2015 USAF Almanac

148 Pages·2015·47.12 MB·English

A May 2015/$20
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2015 USAF Almanac
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May 2015, Vol. 98, No. 5
4 Editorial: The RPA Problem
By Adam J. Hebert
USAF has spent years chasing the ISR “requirements rabbit.”
The force has reached the breaking point.
24 The Ambassadors
Photos by Jim Dunn
Dedicated volunteers, collectors, and nonprofi ts keep an as-
toundingly rich variety of historic military aircraft fl ying.
32 USAF Almanac 2015
ALMANAC 34 The Air Force in Facts and Figures
Structure of the Force
People
Budgets
Equipment
Grades and Insignia
Awards and Decorations
24
53 Major Commands and Air Reserve Components
Air Combat Command
Air Education and Training Command
Air Force Global Strike Command
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Space Command
Air Force Special Operations Command
Air Mobility Command
Pacifi c Air Forces
US Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa
Air National Guard
65 FOAs, DRUs, and Auxiliary
Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation
Air Force Audit Agency
Air Force Civil Engineer Center
Air Force Cost Analysis Agency
Air Force District of Washington
Air Force Financial Services Center
Air Force Flight Standards Agency
Air Force Historical Research Agency 34
Air Force Inspection Agency
Air Force Installation Contracting Agency
Air Force Intelligence Analysis Agency
Air Force Legal Operations Agency
Air Force Medical Operations Agency
Air Force Medical Support Agency
Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations
Air Force Offi ce of Special Investigations
Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center
Air Force Operations Group
Air Force Personnel Center
Air Force Personnel Operations Agency
Air Force Petroleum Agency
Air Force Public Affairs Agency
Air Force Review Boards Agency
Air Force Safety Center
Air Force Security Forces Center
Air Force Weather Agency
ANG Readiness Center
Civil Air Patrol
About the cover: A bald eagle
US Air Force Academy
photographed by Robert Seitz. See “USAF
Almanac 2015,” p. 32. Corbis photo.
AIR FORCE Magazine / May 2015 1
68 Guide to Air Force Installations DEPARTMENTS
Worldwide
6 Letters
Active Duty Installations
ANG and AFRC Installations 10 Action In Congress
12 Aperture
80 Gallery of USAF Weapons Running ragged—narrowed edge for
A directory of US Air Force aircraft, the US; Russia, China, and beyond;
missiles, and other aerospace as-
NATO and hybrid war ....
sets.
14 Verbatim
104 Leaders Through the Years 16 Air Force World
The Nation’s Air Arm and Its Early
Leaders 22 Index to Advertisers
Headquarters USAF Leaders 23 Senior Staff Changes
Leaders of Active Major Commands
and ANG 132 Chart Page Special: Defense Budget
64
Leaders of Inactive Major Commands at a Glance
Headquarters DOD Leaders 136 AFA National Report
Unifi ed Command, National Guard
Bureau, and NORAD Leaders 140 Reunions
Leaders of Inactive Unifi ed Com-
143 AFA National Leaders
mands
144 Airpower Classics: KC-10 Extender
115 Guide to Aces and Heroes
Major Decorations
Air Force Aces
www.airforcemag.com
Publisher: Mark A. Barrett
Editor in Chief: Adam J. Hebert
Managing Editor: Juliette Kelsey Chagnon
Special Content Director: Michael C. Sirak
Editorial Director: John A. Tirpak
News Editor: Amy McCullough
Senior Editor: Marc V. Schanz
104
Senior Designer: Heather Lewis
Special Projects Manager: Gideon Grudo
Designer: Kristina Parrill
Assistant Managing Editor: Frances McKenney
Associate Editors: Aaron M. U. Church, June L. Kim
Production Manager: Eric Chang Lee
Photo Editor: Zaur Eylanbekov
Media Research Editor: Chequita Wood
Contributors: Walter J. Boyne, Suzann Chapman, Robert S. Dudney, Jim Dunn
Advertising: Scott Hill, James G. Elliott Co., Inc.
