is a C-9 AC out of Scott AFB. Chris PIKE moved from Hawaii to Keflavic, Iceland. Kalwant and Loretta SMAGH now live in San Pedro, CA. Dirk SMITH is living in Niceville, FL. Travis TREBBE (USMC) is living in Oceanside, CA, and is with the HMLA-369 out of Camp Pendleton, married to Simona Marie with son Caleb, born 19 Nov 91. Peter UCHMANOWICZ has moved from Massachusetts to New Hampshire. Lastly, Sue RHODES (STALLMAN) is the executive officer at a Prep School.

Thanks a thousand times over to all who wrote. Filling the column is getting easier thanks to all of your efforts. As for the rest of you...

Paul W. Tibbets IV

5303 Solitaire Drive

Rapid City, SD 57701

Home: (605) 393-2842

DSN: 675-2256

Percent members: 38

% ft*1/

Hello all you new captains! Let me be pretty much the last one to congratulate everyone on their recent pay raise (and rank increase). Taking home a little extra $$ isn’t such a bad deal, plus we can now screw up and actually get in trouble for it! In all seriousness, a big CONGRATS from your class scribe feels good, doesn’t it!

My first letter comes from Paul DIDOMENICO, who is stationed at

Los Angeles AFB working in the Global Positioning System (GPS) Program Office. Paul says despite the riots and an occasional earthquake, he is having a blast living in L.A. and considers it a great assignment. Paul spent his first two years active duty in grad school at MIT. He roomed with Om PRAKASH, Steve STEINER, and Dennis MORTON. Dennis is married to Nicole KLEINSMITH, and they’re stationed at Scott AFB. Paul really enjoys working in the GPS program, and says they are continuing to launch satellites every two months and are nearly fully operational. Other ’89 grads Paul has seen recently include Chris FRITZ, Heather KNIGHT, Ivan MURRAY, who is a budget analyst in the GPS program, and Steve STEINER, who is a project officer/engineer in the GPS also. Thanks for writing, Paul!

My next letter comes from Dave BANKO, who is an engineer stationed at Holloman AFB, NM. Dave is planning to separate next summer, because of a higher calling. He’s been hired as an electrical engineer with an American company in China. The whole family will get to go for a minimum of three years.

Dave says that even though he has a job, he needs to raise $15,000 to go and $1,100 per month to stay. If anyone is interested in sponsoring Dave and his family or want more information call him at DSN 349-2943 or (505) 479-2675. If all goes well, they should be in Hong Kong August of ’94 for orientation.

Steve ZIOMEK dropped me a letter next from beautiful Columbus, MS, where he is a Tweet FAIP. He recently ran into Don VON LOH (T-37 at Sheppard), Mike MORNINGSTAR, who was on an ACE X-C, and Trent BAINES at the Auger Inn at Randolph. Trent left Norton as it closed and is at PIT on his way to T-37s at Reese. Steve saw Jae YU the next day in Louisiana. Jae is a T-37 academic instructor at Vance.

Steve says a bunch of our classmates have left Columbus recently. Mike and Denise GAAL left last September to go do the soaring thing at USAFA. Mike is getting his master’s and loving Colorado. AJ GASTON and his wife, Robin, just left on their way to Edwards where AJ will fly the UH-1. However, since he’s assigned to the test wing, AJ will be getting requal’d in the T-38, and apparently a couple of other jets as well. Mark GIROUX and Steve LARKINS both left to fly E-3s at Tinker, followed closely by TJ PAVUK and his wife, Chris, who headed out to Kadena to fly C-12s.

The latest to leave Columbus are Troy ROBERTS and Steve’s roommate Vinny LOSTETTER, who both took C-130s to Dyess. Vinny bought a house on a lake near Abilene so he can create his own jet-skiing paradise in central Texas. Steve also heard from Tim WILLIAMS, who escaped Hurricane Andrew and is now stationed at Robins AFB. Ed REDMAN stopped by on his way to Reese to be a T-38 IP. Mike and Missy PEDERSON and Jeff and Martha BRETT both have brand-new baby girls. Larry and Stacy PACKARD, who just got in from Willy in the T-38, are expecting soon. Lastly, Tom and Shannon HERRING got out and Tom is flying F-16s for the Florida ANG at Jacksonville. Thanks for writing, Steve!

My last letter comes from Matt HOFFMAN, who wrote to update us on what he is up to now. This fall Matt will be starting school at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. It’s a well-known actor’s conservatory that has trained many noteable artists including Gregory Peck, Robert Duvall, James Caan, and Steve MeQueen. Since leaving the Air Force, Matt has appeared in several stage productions as well as national and regional commercials. Thanks for the update, Matt.

