Forty-six years ago

C131-F 141000 approaching Alameda - click to enlarge

  October 1, 1966 was the day we commissioned as VR-30, up until then we were Detachment Alameda of VR-21, a small difference.  Here is what was accomplished by the five C131F aircraft, in the first 3 months, (Oct 1966-Dec1966).  I had a direct hand in some of it because those were my first months on a flight crew.
  The five aircraft carried 9,473 passengers, 571,955 pounds of expedited cargo for a total of 240,155 nautical miles during 1457 flight hours on 638 flights.  There were 20 pilots and about 30 enlisted flight crew members.  We were all very busy because we didn't only fly missions - - we had other jobs too.  I was in charge of  Material Control (supply) and had a crew of 24 men who I directed, that was my primary job, the flight crew was just a side job.  Getting parts for those planes plus we had 6 C1A COD aircraft (Carrier On board Delivery) that flew another bunch of hours, two C2A Greyhounds which were replacing the C1A planes and out squadron was the primary training place for C2A pilots on the west coast.  We also late in the quarter got one CT39E which was a "Lear Jet" type of Executive Transport.
  Oh, and we had a great time doing our jobs!

A couple of our planes waiting for either work or repair. - click

Makes me wonder..

  I didn't do any 'project' work yesterday but I stayed busy.  I had an appointment, but late in the morning (for me) at 9:00AM.  I walked 7.5 miles before see the good Dr. Brewer.  Linda, my wife, had a 10:40AM appointment, so I went home and got her!  We then went to another doctors office for her to make an appointment, then over to Hollies house to deliver some more things for the house.
  When all that was done and we came home there was the end of the Tour de France and The Open Championship (British Open) to watch.  Also I wanted to see video of the two 3 run homers for the Red Sox the night before (I found it too).  Mr. Ross hit another three run homer for the Boston team last night.
  Any way no work got done.  Today I have to take Peggy to an 8:30 appointment.  There is no end in sight I guess.
  Take a look at this:

This is one camera left on (lens open) for 3 years!  Mr. Brad Goldpaint does some wonderful things.
I found this photo at www.nbcnews.com there are others too.

Have you...

...had one of those days,
where, it seems, you're lost in a daze?
I think one of those happened to me,
yesterday was kind of wasted you see.

Oh the morning went really well,
the numbers on the pedometer swell;
and the meeting was really good;
people doing what people should.

But after that is kind of downhill,
sort of like taking a "waste-a-day" pill!
I had a new battery put in the car,
but there was a mix up, before they went too far.

The battery that was on the listed in the book,
for the car was wrong, you could tell by the look;
the terminal posts were in the wrong place,
so the battery used was like the one it replace(d).

Then I had to wait for what seemed like hours,
to pick up Peggy for an appointment - hers not ours,
even after I took her I had to wait longer,
back to walking, the number (pedometer) looked stronger.

So...after doing all that, that was nothing,
I got to go home, sit and do nothing.
The day really wasn't a waste at all,
it was me that needed to get on the ball.

So today even after getting up at eleven,
I'll need to do better at just plain livin'
Walking and going to a great meeting,
will keep me in practice, for giving a greeting.

I'll change my outlook on the use of time,
maybe make some good habits mine;
but if I just keep putting along,
it's really okay, I did nothing wrong.

I did remember to visit the site,
and give those critters a bit to bite,
and if you want to, why not belong,
to www.theanimalrescuesite.com?

And while you're at it, please don't forget,
if you're in a program you will not regret;
the past is something you may look back on,
but now, with a groups help, you're really strong.

Enjoy

August 5th

August 5th was the 64th anniversary of the first hostile use of an atomic weapon. I was almost five but don't remember it. What I do remember is World War II ended soon after, and some men returned to our small town, Lebanon Maine.
I started school, in the first grade, in the fall of 1946 in peacetime. Not long after when the Soviets started taking over eastern Europe and then the Cold War began, there was talk that the Soviets also had atomic bombs, and in the US Civil Defense began. There were adults and teens who were airplane spotters, my Dad among them, I was still a little boy and I became afraid of airplanes, any of them. There weren't many the flew over our town, but I looked with suspicion on the ones that did; one day I even saw a "flying wing" now I know it as a B49, it was awesome, and I knew it was one of ours from the pictures the airplane spotters had.
Then the air raid drills started in school. Our school was one room down and one room up, grades 1 to 4 were downstairs and grades 5 to 8 were up, the upstairs is where my Dad went to High School; then grades 1 to 8 were downstairs. There was no running water, and outhouses; really they were inside the woodshed. Every morning two older boys went to Mr. Hanscoms well and got a pail of water, it was stored in a stone crock with a spigot at the bottom, we all shared one tin cup that was chained to the counter; none of us died from it, and there was not a lot of sickness. The air raid drill comprised of getting under our desks which were screwed to the floor as were the chairs. The floor was wood and my grandfather oiled the floors every summer, I can still remember the pleasant odor. We did have electric lights although sparse, and the heat came from a wood stove that our teacher, Mrs. Pierce, lit every morning. For teaching four grades and being the custodian she earned $900.00 a year!

Gradually the air raid stuff was less common but town and cities still had signs pointing the Shelters, which were stocked with food, water and probably bandages and toilet supplies. I also no longer was afraid of airplanes. A couple of times we drove by the Sanford, Maine airport which was a Navy Facility until maybe 1950, there was an actual outline of a carrier deck and a fake ships superstructure, I remember the planes all in a line of rows, wings folded I thought they were really neat, later in life I became a U S Navy Enlisted Aircrewman; and I did visit Hiroshima in 1964.
By 1954 towns were building consolidated schools and all of the old one room schools closed, it was the first time Lebanon had a school bus, the driver and his wife rode with us and you damned well better behave, they kept the bus spotless, the driver owned a 1930 Ford Model A which he still drove and he swept it clean on the inside after every trip.

Back to rhymes tomorrow