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AIR FORCE Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) May 2015 (Vol. 98, No. 5) is published monthly by the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington,
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Editorial
By Adam J. Hebert, Editor in Chief
The RPA Problem
Over the past 14 years, the Air Force ers March 17. “ISR. ISR—that is what Welsh said the RPA community is
has steadily fielded an enormously they tell us.” excited about the mission and its future,
capable remotely piloted aircraft The airmen working with MQ-1 but the airmen are overworked and
fleet, though during the first half of Predator and MQ-9 Reaper RPAs unable to get the career-broadening
that timespan, USAF was frequently have been unable to meet the demand experiences—or even the time off—
criticized for an alleged lack of interest for their systems’ reconnaissance and they need to have viable long-term ca-
in the burgeoning mission. strike capabilities. After 14 years of reers. Staff assignments and advanced
Criticism reached its apogee in April nonstop shortages, the community is schooling are tough sells.
2008, when Defense Secretary Robert now at the breaking point. “We have got to change that dynamic
M. Gates traveled to Maxwell AFB, “We’ve never caught the requirements by at least taking enough of a deep
Ala., and spoke at the Air War College. rabbit,” Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air breath … that we can get ahead of that
“Unmanned systems cost much less Force Chief of Staff, said April 8. “It’s training curve and create a healthy
and offer greater loiter times than their been running so fast since 2008 that force size so they can have a battle
manned counterparts, making them ideal rhythm that’s supportable over time,”
for many of today’s tasks,” Gates said. USAF has spent years chasing the Chief said.
“Our services are still not moving It is time to begin looking beyond to-
the ISR “requirements rabbit.”
aggressively in wartime to provide re- day’s ISR requirements and think about
The force has reached the
sources needed now on the battlefield,” long-term needs.
he continued. “I’ve been wrestling for breaking point. First, the Air Force must be allowed to
months to get more intelligence, surveil- build a Predator and Reaper community
lance, and reconnaissance assets into we’ve been chasing it, but we haven’t large enough to meet the long-term
the theater. Because people were stuck been able to catch it. … We’ve gone demand for these systems, even if it
in old ways of doing business, it’s been from 21 orbits to now 60.” This requires means the combatant commanders find
like pulling teeth.” ever-growing numbers of RPA airmen. their insatiably growing hunger going
At the time, the inventory of re- The demand goes up another five temporarily unfilled. Failing to stabilize
motely piloted aircraft had increased orbits this year, “three orbits next year, the force will result in mass defections
25-fold over seven years, and even and five more the year after that,” from the RPA career fields. This could
Gates admitted DOD had “doubled Welsh noted. come to a head in 2017, when a large
this capability in recent months.” To The shortfalls are exacerbated by cadre of RPA pilots will reach the end of
the Defense Secretary, this was “still the fact that the Predator and Reaper their initial service commitments.
not good enough.” force regularly goes into surge mode, “We can’t afford to lose these peo-
And so ISR, and RPAs in particular, further straining the system. ple,” Welsh said. “These are the ex-
moved to the head of the requirements The Air Force has 55 combat air pa- perts in this business. These are the
queue. Over the past seven years, the trol’s’ worth of airmen to meet a steady pioneers.”
Air Force has redoubled its efforts to state requirement (such as it is) for Second, the Air Force must be grant-
meet the nation’s immediate wartime 60 CAPs. The RPA airmen have been ed the funding and flexibility needed
ISR needs. working six day on, two day off sched- to develop ISR systems for tougher
The never-ending effort to provide ules, with 12-hour days, for years. future fights. Predators and Reapers
the capabilities sought by combatant And then come the surges, “nine are great for places where the US has
commanders has come at a price, of them in the last eight years, some absolute control of the air, but they are
however. This affects all aspects of Air lasting months at a time,” Welsh said. slow, visible, and not particularly agile.
Force ISR, such as the Global Hawk, The surge periods require USAF to fly They would be shot down in droves in a
AWACS, and U-2 communities, but the 10 orbits more than it has personnel battle against an enemy with advanced
strain is seen most clearly in the RPA for, which to the airmen means seven air defenses.
community. straight 12-hour days, followed by a “A relentless operations tempo, with
Combatant commanders freely admit single day off. fewer resources … has left a force
their appetite for ISR is insatiable, and This is an unsustainable pace—the proficient in only those portions of the
this manifests itself in an ever-increasing Air Force doesn’t even have enough mission necessary for current opera-
requirement for more and more RPA RPA airmen to fill its training units. tions,” Air Force officials wrote in the
“orbits”—around-the-clock airborne Too many airmen are needed in the 2015 USAF Posture Statement.