I received a phone call from Mark THOMAS, who is a B-52 copilot stationed with his wife, Melinda, at Fairchild AFB. Mark says the area aound Fairchild is beautiful, with lots of indoor and outdoor activities to keep you busy. The buffs may be moving to either Minot or Barksdale soon, so the job search is on. Stationed with Mark are Bruce WEBER (copilot) and Tony COOK (’90, copilot). Remember Assault Course

Fleming? Well, he was Mark’s first AC at Fairchild. Mark says he is really a nice guy. Small world. Thanks for calling, Mark!

Well, that’s all the information I have for this issue. Thanks again to everyone for their inputs. Keep those calls, letters, and pictures coming! Take care and God bless.

Joseph C. Richardson

906 Hackberry Court, Suite #2311 Bellevue, NE 68005-2046

Home: (402) 292-9373

DSN: 271-3431

Percent members: 34

GREETINGS MOST GLORIOUS CLASS OF ’90!

I trust that my greetings will once again find you all in the best of health and spirits. Things this way are going fairly well. I’m still doing that EC-135 thing here at Offutt. David JONES (DJ) and I are still roomdogs. He recently got checked out in the RC-135 and is flying high. He sends his greetings to all of the most glorious class. We recently had a group of our classmates fly out for the College World Series. We had a great time catching up on what’s going on with each other’s lives and partying (of course).

Among those at the gala affair were John DIMENTO, Erica PLOSA, Troy MOLENDYKE, Jim GLOSS, Aaron LEPPER, Jenny STOCK, Helen MEISENHELDER, Matt WATSON, Greg ANDERSON (Juice) and Jeff (Crazy Man) HARDER. I also ran into Dave MORRISSEY a couple of days after our wild weekend. He informed me that he recently became an aircraft commander in the C-21 flying out of Andrews. They all are doing well and are scattered about the four winds. I’m going off of memory here but I think John is in L.A., Erica and Matt are at Plattsburg, Troy and Jeff are at Tinker, Greg is at Grissom, and Jenny is at Grand Forks. Jim is a banked tanker pilot at Griffiss serving as a supply officer. Helen is here at Offutt with me doing that squadron section commander thing while Aaron is here as well doing that civilian “getting paid” thing. We had a great time at our mini reunion.

My actual written correspondence is quite minimal. I guess it’s due to the summer months. Here’s what I have:

Robert HAINES wrote me from D.C. He will be finished with his aircraft commander upgrade in the C-21 by the time this information reaches you all. He says that he is really enjoying his time in the C-21. He is also serving as the squadron commander’s executive officer and is halfway through his master’s program. Bob reports that his wife, Kelly, and his daughters Taylor and Elizabeth are doing fine as well. He says he recently spoke with Grant CHRISTIANSON. Grant is at Barksdale AFB doing civil engineering while awaiting his banked aircraft. He also ran into Jay WILLARD at Barksdale. Jay just added another member to his family; he now is the proud father of two boys and a girl. Latest report is that he will soon be transferred to Lakenheath in the UK.

Bob also reports seeing Amy GODESKY at Randolph a few months ago. Paul COMEAU and his beautiful wife are doing well as he does that intel thing at Bergstrom. Jeff EICKMANN is at March AFB flying C-21s and lives with Steve LANIER who is flying KC-lOs at March. Tom KLOPOTEK is at Tyndall doing F-15 maintenance while awaiting a banked fighter. He is doing well and enjoys a back-seat sortie on occasion. Don MCCARTHY is also down there with him, serving as an adjutant.

Mark LADTKOW and Robert AGUE are now at Tyndall awaiting F-15 training. Dave FRESELLA is reported to be at Andrews flying C-12s. Mike NEEMAN is finishing up a master’s program in intelligence with Dave LOOSE at Bolling AFB in D.C., while Joe PENDEN is in medical school at Georgetown University. Many thanks to you Bob for the preceding information without which I really wouldn’t have much to report.

