MY NON HEROIC MILITARY HISTORY

 

                                            MISSION SIX LIAISON DUTY - AF RESERVE 

Departed Clark AFB, PI to SanAntonio to pick up Dianna & Donal D. to proceed to Okla City, Will Rogers Field to begin Liaison Duty.  The offices were in an old WWII Barracks used by DOD during WWII.  The were now under the FAA, who wanted to update a lot of stuff and asked us to move out.  We then moved to downtown Oklahoma City.

These duties were some what Ho-hum not very heroic.  The Regular AF Part was the ARC (Air Reserve Center) with 3  Air Reserve Squadrons.  The ARC was  staffed with Regular AF personnel to provided and administer 3 Reserve Squadrons, plus 3 outlying Squadrons Staffed with a Regular NCO assigned to each.  They were at Lawton, Enid and Ponca City.   .

Personnel running the Center was a Co, Adjutant,Training officer, 6 NCOs and two civilian secretaries. Duties consisted of maintaining Records, monitoring Paid and Non pay training days for reservists and to arrange their 2 week active duty, and some active duty school courses.  

After several years of this assignment, the NCO at Lawton moved on to Regular AF assignments.  I asked to replace him, which I did. .  I was there a couple of years when the young  DOD young super genius, McNamara dreamed up a scenario whereby if we bombw3d Moscow, they in turn would bomb our B-52 return bases and if the Air Base had been wiped out where would the B-52a have to land. So a bigwig from the ARC walked into my Lawton office walked in, plunked down a set of Confidential Plans which were to  (1) locate and arrange for the potential of landing place that could land a  B-52, re-arm, refuel and re-launch to bomb Moscow again. The current Reserve Squadron would be deactivated.

So, what to do?  Plans called for establishing a new type squadron known as an Air Force Reserve Recovery Squadron.    After several weeks of kicking this around we were about ready give up and just go out of business when one of our reservist was a Major in our Reserve Squadron who also was a Control Tower Operator at Ft Sill remembered about the closed down Base at Ardmore.  

This was  complete Base which  closed down and left  to the City. The ARC told me to contact the city to arrange for for us to establish the new Squadron there and use all the facilities for the total cost of $.1.00 per year.  I met with the City Council and they agreed.  They were  happy to see a blue uniform and agreed to help any way they could. 

We went on and became fully ready to land a B-52 which SAC sent in one to test us out.  We were the first such of these Squadrons fully capable of performing the mission and I was in  my 7th year of Liaison duties and thought AF would soon ask me to move on so I has asked a Military Retiree if he had to go overseas where would he go.  Without blinking, he said Wiesbaden Germany.  At the next Reserve meeting one of our Reservists, a Captain who was the Basketball coach at Norman asked me if I could  get him any more Active duty as he could use the Money.  I knew of a short two week school at Air University (Our Major Command Hq), so I got it for him.

 Before he left he asked if there was anything he could do for me at AU.  Pretty Cheeky of me but I said: Drop in Col____'s office and tell him I have been in this 7 years and would like to go to Wiesbaden.  He said: "I will do it". I had no idea this would work, but this Captain had a winning Personality and AU caters to Reservist and he walked in, big smile and advised Col ____ that Sgt  Wright at Ardmore needs to get to Wiesbaden German.  The Col turned to his NCO and asked:  Do we have anything for Wiesbaden German,  the Sgt came in with an IBM card and said, Yes Sir, we have one for Wiesbaden.  He said, Give that to Sgt Wright.  Before the Reservist could get back from his two week school, I had  the assignment. So Next mission - somewhat strange as I learned... 

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