1

The reunion in Shreveport, I feel, was a

success. A good time was had by all. The

307th was well represented with 2 mem-

bers from the original WWII B-24 307th,

20+ from the B-29 era, 60 from the Cold

War B-47/KC-97 units and 18 from the

present day AFRC B-52 equipped 307th

BW. The only glitch we had was the

weather which cancelled the Thunder-

birds air show on Sunday. A few of our

hardy souls did venture out on Saturday

to see the preview show. On Sunday af-

ternoon instead of the air show, Jim

McCabe, the 307th BG historian enter-

tained us with videos of the Bomb Group

history. Thank you, Jim for rescuing us

from a rather dull afternoon.

Our hosts, the 307th Bomb Wing at

Barksdale, did an outstanding job of

helping set up the memorabilia room and

the banquet. I would like to give a big

thank you to Jessica Daurizio and her

staff for setting up the whole thing for us

– took a big load off the hosts - and to

MSgt Greg Steele for all the picture tak-

ing and assisting Jessica.

Speaking of memorabilia, all that was

with us in Shreveport is now in the hands

of the current Bomb Wing. At this time I

would like to express a big THANK

YOU to Robert Loffredo, our historian,

for all his work over the years of stor-

ing, shipping and receiving back of all

the memorabilia. Job well done,

Robert.

The banquet was also another big suc-

cess. Again Jessica and her staff did a

wonderful job. Our speaker was Col.

Jonathan “Jon” Ellis, Commander 307th

BW, who spoke on the present 307th

mission.

The next event was the presentation of

the N.V. Meeks Trophy. Presenting,

were two members from S-97, the first

and only crew to be awarded the tro-

phy, who received it twice, Co-pilot

Roger Beamer and Navigator R.T.

Boykin. Beamer and Boykin presented

the trophy to Col Ellis, who in turn

handed it to Col Trey Morris, Com-

mander of the 93rd Bomb Squadron,

who then made the first presentation of

the trophy in the new 307th Bomb Wing

at Barksdale. The winning crew - Lt

Col Martin Salinas, Capt Brian Page,

1st Lt Josh Ferer and 1st Lt Jordan

Tacket. Accepting on behalf of the

crew was the Electronic Warfare Offi-

cer Colonel Salinas. I think R.T’s re-

marks sums up what was required for the

trophy:

“All we did was our job”.

The Meeks Trophy was established to be

awarded each six month training period

to the 307th B-47 aircrew that completed

all air and ground training requirements

as scheduled with the best overall record.

A mission flown during an ORIT could

only be considered as a tie breaker for

the Meeks Trophy.

Every element of every mission was con-

sidered – mission planning, mission

briefings, air refueling, each navigation

leg (for example: the radar camera had to

be on and the film support the re-plot of a

celestial navigation leg), low level, each

RBS bomb score, live bomb drop scores,

fighter intercept missions, pilot profi-

ciency missions, knowledge of the alert

and reflex missions and targets, etc., etc.,

etc..Ground training written and oral test

scores, firing range scores, physical fit-

ness scores (5BX, XBX), etc., etc., etc..

In summary, an aircrew had to do the job

right as scheduled the first time, a re-

schedule put you out of the running for

the Meeks Trophy. The only exception

would be something out of crew control

such as weather, broken aircraft, etc.

(Continued on page 2)

For all former members of the 307th Bomb Wing at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska NUMBER 71 JULY 2014

President’s Column

A Unique Combination of Units

307TH BOMB WING

B-47

KC-97

NEWSLETTER

ASSOCIATION

www.307bwassoc.org

2

To the best of my memory results of

recreational games, poker, hearts,

chess, checkers, arm bending at the bar,

etc. were about the only things not con-

sidered.

At the business meeting, the by-laws

were amended with minor changes in

the line of secession in the event of the

President or Vice-President office be-

coming vacant. New officers were

elected (railroaded) into office. They

are: Pres. Brent Horn; V.P. Bill

Rogers; Secretary Larry Boggess vol-

unteered for another year as did Tony

Minnick as Treasurer. The future was

discussed and agreed upon to have an-

other reunion in 2015 to celebrate the

50th anniversary of the Wing’s clos-

ing. Billy and Jean Williams will host

the next one in Lincoln, exact date to

be announced later.

Since the members could not decide on

how to continue into the future, it was

decided to have the Advisory Board

work out the problem and present their

decision at the next meeting. All pre-

sent agreed the Board’s decision would

be final.

A message from Mike G – We are still hav-

ing problems with the website, please bear

with him and his IT tech guy, they are try-

ing hard to fix the problem. ALSO, please

keep your postal address and e-mail address

up to date. Hard to find you if we don’t

know where you live.

As a FYI – The 307th at Barksdale is plan-

ning a reunion in Apr. 2016 to commemo-

rate SAC’s 70th anniversary. More info to

follow as I get it from BAFB.

Anne and I had a great time in Shreveport

and are looking forward to Lincoln in 2015.

I am looking forward to serving as your

President.

Brent Horn

(Continued from page 1) The 307th Combined Reunion

by Tony Minnick

Our 307th Combined Bomber/Tanker

Reunion 24-28 April 2014 went really

well. Five or six of us came in a day

early to be sure things would get off on

the right foot and they did.

Most everyone arrived mid to late after-

noon Thursday, signed in and moved to

the hospitality room for hello’s and how

de does. This was the first time 307th

groups from WW2 { B-24 ),

Korea B-29 ) , Cold War ( B-47 ) ( KC-

97 ) and (B-52) had gotten together.

Really interesting and the stories being

told were both fantastic and at times sad.

We had purchased six Cold War

Cornhusker books for drawings - one

was given away this first night of the

reunion.

