Truckin' On Oct 2015
Truckin' On Oct 2015
Truckin' On Oct 2015
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MotorWeek
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PG 42-43
SAC IG Inbound!
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Snuffys Corner
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CMSgt Al Baird
The United States
Air Force became a
separate branch of
service on Sep 18,
1947. The following
year, 1948, 18-year
old Al Baird enlisted
in the new USAF and served for 26
years, retiring as a Chief Master
Sergeant in 1974.
Disclaimer: Truckin On is an unofficial newsletter published every month in the interest of serving Air Force active duty, civilian and retired vehicle operations
and maintenance personnel. Articles submitted by its contributors are not to be considered official statements by the U.S. Air Force.
We were last on the list but, as you 47s know, we always find a
way. I left Turkey and went to Edwards AFB, CA. It was an
exciting place to be with the X planes.
We heard sonic booms all day and night tests of rocket engines
that shook base housing from 35 miles away, and did I mention
115 degrees or higher in the shade! Im not complaining; it was a
good assignment.
I left Edwards in1965 for a 4-year fixed tour at the Air Force
Academy. In order to get an assignment there, airmen were
required to have several years of outstanding records.
So, no training or supervision was needed. It was tough duty, but
someone had to do it!
The new coach found out quickly that we had no pitcher. After I left Colorado and went to Vietnam right after the Tet Offensive.
extensive tryouts, they saw that I was the only one who could Our maintenance officer was one of the best for whom Ive had
throw underhand, even though I had never done so before.
the pleasure of working.
I was a big guy (6 6) and could throw the ball really hard, but I We had seven shops, 170 military, about 20 Vietnamese, and
couldnt hit a barn unless I pitched from inside the barn. Later, enough paper work to feed a herd of hungry goats!
however, I became a good pitcher and in 1956 my team won the
We all returned home safely. The only bad memory that sticks
USAF softball championship at Sewart AFB. I got all the wins.
with me from Vietnam is the row after row of black body bags
Later they sent me PCS to MacDill AFB, FL to follow the B47s. I they sometimes stored on the tarmac (next to one of our shops)
was a Staff Sergeant at the time, so they made me shop awaiting their final trip home.
foreman.little did they know! But not to worry, I did become a
skilled mechanic and even completed 13 maintenance and I left Vietnam and was assigned to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV.
After a short stay there, I was assigned to TACs IG team at
management courses during my first 18 years.
Langley AFB, VA where I finished my 26 years.
During the Korean War, I spent 2 years with a bomb group on
Okinawa, the same group that came from March AFB. In the
shop next to mine, my unit maintained a line of 671 Detroit diesel The only bad memory that sticks with me from Vietnam is the
generators, longer than the eye could see. We made power for row after row of black body bags they sometimes stored on the
our base and a big part of the island.
tarmac (next to one of our shops) awaiting their final trip
Editors Note: Power production was a part of vehicle home.
maintenance in those days.
We were mostly isolated from the war, but quite often a note was During my 4 years on the IG team, I spent two years in hotel
posted on our bulletin board listing the names of aircrews that rooms and two years at home. If I could do my career all over
went down.
again, I would. If I could change anything that happened, I would
When I left Okinawa I was discharged at port and allowed to change very little.
reenlist at my base of choice, which was Sewart AFB, TN, about
If I could do my career all over again, I would. If I could change
25 miles south of Nashville in Smyrna.
anything that happened, I would change very little.
That was my first real modern facility. Every mechanic in our
shop could replace a reverse idler gear or a set of kingpins
(whats a king pin?) or about anything else that was around from
1954 to 1957.
After Sewart, I got a PCS assignment to a HQ in Ankara,
Turkey. We had no property there, so we rented what we
needed and had our vehicle and equipment fleet maintained by
contract.talk about the end of the supply line!
1948
1974
Thanks, Al.Truckin On
2
Drawdown Operations:
Continued on PG 4
3
2004
Staff Sgt Dustin Peters
Airman 1st Class Carl Anderson
2007
Airman 1st Class Eric Barnes
2009
SSgt Timothy Bowles
SrA Ashton Goodman
2011
A1C Zachary Cuddeback
Jan 2013
The paved roads ended just south of Osan and there were
virtually no civilian vehicles on the road, only us, Korean
military vehicles, buses and taxies. There were also no
sidewalks in the villages. The Korean people walked in the road
and when we came through we would blow the air horn and
they would move to the side without looking. They would also
move right back in the road without looking so the next truck
In September of 1965 I reported to the 6314 Transportation would have to blow the air horn so they would move back out of
Squadron, Osan AB, Korea. Osan is 35 kilometers south of the way. This was the procedure for every truck.