coverage tracks. operational units to spare trainers, so Today’s unrelenting requirements are
“Our budget is going to ramp up sup- the problem snowballs. draining the current force and crowding
port to the most urgent needs that the The RPA replacement training unit out future advancements. As the posture
combatant commanders identified to us, is only 60 percent manned, meaning statement put it, “the nation deserves
which basically equates to one thing: USAF is only able to produce 180 new an Air Force that can outmatch its most
ISR,” said Air Force Secretary Deborah Predator and Reaper pilots per year. dangerous enemies at their peak of
Lee James, explaining the service’s It is losing 240 pilots per year through power—the most demanding warfighting
2016 budget request to House lawmak- normal rotations and separations. scenario, not just the ‘low-end fight.’”(cid:31)
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Your editorial titled “Pay and Benefi ts anyone in the family would get quite sick,
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issues in the macro sense but overlooks before the insurance coverage would
a simple fact [“Editorial,” March, p. 4]. begin. Individuals will need to create Email Addresses
Current pay and benefi ts encourage a signifi cant contingency health care
individuals who join the military to stay in fund, even before they could begin sav-
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and make the military a career. However, ing for other contingencies, such as an
the current system is very expensive. automobile malfunction or replacement. Field Services .............................fi [email protected]
With the Department of Defense faced With the loss of commissary subsidies, Government Relations [email protected]
with sequestration and other budget the impact on MWR would be quite
Industry Relations [email protected]
measures, the only other places left to signifi cant. If the staff sergeant had to
cut are operational expenses. Just like in use base day care, the costs would be [email protected]
a civilian business, the most costly aspect driven to the national average of $972
Member Benefi [email protected]
of US military operations is personnel. per month per child.
The report of the Military Compensation Also to make things worse, two other Membership [email protected]
and Retirement Modernization Commis- proposals have taken effect or are be- Communications (news media).........................
sion (the commission) is not designed ing considered. The presidential budget [email protected]
to benefi t the average airman. It is an proposes to cap base pay at one percent
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pay for fl ying hours by shifting the costs BAH by four percent, requiring military Air Force Memorial Foundation...... [email protected]
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and retirees. Using the current pay and all of these proposals are implemented, Magazine
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one should look at the impact on a young unable to make ends meet. To say the
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airman and his/her family. Granted the commission’s proposals are benefi cial to
numbers that I am using are estimates but the average airmen would be hiding the Editorial Offi ces [email protected]
probably typical, and the general impact realities of the situation.
Letters to Editor Column. [email protected]
is fairly accurate. Col. Talbot N. Vivian,
For an E-5 staff sergeant who is married USAF (Ret.)
Change of Address
with two children, over eight years’ service, Norfolk, Va.
residing in CONUS, and his/her spouse
Requires four weeks’ notice. Please mail your
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apply. Before taxes, his/her base pay How does it happen that the Air Force Membership Department at 1501 Lee High-
would be $2,951.40 a month, with a BAS just now realizes it needs additional way, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. You may also
of $367.92 and BAH of $889.20, giving a experienced maintainers in order to sup- update this information under the Members
monthly income of about $4,208.52. As- port new F-35s, and that these must Only area of our website at www.afa.org, by
suming that the staff sergeant is living in be achieved by reducing the A-10 fl eet calling our Membership Department at 1-800-
727-3337, or emailing [email protected].
base housing, losing BAH, and taking out [“Aperture: The Case of the Missing
federal income taxes, and his/her monthly Maintainers,” March p. 11]?
take-home would be about $2,952.15. Presumably, plans should have been AFA’s Mission
Following the commission’s recom- established years ago for properly sup-
mendations, take out an additional fi ve Our mission is to promote a dominant United
percent of base pay for a 401(k), which Do you have a comment about a States Air Force and a strong national defense
and to honor airmen and our Air Force heri-
equates to $147.57. Plus, take away current article in the magazine? tage. To accomplish this, we:
the commissary subsidies—according Write to “Letters,” Air Force Mag-
to the USDA, the average cost of food a zine, 1501 Lee Highway, Ar- Educate the public on the critical need for
for a family of four will run approximately lington, VA 22209-1198. (Email: unmatched aerospace power and a techni-
cally superior workforce to ensure US national
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security.
him/her with $1,767.07 in spendable be concise and timely. We cannot
income. Now they have to address other acknowledge receipt of letters. Advocate for aerospace power and STEM
commission recommendations such as We reserve the right to condense education.
health care costs. letters. Letters without name and Support the Total Air Force family and promote
A midrange health care plan, as city/base and state are not accept- aerospace education.