Friday was our day for going to the

Global Power Museum (former 8th AF

Museum ) and visit the 307th Bomb

Wing, a AFRC reserve unit with sole

responsibility for all B-52 training in the

Air Force. It’s a new and innovative way

to train and they do have their own air-

planes. We were shuttled to Barksdale in

two smaller buses to the Museum and

later to the 307th Hq.

The Museum had a long line of aircraft

close by for a walk along and photo op-

portunity:

P-51 B-52D & G SR-71 B-47 F-84 B-

17 B-24 C-47 C-45 AT-11 FB-111A

T-33 B-29 KC-97 British Avro Vulcan

Mig-21 KC-135

The Museum was not a large building,

but had many interesting displays. We

next walked across the street to the old

officers club partaking of a buffet lunch-

eon.

We then visited a 307th B-52 and crew

for a walk and talk around - then visited

the wing headquarters where many dis-

plays adorned the walls. We could see

where and how much of our memorabilia

could be placed for viewing. Our tour

completed – we were shuttled back to

Diamond Jacks.

It was NOW party time.

(Continued on page 3)

307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-97 Association

Officers of the Association: Emeritus President: Pete Todd, deceased 23 February 2013. President: Brent Horn, 12014 W 68th Ter-race, Shawnee KS, 66216. Phone 913-268-6365, email abhorn475852@att.net Vice President: Bill Rogers.1013 NE Lorvik Place, Corvallis OR, 97330. Phone 541-286-4298. Email 1198rogers@gmail.com.

Secretary: Larry Boggess, 4304 Ridgecrest Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. Phone 719-548-8024. Email: LarryJanB@gmail.com. Treasurer: Tony Minnick, 5920 Robin Court, Lincoln, NE 68516. Phone 402-423-6848. Email: tonym@inebraska.com Association Founders: Billy Williams, 5546 Enterprise Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521. Phone 402-438-1913. Email: jwbwdwilliams17@gmail.com Betty C Pelletier, deceased 29 November 2004. The Association is strongly reliant upon key members who have volunteered their time and effort to keep the wheels running smoothly. They are: Membership: Jan Boggess, 4304 Ridgecrest Dr, Colorado Springs, CO 80918. Phone 719-548-8024. Email: LarryJanB@gmail.com. Membership: Bev Minnick, 5920 Robin Court, Lincoln, NE 68516. Phone 402-423-6848. Email: tonym@inetnebr.com Historian: Mike Hill, 1405 8th St SW, Minot, ND 58701. Phone 701-838-9288. Email: mikendaf@ndak.net. Co-Editor: Mike Gingrich, 2527 Greenlefe Drive, Beavercreek, OH 45431. Phone 937-426-5675. Email:mikegingri@cs.com Co-Editor: Earl Hill, 19391 Orchard Grove Dr, Oregon City OR 97045. Phone 503-722-3943. Email: eehill149@centurylink.net. Lincoln 2015 Reunion Chairmen: Billy Williams, 5546 Enterprise Drive, Lincoln, NE 68521. Phone 402-438-1913. Email: jwbwdwilliams17@gmail.com The Association is a non-profit Veterans Organization. All contributions to the organization are gratefully received, but presently are not deductible under IRS Code. The President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are elected by majority vote of all members at each business meeting.

3

The 307th AFRC had set up for us, at

their expense, an ICE BREAKER from

1900-2100 Hours. This turned out to be a

really great idea. Several members of the

local 307th were there and had a good

time meeting w/ and enjoying us OLD

guys and our many colorful stories. We

think many new friendships were started

amongst the various groups 24 – 29 – 47

– 97—52. Again, lots of stories – some-

times embellished a little or a whole lot.

Saturday was a busy day !!! Meeting –

Photos – Banquet. First, the meeting –

what does our future portend? This is a

summation – anyone wishing more infor-

mation can request a copy of the minutes.

We first elected a new President – Brent

Horn, next a new Vice President – Bill

Rogers, Secretary Larry Boggess and

Treasurer Tony Minnick agreed to con-

tinue in their positions .

Next: 1. By-Laws were modified to in-

clude as members, sons or daughters and

other relatives, or military individuals w/

an interest in the legacy of the 307th

BW at LAFB. Approved.

2. Office Vacancy Succession shall be

VP, Secretary as appropriate to fill a va-

cancy. Approved

3. Dues added – may be used for Mili-

tary Honors, Military related charities,

Military history purposes, Military aca-

demic institutions, as deemed worthy by

the association. Approved.

After a long discussion, the members

present, tasked the Advisory Board to set

the course for the Association into the

future. No one was of an opinion to

stop things at this meeting.

Billy Williams stepped in to suggest we

meet again in spring 2015. Highlighting

50 years after the shutdown of the 307th

at Lincoln. Further, he would Chair

same. Everyone agreed, so we come

again to Lincoln in 2015. Let’s everyone

plan on being there.

It was announced that photo’s were the

next activity. SQUADRON PHOTO’S

were taken by the local BAFB 307th

photoraphers, for inclusion on a disc, as

were couples taken later before the ban-

quet. It was announced, we were leaving

our Memorabilia with the 307th AFRC.

(Continued from page 2)

This was with full concurrence by His-

torian Robert Loffredo and officers of

our association.

As most everyone knew the THUN-

DERBIRDS show was planned for

1100 hrs both Sat & Sun. Our plan was

for our group to go Sun, but later after

our planning was completed and the

info sent and acted upon – time was

changed to 1500 hrs. Back to the draw-

ing board!

We then set up a continuous shuttle

1130 – 1530 hrs Sat, from Diamond

Jacks to what is known as the Board-

walk shopping area. Many of us went

over for lunch and shopping.