Communications from Mark BROWN send forth greetings to the most glorious class from Griffiss AFB, NY. He reports that Steve ARBETMAN has PCSd up that way from B-52 training at Castle AFB. Mike BLAIR, who was a banked bomber pilot, has returned to flying. We’re not sure where he went so when you read this please give me a holler Mike. That leaves three other banked tanker pilots at Griffiss to include: Pete MARSCH (maintenance officer), Mike WAHLER (maintenance officer), and Jim GLOSS (supply officer). Mark also reports that Monica (HOLZHAUER) SYLLA and Devin WALTERS are currently flying tankers there at Griffiss. Thanks for the update Mark and peace. Randy REDELL recently sent me greetings from Austin, TX. He, Eric MIKKELSON, and Cathy MORGAN are finishing up their master’s in operations research at the University of Texas at Austin. Ray SAGUI also

should be finishing up this summer. Eric is reported to be headed to Nellis AFB to do some analyst work waiting for his follow-on flying assignment. Cathy is getting married to Kelly KLIEFGES. Randy and his wife, Tara, are headed out to Los Angeles AFB to enjoy the sun and the sand and await his assignment to an F-16 or F-15. Pell THOMPSON and his wife, Erin, are doing well up at Malmstrom AFB, MT. They have a healthy baby boy and are working on another. Pell is serving as the commander of his missile combat crew. Randy also spoke to Vince BECKLUND and his wife, Jennifer. He is still flying the UH-1N helicopter at Vandenberg AFB, CA and should be an instructor by the time you read this. Thanks for the news Randy. Best wishes to you all.

I received news that Steve RAU was to marry his fiancee, Tabitha, on Aug 21, 1992. Also word is out that Joe (heart-throb) MILTON is to marry on 20 June, 1993. The bug keeps biting. Jeff PHILIPPART has finally finished his master’s in public management at the University of Maryland. He is currently undergoing pilot training at Reese AFB. He will be part of the first student class to fly the T-1A Jayhawk. Donald SHANKS is reported to have relocated to Layton, UT. No other info other than that about him to pass on. John LOWELL is calling Hudson, MA home these days. Ben DAVIS dropped me a line from Panama. He was TDY with AWACS as chief of Maintenance. He ran into Scott GRANADO who was there TDY for Intel. He also ran into Ollie WASHINGTON who is permanent party there at Howard AFB as a command post officer.

That’s about all for now folks. Thanks for keeping the cobwebs out of my mailbox. Hope to hear from each and every one of you soon. Until then... Peace and Pals!

Amy McLean

Box 121

Manvel, ND 58256

Home: (701) 696-8201

DSN: 362-3105

Percent members: 39

Jason HEASLIP, Tom KASYCH, and Casey BRITIAN are also serving their time down there. Doug SERSON is obviously finding the warm desert climate beneficial for training. From what I hear, Doug is doing very well at his running and hopefully in the near future we’ll get word that he reached his goal of running in the ’96 Olympics. Good Luck, we’re all rooting for you!

I received an anonymous letter from Mather AFB, updating me on all of the UNT grads. I will group the names by systems. Our B-l

EWO/WSOs out there went to the following: Ohn GORDON and Bryan ISLEY McConnell, Roy FATUR and Rod TODARO Dyess, and Mark OLDFORD Grand Forks. Navigators on the B-52 include: Lane HUMPHREYS Minot, Mark JOHNSON Castle, Garvin LOUIE

K.I. Sawyer, and Greg FRITZ Fairchild. Our EWOs on the ultimate buff are Dave PAVIK K.I. Sawyer, and Pete TELLER Fairchild.

KC-135 navs include Dave ACKERSON and Brian HARDSHOE

Beale, Brian HAIG K.I. Sawyer, Lynn (GAWELL) FREEBORN Dyess, Inga LUNDY Kadena, Beth FREDERICK Altus, Rob RAMOS Minot, and Todd GLADDEN Malmstrom. C-130s navs include Terry FRADY at Dyess, and Kevin THERRIEN who is basking in Yokota. Jeff GALLAGHER is an HC-130 nav at Eglin. Steve SMITH chose an EC-130 to Davis Monthan. Scott HAMILTON is a WSO on the F-lll at Cannon, and P. Todd HAMILTON is the same on an F-15E at Luke. My anonymous letter made sure to point out that there were several combat aircraft and no banks in their drops. That’s great. I’m sure glad that not everyone has to experience the threat of being banked.

fFMFf

Greetings once again to the Bold Gold, Congratulations to all of the Class of ’91! I assume that we all made it to 1st Lt. I hope everyone had an awesome summer. It sure did help to get that pay raise.

Here’s a letter from Mike BLADES, signed aka ‘Razor’. Mike recently married Carol, and they spent a week in the Caribbean for their honeymoon. Rich BRINER was the best man. Mike’s justification for getting married is “If ‘Surfcat’ and ‘Grease’ can go through with it, anyone can!” If only I could give an explanation for all the nicknames I put in this article. For those of you who hung out at Wendy’s, you know who Mike’s talking about. Here’s another hint: they’re old Chickenhawks.