Seoul. It was a thirteen month remote assignment.
Later, when I questioned why it was thirteen months instead of
the customary twelve months, I was told it was because they
used to come over and return by ship and the tour length was
never changed when they started using airlift.
I was first assigned duty in the Motor Pool but was soon
reassigned to Det 1, 2nd Mule Train, a section separate from
the motor pool, kind of like heavy equipment.
The Mule Train was a proud unit of dedicated transporters who
carried on the tradition of hauling all types of cargo throughout
Korea to include trips to PY-Do, an island off the coast of North
Korea and Cheju-do, an island off the southern tip of Korea.
A routine stop was at an Army post at Taejon. We would buy
We always traveled in convoys usually made up of five to eight snacks there to include small cans of beans that cost nine
trucks. The ranking man was convoy commander and was cents. We would heat them up on the manifold when we made
rest stops. My first convoy was to Taegu AB.
issued a 38 caliber pistol.
Continued on PG 6
5
We used lap belts and when
After offloading our cargo at
we got to the dirt roads I was
the island base camp we
constantly bouncing up and
waited for a large LST flat
down and the lap belt was
bottom ship to arrive from
rubbing me raw. I finally
Japan.
unfastened it and promptly
The LST would bring in
bounced all the way across
hundreds of 55 gallon barrels
the front seat holding on to
of diesel fuel. The LST would
the steering wheel with my
beach itself and we would lay
left hand. I pulled myself
two lines of pierced steel
back behind the wheel and got my belt fastened. When we got planking (PSP) to get to the ship over the soft sand. We would
to Taegu, everybody, regardless of race was the color of dust.
drive up the ramp into the ship, turn around, get loaded with 23
We stayed pretty busy but when the Air Force decided to open barrels of diesel and then drive off, cross the beach on the PSP,
radar sites throughout the peninsula, the workload really picked and deliver the fuel to the base.
up as did the level of safety danger. These radar sites were on It was an interesting and satisfying job with each mission
top of mountains with access by narrow dirt roads with lots of completed giving you a feeling of accomplishment. The
sharp curves. There were no guard rails and if it rained or workload and travel also made the time pass by quicker. This
snowed they were extremely slick. Going up or coming down was important since I was separated from my wife and two
was equally harrowing. Using our driving skills and team work, young sons. We forged very strong friendships between the
we luckily made it through with nobody getting hurt.
Mule Skinners and often wondered what ever came of the guys.
On one trip I was on we were trucking down the road, came In early 2012, my friend and fellow Mule Skinner, Garry Varnes,
around a curve and saw a large rock blocking the entrance to a decided to see if we could find as many guys as we could and
bridge.
have a reunion.
The rock was there because the
dirt had eroded from the bridge and
we couldnt get on the bridge. We
found an area where we could
pass by fording the river. The most
coveted trips were the two where
we had to load our trucks on LSU
flat bottom cargo ships operated by
the Army. To get to PY Do, we
loaded our trucks with cargo and
drove north towards Seoul to Inchon Harbor where General
MacArthur landed his troops during the Korean War. We backed
our trucks onto the LSU so we could drive off onto the beach.
Feb 2013
VOTES
Peacekeeper
Stanray Deicer
Landoll Deicer
Lavatory Trucks
IHC Multi-stop
Condor/Calavar 125
Eagle Bobtail
Transmission every two years or Deivis (Dave) Bliujus: Not many had
60,000 miles (Which ever came first). the opportunity to work on these but the
Torque steer beasts - step on the gas base garbage trucks on Lajes Field,
and it steered right, let up on the gas Azores back in the 90s! Working on the
cylinders inside the compactor part of the
and it steered left.
bed!! So much fun!!!
Solid tire that would burst in hot
weather and coat the sides with the Deicers (3 Manufacturers)
goo that was In them.