Then WX became a problem – The

THUNDERBIRD SHOW for Sun was

cancelled. Thankfully most of us saw

some of the practice during our tour Fri

and they were in the air a lot on Sat too.

The Banquet went off without a hitch.

The social hour allowed early arrivals

to meet and greet while couples pic-

tures were taken. With the Dinner

Chimes sounding, we all entered

the dining area – prearranged seating

was helpful in getting things started.

Welcoming remarks were followed by

Presentation of Colors by a Barksdale

AFB Honor Guard, next the National

Anthem – Invocation – Introduction of

the Head Table. Brent Horn led a Trib-

ute to Fallen Comrades with a Toast, as

were other toasts to varied dignitaries.

Dinner was then served composed of

Salmon or Chicken with the trimmings.

Following intermission – our speaker for

the evening Col Jonathan Ellis, 307 BW/

CC gave us the Current Status of the

307th Bomb Wing. It was well received

by all on hand.

The next event was the presentation of

the N.V. Meeks Trophy. Presenting, were

two members from S-97, the first and

only crew to be awarded the trophy, who

received it twice, Co-pilot Roger Beamer

and Navigator R T Boykin. Beamer and

Boykin presented the trophy to Col Ellis,

who in turn handed it to Col Trey Mor-

riss , Commander of the 93rd Bomb

Squadron, who then made the 1st presen-

tation of the trophy in the new 307th

Bomb Wing at Barksdale, to the winning

crew - Lt Col Martin Salinas, Capt Brian

Page, 1st Lt Josh Ferer and 1st Lt Jordan

Tacket. Accepting on behalf of the crew

was the Electronic Warfare Officer Colo-

nel Salinas.

We next had another drawing for a Cold

War Cornhusker book, this time the win-

ner was Bill Filpula , but he already

owned a copy, so he then donated it to

our Meeks Trophy Winners Colonel

Salinas and Crew. Socializing was para-

mount the rest of the evening.

Sunday ( with the airshow cancelled ) a

discussion group was established in the

hospitality room. All were asked to

share personal experiences and items of

interest. We had a lot of fun listening to

all kinds of things. Jim McCabe, histo-

rian for the WW2 group, had brought

several discs and tapes which he ran for

us and led discussions about them. We

hope he will be able to make it to Lincoln

in 2015. We wish that many more of you

will be able to make it to Lincoln next

spring CELEBRATING 50 YEARS

since we shut her down. ! ! ! ! ! !

Newsletter Schedule

The 307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-97 Association Newsletter is published for the benefit of all former members of the 307th Bomb Wing of Lincoln AFB, Nebraska. It is expected to be published three times a year in March, July, and November. Contributions for publication in the newsletter are encouraged, and are essential for the success of this newsletter.

Reunion Book If you want to order the reunion book

for our Combined Bomber/Tanker

Reunion at Barksdale, this is a good

time to place your order. The book is

expected to be published within a

month.

So, send your request and payment of

$35.00 to 307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-

97 Assoc, 5920 Robin CT,

Lincoln, NE 68516-2364

4

Barksdale – 307th BW

Business Meeting Minutes

26 April 2014

Treasurer Tony Minnick and Acting Vice

President Brent Horn opened the meet-

ing. There was no pledge of allegiance

as we were meeting in the hospitality

room which had no flag.

Changes to Association By-Laws. Be-

fore voting on the proposed changes, it

was clarified who could vote. Voting

was restricted to members who served in

the 307th Bomb Wing at Lincoln AFB;

Associate members were not eligible to

vote. Forty (40) attendees were Bomber

members and seven (7) were Tanker

members. Three changes were proposed:

1. Memberships: “The association

shall accept membership from those

who qualify by definition and wid-

ows/widowers of those who qualify,

without regard to grade or rank.

Other family member such as sons

or daughters, other relatives, or mili-

tary individuals with an interest in

the legacy of the 307th Bomb Wing

at Lincoln Air Force Base, may be

accorded Associate Membership at

the discretion of the Association.

Ethnic background, race, national

origin or religious belief shall never

be a condition for membership.”

This change was passed by a unani-

mous vote

2. Governance – An addition was pro-

posed at the end of the existing Gov-

ernance section: “In case of an of-

fice vacancy, the order of succession

shall be Vice President, Secretary, as

appropriate, to fill the vacant office.”

This change was passed by a unani-

mous vote.

3. Dues: “The Association shall not

levy annual or periodic dues upon

the membership. Donations to the

Association and reunion registration

fees shall be used only to maintain a

central locator, to publish and dis-

tribute correspondence and newslet-

ters, to operate and maintain the As-

sociation website, to plan and acti-

vate the program for future reunions,

for military honors, military related

charities, military history purposes,

military academic institutions, as

deemed worthy by the association.”

This change was passed by a unani-

mous vote.

Future of the Association: We have

four options.

1. Continue the reunions as long as

someone will volunteer to host/

organize them.

2. Discontinue reunions, but keep

the newsletter and website.

3. Terminate the Association.

4. Combine with another Associa-

tion.

A lot of discussion followed.

We currently mail newsletters to about

1100 Association members; however,

only 5 to 10% attend the reunions and

participate in the Association. The cost

of a newsletter is about $700 for print-

ing and when you factor in the mailing

costs and the costs for returned news-

letters and re-mailing, each issue is

very expensive. To cut down on news-

letter costs, an idea was suggested to

have active and inactive membership

lists, where the inactive people do not

receive a mailed newsletter (they could

still access it on our website if desired).

It was also suggested that our next

newsletter strongly urge recipients to

switch to web delivery, and include

instructions on how to do that.

