In Humble Memory
of those who have:
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"Flown West"
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U.S. Army
11th Airborne Division Company C, 188th Parachute Infantry
MTSgt. Bernard W. Schwartz, USMC.
MAG 25, squadron VMJ 152,
of the South Pacific Combat Air Transport group (SCAT).
MTSgt. Bernard W. Schwartz
served with MAG 25, SCAT as a crew chief/ flight mechanic
on USMC R4D's from October 1942 through April 1944.
In honor of his service during WW II he earned 2 Distinguished
Flying Crosses
and 8 Air Medals for his efforts.
The Presidential Unit Citation
and 3 bronze stars on the Asiatic-Pacific campaign medal
were also awarded to MAG 25, SCAT
as recognition for the
Guadalcanal and Solomon Islands campaigns
with R4D's during this period.
Members of the 10th Air force, (1943)
India Air Task Force, and China Air Task Force
In memory of those who lost their lives, flying the "Hump".
Members of the 438th, 316th, 62nd, 349th and 61st TCG
D. W."Tommy"
Tomlinson - (98)
April 28, 1897 - January 7 1996
Capt. Jim Vogler
a distinguished flying career that spanned nearly four decades.
He always had a special place in his heart for the DC-3,
always his favorite of all the classic "Round" motors.
He took his last flight on May 25, 1993, losing his life in the cause of aviation
safety.
Capt. Jim Vogler
has gone west...aviation has lost a
great friend.
Carolyn Adams Vogler - cvogler@worldnet.att.net
In memory of :
Hans Buining, Henk Heus,
Yvonne Keesman,
Mieke Schoenmakers, Herman Karstens and Gerard Huisman,
The
crew members, and the passengers
of PH-DDA,
who died in the crash of
September 1996.
As volunteers, their lives were dedicated to keeping the DC-3 in the sky.
submitted by: "Han de Roos" - han.de.roos@tip.nl
Col. "TY" Tyson
pilot of Gen. Stillwell's C-47 "Uncle Joe’s Chariot"
in the China, Burma, India Theater
In remembrance of his exploits as one of the famous "Hump Pilots"
during his tour in the C.B.I. Campaign
Col. Tyson and I were friends for many years
Submitted by: - Joe Berberich - Terry McKnight - wattshap@psnw.com
Memories
Brojak is going to drift away from the norm,
just for today.
memories of, over 50+ years ago,
Valentine Day, Feb. 14th, 1945.
(A, l - o - n - g, step back into time.)
The 318th Troop Carrier Squadron was stationed at "Honey"
Airstrip,
Lingayen Gulf, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Quote from the Squadron History Book, published October, 1945.
============================
"Tragedy hit the Squadron February
14th.
First Lieutenant Thomas P. Sneckner,
the Pilot,
Flight Officer Jack H. Deacon, acting as Co-Pilot,
Staff Sergeant Freeman F. Stanton, Radio Operator,
Sergeant David B. Browne, Crew Chief,
plus two Glider Pilots,
Flight Officers Jack D. Yates, and
Flight Officer George C. Polovich.
These men took off on a Drop Mission at Antipolla.
It was a difficult drop ANYTIME, but a resupply mission was needed
to add power to guerrilla forces on Luzon. The plane did not return at
its scheduled time. No air to ground contact could be made. As dusk
settled over Honey Strip, it was definitely realized that an accident
had occurred.
Fighter planes were dispatched to search for the missing aircraft, but
weather had "socked in" over the Drop Zone, so that nothing could
be
seen. No news of any kind came out of those mountains.
The next day, one of our planes returned to the drop area and sighted
the missing plane - crashed into the side of a mountain. Word came
through from the guerrillas that no one had escaped, all burned beyond
recognition. Dog Tags and Identification Bracelets made up all that
was found.