Gary McLean: The worst Deicer is the Joe Oswald: Eagle Bobtail with Chevy
Armor plates that only blocked Landoll; enough said.
cab, 1980-1990s. Worst designed vehicle.
access to the starter, oil filter, drain,
Had terrible suspension where the frame
plug and drive shaft u-joints.
was directly connected to the differential
Continuous rear axle separation.
housing and only had rubber cushions on
Spring loaded doors that caused
the outer axles, air compressor problems,
many concussions.
frame cracks, and just an overall junk.
Multiple TCTOs to correct the problems.
Melted typical Dodge wiring at the
That was my most hated truck.
fuse box and dash board.
Lavatory Trucks
Condor/Calavar 125
The flippin brakes were a nightmare to First and reverse was always torn up due
disassemble and reassemble and the to the linkage and the fact you couldn't
inner seals were notorious for going out. really tell if it was in or out of gear. Let out
the clutch and you had gear pieces in the
1959 White Demineralized Water
bottom of the transmission.
Truck
Hanson Crane
In all, the Det delivers 2,800 plus instructional hours per year to
students consisting of both prior and non-prior service (NPS),
Air National Guard (ANG), Air Force Reserve (AFR) US Navy
(USN) and US Marine Corps (USMC) service members, Department of Defense (DoD) civilians, as well as international
students from various coalition countries.
Continued on PG 13
12
13
Continued on PG 16
15
page:
https://
Special Edition
Best & worst assignments: Survey Finally, however, the household goods I had the time of my life traveling
reveals transporters satisfied with were packed (thanks TMO) and on their throughout the island of Luzon, seeing
career
way; suitcases were stuffed to the max the sites, experiencing the food and
Editors Comments: FIGMO! Thats a
term rarely heard anymore. There are
variations of its meaning, but for the
purpose of this article it stands for,
Finally, I got my orders.
and you were off on a new adventure. culture. I enjoyed working with most of
We have all experienced it multiple times the people in my shop...refueling
in our careers.
maintenance, a.k.a. Shop 6.
So, what led up to this article on
assignments? Well, as you know, we did
a survey on the most hated vehicle and
published it in Februarys Truckin On. It
was fun and we got a lot of interesting
feedback.
Then, of course, there were the memorable for me. I was 21 years old
good-byes to friends and co-workers, and overseas for the first time. Look out
Philippines!
which were always difficult.
Continued on PG 18
17
Mexico. It was an ok assignment, it's The folks, working with all the Ops and
just that I have had more awesome Mx troops I dealt with during my time
assignments such as Sembach and there was great!
Howard.
I couldnt have had a better team to supMark Hiles: Well the worst assignment is port my ideas and to tell me the truth on
easy. My last one was Gunter Annex how it would impact their station. As hard
Maxwell AFB working as the OLVIMS as I worked over there, I had it made with
functional lead. The folks I worked with having the others there around me.
were great. The politics and how things Eglin was a great place, location, folks
functioned or didnt function drove me and just a different mission. Definitely not
nuts on a daily basis to the point where I the hardest assignment I had.
didnt see me being productive to help my
peers in the field anymore and finally Kunsan, must have been a favorite seeing
retired. Although, if I wouldnt have come as how I was nuts enough to do three
to Gunter, I wouldnt have the job I have tours there, and volunteered for all three.
today working with Asset Management That place is about as close to family that
you can have in the Air Force. It was
and Maintenance Systems for the DOD.
never a dull day working there.
So even as my worst assignment, it had
Dean Smith: Being an eternal optimist,
several pluses.
all 19 were the best while I was there, as I
Best Assignment: Kind of a 3-way tie learned and grew in different ways at
between Kunsan AB, Korea, Ramstein, each location.
AB, Germany, and Eglin AFB, FL.
Plus, the side benefit of all the lifelong
Would have to say Ramstein had to be friendships established around the world!
my favorite because of what I had the
opportunity to affect for the whole There wasnt a single one that I could
command. Being on the USAFE staff honestly call the worst.
allowed me to see the big picture on how The most beneficial of all my assignments
the many bases always pitched in to (that others have consistently considered
support the theater no matter what the their worst) actually would be places such
as Vietnam, Iraq, and Korea.
mission.