There was some discussion about a 10

member advisory group which has al-

ready been formed by Mike Gingrich to

consider these options and make a rec-

ommendation as to the Association’s

future. The group consists of five (5)

non-commissioned officers and five (5)

commissioned officers. This advisory

group will hopefully present a recom-

mendation at our next reunion.

It was suggested that reunions be at a

central location (Lincoln, Kansas City,

Dayton or some other place) with good

or easy access. It was also mentioned

that reunions could be shorter (two days

or so) and focus more on time spent to-

gether (hospitality room, banquet) than

location-based activities and tours.

Reunion 2015: Bill and Jean Williams

volunteered to host a two-day (maximum

three-day) reunion in Lincoln, NE, next

year to commemorate the 50th anniver-

sary of the closing of the 307th Bomb

Wing at Lincoln AFB. The reunion will

consist of a hospitality room where atten-

dees can gather and a banquet; there will

be no trips or other scheduled activities.

It will probably be held in the spring. A

unanimous vote accepted the offer by

Bill and Jean Williams to host a Lincoln

reunion in 2015.

Election of Officers. Previous Associa-

tion President Pete Todd was elected at

the last reunion (Lincoln, 2012), but died

in February last year, leaving a vacancy.

Brent Horn was nominated and seconded

for President. The vote was 46 in favor,

with one dissenting vote (his). Our exist-

(Continued on page 5)

Treasurer’s Report

307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-97 Association

Ending balance from last report November 14, 2013: $9435.54

Expenses Deposits

General fund balance: $9435.54 Expenses:

Postal: 672.69

Printing: 981.85

Barksdale Reunion Seed Funds 2000.00

Admin/Equip/Supplies: 505.80

————

4159.84 -4159.84

5275.66

Income:

Initial Seed Funds return 1429.65

Donations: 1188.00

Interest on account: 4.92

————

2622.57 +2622.57

Ending balance June 14, 2014 $7898.27

Tony Minnick, Treasurer

5

ing Vice President, Mike Gingrich, has

medical problems which preclude his

serving another term. Bill Rogers vol-

unteered to serve as Vice President and

was elected by unanimous vote. Larry

Boggess volunteered to stay on as Sec-

retary and was approved by unanimous

vote. Tony Minnick offered to stay on

as treasurer for one more year and was

approved by unanimous vote. Our offi-

cers are now:

President: Brent Horn

Vice President: Bill Rogers

Secretary: Larry Boggess

Treasurer: Tony Minnick

Memorabilia: The memorabilia col-

lected by Robert Loffredo will be given

to the local 307th Bomb Wing at the

end of this reunion. They will decide

what to keep and what to discard. This

action will free us from having to move

these items for future reunions. The

tanker people can keep their items if

they don’t want the local wing to have

them. Jim McCabe, historian for the

307th Bomb Group (B-24), mentioned

that Ancestory.com will take military

records, digitize them and store them,

and return the originals at no cost. The

B-24 group did that and then sent their

records to Maxwell AFB.

A last request: Keep your mailing ad-

dress and as well as your email address

up to date. Jan Boggess maintains the

mailing addresses in our data base and

Mike Gingrich keeps the email address

list – both are only as current as the

information members provide. You are

responsible for keeping the email ad-

dress you use to access our website up

to date. If your email address changes,

log into the website with your old email

address and then change it to the new

one. Otherwise, you will not receive

the notice that a new newsletter is

online.

Reminders: There were some remind-

ers about the group pictures and the

schedule for the Thunderbird Air Show

for the next two days.

A motion for adjournment was made,

seconded and passed.

(Continued from page 4) 307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-97 Association By-Laws

PURPOSE: The 307th Bomb WingB-47/KC-97 Association, hereinafter referred to

as the Association, is a worldwide association of current and former members of the

US Armed Forces assigned to the 307th Bombardment Wing (M); at Lincoln AFB,

Nebraska between 1954 and 1965. The purpose is threefold: to perpetuate the legacy,

history and memory of the 307th Bomb Wing; to promote the camaraderie of its mem-

bers; and to support the US Air Force.

MEMBERSHIPS: The association shall accept membership from those who qualify

by definition and widows/widowers of those who qualify, without regard to grade or

rank. Other family members such as sons or daughters, other relatives, or military

individuals with an interest in the legacy of the 307th Bomb Wing at Lincoln Air

Force Base, may be accorded Associate Membership at the discretion of the Associa-

tion. Ethnic background, race, national origin or religious belief shall never be a con-

dition for membership.

OPERATIONS: The association shall operate as a non-profit veterans educational

organization. It may or may not be endorsed by the US Air Force. The Association

shall be apolitical and support no candidate or party for election to public office. No

member shall receive compensation except for reimbursement of actual expenses on

behalf of the Association.

MEETINGS: From time to time the Association may conduct reunions for the enjoy-

ment of its membership and their guests. Such gatherings shall not exclude any cate-

gory of members. As an all ranks and grades veterans educational organization, no

reunion, convention or conference shall be conducted solely for a restrictive class of

the membership. Nor shall any group of its veterans use the name “307th Bomb Wing

B-47/KC 97 Association” to advertise a gathering that excludes any person eligible

for membership

GOVERNANCE: The Association shall be governed by an elected President. Other

elected officers shall be the Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers

shall by chosen by majority vote of the membership present at a Reunion Business

Meeting. In case any office becomes unable to discharge his duties, the President

shall appoint another Association member to replace him until the next Reunion Busi-

ness Meeting. The President shall function as the Executive Officer of the Associa-

tion and shall be responsible to the membership for the conduct of the Association. In

case the President is absent or incapacitated, the Vice-President shall be empowered to

act in his stead. The President shall appoint appropriate committees to make arrange-

ments for the next reunion, to publish a periodic newsletter, and to perform other tasks

in support of the Association as may be required from time to time. In case of an of-

fice vacancy, the order of succession shall be Vice-President, Secretary as appropriate

to fill the vacant office.