Here are some assignments Mike knows of from Reese, 92-15. Anna VINCENT finished first and took a C-141 to Charleston. Doug ANNANIE and Brad ANDERSON both took KC-135s to Plattsburg. Paul RADES picked a C-12 to Kadena. Mark HOPSON took an RC-135 to Offutt. Jean (FULMER) VOIGT got a KC-135 to Ellsworth. Eric KELM and J.P. MARTIN (both red hot ’90) took C-130s to Elemdorf and Kadena, respectively. Dave GARCIA got the last plane of the drop, a C-130 to Altus. Steve SENN was banked at first so he could go where his wife could be stationed, then he got a call and was able to swing a C-5 to Dover. Mike, Blair HORTON, and Eric MOELLER took banked tankers. Excellent choice I must say! Gary “Mother” HIGGENBOTHAM took a banked transport. He and Diane (ROMAGLIA) are in Little Rock, and Diane is expecting. Congrats! Other banked transports went to Stephen ELING, Scott COTOIA, Keith “Howie” FELTER, Tom THIBAULT and Sean LOGAN. Tom and Sean are both up at WrightPat with their wives. Banked fighters went to Luis VILLANUEVA, Aric DIMEFF, and Don KOSTECKI.

Aside from pilot training, Mike has kept in touch with many ’91ers. Pat DONLEY is an SP at Holloman. Steve BURGH is out at Nellis waiting for his banked fighter. Doug DEMAIO is at Luke awaiting the same. Doug and his roommate Eric HOUSTON (did you guess banked fighter?) have invested in a couple of older “muscle” cars and are tearing up the town. Doug also admitted to Mike that there may be an engagement for him in the future.

Russ MICHAUD got a plane out of pilot training, then went to Europe to marry a former Air Force enlisted woman. Mike FICK took a C-12 to Andrews and is enjoying flying around D.C. “Razor” ended up at Kirtland with a variety of other characters. Jeff BROWN and John DAVIS are banked there from Sheppard, awaiting their transports. Jeff married Liz MUNSON last December and she works there now also.

Lynn (GAWELL) FREEBORN also sent me a letter telling about life on the outside. Lynn married hubby, Andy (’92), in July at their favorite school in the Rockies. Graduates who attended their wedding include Jess BLANCHETTE (’90), Kyle and Jean (FULMER) VOIGT, and Colleen MCCRARY (Falcon). From the Class of ’92 Kirsten MESSER, Mark MATTICOLA, Terry CHRISTENSON, Mark MAY, and Kendall LEMLY. Andy is finishing up UPT and they are still not together. Congrats and good luck in a joint assignment. Lynn as listed earlier is at Dyess AFB along with Dirk ARMBURST, Terry FRADY (C-130 nav), and Lars HUKERT (C-130 copilot). Kim (HARMON) WIELHOUSWER is banked there and her husband, Phil (’90), is a B-l copilot. Lynn got a call from Matt EAGER who is in Korea presently. His next assignment is in England. She also got word that Bret HEEREMA, who is somewhere hiding out in Florida, was married 3 April.

Bill PERIS sent a letter off from Castle where he is preparing to take to the skies in his KC-135 waiting at McConnell. Here is the news from others in the class of 93-04 at Laughlin. Tom ANDERSON took a banked tanker and is a maintenance officer at Fairchild. Tony BAADE took a C-23 to Howard. Rhett BINGER picked an EC-135 to Offutt and was married March 27th. Manny CANDELARIA is in Systems Ac at Hanscom while waiting for his transport. He was married in April. Drew ENGLISH was a distinguished graduate picked an OA-10 to Eielson. Troy LARSON is going to Wright-Pat to fly C-21s. Troy and wife, Amy, had their first child in April. Rob LEWIS is a project engineer in Los Angeles serving out his banked time. Rick LOUTHAN is a banked transport pilot in Space Ops at Falcon. Samantha MORGAN, another banked transporter, is working Ops Management at Travis. Derek OAKS took a C-130 to Little Rock, while Bill PERIS grabbed a KC-135 to MeConnell. Tim RUNNETTE is a civil engineer at Travis awaiting his transport. Tim just finished a three-month tour in Saudi finishing up runways. Mike WILBURN is at Pope flying C-130s. Mike WINKLER was another distinguished grad, choosing a banked fighter. He and Heidi,

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who were married last summer, are at Tyndall where Mike is a maintenance officer. Bill PERIS also sends word on Dave AKIN who is at the Defense Mapping Agency in Maryland and Severin BLENKUSH who is in Specialized Contracting at Wright-Pat.