Continued on PG 19
18
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19
Huge fleet of over 1500 AF, Navy, and Scott AFB, IL: HQ AMC staff where I
Army vehicles. Great civilian work force replaced Kevin Williams. Obviously more
too.
staff assistance visits and travel. During
We took Best Vehicle Mx in PACAF three my time there I had the pleasure of
years straight and Best in the AF in 1982. working with some very knowledgeable
maintainers who were on the 60K loader
March AFB, CA: Then I diverted to acquisition team.
Fairchild AFB, WA and finally diverted to
HQ SAC Offutt AFB, NE. Didnt think I Prince Sultan AB, Kingdom of Saudi
would ever get my household goods Arabia: (USAF now closed): Permanent
party tour for a year while rotating a
again.
transitory force of 93 deployed vehicle
I was on the SAC staff. Many SAVs. maintainers.
Visited bases that I was able to put on my
list of I dont want to be stationed there. Incredible job performed by VMX teams
under harsh working conditions. The 130
Shemya AFB, AK: The Rock (Closed degree temps forced them to work at night
and renamed Eareckson AS) or as one in primitive tent structures. We lived in
commander called it The Black Pearl of tent city for the first 5 months before the
the Aleutians. Wind blown island 2 miles new dormitories were opened.
wide and 4 miles long. It had no trees and
This was another of my most challenging
downtown was 1500 miles east.
but rewarding assignments. Due to the
I was the Chief of Transportation. I think efforts of talented vehicle maintainers we
we had about 30 days of sunshine the were able to turn around a chronically
entire year I was there. It wasnt quite the high out-of-commission rate.
end of the world but you could see it from
I cant brag enough about the efforts and
there.
sacrifices those men and women endured
Torrejon AB, Spain16 AF LGTV: with repeated deployments into that AOR.
(No longer USAF base) Three-year tour
as the first VMS at 16 AF. Traveled Scott AFB, ILHQ AMC Staff: Followextensively on SAVs throughout the Med. on assignment back to wind up my Air
Force career. As I have indicated, most
Several SAVs to Incirlik AB, Turkey, assignments were pretty good. I have
especially during the mid summer, caused good memories of all of them, but most of
me to put that base on my list of dont get all are the fond memories of the incredibly
stationed there too.
talented Transporters throughout the Air
Hickam AFB, HIHQ PACAF Staff: Force. I thoroughly enjoyed working for
Spent 4 years there. Started playing them all.
golf a couple times a week. Well, who
wouldnt?
Continued on PG 22
21
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22
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23
Home for me
Continued on PG 25
24
Top Favorites
Favorite Assignment
Clark
# Responses
Clark
Hickam
Howard
Kadena
Osan
Yokota
Nellis
Athens, Greece
Port Hueneme
Ramstein
Shaw
Hahn
Lakenheath
Sembach
Spangdahlem
Chanute
Hanscom
Lackland
Grand Forks
March
Shemya
Torrejon
Prince Sultan
Scott
Kunsan
Gila Bend
Kelly
Patrick
Zweibrucken
Bolling
Cudjoe Key
George
Hickam
Howard
Howard
Kadena
Osan
Yokota
25
Jun 2013
27
28
Aug 2013
Las Vegas: The city where fortunes can be made or lost. Sin
City is best known for its awesome night life and culture of
anything goes, and its litany of gambling opportunities.
Whats not well known, however, is that a few miles north of the
world famous Las Vegas Strip is Nellis Air Force Base and the
99th Logistics Readiness Squadron (LRS) Vehicle
Management Flight!
Nestled in the far northeast end of the Las Vegas valley is
Nellis Air Force Base, home of the 99th and 57th Wings. Its
Old VM facility
here where the men and women of the 99th Logistics
Readiness Squadron Vehicle Maintenance Flight call home, Well times have changed in the last 10 years. In 2004, we
and its here where they keep the mission on point every day!
were able to increase our manning to support FLAG exercises
Comprised of 91 military personnel and 27 civilian work leaders by 20+ mechanics, and with the assistance of Senator Harry
and technicians, the vehicle management crew manages a fleet Reid, we received funding for our new maintenance facility and
of over 1,800 vehicles and maintains a fleet of over 1,200 to renovate the existing facility as well.
vehicles ensuring mission readiness, and keeping aircraft flying
every day!
Without us, pilots are pedestrians, and everyone on base
would become an ABU-wearing bicycle gang!
Forget I said that: with sequestration in full swing, I dont want
to put ideas in anyones head.
