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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Enlisted in Army Air Corps 11 Jan 1940. Pilot Training Feb. 5, 1942. Commissioned 2nd Lt. Army Air Force Reserve 9 October 1942. Served US Army Air Forces South Pacific Theater Sep 1942 to April 1944. Assigned Army Air Forces AAFTAC Orlando FLA Apr. 11, 1944. Pilot P-47 Thunderbolt Apr 1944 to Sept 1946 demonstrating combat use of aircraft for Generals and Admirals in WWII, November 1946 reassigned to Edwards AFB Pilot B-20 testing experimental bombs 500 to 44,000 pounds. Flew B-29, B-26, P-80, and P-47; while at Edwards.
Transferred Berlin Airlift, pilot C-54 Feb 1949; Airlift termination August 1949. Transferred to SAC, Carswell AFB TX service development of B-36 Bomber. Promoted to Captain USAFR Oct 1950 Transferred to 12 SAC Fighter Wing Oct 1950; Assigned Squadron Commander Maintenance Squadron Nov 1950. Reassigned 5th AF Aug 1952. Pilot C-47 Japan to Korea Nov 1952. Also aircraft maint SuperField Maint Squadron, Reassigned Chanute AFB Apr 1955 Aircraft Maint supervision training. May 1955 assigned Squadron Commander student Squadron, Pilot T-33 Jet trainer.
July 1956 reassigned Nellis AFB Nevada, Assumed command 3597th Field Maintenance Squadron, supporting 210 F-100s, four propeller planes and 1,000 transients per month. When I assumed Command of 3597th Field Maintenance Squadron Nellis AFB Nevada, there were 345 F-86 and 96 F-100s assigned all with engine problems, F-100 J-57 engine was exploding in flight after only 25 hours flight time F-86H engine was burning in flight without warning. We determined that J-57 engine suffered explosion from plugged orifice of number 6 bearing and F-86 oil line was leaking onto hot engine in flight; I was promoted to Major after solving both engine problems.
While Commander of 3597th Field Maintenance squadron in 1958, I was current in five different planes including a jet. I was rated a Command Pilot with an unlimited instrument rating. While on the Berlin Airlift and two flights later, I made instrument landings in which I only saw the runway after I landed due to fog. I did this first on the Airlift where we never shut down for any reason.
In August 1958 I was transferred to headquarters Air Training Command due to the transfer of Nellis AFB to Tactical Air Command. I was assigned to the Inspector General Hqtrs, ATC. While Command Inspector I grounded two training Wings due to my knowledge in aircraft maintenance. One wing, although, 1,500 hours ahead of schedule, was slighting the maintenance on their aircraft. Two pilots and students had been killed. In another wing, I found that they had been flying their F-102 Fighters two years with engines that required safety of flight technical order modifications. As a consequence of this and other findings, I was promoted to Lt. Col. in April 1962. In 1963, I was ordered to Vietnam.
In Vietnam I was required to organize and train incoming personnel into a consolidated aircraft maintenance group. By some miracle, I received 15 Chief Master Sergeants, 16 Senior Master Sergeants, 16 Technical Sergeants, an Airman First Class, and 2 Warrant Officers of 25 years service. With that empire, I was responsible for maintenance on 40 C-123s and 1 C-47. After getting organized, I had an easy time of it. I wound up with the only air-conditioned office and the only air-conditioned maintenance control in Vietnam. After one year, I was ordered home in August 1964.
My pre-retirement squadron was the 3rd Field Maintenance Squadron of which I was Commander. I retired 1 Sept 1965 after 26 years service including three wars.
But the above is not the end of the story. In May 1968, I accepted a GS-11 position in Headquarters Strategic Air Command where I worked on the B-52 and FB-111 in depot support programs until January 1982 when I retired after 40 years with the USAF.