Jim CLUFF, who is an intel officer with the 33rd fighter squadron, sends even more exciting information. He and Heather FRIES, intel at the 33rd also, were recently in Saudi Arabia, where their squadron bagged a MiG on the 27th of December. Jim saw Charles BUTLER flying C-141s over there, and Kim BASHAM who is an intel officer out of Eglin. Back home at Shaw, Jim has caught sight of Bill CASBEER, Troy THOMAS, Kevin KENELLY, Jeff GAUSER, and Kit BOBKO. Here’s news of other ’91ers that Dan has heard wind of. Dan FLYNN, who is going to Eglin to fly HC-130s, just had a baby girl. Beth (DUNN) and Jim KWASNY are both at Barksdale, where she is an intel officer and he is flying KC-lOs. Jim CLARK and Kathy KENNEDY just got married and are together at Little Rock. Last on his list was Esme (OSHITA) DAETZ who is at Kadena with husband, Dan (’90).

Jeff LONG sent a letter on the happenings of the class of 93-01 at Sheppard which will have to wait due to limited space in this magazine. Jeff received an AFIT scholarship while awaiting his banked fighter. Information not including assignments is that Max MAROSKO married Rachel last winter, and Dave MCCUNE is going to get married in January to Lisa. The wedding will be in Seattle. Both Max and Dave are banked fighters at Edwards.

Both Adam and I are at training and missing that awesome summer we keep hearing North Dakota has. I am in logistics training at Lowry. Steve WEBB is also in my class along with Ken KEMPER (’90). Ken took his AFIT scholarship before going to pilot training with the class of 93-04 at Laughlin. He hoped to miss the bank by doing this, but ended up choosing a banked fighter anyway. Steve is banked in tankers and is currently at Beale with wife, Christy. They just had a baby boy and named him little Steve the third. Steve informed me that Dan and Tammy GERDES are at Kelly where Dan is an engineer.

Also sighted at Lowry was Jim CLEET who is going through acquisitions school. He is a banked fighter. Adam is enjoying the California summertime at Castle. News from Castle is that Bill PRICE is now married and his wife is expecting. They will be going to Plattsburg after training in the KC-135. Corry WORMAC is soon to finish school there and then is off to Offutt. Other news floating around is that J.T. TOKISH finishes up med school soon, Derek WEST is with the special ops weather team at Hurlburt Field, and Russ BALKA is down in the missile silos at Malmstrom. C.J. VAUGHAN stuck around Vance waiting for an AFIT slot long enough to end up being asked if he wanted a B-52 instead. Adam, Collin KEEN and Mike LEE recently got together to attend a wedding in L.A., of one of their UPT buddies.

I would like to end this letter by straightening out some gossip I heard while at Lowry. No, Scott and Kim MCLEAN are not expecting their second kid, Adam and I are expecting our first the end of November. Boy these kids are going to really feel the pressure to be Zoomies!

Thanks for all the great letters. They are a real help in making this article interesting to all of our class. My deadline for writing this article is usually a week or two after you receive your magazine, so please keep in mind that if you write me a letter just after you receive Checkpoints it will probably not make it into the next article. Now that summer is drawing down, I hope to hear what no good all of us bold golders were up to this summer with our newfound money and power. Don’t forget the pictures, that is as long as they are clean! Good Luck and God Bless. Adam and Amy McLean.

James S. Mehta

PSC Box 4424

Vance AFB, OK 73705-4424 (405) 242-5919

Percent members: 30

Hello again ’92! Here’s the next exciting issue of Checkpoints that you have been waiting for. I hope ’92 has been doing well. I’ve been TDY to Bolling AFB, D.C. for 10 weeks at the OSI Academy. I will soon graduate and be on the road back to Oklahoma. By the end of July, I will be on my way to Edwards AFB, not Bitburg like I planned. Enough about me, here’s what others from the True Blue class are doing.

I received a few letters since the last column, which always helps make this easier to write. Let’s dig into the mail bag... a letter from Paul CAIRNEY. Paul is up at Grand Forks AFB, ND “doing that SP thing.” While down at SP tech school at Lackland AFB, some other ’92ers were also there: Mike FLORIO went to Minot, James LOWE went to F.E.

Warren, and Dave MOORE, Lisa THOMAS, and Kris MEYLE are all at Whiteman AFB. Rudy CDEBACA was not in that class, but is SPing at Malmstrom AFB. Also, up at Grand Forks are James CAMARENA, John TAYLOR, Brian PORTER, Pedro GONZALEZ and Nick STEELE as missileers. Eric MOORE is a missile maintenance officer there. Beth PETERSON went to Ellsworth AFB after completing aircraft maintenance school at Chanute with some others: Chris ANTHONY, Shannon MIKUS, John KUBENIC, and Jackie MONGEON.