DUES, DONATIONS, FEES: The Association shall not levy annual or periodic

dues upon the membership. Donations to the Association and reunion registration

fees shall be used only to maintain a central locator, to publish and distribute corre-

spondence and newsletters, to operate and maintain the Association website, to plan

and activate the program for future reunions, for military honors, military related

charities, military history purposes, military academic institutions, as deemed worthy

by the Association

AMENDMENT & PERPETUITY: These By-Laws may be amended by the af-

firmative vote of 51% of the membership present at a Reunion Business Meeting, pro-

vided that the purpose of the Association and its class of membership shall be invio-

late. The Association shall continue in perpetuity until dissolved by a majority vote of

the membership.

BY-LAWS COMMITTEE APPROVED: 5 MAY 1988

AMEMDED BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE MEMBERS, 6 MAY 2004

AMEMDED BY MAJORITY VOTE OF THE MEMBERS, 26 APRIL 2014

6

307th Combined Reunion Attendees 24

-28 April 2014

307th BG Long Rangers (B-24)

Jim McCabe - Son, Group Historian

Jack Palmer

Tom Pelle & Betty

Bob Wise & 4 sons

307th BG/BW (B-29) Jack Bernaciak & Kathy

Billy G Brown & Billy C Brown, Son

Bob Chaplin & Katy

Les Clark

Phil Coleman

Lee Dimond & Gert

Bud Ellis

Derb Frey & Lewellyn

Romaine Gregg & Dolores

Jim Hall & Lillian

Glen Haltom & Jane

Bob Houlos & Joan

George Huddock & Arlene

Cy Johnson

Harry Johnson & Jo Ann

Jerry Kaplan

Bill McCowen & Clint McCowen,Son

Mac McKernan & Maureen Obrien,

Daughter

Paul Pfrommer

Ed Plante & Caroline & Lynne Plante,

Daughter

Rich Randick & Jackie

John Roach & Betsy Lou

Dale Rumde & Shirley

Paul Savko & Margaret

Paul Savoy & Rose

Charles Screws & David Allison, Son

Tom Stevens & Barbara

Woody Stone & Sandra (representing her

father, David White, deceased)

Bob Taylor & Jane Weston, Daughter

Bob Withun & Bonnie

Jerry Worthy

307th BW B-47/KC-97 Assoc Atten-

dees

Earl Bullock & Carolyn

Don Campbell & Kay

Bill Clark & Grace

Jerry Clark & Polly

Ralph Conner & Jan

Bill Crane & Georgia

Armand Durrieu & Dan Durrieu

Russ Ellis & Carol

Norb Hansen & Linda

Dix Howard & Dianne

Hans Lagerloef & Susan

Ivan McKinney & Mary

Bill Novetzke

Joe Phelan & Harriet

Sam Weaver & Deanna

Elwyn Whitsitt & Phyllis

Sandy Babos & Nancy

Roger Beamer & Dorothy

Larry Boggess & Jan

R T Boykin & Dru

Tom Cain & Coralen

Jan Campbell (818th)

Jim Cinnamon & Elaine

Bob Corti & Peter Corti

Neil Consentino & Maria

Dallas Crosby & Julie & David Crosby

Charlie Dabbs

Don Daley & Phyllis

Louie Durham

Robert Eells & Elly

William Filpula & Joan

Lois Gallenberger & Steve Gallenber-

ger

Jim Gardner & Judy

Harland Hall & Ginger

Larry Hall

William Hastings & Linda

Earl Hill

Brent Horn & Anne

Harry Jones & Carol

Richard Kies & Beverly

Allan Kulikowski &Mary

Gene Lee & Thelma

Bob Matich & Doreen

Norm Menke & Trisha

Tony Minnick & Beverly

Jim Moon & Evelyn

Lavern Musselman & Clara

Darrell Norris & Janet

Frank Ott & Kathryn

Gerald Otten & Helen

Tom Parson

Pat Patterson & Norma

Bill Rogers

James Rusher & Helen

Jim Shelton

Lee Shobe & Lynette Hansen

Stan States

Paul Szczerbinski & Jeffrey Szczerbin-

ski

Noble Timmons & Gladys

Tom Vandenack & Sharon

James Villa

Wally Whitehurst & Peggy

Billy Williams & Jean

307th BW BAFB AFRC (B-52) Col Jon Ellis

Chaplain Larry Henderson

Col Trey Morriss

TSgt Tim Pastore

CMSgt Randy Noble & Jeannie

Col Keith Schultz

Col Ken Rose & Jenny

(Continued on page 7)

The Last Flight The verse on the SAC Chapel Memo-

rial Window says it best…

I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,

Whom shall I send, and who will go

for us? Then said I, Here I am; send

me. Isaiah 6:8

Ronald Betts, 8-4-12, Fallbrook, CA.

Andrew Cali, ARS, 12-13-13, Mor-

ton, IL.

Dorothea Cali, 5-3-13, Morton, IL.

David W Clark, 1-17-13, Cedar

Park, TX.

Eleanor May Clark, 11-19-93, Cedar

Park, TX.

Bette Davern, Tucson AZ, 24 May

2014.

Russell M Heller, 370th, Hqs,

PACCS, 12-6-13, Green Valley, AZ.

John M Hinson, 372nd, 9-1-13, Ha-

zelhurst, GA.

Louise G Hinson, 8-1-13, Hazel-

hurst, GA.