Just over 10 years ago the 99 LRS Vehicle Management Flight
was considered one of the least desirable assignments in the
vehicle maintenance community.
Because of our reputation we were known as a meat grinder, a
true sweat factory of all the vehicle maintenance flights; it was
an assignment most of us avoided.
New VM facility
Continued on PG 30
29
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30
The tire shop airmen do anything from passenger tires to huge The materiel control section orders all of our parts, handles all
fire truck tires, and they utilize recapped tires for any and all of our chemical authorizations, controls our tool programs, and
vehicles they can.
makes it rain by handling our budget as well!
Lastly, the flight support section keeps us out of jail by handling
all our safety and environmental compliance issues, as well as
keeping our operating instructions up to date.
This team is our back-room office folks, and they are as much
a part of our success as any wrench-turner!
Our aforementioned success is pretty darn impressive, to say
the least! In addition to consistently keeping our
vehicle-in-commission (VIC) rate at over 90 percent for five
straight years, the VM flight is in no small part responsible for
the 99 LRS capturing the 2012 Vern Orr Award, the POL flight
capturing the 2012 Air Combat Command Drake Award for
Best Fuels Flight in ACC, and the crowning jewel: Winning
the prestigious 2012 General Warren R. Carter Order of the
Daedalian Award.
New VM facility
MSgt (Ret) Jimbo Pehan, a former TMO transporter, sent this YouTube/MotorWeek video to me and I thought it was
exceptional. Its a car show held annually in Minnesota. I think youll enjoy it too, so just click on the link below and see for
yourself. Thanks, Jimbo!
www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=GDEn3i6g3qo
31
Vehicle maintenance is home for me; its where I grew up. This
article, however, is not about me. Its about the men and
women of vehicle operations and maintenance who get the job
done every daythe sled dogs who make the mission
happen.
Maintainers are a special breed, a no nonsense, resolute bunch
who take their craft seriously. They routinely accept challenges
that would overwhelm many, yet prove time and again that
theyre up to the task, confident in what they do.
In sports these types of people are known as gamers. Theyre
the ones who come off the field sweaty and with dirty uniforms Motor pool, once considered a derisive term among Air Force
because theyve been in the battle. Its the same in our vehicle operators, is now used informally by the rank and file
with a sense of pride. These men and women have earned an
profession.
esteemed reputation and stand tall among their peers.
I suppose every specialty could claim to be a key link in the
chain, but if it were not for mechanics and operators, mission
critical vehicles wouldnt get repaired, cargo wouldnt move, and
aircrews would become pedestrians. Its that simple.
These airmen endure lonely nights in remote places, far away
from family and friends, with modest pay, bad coffee, and
usually without a complaint. Its not new. Air Force vehicle
operators and maintainers have been doing this for decades.
Uniforms have changed, vehicles have changed, and society
has changed; however, the mission and these skilled
transporters have remained steadfast.
In my minds eye, I see mechanics with greasy hands and
coveralls, tired and bleeding from skinned knuckles, but with a
look of satisfaction knowing that the job is done, and done right.
Theyre the ones we managers go to when we need an
important task performed or overtime is required. They can be
counted on every time. They have an innate talent to diagnose
and repair complex malfunctions, and even fabricate parts if
necessary. Simply put, theyre the backbone of the shop.
34
We stuck some poles in the ground and boards across the roof
and laid a tarp. We scrounged materials from all over base and
George McElwain, 37th Transportation Squadron, Phu Cat
moved them to our location with a 1 1/2 ton truck. We needed a
AB, RVN, Feb 67Feb 68, NCOIC MHE/463L Shops
place for tools, parts, and a break area, so we built a "hot dog
The flight to the RVN landed at Tan Son Nhut AB in Saigon; stand" with windows that opened for air, and it provided
however, I was unable to walk as my right ankle had swollen shelter from the rain. The shop truck served as our office.
twice its normal size. I was hospitalized for 7 days in Qui Nhon
I explained to supply that we just opened a new shop, so they
before making the onward flight to Phu Cat. We arrived at Phu
agreed to issue jacks, stands, battery chargers and all the other
Cat late at night, but had no place to sleep. Everyone was
equipment we needed. We were so excited, but when we
issued a cot, blanket, and pillow and told to find a barracks. We
opened the boxes the waterproof paper and most of the
found an empty building and grabbed some shuteye, only to be
equipment wrapped in it were ruined. Parts were a real
awakened to the sound of rain, and the fact that we were getproblem; the overhaul kits that were sent only had parts for IHC
ting wet as the barracks we selected had no roof.