Paul reported on his fellow War Eagles: Doug LINDSAY got married and is at Randolph AFB where he works with Jerry LAUTENSCHLAGER editing NCO promotion tests, Enrique CRUZ is married and at Wright-Pat, Michael Bob STARR is married and studying at Harvard with Amy AUKEMA, Scotty FISHER, and Clint HINOTE. And, Paulette LASSITER is in San Antonio (Kelly AFB). That’s all from Paul who closed his letter by saying that, “If you thought some of those morning meal formations were cold, you ought to try cruising the missile field at three o’clock in the morning. That requires a whole new meaning for the word COLD”. Paul even sent the first picture for the column.

In the top row from left are Mike Florio, Dave Moore, Maj ?, Brian Anderson (’91), and Kris Meyle.

Paul Cairney, Bob Gray (’90), James Lowe, and Lisa

guess we shouldn’t care, ‘cause Paul didn ’t tell us.

Next out of the mail bag is a letter from Steve BRODERICK at Sheppard AFB. ENJJPT Class 94-02 has Cory BOWER, Brook (Pump you up) LEONARD, Brian DELEMATER, and Jason WHITE. Rich BROWN, Rick MOORE, Dave SUTTON, Ed LEABO, John SCHOEPPNER, Walt ALLEN, Tim MARTIN, Rob DITTMAN, Rob ZERBE, Jason FROMM, Mark VALENTINE, Aaron STEFFANS, Todd EMMONS, and Mike PRICE are all down at Sheppard in classes ahead of Steve. Congratulations to Mike PRICE who recently got married. Kristine BERGEMAN is the wing’s aerospace physiologist at Sheppard. Steve said, “Kristine also has a great AGSM, which I saw on video tape of her and Meridith MOORE, both doing 9 “Gs” in the centrifuge down at Brooks last summer.” Robert SMITH, Bobby ROANE, A1 WEIMAN, Sue SMITH, Joelyn TAYLOR, and Troy SIMON have passed through Sheppard for training as well. Sue is at Charleston and is sponsoring a cadet from the Citadel.

In December, Steve drove with Rick MOORE to Reese to attend Rich ROSA and Cindi KLEEMAN’s wedding. Cindi is at Texas A&M for weather school and Rich is flying T-lAs at Reese. Dave TANNER and Karl FRERKING were also at the wedding. In Feb, Steve and Rick took another road trip, this time to Tinker where they visited Godfrey GUERZON who is a special agent for OSI there. Both Dave LINDSAY (and wife, Beth), OSI SA, and Chris MARCUS (and wife, Amy), finance officer, are at Sheppard too. Steve also says that Barry BLANCHARD is in UPT at Columbus and plans on getting married to his fiancee, Judy, this August after graduation. Jon THOMPSON and wife, Elissa, are going to Davis-Monthan as soon as Jon graduates intel school. Thanks for the long letter, Steve.

Also through the mail I heard from Donna WARD who graduated from intel school in April and is headed to Randolph to be an instructor when the nav shcool moves down there. She said that Steve and Deanna COX are nearby at Kelly AFB. Donna sent a list of intel graduates and their new assignments: Elizabeth KUREY and Mark MCCURLEY Wright-Pat, Paul ADAMS Minot, Mark ALBION and Bret WARREN Ramstein, Jon ARNETT and Chuck ELDER Shaw, Alex BRID Davis-Monthan, Chris DILLIS K.I. Sawyer, Troy HEITHCOCK Barksdale, Andrew MCCOY Beale, Laura (CON-

STANTINO) STENGER Tyndall (with Ron STENGER as a CCT), Michael WEISS Grand Forks, Paul WILLIAMS (recently engaged to Athea) and Kevin HAFF Castle, Jeff STAMP Plattsburg, Jim TANIS Goodfellow, and Dave MCAULEY Edwards. Hope to hear from you again Donna once you get settled at Randolph.