Robert L Jorgensen, 370, 371, 372,

12-18-13, Peoria, AZ.

Harry E Krebbs, 370th, 12-9-

13, UK.

Billy S Lyons, 370, 372, 424th BS,

North Little Rock AR, 26 April 2014.

Donald P Martini, ARS, 3-19-12,

Seattle, WA.

Jean W Nutty, ARS, date unknown,

Brownsville, TX.

T R Taylor, 370th 2-14-14, Dayton,

OH.

Warren Van Houton, Hdqs, 6-18-

2011, Tucson, AZ.

Fred E Varn, 370, 372nd, 7-28-13,

Newport News, VA.

7

Maj Clay Sanford

Lt Col Denis Heinz

LT Monique Roux

Lt Col Lee Holmes

SMSgt Jessica Daurizio

Lt Col Martin Salinas

MSgt Mary Hinson

Maj Warren Crabtree

MSgt Greg Steele

Maj Kevin Smith

TSgt Ted Daigle

(Continued from page 6) the desire of the hand painted industry

(signs, pin striping, etc.) course in that

time everything was hand done. I re-

member painting everyone's name on

their coffee cups and items like that.

I think it was my shops NCO that sug-

gested that I put the FMS Logo ( Red

Horse) on the wall, and things devel-

oped from there. The cartoons were

reproduced from what were in our

Tech. Manuals., along with some of my

own ideas. Everything was hand drawn

and lettered. As you can see..the letter-

ing isn’t the best, heck, I was only 20

years old. I think I did some other stuff

like that elsewhere on the base, can’t

remember. I’m going to guess, this was

done latter part of 62 or in 63. Years

later the 307 phased out and I was

transferred across that same Nose Dock

to the 98 FMS. While in the AF I

worked few hours, on my off time, at a

sign company in Lincoln. I remained

here in Lincoln at that same sign com-

pany until few years ago. My work is

still scattered around Lincoln, including

Duncan Aviation. I’m sort of retired

now and still doing hand lettered items

and stuff I can handle. I’m sure Darwin

G. remembers my old boss. I’m still in

Lincoln and not too far from the old

base. Give me a shout if you need more

info. Thanks’ again Norm Dreager

dreager@windstream.net

We've Heard From...

Stan States, Laurie Bunten, RT Boykin,

Archie Christie, Brent Horn, Darwin

Godeman, Jean Williams, Norm Drea-

ger, Bill Filipula, Bill Novetzke, Les

Shobe, Harry Jones, Bob Merick, Jim

Villa, Ralph Connor, Cec Braden, Ra-

leigh Gorden, Tom Highland, and all

those who came to Barksdale.

Donations

We wish to acknowledge the generosity

of those who have recently made dona-

tions to the Association's General Fund.

Kenneth Coonradt

Tony Davis

Richard F Delaney

Louis R Durham

Derb Frey

D E “Sarge” Finn

Robert D Frank

Karol Franzyshen

Harlow Hall

Bill Hastings

Earl Hill

Donald Brent Horn

Robert Jatczak

William P Johnson

Donald Kies

Allen Kulikowski

Jim Lundak

Albert F Opitz

Robert Patterson

Clark Peterson

Donna M Reilly

Bill Rogers

Jim Shelton

In memory of T R Taylor

Bill & Joan Filpula

Gene & Thelma Lee

Tom & Andie Mills

George & Wauneta Nigh

Bill & Jean Williams

Paul R Trudeau

James Villa

Sam Weaver

Phillip Walters

Around the Wing

From: dreager

<dreager@windstream.net>

Sent: Tue, Jan 28, 2014 8:44 pm

Subject: 307th Website Inquiry

I am the person that painted the walls.

It was the 307th FMS Fuel Systems

Shop. I think the building # is 940. I

left the base in middle of 1966.

What a surprise stumbling across this

site.

Norm,

I'm sure you are referring to what we

called "Nose Dock Art" on our web-

site. Looking at your cartoons, you

have talent to spare. They are in the

same class as many of the cartoons in

service magazines or papers or Stars

and Stripes. Can you fill us in on the

background: how it came about, when

it was done, etc? I smell a story for our

307th newsletter in all this. Should the

building be scheduled for demolition, I

hope someone, perhaps some aviation

museum, would step forward to pre-

serve the cartoons. I would be willing

to approach the Air Force Museum, but

the problem I see there is they have so

much stuff that they have no room to

display.

I am copying this to Darwin Godeman

who works for Duncan Aviation at the

old airpatch, who discovered your work

and photographed it and called it to our

attention. The other addressee is Billy

Williams, a Lincolnite who visited the

artwork.

Best regards...........Mike Gingrich

Thanks for your reply. I came to LAFB

in 1962, assigned to the 307FMS in the

Fuel Systems Shop. I was always had

Who can forget this proud member of the

307th, Msgt Loren T Longman, who at-

tended the 307th BW reactivation in

2011.

8

WELCOME BACK TO LINCOLN, NEBRASKA IN JUNE 2015

Reunion Dates: June 4th thru June 7th

WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO LIN-

COLN

Here we go again, back to Lincoln to

celebrate and remember the closure of

the 307th Bomb Wing at Lincoln AFB in

1965. For some of us, we were already

reassigned to another location. For me I

went to Blytheville AFB, Arkansas on B-

52’s. Anyway, friends and foes, 50 years

is a long time and some of our members

have been getting together since 1985. In

1984 a group of us got together and

talked about getting a “reunion” together.

