MY NON HEROIC MILITARY HISTORY

                      WIESBADEN - BIG MYSTERY

           I am here to award you the Outstanding Unit Award for which the World cannot know. but I know and the President knows and that's all that matters. 

Got  my orders for Wiesbaden.  Assignment was to the 7499th Support Group.  Dianna and Kids joined a little later. The first puzzle was a letter from my Sponsor which is supposed to be from someone with the same rank.  However my sponsorship letter was from a Major.  The letter was to let me know a little about what I was to expect in the new Assignment.  The letter was nice, polite and left a lot to the imagination.  It mostly stated that our mission was to provide support for USAFE, (US Support for Europe).  

I arrived in Frankfurt and was met by two SSgts from our group.  They were nice and polite and did not say a lot.  We went to Group Hq and we walked in as we met people doing their normal job.  As they introduced me as "This is Sgt Wright, he will in GPER (Group Personnel).  They introduced themselves, shook hands and asked: "Have you been briefed yet?  when I said no, they smiled and faded away, went on to meet others and got the same response, this went on a couple of more times as we walked on when we met Lt________I will brief you.  we stepped into a Locked Room and he opened a 3 ring binder and briefed me on what this Group was all about.  (For those that do not know, Gp level do not have a mission but is administrative control of Squadrons who do l have missions.  Part of the big Secret of this Group was that it did in fact have a "Classified Mission".

I was then taken to GPER to meet my section. (Photo) The NCOIC was a MSgt Wright after introducing me around to the staff, he took me to a filing cabinet and said this is some of the stuff we are working on.   This was a file where one our C-130 Spy Planes strayed over the line into Russian Armenia and was shot down, killing17 of our Crew.  Personnel job is to immediately obtain replacements.  A memorial to this Crew 39 years after the crash a memorial has been established at the "RECONNAISSANCE MISSION" established at the USAF National Museum in Dayton Ohio.  I don't know how they did it but after all this was declassified, in  Washington DC (Museum of Secrets) had obtained that same exact file and Dianna and I saw it one time when we were in DC.  (Special note: Photo of the Officer Club managers at the top, shows the five managers. Th one on the right is SSgt James Brand who was a crewmember of the fatal flight.  Arriving at the Gate to report for the flight, the Air Police took his pass and told him to report to GEEIA, at total unconnected Unit. They gave him another assignment and stated that CIA found that his German wife had a distant relative in East Germany,  That finding saved his life).    

The Group was over three Squadrons:  Two  based in Rhein Main with Missions carried out from Turkey.  One was the C-130 and was RB57 (highflyer).  This Aircraft parked next to the CIA U2s that had been overflying until one had a malfunction that got low enough to get shot down.  President Eisenhour  then had to go on National TV and apologize to Russia,  and said it would stop.  It did not exactly stop.  

While I was there we lost one of the High Flyers. MSgt Wright came down the hall and stated "We just lost Bird" and I said "what happened"?, and he responded with: It ran out of fuel. That's all they will tell us.  We immediately went to AF to obtain One B-57 Pilot and EWO (Electronic Warfare Officer).  The EWO was up for promotion which was expedited so that his Survivors would be better compensated..  

Before Dianna & Kids arrived, I found an apartment in the Nearby City of Bischofsheim which is located exactly where the two Rivers, Rhein and  Mein run together.  We have taken walks many times on  their banks.  Donal D rode his bike all over town and on the Rhein River banks. The population was about 10,000. .

Our Landlord was Otto and Hilda and a young daughter, Ingaborg.   We were treated very nice, almost like family, sometimes eating at their Apartment and sometimes in ours.  The Neighbors across the street were the Rosenthals who were great friends and each of these two families did not particularly like each other and were jealous of our friendship and tried to outdo the other . 

The first day when Dianna & Kids arrived Otto had made a Kiddy swing and Denise at age 5 was trying it out and fell and was severely injured.  She recovered OK Later we got her enrolled in a "Real German Kindergarten":.  She was the only American.  The only American families in that town was a LtCol and his wife and child.  The wife did not speak  German and Dianna went to court with her to help getting her out of a parking ticket.  The only other American  family living there was Gus & Betty Barsch. I will tell more Gus & Betty later. .

Back to the Mission.  The  Commander was Colonel Levi R Chase who after leaving the Group went on to become a Major General.  His background was such that I was simply honored to be under his command.  He was a Tough Cookie but everything in that Group was also.  All  Group Commanders that completed that Command without any Hick-ups, (ie anything that could International embarrassment)went to to Become a General.  Photo included that shows him pinning a Medal on me which My Medal means nothing but having him Pinning it on makes me feel real special. Following his death a Museum for him I think is in Alabama. As a young Lt in WWII he disobeyed orders and took his fighter where he knew action was and got 12 Messerschmitts which made him a two time "AIR ACE", a record that will never be broken...