trucks, but none for Hyster, Baker, or Minneapolis Moline. We
I reported for in-processing and duty assignment and the ordered them, but the due outs didn't match what came in. So,
NCOIC told me I was assigned to the MHE/463L shop. I asked we found small parts, nuts, and bolts in a nearby Army junkyard
him where it was and he said under the shade tree behind the at Phu Bai; they took apart blown up equipment.
supply tent. It was also close to the constant hum of a 60KW
After 9 months of the tree and tent, we moved into the
generator that provided power for all the shops.
RMK-BRJ building vacated by the base construction crew. Life
I went looking for the shop and found several mechanics busy was better after that, but we kept the hot dog stand for parts,
with forklifts and tugs. I found some tools and was introduced to etc. The remaining time was just hard work and we said that we
an older SSgt. He informed me that he was in charge, which worked from can to can't and that was from can see to can't
the boss confirmed; however, he only had a 5-skill level. I had see.
already passed the 7-skill level test, so I was now in charge and
We worked 7 days a week, but we were able to sneak off
the shade tree was mine!
occasionally on an afternoon and then show up late for roll call
the next day. Troops at some locations were not able to leave
the base, but the town of Qui Nhon was secure.
MHE/463L Shop Phu Cat
It was one tough year, but we opened a new base with nothing
but resourceful mechanics with a ton of talent, and the job was
accomplished. We only had to defend the base once, which
proved you should never give weapons to mechanics.
The first thing we needed was a shop floor and the RMK-BRJ
construction company (contractor) was busy pouring the
runway and taxiways.
We found out they had some bad loads of concrete, so we laid
forms, found some steel, and prayed for more bad batches,
especially the soupy stuff. Damn nice floor!
Continued on PG 36
35
After settling in, it quickly became quite clear that "we were no
longer in Kansas." Our lube section consisted of a concrete hole
in the ground (grease pit) with no lights, a few handoperated
grease guns, and some
hand-operated
oilCat
pumps that fit 55-gal
MHE/463L
Shop Phu
drums, but equipment wasn't the real problem.
Many of our customers were scattered all over the place doing
important work that they could not accomplish without their
limited transportation. So, many of their vehicles went without
service and were only delivered to us when they were on life
support. We could not communicate with most of our
customers, and we could barely communicate with our outlying
shops a mile away (primitive land line system).
Later on they built us a new service station maintenance shop
with a great lube rack, which, after a short time, presented its
own maintenance problems. However, as you might expect,
obtaining replacement parts for our vehicles and equipment was
the real problem, and it could not be solved.
While at the 377th, I supervised the R&A office with three other
analysts and one Vietnamese clerk assigned. One benefit of
working R&A was we operated the cardpunch machine to
capture vehicle MX data, and the punch cards were rather
sensitive to humidity; that meant our work area had to be air
conditioned. How tough was that? Capt Truetler was the MX
officer when I first got there; when he rotated, Capt Jerry Gallo
replaced him.
The Vietnamese clerk I had, named Miss Voc, did a lot of
keypunching and if you saw how long her fingernails were youd
have to wonder how she could keypunch with them. The way
she did it was to hold a pencil upside down and speed around
the numeric keyboard tapping the keys with the eraser. By the
way, in their culture, long nails on women signified a certain
status so asking them to trim their nails was out of the question.
The R&A office was upstairs over one of the several shops in
the MX compound, almost right up against the cyclone-type
fence that separated the airfield from some of the Saigon
neighborhood. Id have to say I was never totally comfortable
with that arrangement.
Though in reality, Tan Son Nhut was secure, and while I was
there we never had mortars or rockets, or sappers infiltrating
the base, we were still in a combat zone. There was, however,
an abundance of bunkers scattered throughout the base. We
were supposed to hunker down in them in the event of an
attack.