None of us had any experience in setting

up such an event but our wives kept us

straight. I had just recently cleaned out

most of my Air Force orders and etc., but

George Nigh had saved everything. From

the orders George had, the wives put

together a letter for each Enlisted. They

then addressed each envelope with the

name and service number to which they

stamped and inserted into a larger enve-

lope. The large envelope was addressed

to Randolph AFB along with a note re-

questing they forward the enclosed enve-

lopes to the person it was addressed to.

We really only prepared for about 25-30

responding but about a week or two

prior to the event we had folks calling

from all over, wanting to come. We had

to go back to The Villager on “O” Street

to set aside additional rooms plus we

needed a larger room for the Dinner. Our

Hospitality Room consisted of two ad-

joining sleeping rooms. We charged a

Registration fee of $5.00 plus the cost of

the Dinner. If I can find my notes from

that far back, I feel safe to say we had

over 175 in attendance for the Dinner. Of

course Nebraska welcomed everyone

back in fashion! Friday night it was abso-

lutely gorgeous, Saturday it rained all

day and Sunday it SNOWED. This was

the month of September, 1985. Before I

bring you all up to speed on the 2015

Reunion I would like to again thank

those who worked so diligently on that

1st Reunion. They were George & Wau-

neta Nigh, Al & Marilyn Stewart, Doro-

thy Hill and my wife Jean. Also not to be

forgotten, the late Billy Hill, Joe &

Janice Bolton. Then a phone call came

from Betty Pelletier asking if our group

would like to join their group in Las Ve-

gas; the year was 1988. We did and as

we’ve heard many times “the rest is his-

tory”.

Now to news on 2015!!! Hav-

ing a short notice and time frame to set

this Reunion in place, I do believe we

have done fairly well. Jean & I checked

out a couple Hotels; one being the Down-

town Holiday Inn. The other is the Coun-

try Inn & Suites. After polling several

who attended the 2012 Reunion here in

Lincoln at the Holiday Inn, requests were

to not go back downtown. Parking was

an issue for some. Those folks will be

VERY pleased to know that we are not

going Downtown in 2015.

Our Hotel will be the Country

Inn & Suites on North 27th Street which is located 1.5 miles south of I-80

at exit #403. Should you come to Lincoln

from Kansas City on I-29 North and exit

onto Highway 2 towards Lincoln, all you

do is stay on Highway 2 until you reach

27th and turn north. Drive across Lincoln

on 27th Street until you come to Folk-

ways St, then the Hotel is on the west

side of 27th Street. Plenty of free parking

(375 spaces) available.

Each room in the Hotel is

Handicap Accessible but only one has a

roll-in shower. Microwave Oven and

Refrigerator in each room. Full hot

breakfast served each morning and the

hot entrees change daily. Free Wireless

Internet Access throughout the hotel

property.

Standard Rooms with 2 Queen

Beds or 1 King ($92.99) night plus

tax

Executive Suite with 1 King

bed, Queen Size Sleeper Sofa and Fire-

place($99.99) night plus tax

1-Bedroom Suites with either 2

Queen Beds or 1 King Bed, which

includes a full kitchen and a separate

living room with a queen size sofa

sleeper. ($114.99) night plus tax

If you want to make your reservation

early you certainly can. Call the Country

Inn & Suites FRONT DESK at 402-476-

5353 or 1-800-456-4000 and ask for the

307the Bomb Wing Reunion Block.

The cutoff date for rates listed is MAY

4TH, 2015. Cancellations must be made

24 hours prior to the date of arrival.

The reason for all the rooms being

handicap accessible, is the Country Inn &

Suites was originally built to become an

Independent Living Facility but the

owner changed his mind.

This early notice is to invite each of you

who attended the Bossier City Reunion

“come see us in Nebraska” We have

no bus trips planned, we just want you to

come back to Lincoln to celebrate the

50th Anniversary of the 307th leaving

Lincoln (1965). Should there be enough

interest and persons to warrant renting a

15 passenger van we could consider that.

If the Ladies want to go shopping, I can

promise several of the local wives will be

more than happy to show you around.

We have set Hotel events in place and

instead of having Hors d’oeuvres on Fri-

day evening; we plan to have a “Chuck

wagon Buffet”. Then, Saturday night will

be the Banquet, with couple's pictures

and Dinner. The Business Meeting and

Squadron pictures will be on Saturday

morning.

We have enclosed a Survey to be com-

pleted and returned as soon as possible.

Your answers will determine how we set

things up. Not knowing when the next

Newsletter will be sent and with having a

short time to set things in motion, your

early reply is necessary. It’s on page

11—please fill it out and send it NOW.

Invite your children, grandchildren,

brother, sister, ex-spouse, whoever

BUT just come!

Your 2015 Reunion Hosts

Bill & Jean Williams

9

A Wee Bit Of Knowledge To Refresh

Your Memory!

from Bill Novetzke

Early aircraft throttles had a ball on the

end of it, in order to go full throttle the

pilot had to push the throttle all the way

forward into the wall of the instrument

panel. Hence "balls to the wall" for going

very fast. And now you know the rest of

the story.

During WWII, U.S. airplanes were

armed with belts of bullets which they

would shoot during dogfights and on

strafing runs. These belts were folded

into the wing compartments that fed their

machine guns. These belts measure 27

feet and contained hundreds of rounds of

bullets. Often times, the pilots would

return from their missions having ex-

pended all of their bullets on various

targets. They would say,“I gave them the

whole nine yards,” meaning they used up

all of their ammunition.

Did you know the saying "God willing

and the creek don't rise" was in reference

to the Creek Indians and not a body of

water? It was written by Benjamin Haw-

kins in the late 18th century. He was a

politician and Indian diplomat. While in

the south, Hawkins was requested by the

President of the U.S. to return to Wash-

ington . In his response, he was said to

write, "God willing and the Creek don't

rise." Because he capitalized the word

"Creek" it is deduced that he was refer-

ring to the Creek Indian tribe and not a

body of water.