We all felt the loss of these men. We know that they gave their lives
in an effort to perform a task dedicated to bringing the strife to a
quicker end. We were proud of their great effort, and their work,
to all of us, will be a guiding star by which we too can carry on doing
their part along with our own."
=====================
End of Quote.
Because today is the anniversary of the crash that took
the lives of our six comrades,
and the ONLY plane we lost on a combat mission,
is the reason for this message.
I am a Catholic and I normally set aside a week-end Mass in our Church,
closest to Valentine Day, in memory of our comrades who did not come back.
I do that, not only to remember them, but also in the hope that those who
did not live during those times, or did not serve in the Military would
realize that somebody, somewhere, paid a high price to give them the
Freedom they enjoy, do not appreciate, and probably did not Earn.
Many people, including the two most notable critics of the Freeedom
preserving efforts of the USA, in the past, - Jane Fonda, and Bill Clinton,
and a good part of Congress are enjoying the fruits of a Freedom paid
for by sacrifices made by our service men in WWI, WWII, Korea, and
especially, Vietman, where U.S. Servicemen suffered the greatest
RAPE in History.
Clinton and Fonda are probably still laughing about "Carnival Archie"
snow job they did on America. I don't want to get started on THAT.
One of the bright lights in Vietnam was the contribution of the
venerable C-47's "Spooky" and "Puff The Magic Dragon."
I get like this on Valentine Day, as I think:
"But for ther Grace of GOD?" The crew of "Army 452" was
on the same
kind of a mission as Sneckner and his crew that same day.
"Keep 'Em Flying" ===brojak===
In Memory of :
Dave Schacherl
Materials Manager / Customer Service Rep. with Basler Turbo Conversions, Inc.
In one of our last contacts with Dave Schacherl he said;
" I have personaly spent a few hundred hours flying the DC-3 / C-47 and
I have loved every minute."
RIP -Bear
The two airplanes owned by Basler Turbo Conversions and Flight
Service
collided during a flight Saturday 13 March 1997 in eastern Wisconsin.
"Warren Basler and materials manager Dave Schacherl were killed, in this crash"
said company President Thomas Weigt.
The names of the two other Basler employees killed were
not released.
In Memory of:
the crew of Baron-52, EC-47Q (TN 43-048636)
Lost over Laos, 5 February 1973:
Capt. George K. Spitz,
Pilot
1st Lt. Robert E. Bernhardt,
Co-pilot
2nd Lt. Severo J. Primm
III, Co-pilot
Capt. Arthur R. Bollinger,
Navigator
SSgt. Todd M. Melton,
Voice Systems Operator
Sgt. Joseph A. Matejov,
Morse Systems Operator,
Airborne Mission Supervisor
Sgt. Peter R. Cressman,
Morse Systems Operator
Sgt. Dale Brandenburg,
Bravo Maintenance Technician
The officers were assigned to the 361st Tactical Electronics Warfare
Squadron (TEWS) while the enlisted men were part of Detachment 3, 6994th
Security Squadron, all stationed at Ubon, Thailand. They were on a
night-time mission to try and locate North Vietnamese tanks that were
moving through Laos into Cambodia. The aircraft was shot down while
flying over Xekong Province, 45 miles Southeast of Saravane, Laos.
Although the crew has been officially declared KIA, there is compelling
evidence that the four enlisted men were able to bail out before the
aircraft crashed and were taken prisoner.
They went alone and unarmed into the night.
Let us endeavor to preserve
their memory and never forget their sacrafice.
ROSE,
LUTHER LEE
Name: Luther Lee Rose
Rank/Branch: E6/US Air Force
Unit: 4th Air Commando Squadron, Ubon AF TH
Date of Birth: 07 August 1935
Home City of Record: Howe TX
Date of Loss: 03 June 1966
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 170400N 1055900E (XD054858)
Status (in 1973): Missing in Action
Category: 2
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AC47
Other Personnel in Incident: (all
missing)
Russell D. Martin;
Harold E. Mullins;
Theodore E. Kryszak;
Harding E. Smith;
Ervin Warren
Reported by: "Michael Malone" msm@flash.net
Passing of a Friend
I sadly pass on exerpt from the May/June issue of Airliners Magazine:
"The staff of Airliners is deeply sadened to report the passing of
Arthur Pearcy.