Tania DUTKO wrote me the last letter for this column from Dover AFB where she is in Public Affairs. “I love the job. I deal mainly with the media, am the official spokeswoman for Dover AFB and just got back from a media escort trip to Somalia. I bought a house and a puppy and am seeing the sights of lovely Delaware.” Here’s what else she wrote: ‘‘Kendra MATTHEWS is working at the Command Post, Current Ops and the 3rd Airlift Sq Ops Center. Scott MOORE is working CE waiting for UPT. Both are at Dover as well. Nicole FOSTER is a public affairs officer at Travis and is still dating Michael JACKSON. Also at public affairs school was John SMITH, who was the honor grad, now at Langley, and Eric COBB, who is recently engaged and at Eglin. Dean BOERRIGTER is at Ft. Ritchie and he and Tania have been checking out the sights in D.C. and Delaware. Monte ANDERSON, Tim STONG, Chris COLBERT, Lance LANDRUM, Eric SIMONSON and Don GROVES are at Vance finishing UPT. Ken CALLAHAN is working at Holloman where is is also taking classes for his master’s and working on his private pilot license. Michelle LAMONTAGNE (maintenance) and Bob SEIFERT are both at Shaw. Will ROFF is at Malmstrom and ‘believes he has definitely found God’s country.’ He is getting married in Aug to a fellow Lt. Rik BOWMAN is at Osan and loving it (?) and may go to Kunsan next, if they will ship his truck out to him. Tracy SAILER and Karen BLAINE are both at Tinker. Tracy is in the AWACS program and Karen is working as protocol officer. Wes FRYER has spent the year in Mexico on a scholarship program where he has been working on his tan and the native women. A few others: Jason ALGREHN Reese, Jenny YOUNG (bio engineering) Cannon, Rob PITTMAN Wright-Pat.”

I got a wedding invitation from Paul MULLIS who was married on May 29 (Nikki). Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it, but I’m sure it was a great day for both of them. Congratulations. Since I have been here at Bolling I have run into Scott (Spuds) MCKENZIE. He is working in AFOSI Manpower here and having fun living in the area. He just moved into an apartment in Springfield, VA. Some of my 22nd Squadron buddies have called recently: Don UNWIN says the Sept class at Columbus is ready to graduate. By the time this comes out, the July class will have their wings already. Congratulations guys! Dave “Kumo” KUMASHIRO said about the same is true for Laughlin. And Steve ‘‘Wolfman” WOLF has graduated The Basic School and Infantry School and is now at Kaneohoe Marine Corps Base in Hawaii. Steve and I got together once soon after I got to D.C. He came up from Quantico and we hit Old Town Alexandria where we had more than our share of food and drinks and a great time.

In closing yet another column, congratulations to everyone who com

(Building Fund Donors: Continuedfrom page 25.)

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr A Mis Vijay Puri

Col A Mis David M Purtee

Lt Robert R Ramos '91

Mr A Mrs Ronald E Ramsey

CMSgt(Ret) A Mrs Giacomo Remmldo

Mr A Mrs Terrel Reyes

Mr A Mrs Dick Reynolds

Mrs Sharon B Rhodes

Mr A Mrs Larty Riche

Mr A Mrs Larry Rickman

TSgt(Ret) A Mrs N L Riles

Mr Willis D Riley

Lt Col William F Ritter ’73

Mr * Mrs Paul W Roberts

Mr A Mis Donald M Robertson

Mr A Mrs Kenneth RoM

Mr A Mrs Henry W Rotering

Mr A Mrs Warren L Rubin match of

The Home Depot

Mr & Mrs George A Ruckle

Ms Helen M Rumfeldt

Mr Wayne D Rydberg

Mr A Mrs Richard Sadlo

Maj Kirk S Samelsoo USAFR '73

Mr A Mis Steven Satan

Mr A Mrs Jeff Schott

Mr A Mis Paul Schreck

Dr A Mrs George W Scott

Mr A Mrs Philip Scully

Mr David Searcy

Dr A Mrs Michael

Lt Col Steven H Sheldon '73

Lt Col Richard A .Sherman

Mr & Mrs Dennis P Slevin

Mr A Mis Thomas W Sloan

Mr A Mrs Charles B Smith

Mr Don Smith

Lt Col Milton L Smith ’73

Mr Roger E Smith ’73

Mr & Mrs burner W Snearly

Mr A Mis Thomas Sonldss

Mr A Mrs Andrew M Sopirak

Mr A Mrs David L Sorensen

Mrs Sharron G Spohn

Mr A Mrs Mack E Spencer

Ms Ramona Stadel

Maj John R Stefonik USAFR ’73

Mrs Rosie C Stephens

LtCol(Ret) A Mrs Arlo H Stewart

Ms Ann L Stinson

Mr A Mis Thomas Stock

Mrs Jean Stockman

Mr A Mis Gregory V Stoltman

Mr A Mrs Richard R Stoyle match of

The Gillette Company

Mr A Mrs Donald J Strah

Maj Thomas R Straiton '73

Mr A Mis Richard J Stiebeck

Mr A Mrs Bernard L Strehle

pleted any sort of training. Take care, keep in touch (this means write or call) because you’ll hear from me again in a few months whether you like it or not. James.