Continued on PG 38
37
Was it all bad? Not at all. Saigon was a truly interesting place,
and 7 AF people were frequently doing things to help take the
edge off being in Vietnam. For example, I had attended my first
ever luau there, an authentic luau with the pig buried
underground. Saigons also the place where I took my first
cyclo ride. The cyclo was a three-wheeled conveyance you
would hire to zip you around the city. Some were powered by
scooters and others by bicycles. You would be seated in the
front of this thing and the cowboy driving it apparently wanted
to be a race car driver. Saigon streets were full of a variety of
conveyances powered by 2-cycle engines, so you can pretty
well imagine how polluted the air was in the city proper. But
MHE/463LShop
Shop
Phu
PhuCat
Cat
MHE/463L
So then I find myself at 7AF HQ, assigned as a Veh Ops unless youve seen it, you cant begin to know how much stuff
can be transported on a conventional or motorized bicycle.
supervisor. My immediate
Major
MHE/463Lboss
Shopwas
Phu
Cat Russ Pentz, who
had previously spent quite a bit of his career at SAC.
As my tour was winding down, the Vietnamization Program was
This assignment was a typical HQ thing which meant a fair spinning up; the US forces were working very hard to try to
amount of time was spent on TDY. Much of my travel was by make the RVN troops self-sustaining and capable of militarily
C-130 and the C-7 Caribou (pretty much a smaller, two-engine protecting the South from the North. The US put a tremendous
amount of time and materiel into this Vietnamization thing, only
version of the C-130).
to see it totally fall apart while we were in the final throes of
The word was that the Caribou could actually fly backward in a closing down our US military presence. Despite peace accords
strong enough headwind, though I never personally signed in Paris, as soon as the US forces were gone, the NVA
experienced that, nor did I want to. But it was true that some invaded the south and the RVN capitulated almost
in-country flights carried a few indigenous passengers to immediately. Kind of reminds me of our current Iraq
include their live poultry and a goat or two. And it was during experience.
these TDYs that I got a taste of actually being less secure than
Cyclo
I was accustomed to at Tan Son Nhut.
I recall a TDY to Binh Thuy (bin tooey) with another of my HQs
mates, and it was supposed to be a one-day affair. But then the
commander of the unit we were visiting said hed need us there
through the following day as well, and hed call our boss to
square it away.
Ao Dai
Continued on PG 39
38
There are two more tributes on this page that I urge you to take
time to watch and listen. The first, submitted by Col Larry
Kearns, features Brigadier General Steve Ritchie, a real-life
hero of Vietnam. The story he tells in this 8-minute/44-second
video is riveting and inspirational.
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In Memoriam
The words in this title are, of course, from Billy Ray Cyruss 1992
song and tribute to Americas armed forces. It tells of the
sacrifices our military has paid for the liberties we enjoy today.
Although this song predates 9/11, its still as meaningful as ever,
perhaps even more so. We are now engaged in our nations
longest war, over 12 years.
Another line in the song says, Love your country and live with
pride and dont forget those who died.
In this current war, many of our fellow transporters have been
assigned to a direct combat role, something we traditionally
have not performed. As a result, weve lost several of our
comrades, but they are not forgotten.
They were taken from us in the prime of their lives doing what
they loved to do, serving their country and their Air Force.
In the words of former President Ronald Reagan, We owe this
freedom of choice and action to those men and women in
uniform who have served this nation and its interests in time of
need. In particular, we are forever indebted to those who have
given their lives that we might be free.
It is with this in mind that we honor our fallen transporters on
Memorial Day 2014.
Terrorist Attack
Website yields a rare look into USAF vehicle mx I think youll enjoy reading through this website even if you
dont know the people on it. I added it to my favorites.
history
by Roger Storman, SMSgt, (Ret/2T3)
This photo of the 9th AVRS is not from the website. Chief Baird is in the upper left (see inset). Zoom page for a closer view.
43
SAC IGINBOUND!
Nov 2014
PANIC TIME!
by Roger Robertson, CMSgt (Ret/2T1)
The Chief Dispatcher tells the OMS VCO she can't support
EWO vehicle requirements and the IG team. The inspector is
informed of this and provides an Obligation Authority to rent
additional vehicles. Now we need to talk to Contracting and
prepare a Form 9. The phones are all ringing. More recall
vehicles arrive. More vehicles are delivered across the base to
the inspectors. Fast Ride vehicles need to be delivered and
crew buses are due. Dispatch operators to pick up rental
vehicles. Finally things begin to slow down. Not all the phones
are ringing now.