proposed by the commission, would able. Photographs can not be used
leave the staff sergeant with an annual or returned.—THE EDITORS
6 AIR FORCE Magazine / May 2015
p o rtin g n e w F -3 5s . F o r h o w lo n g h av e I re m e m b e r w h e n R o llin g T h u n d e r p e o p le . O u ts tan d in g d e d ic atio n an d d e -
th e s e p lan s e n v is io n e d re tirin g th e A -10 s tarte d , an d in fac t w as o n s e v e ral tan k e r te rm in atio n to d o th e ir jo b b e c au s e th e y,
to fill those needs? tas k fo rc e s (K C -13 5) o p e ratio n s to S E A ju s t lik e th e R o llin g T h u n d e r, Y o u n g T ig e r,
It s e e m s to m e th at e ith e r th e A -10 in s u p p o rt o f th o s e m is s io n s lik e R o llin g A rc L ig h t, an d L in e b ac k e r c re w s , k n e w
re tire m e n t h as b e e n e n v is io n e d fo r ye ars , T h u n d e r, C o ro n e t E as t/W e s t, Y o u n g T ig e r, w h at th e m is s io n w as .
o r th at th e n e e d fo r m o re F -3 5 m ain tain e rs e tc . I w as th e m ain te n an c e s u p e rv is o r o n C MS g t. D o n ald W . G ran n an ,
is an e x c u s e in v e n te d to p ro v id e an o th e r th e m is s io n s . U S A F (R e t.)
le g o f s u p p o rt to A ir F o rc e p lan s to re tire J o h n T . C o rre ll is ab s o lu te ly rig h t o n B e n b ro o k , T e x as
th e A -10. th e targ e t s e le c tio n s . W h at a w ro n g d e c i-
T im e an d ag ain th e A ir F o rc e h as s io n fo r th e P e n tag o n to m ak e th e targ e t John Correll’s fine article on Operation
w an te d to re tire th e A -10s , an d th is s e e m s s e le c tio n s . T h at d e c is io n d id n o t o n ly affe c t R o llin g T h u n d e r w as a re al m e m o ry jo g -
lik e an o th e r g o -aro u n d w h ic h w ill try to R o llin g T h u n d e r, it affe c te d th e s u c c e s s o f g e r. It re m in d e d m e o f th e A ir W ar C o lle g e
ap p ly an y ratio n ale . s e v e ral o th e r m is s io n s in th e V ie tn am w ar p ap e r I au th o re d , “R o llin g T h u n d e r: C ar-
If I w e re a g ro u n d s o ld ie r, I w o u ld as w e ll. I re ally e n jo ye d m y tim e s o n th e ro ts an d S tic k s A p p ro ac h to an A ir C am -
c e rtain ly w o n d e r at th e ap p are n t in s ig - tanker task forces supporting the fighters. p aig n ,” to m e e t g rad u atio n re q u ire m e n ts .
nificance the Air Force assigns to achiev- I w o u ld h av e an yw h e re fro m th re e tan k e rs It w as p re tty u n re m ark ab le in th e e ye s
in g th e ir m o s t e ffe c tiv e s u p p o rt in c lo s e to 12 tan k e rs , d e p e n d in g o n th e m is s io n . o f th e fac u lty, b u t it h ad a rath e r u n iq u e
c o m b at s itu atio n s . What a great group of airmen—both flight as p e c t th at m ad e it s p e c ial, if o n ly to m e .
Maj. R ic h ard M. F lo yd , c re w s an d e s p e c ially th e m ain te n an c e In an e ffo r t to h u m an iz e w h at I fe lt at
U S A F (R e t.)
R o m e , N .Y .
I’m c o n fu s e d . F irs t, w e w e re to ld th at
th e o n ly re as o n th e U S A F h ad to re tire
th e A -10 w as s im p ly b e c au s e o f a lac k
o f m o n e y. (W e re ally d o n ’t w an t to , b u t
w e ju s t d o n ’t h av e a c h o ic e .) T h at d id n ’t
w o rk , s o it w as c laim e d th at th e o le H o g
just isn’t survivable in a fight against
“p e e r ad v e rs arie s .” (W as n ’t th at s am e
arg u m e n t u s e d b ac k in 19 9 0 ju s t b e fo re
Saddam invaded Kuwait?) Now, sud-
d e n ly it’s b e e n d is c o v e re d th at b y n o t
re tirin g th e A -10, IO C fo r th e F -3 5 is b e in g
je o p ard iz e d . H o ly s m o k e s ! H o w d id th at
happen? Where did all the crew chiefs
g o an d w h y d id n o b o d y n o tic e u n til ju s t
now? How about a little honesty (I know,
e x tre m e ly rare w ith in T h e B e ltw ay), o r at
least a consistent sob story?