The prolific author author suffered a heart attack
at his Sharnbrook home in Bedford, England on Feb. 28.
Pearcy is best remembered for his tributes to the Douglas
DC-3
and many other fine books."
From: Ernest Szelepcsenyi - ernesto@istar.ca
In Memorial
to:
Thomas Kepplenan
Joseph E. Wheeler
David Schwartz
Died in November,1943 in crash at
the Russell Islands.
Submitted by: Jerry Gordon gordo97@mindspring.com,
their roommate at New Caledonia,
and the Engineering Officer who was sent up to investigate the crash
Arthur E. Raymond
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) --
Arthur E. Raymond, a Douglas Aircraft
engineer
who was a key figure in designing the DC-3 transport plane
and a founder of the Rand think tank,
died 3/22/99 at age 99.
Raymond was working for Douglas Aircraft in 1932 when he became lead designer
of the DC-1, the prototype of the twin-engine DC-3.
An improved model, the DC-2, went into production, and the DC-3 came out in
1935.
At that time, the DC-3 was a major advance in passenger comfort.
The durable transports became supply workhorses during
World War II and later during the Berlin Airlift.
The military continued to use them during the
Korean and Vietnam wars.
In 1946, industrialist Donald Douglas approached the Army Air Force with a plan
for government and industry to work together on long-range strategic planning.
The idea was dubbed Project Rand, a name Raymond
coined as an
abbreviation for ``Research and Development.''
Project Rand separated from Douglas Aircraft Co. in 1948 and became Rand Corp.,
well known during the Cold War years for its focus on national security issues.
During his 35 years with Douglas, Raymond was involved with a variety of projects,
including the DC-8 commercial jetliner and antiaircraft missiles
that were placed around major cities during the 1950s.
After retiring as vice president for engineering in 1960,
he became a consultant to Rand and an adviser to the Apollo space program.
AirAmBrat@aol.com wrote:
Mac,
Just think of all the fans that were already there waiting for him!
I always heard there was a special place in heaven for DC-3 folks!
Leigh
2nd Lt. Eugene P. Shauvin
My father, 2nd Lt. Eugene P. Shauvin from Spokane, WA. was killed on 9/17/44
when his C-47 was shot down & crashed at Rethy, Belgium,
just after dropping his troops during Operation Market Garden.
He & his co-pilot were never found.
He was in the Pathfinders, 9th AF, 440th Troop Carrier Grp, 95th Squadron.
Any information on how I might locate people who might have served with him,
would be appreciated.
He flew out of the Nottingham area of England, perhaps Bottesham or North Wytheham.
Thank you.
L. Shauvin - airlala@aol.com - Seattle , Wa. USA
In Memory of my father, Ballard
James Yokum,
Who worked at the Douglas plant in Oklahoma City during WWII.
Growing up he would show me two different color prints of C-47's.
One had them sitting on the ground and the other was a stacked view of three
of them in flight.
Does anyone know where I can aquire a set of these Prints?
I would appreciate any information My E-Mail address is:
- jyoku@okvotech.org
Submitted By: Jim Yokum
B. W. Shadle
Some call names:
Brice,
Shay,
BW,
Shadle,
Sarge
.
He was a career Marine, always with his R4D's or his GV's which he really loved,
He was Acting Engineering Officer during the acceptance tests and flights of
the production GV's.
My sisters husband was part of The MAG 25 group,
for the entire war in the Pacific, not just the Guadacanal efforts.
I was 6 years younger than he. He did relate some of his experiences to me.
I admired him so much that his influence was much of my descion to enlist in
the USMC.