As stated in the beginning, our  Group was over 3 Squadron and each had a different mission.  One was considered somewhat of a joke as it was referred to as the Berlin for Lunch bunch.  The agreement  was that we had the right to go into our Part of Berlin and the Air Corridor  was from Wiesbaden to Berlin at 12,000 Ft.  We used the opportunity daily take Aerial Photographs over East Germany.  They used Old C-97s.because they would not seem to be any sort of threat to East Germany. They were cleverly re-configured to carry equipment in the Belly, where  the Aerial Photographers could record all East Germany this side of west of Berlin.  These guys were pretty nervous as they were nearly always  accompanied by Russian fighters.  The Aircraft would, take a while as if something was being done, then return to Wiesbaden.  There was only one Person not connected to our Group not connected to our Group who could board this Aircraft.   This was Gus Barsch who was raised in the German section of Brooklyn and spoke mostly German growing up.  The best way to describe Gus was that he was  simply a SPY. He dressed like any hardworking German, shoes and all.   They would drop him off in Berlin and he would disappear for about two weeks.  During this time Betty would go Berserk with worry.  One early one Sunday AM she came by. Dianna invited her in asked if she would like to have a cup of coffee.  She was shaking and asked: "Don't you have anything to drink?".  About all we had to offer was some Wine. Gus came across as somewhat of Clod and was just not very likable.  However they visited quite a bit and he was close friends with all the Aerial Photographers ( seven of them) as they all knew what he was all about.  After each mission these guys did a "Standup Briefing" and headed directly to Club Nimbus, to have a settling drink and many times Gus would join them.

While there we visited Holland during Tulip season, and took a tour to Berlin.  Dianna Dad and wife The Berlin trip was interesting.  We were on boat tour  which was separated from East wo West. The East Bank was covered with Guards who kept Guns pointed at us as we moved along.   We were assured that they would not shoot.  I set there wondering about the  two birds we had lost and nothing was done.  If they had fired on us some noise would be made but it would be simply dropped.  We also went to Berchtesgaden where we got see Hitlers  EAGLES NEST..  Dianna  visited France and Rome and got to see the pope and Nuns during a Ceremony.  

As time went on I got to work part time  at the NCO club as the Head Cashier (over the Parttime guys) as the full time Cashiers were German and at the end of the day, Parttime jobs were open to Military.  I think I was made Head was because as part of the Group they knew I dared not do anything wrong.  I was also asked by CIA to watch for and glean info from the Musical bands that traveled to the Military NCO and Officers clubs.  The idea was that they could gather information as they went  from Club to club gather info and  and pass intelligence on to the East.  I suspect that Gus put them on me.   The German maitre d and his brother was of particular interest and the brother liked me and CIA was very interested in him and I told them I could have a house party and invite him and they slipped me a few $$$ to put one on.   Later the CIA asked  me to help further by trying to identify Homosexuals.  I declined and my association with the CIA came to a close. 

I did go on to keep working parttime and got the position as Night Manager at the Officers club which was located downtown Wiesbaden in the Von Steuban hotel.  This was a big deal as this is so Swanky the people like Ambassadors and other high profile individuals stayed there .  President Kennedy staid there during one of this visits to Europe. We were given complete authority and LtGen Whip Wilson put out the word that if we had any problems with High Ranking people, just throw them out.   I don't recall any problems and I was really making it big at $.2.00 hour.  (pic of all the Parttime managers enclosed)  Just one of us was on at any one night.  

One interesting story - to me anyway, was our group with its three Squadron consisted of around 1,000 personnel.   On one very cold morning about 5am were all order to a the very large hanger on he base and no one seemed to know why.  We were all of a sudden called to attention and immediately in walked the Chief of  Staff of the Air Force who said: "I am here to award you the Outstanding Unit Award for which the World cannot know, but I know and the President knows and  all that's all that  matters" . You are dismissed..  

Everyone in this Group had to be fully qualified - no trainees, ever.  One critical specialty was causing us problems.  We were requesting with the special enroute training that would qualify them but this was not being complied with.  Too detailed to go into but this was a serious problem that we had tried to get it fixed but to no avail.  Colonel Chase came down the hall, stomped in said :Go Randolph and get this fixed.  The Major tapped me on the shoulder and said Let's Me and you do this.  One of those C-97s was scheduled for Maintenance in Ft Worth so we took that on our way to Randolph.  We took Commercial on to San Antonio.  When we got to Randolph, Major Smith turned to me and said:  "My family is about 130 miles from here, I am going to see them, you handle this"

So I walked into  AF Headquarters and the Receptionist asked;  "Can I help You" and I said I need to see Colonel ___________ and she said in a quite, somewhat  low secretive way, he's down that way. pointing to a descending hallway and I went down  it to another receptionist who asked if she could help me  and introduced myself from the 7499th and she said wait here.  She went in and came right out and said , Go right in.  I opened the door and tried to give a report in salute and he had jumped up and shook my hand and I thought for a moment he was going to hug me.  He invited me to set down and tell him what he could do for me.  I explained the problem and he was taking notes and by the time I finished explaining the problem, he said "It will be fixed:.  I stood up, saluted and thanked him and left. 

So I left, went to the NCO Club for lunch.  Someone in a loud voice said :Don Wright, where have you been? I looked around and spotted someone I was best friends during our first 4 years at Lackland. We caught up on all that had gone on and he asked when I was coming back from Germany and I said pretty soon I guess.  He said where are you coming back to and and I said.  I was going to apply for ROTC duty and he said why don't you come here, I can show you who you would replace and where you work and I said I really would like to get on ROTC.  He said Ok, go see Chief _____ and he will take care of it.  Si did and when I got back to Germany I put in the application and it was immediately approved for SWTSC San Marcos, TX.  So ends my Big Mystery assignment..