A h

Michael D. Sundsted

5400 Hidden Harbor Landing

Gainesville, GA 30504

Home: (404) 532-9815

Percent members: 87

Congratulations to the class that None Shall Surpass (NONUS SUPERATO), Proud To Be ’93! The sunshine and great weather we ordered arrived in time for our last week at USAFA. The Thunderbirds performed an outstanding show. Together with fellow cadets, friends, and family we had the best week of our lives.

This is the first of many times that I will be writing about our class in Checkpoints. In order for me to do this successfully, I ask that you update myself or the Association of Graduates as soon and as often as possible. Our class is the first class that will never have to pay for an AOG membership. We are eighty-six percent strong. If you are in the Class of 1993, and are not in the AOG, please become a member. Remember, your input is an important part of this column. Although graduation was just a short time ago, I know there are many excellent stories out there about your summer, and how the “REAL” Air Force is treating you.

My summer has been very exciting so far. After driving home, I left for Holland, MI where Jeffrey VOETBERG married his fiancee, Kate. Phillip TUCKER, my roommate at USAFA, also arrived with his wife-tobe, Amy. They will be wed on 27 Nov, 1993. Also, Stephen MCCILNAY, Gregory BENDINGER, Anne TRUITT, Jon DOTTER, Jennifer JOYCE, and Trent CARPENTER attended Jeff and Kate’s wedding.

Phillip TUCKER will attend pilot training at Vance AFB. Stephen MCILNAY will be a maintenance officer at McConnell AFB. Greg BENDINGER and Jennifer JOYCE will be in intelligence school at Goodfellow AFB. Anne TRUITT will be going to Kunsan AB, Korea, for ops management. Jon DOTTER will study at AFIT, then attend UPT. Trent CARPENTER is at Wright-Patterson AFB with acquisition projects. I will be at Sheppard AFB for pilot training. I have seven months of casual status then I will start flying in March of 1994. Please note my address change after the second edition of Checkpoints is printed.

The remainder of the summer will be spent on the road in New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C., Florida, the Bahamas, and Georgia. If you are not too busy please drop me a note, or give me a call. Until next time, enjoy your 60 days, live a little, and be safe. Good Luck ’93, let’s make it a good one!

Mr

Maj(Ret) A Mrs Lionel Verret

Mr A Mis George W Veyera

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr

Mr A Mrs Charles E Vickers match of Jefferson Pilot Foundation

Col Dean F Vikan Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Alan C Vitas

Lt Col Robert E Voigt '73

Mrs Andrea Callahan Volpe

Mr A Mrs Larty Wachholtz

Mr A Mrs Don C Walker

Lt Col Michael A Walker ’73

Mr A Mrs Fred Walteimiie

Mr A Mis James F Ware

Mr A Mrs Johnny Warren

Ms Carol Watson

Dr A Mrs Clifford G Wee

Maj Richard G Weidner USAFR ’76

Ms Debra Weikel

Mr William J Welsh

Mr A Mrs Alan V Wencll

Lt Col Mike S Wenger ’73

Mr A Mis Leo P Werlech

Mr A Mis Charles E Westbrook

Mr A Mis Milton B Wheeler

Mis Angela White

Mrs Anita Kay White

Col Howard M Whitfield USMC Ret ’60

Mr A Mrs Jack D Wickering

Mr Rodney W Wickers ’73

Mr A Mis John J Wieland

Col John T Wigington III ’73

Ms Jacqueline E Wilcox

Mr A Mis William J Wilcox

Mr A Mrs Richard L Wilfeit

Mr A Mrs George E Wilson

Col William M Wilson ’73

Mr A Mis Edward J Winterstcin

LtCol(Ret) A Mis Suey C Wong

Mis Eva U Woodwind

Mr A Mrs Richard S Workman

Mr A Mrs Arthur E Wunder

Mr A Mrs Edward Wurzer

Mr A Mis Carl C Wyatt

Mr A Mrs Gene T Wynn

Mr A Mrs Archer Yales match of Pfizer toe

Mr A Mrs Michael K Young match of Stale Farm Companies Foundation

Mr A Mrs Henry J Zawada

Mr A Mrs Fredrick Zlotnick

Ms Sharyn A Zupan

THE AOG THANKS ALL THE GENEROUS DONORS TO THE AOG BUILDING FUND.

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