A memorial was held for him and Marines came from all over the country.
Semper Fi
Submitted by: J. E. [Ed] Auen - jea@whidbey.com
If we can all spare a few minutes in sympathy for the families
of the two C-47 TP crew
who died after their aircraft crashed at Wonderboom Airport, Pretoria, South
Africa
last Monday evening (25th August 1998).
The Turbine Dak, ZS-NKK, belonging to Speed Services,
crashed inside the airfield boundary on takeoff.
Preliminary reports,
suggest the aircraft became airborne with full nose-up trim still applied
and that both engines were producing power.
submitted by: John Miller - atokad@net.co.za
Air Force Sergeant John L. Levitow,
Has flown West...
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --
Air Force Sergeant John L. Levitow,
one of only 16 airmen awarded the Medal of Honor
for exceptional heroism during wartime
died Nov. 8
at his home in Connecticut after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He was 55.
Levitow, the lowest ranking airman to earn the medal,
received the honor as
a result of an incident on Feb. 24, 1969.
At that time, the airman first class served as loadmaster
aboard a severely damaged AC-47 gunship flying a
mission over Long Bihn, South Vietnam.
Suffering from more than 40 shrapnel wounds in his back and legs
caused by a mortar blast, he saw a smoking magnesium flare
amid a jumble of spilled ammunition canisters.
Despite loss of blood and partial loss of feeling in his right leg,
the 23-year-old threw himself on the flare, hugged it close,
dragged himself toward an open cargo door and hurled the flare out.
Almost simultaneously, the flare ignited harmlessly
outside the door and away from the munitions.
President Richard M. Nixon
presented the Medal of Honor
to Levitow on Armed Forces Day,
May 14, 1970, at the White House.
After Levitow left the Air Force,
he worked in the field of veteran's affairs for more than 22 years.
His most recent work was for Connecticut
developing and designing veteran programs.
Further details and funeral arrangements
for a military burial at Arlington National Cemetery are pending.
Col. Thomas E. Telzrow
My Dad, Col. Thomas E. Telzrow, USAF Ret.,
flew C-47s with the 10th Troop Carrier Squadron during WWII.
He participated in action in North Africa and Sicily.
Dropped British paratroopers near Catania, Sicily
before eventually rotating back to the States.
He thought very highly of the C-47.
He passed away October 20, 2000 -
one of the last remaining original members
of the
10th Squadron.
Michael E. Telzrow - MTelzrow@aol.com
Green Bay, WI
Paul F Webb
Has Flown West...
...this is indeed sad news... and we send our sympathy to his family in this
time of loss...
... Paul, was a welcome addition to our group of DC-3 fans... we will miss him...
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From: Paul F. Web I do not remember the Metal plate at MDW, |
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Paul and
I both had those Lake Central Roots. |
RIP..."BEAR"
POW-MIA
Melton, Todd M.
USAF Laos, EC47Q, Baron 52,
believed to have been captured according to
analysts in 1973 based on NSA intelligence reports.
Pilots names were:
Pearson,
White,
Bour,
Yogtner, and
Murphy.
They flew to places called Bougainville, Zamboanga and Biak.
In airplanes with tail numbers like
7149, 7199, 2409,2438, 9085, and 9080.
He left this world loving his family, his country and his airplane.
Bob Roach
09/12/1943 to 07/14/1995
ATP DC-3 Lear
Flew DC-3's and Beech 18's for SMB Stage Lines
Lord guard and guide the men who fly
through the great spaces of the sky;
Be with them traversing the air
in darkening storms or sunshine fair.
Thou who dost keep the tender might
the balanced birds in all their flight,
Thou of the tempered winds, be near
That, having thee, they know no fear.
Aloft in solitudes of space,
Uphold them with thy saving grace.
O God, protect the men who fly
Thro' lonely ways beneath the sky.
Amen
By Mary C.D. Hamilton
David Roach - droach@airmail.net
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