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th at is n o t o u r fau lt, it is o u r e d u c atio n al
le ad e rs ’ fau lt. Exelis is a registered trademark and “The Power of Ingenuity” is a trademark
both of Exelis Inc. Copyright © 2015 Exelis Inc. All rights reserved.
T h e artic le is v e ry w e ll-w ritte n an d to
th e p o in t. In m y 3 0 ye ars in th e A ir F o rc e ,
23 -p lu s w e re in S trate g ic A ir C o m m an d
(S A C ).
AIR FORCE Magazine / May 2015 7
L et t er s
th e tim e w as o th e r w is e a p r e tty b lan d shows that there’s more than one way the chances of the B-24 over the B-17 in
historical perspective, I solicited first- to reach the top. accomplishing the mission. You certainly
p e r s o n ac c o u n ts o n O p e r atio n R o llin g Col. Bill Malec, answered that question.
T h u n d e r fr o m tw o w h o h ad e x p e r i- USAF (Ret.) I am now 70 years old and try constantly
enced it firsthand, my father-in-law and O’Fallon, Ill to u n d e rs tan d th e s te p s m y fath e r w as
grandfather-in-law. taking in July 1943 with the 97th Bomb
My grandfather-in-law was Lt. Gen. G et S er io u s Group, also in North Africa. Which air-
J o e Mo o re , th e 2n d A ir D iv is io n c o m - Are the Secretary of Defense and the field his squadron was flying from, I still
m an d e r an d late r 7 th A ir F o rc e c o m - USAF Chief of Staff really serious about haven’t learned.
mander. When asked whether ORT costs? Seems not [“Air Force World: I h av e a b o x o f m e m e n to s , fro m h is
airp o w e r w as c o n s train e d , h e re p lie d , Four-Seven Dash-8 for Air Force One,” graduation certificate from Mather Air
“Targets were selected by Washington. March, p. 13, and “Verbatim: Good Luck,” Force Base to the American flag presented
N u m b e r o f p lan e s , n u m b e rs an d typ e s March, p. 12]. to m e b y th e R h o d e Is lan d A ir N atio n al
of bombs, and times for attacks were The Cold War is over! We do not need Guard. Your article helped to paint a
all directed by Washington. No weather to replace the 747-200 command centers p ic tu re o f w h y h e w as o n ly re q u ire d to
d e lays w e re allo w e d , an d n o alte rn ativ e with the 747-8—especially since the cur- do 25 missions in his B-17.
targets authorized.” rent VC-25s are now VIP jets. Taxpayers William T. Humphries
LBJ once crowed, “They can’t even will now have to foot the bill of $5 billion or H o u s to n
bomb an outhouse without my approval.” more to keep the proposed three 747-8s
General Moore added, “And that was flying, starting in 2017. P r ize Mo nk ey
the truth!” Along the same lines, the over 10,000 I enjoyed the January article “Back in
H is s o n , als o J o e Mo o re , e c h o e d h is military and civilians at Joint Base An- Black,” describing the New Jersey and
father’s sentiments. “Lil’ Joe” was a ma- drews, 89th Airlift Wing, could be down- DC ANG F-16 deployment to Australia.
jor and an F-4 pilot who flew with Robin sized if 80 percent of the base is contracted The “Letters” section in the March issue,
Olds and the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing out to civilian companies. Military pilots which gave more accounts of F-16s de-
“Wolfpack” out of Ubon Royal Thai Air should not be used for all those VIP flights ploying to Australia, brought back some
Base. He arrived in June 1967 and flew by Congress and bureaucrats. fond memories.