44
Oh, by the way, 3rd Motor was the Air Force freight line for
England, picking up supplies and equipment at the English
ports and delivering them to the bases around the country, lots
Just thought I would share a by-gone time with transporters. In
of stories to tell there!!
early 1956 my very first duty assignment after automotive
mechanic tech school was RAF Sealand in Wales, Great Our fleet was all M-Series vehicles, 5 ton truck tractors, 2.5 ton
truck tractors, 2.5 ton trucks, 3/4 ton trucks, 12 ton Kentucky
Britain.
trailers, 40 foot trailers and a few Jeeps, not a commercial
One Saturday of each month was parade Saturday. The base
vehicle in house!
squadrons would form up on the concrete parade ground and
pass in review for the commanding officer & staff.
by Joe OConnor, MSgt (Ret/472)
45
Snuffys Corner
T.O. Troubles (Oct 2013)
by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)
I immediately walked over to the tire cage, and there was Amn
Snuffy (a newbie) inside the cage. I asked him what he was
doing, and he said he had been told by his civilian supervisor to
inflate the tire, and to always use the tire cage because split
rims were dangerous.
all the many, many glass window panes that were blasted and
blown out by the snow the blower sent, and there was a fair
amount of snow on the shop floor too. SSgt Wiley never fired up
another snow blower either.
At the end of the run hes satisfied with his work, so he disengages all the blower paraphernalia and heads back to the ready
line to park this beast. Walking into the shop, one of the
I probably stood there about a minute trying to think this supervisors asked him if he was just operating a snow blower
through, and then all of a sudden---two arms appeared from out in the yard, and he answered yes.
INSIDE the tire cage reaching out to the wheel/tire assembly.
The supervisor then waved his arm, finger extended to point to
Continued on PG 47
46
Snuffys Corner
Snuffy and the Fine Art of Oral Expression (Mar 2014)
I arrived at the flight line and could see the fire truck, but it was
across the active runway so instead of going around the
by Gary McLean, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)
perimeter road to get to it, I decided to take a shortcut across
When I was a young, superior C-shred mechanic, I was loaned
the active runway big mistake. However, I did get out of my
out to refueling maintenance (RFM) during a manning shortage
mobile truck to make sure no F4 aircraft were approaching.
while assigned at Little Rock AFB. We always thought RFM
mechanics behaved as if they were impaired, and we figured it I did not realize that I needed clearance from the tower to cross,
even though there was a sticker on the dashboard of my truck
was the JP-4 fumes (they always had the munchies).
with warnings telling me so. I got to the fire truck and was trying
Anyway, Im out in the shop trying to rebuild one of those SPR
to get it started and all of a sudden I hear sirens and see red
manifold things that stick out of the bottom of an R-9 tank when
lights blinking in a distance. I thought to myself, what is going
I look over at Snuffy B-shred, who is looking at one of those
on? Well, little did I know they were headed straight for my
V40-B something valves with a mystified look on his
location.
face. Earlier he told me it wasnt flowing fuel, so I stupidly said
to just swap it out with another one to see what would
happen.
Instead, he continued to stare at the valve and spin it around
like a Rubiks Cube. Finally, he comes to a troubleshooting
decision and sticks one of the fittings in his mouth, to blow out
the obstruction maybe? Anyway, this valves interior circuit was
basically a U and Snuffy proceeds to blow JP-4 right into his
eyes! Now hes blind and staggering around looking for the
eyewash, so his B-shred buddies steer him toward the combo
eyewash that has a foot-pedal operated shower in addition to
However, I did get the fire truck started before they arrived
the hand-operated eyewash tray.
(mission accomplished in my book) but I was not able to drive
Well, the B-shreds had rigged the foot pedal with a trip wire so my mobile truck back to the shop as I was escorted by the Air
that when Snuff walked under the shower to get to the Police, as they were called in those days, to detention and was
eyewash, he drenched himself with the shower at the same not released until my TSgt supervisor and commander came to
time. Oh, did I say it was February in an unheated shop? sign for me. Needless to say, I did not drive mobile
Moral of the story: Snuffy, be careful what you stick in your maintenance again until I attended the base drivers school and
mouth!
flight line course for the second time.
Flight Line Driving Woes (Apr 2015)
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