135 combat missions during his tour. He Capt. David Chigos, In May 1982, I assumed command
o p in e d th at “th e lim its o f o u r airp o w e r USN (Ret.) of the 35 TFS (F-16s) at Kunsan, South
w e re o u r c iv ilian m as te rs w h o atte m p te d San Diego Korea, and a couple of months later I was
to control every aspect of the combat. We tasked to attend the Sandgroper 1982
h ad th e m ilitary s tre n g th an d c ap ab ility to W r o ng H at exercise planning conference in Sydney,
bring NVN to its knees at any time, even As I read “Forged in One Furnace” in Australia. This was to be a maritime train-
to the end, had LBJ, and later Nixon, told th e F e b ru ary is s u e o f Air Force Magazine, in g e x e rc is e , an d I c o n v in c e d th e p lan n in g
us to win.” I w as p le as e d to s e e th at th e A c tiv e D u ty, committee that the F-16 had the legs to
A typical fighter pilot, he added, “We Reserve, and Guard have joined together fly the maritime mission, find and attack
were unabashedly patriotic. If they had to train officers [p. 70]. We have been the ships, and then fly DACT on the way
n o t p aid u s , w e w o u ld h av e p aid th e m to training airmen for decades that way. back to the base.
do what we loved to do.” T h is is a g ian t s te p fo rw ard to w ard b e in g In December 1982, I took seven F-16s
Unfortunately both General Joe Moores a Total Force. The skills needed to be an from the 35 TFS and deployed to RAAF
(“Lil Joe” went on to attain the rank of officer and lead are no different in any of Base Pearce near Perth, Australia. Other
m ajo r g e n e ral) are g o n e n o w ; th e yo u n g e r the components of the Air Force. fighters in this exercise were RAAF Mi-
died from ALS in 2001 and the elder died Back in 1967, I was in the first class rages and A-4s and USN A-4s. We had
in 2006 at age 92. going through OTS that had an expanded th e g o o d fo r tu n e to g le an in v alu ab le
I fo n d ly re c all b e in g m e s m e riz e d b y curriculum from eight to 10 weeks. It would instruction from the RAAF and USN
the elder’s war stories told across the seem like there should be more to teach A-4 pilots who flew these missions on a
kitchen table at his residence in San to d ay an d m o re tim e n e e d e d to fo rg e th e regular basis.
Antonio. His Vietnam experiences were next generation of leaders. The Army After the attack on the ships was
only one chapter in his illustrious career. and Navy have a 12-week OCS. Are we complete, we would fight our way back
General Moore and Gen. [William] m is s in g o u t o n s o m e th in g ? to base, flying DACT against the Mirages
Westmoreland went way back. Both hailed On p. 72, we see the OTs passing in and A-4s. The entire exercise was very
from Spartanburg, S.C. They attended review. What a shame to see them in e n lig h te n in g an d e n jo yab le w ith th e R A A F
high school and were members of Boy flight caps. The “service hat,” AKA “wheel personnel being most gracious hosts.
Scout Troop 5 at the First Baptist Church. hat,” is a symbol of the military. You’ll A n o th e r b o n u s fo r th is d e p lo ym e n t w as
Imagine these two Eagle Scouts-in-the- note the reviewing officers are wearing e s c ap in g th e frig id N o v e m b e r w e ath e r
making, earning merit badges, working them. The flight cap is for daily ease and at the Kun.
o n th e ir E ag le p ro je c t, an d u n d o u b te d ly convenience. It is not for formal military The senior USAF officer for Sandgroper
dreaming about their futures. ceremonies. 1982 was Col. Tony Cushenberry, 13th
Both wanted to be pilots, at least Col. Don Hengesh, A ir F o rc e d e p u ty c o m m an d e r fo r o p e ra-
partially inspired by the visit of Charles USAF (Ret.) tions, with Col. Mike Rhodes, 8th TFW
Lindbergh, flying the Spirit of St. Louis, to Petoskey, Mich. (Kunsan) DO as his assistant. The high-
their hometown after his epic solo flight. lig h t o f th is e x e rc is e fo r m e w as g iv in g
“Westy” couldn’t pass the eye exam, so Twenty-five and Done Colonel Cushenberry a DACT ride in the
h e e n d e d u p in artille ry afte r g rad u atin g Thanks for your article [“Twenty-seven Viper. He had been one of the old heads
from West Point. General Moore took a Minutes Over Ploesti,” February, p. 74]. in my squadron, the 335th, at Seymour
more circuitous route to the cockpit and F o r m an y ye ars , I h ad re ad b rie f s u m - Johnson in 1967, and was instrumental
h is m ilitary c are e r th ro u g h th e A rm y A ir maries, but none with so much detail. in teaching us young bucks what flying
Corps Flying Cadet program. That just Specifically, I was always curious about fighters was all about. For those of you
8 AIR FORCE Magazine / May 2015