In George Washington's days, there were

no cameras. One's image was either

sculpted or painted. Some paintings of

George Washington showed him stand-

ing behind a desk with one arm behind

his back while others showed both legs

and both arms. Prices charged by painters

were not based on how many people

were to be painted, but by how many

limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs

are 'limbs,' therefore painting them would

cost the buyer more. Hence the expres-

sion, 'Okay, but it'll cost you an arm and

a leg.'

(Artists know hands and arms are more

difficult to paint.)

As incredible as it sounds, men and

women took baths only twice a year

(May and October). Women kept their

hair covered, while men shaved their

heads (because of lice and bugs) and

wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford

good wigs made from wool. They could-

n't wash the wigs, so to clean them they

would carve out a loaf of bread, put the

wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 min-

utes. The heat would make the wig big

and fluffy, hence the term 'big wig'. To-

day we often use the term 'here comes

the Big Wig' because someone appears to

be or is powerful and wealthy.

In the late 1700's, many houses consisted

of a large room with only one chair.

Commonly, a long wide board folded

down from the wall, and was used for

dining. The 'head of the household' al-

ways sat in the chair while everyone else

ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a

guest, who was usually a man, would be

invited to sit in this chair during a meal.

To sit in the chair meant you were impor-

tant and in charge. They called the one

sitting in the chair the 'chair man.' Today

in business, we use the expression or title

'Chairman' or 'Chairman of the Board.'

Personal hygiene left much room for

improvement. As a result, many women

and men had developed acne scars by

adulthood. The women would spread

bee's wax over their facial skin to smooth

out their complexions. When they were

speaking to each other, if a woman began

to stare at another woman's face she was

told, 'mind your own bee's wax.' Should

the woman smile, the wax would crack,

hence the term crack a smile'. In addition,

when they sat too close to the fire, the

wax would melt. Therefore, the expres-

sion 'losing face.'

Ladies wore corsets, which would lace

up in the front. A proper and dignified

woman, as in 'straight laced' wore a

tightly tied lace.

Common entertainment included playing

cards. However, there was a tax levied

when purchasing playing cards but only

applicable to the 'Ace of Spades.' To

avoid paying the tax, people would pur-

chase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most

games require 52 cards, these people

were thought to be stupid or dumb be-

cause they weren't' playing with a full

deck.'

Early politicians required feedback from

the public to determine what the people

considered important. Since there were

no telephones, TV's or radios, the politi-

cians sent their assistants to local taverns,

pubs, and bars. They were told to 'go sip

some Ale and listen to people's conversa-

tions and political concerns. Many assis-

tants were dispatched at different times.

'You go sip here' and 'You go sip there.'

The two words 'go sip' were eventually

combined when referring to the local

opinion and, thus we have the term

'gossip.'

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people

drank from pint and quart-sized contain-

ers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye

on the customers and keep the drinks

coming. She had to pay close attention

and remember who was drinking in

'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts,'

hence the phrase' minding your 'P's and

Q's'.

One more: bet you didn't know this! In

the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships

and many freighters carried iron cannons.

Those cannons fired round iron cannon

balls. It was necessary to keep a good

supply near the cannon. However, how to

prevent them from rolling about the

deck? The best storage method devised

was a square-based pyramid with one

ball on top, resting on four resting on

nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a

supply of 30 cannon balls could be

stacked in a small area right next to the

cannon. There was only one prob-

lem....how to prevent the bottom layer

from sliding or rolling from under the

others. The solution was a metal plate

called a 'Monkey' with 16 round indenta-

tions. However, if this plate were made

of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust

to it. The solution to the rusting problem

was to make 'Brass Monkeys.' Few land-

lubbers realize that brass contracts much

more and much faster than iron when

chilled.. Consequently, when the tem-

perature dropped too far, the brass inden-

tations would shrink so much that the

iron cannonballs would come right off

the monkey; Thus, it was quite liter-

ally,'Cold enough to freeze the balls off a

brass monkey.' (All this time, you

thought that was an improper expression,

didn't you?)

10

Barksdale Photos Clockwise from upper left.

B47 at exterior Museum; the Banquet Dinner;

Posting the Colors; Original recipients, R T

Boykin & Roger Beamer prepare to hand off

the Meeks Trophy to Col Ellis, Commander

of the 307th BW AFRC; Col Morriss, 93rd

BS Commander and Lt Col Charles Screws, B

-29 pilot looking sharp in his Mess Dress;

Ivan McKinney delivers a toast as Col Ellis,

307th BW Commander looks on; Tony

Minnick and Col Ellis enjoy a joke; Tony

forwards the badge of authority, The Fur

Lined Pot, to the next reunion chair, Billy

Williams, who exclaims “I’ve seen that thing

before!”; The Honor Guard sets the POW/

MIA table; The Honor Guard attends the

POW/MIA table; Col Morriss awards the

Meeks Trophy to the first 307th BW AFRC

recipient crew of Lt Col Martin Salinas, Capt

Brian Page, Lt Josh Ferer and Lt Jordan.

11

SURVEY

Do you plan to attend the 2015 Reunion? YES______NO_____

Are you planning to stay at the Hotel (4 nights) YES_____ NO_____

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, or

Thursday, Friday, Saturday (3 nights), or YES______NO_____

Friday & Saturday (2 nights) YES______NO____

**We’re asking these questions on the number of nights, so we will have an idea on how to plan for the early arrivals.

Would those arriving on Thursday and who have not been to the SAC Museum and would want to take a tour, we might

be able to work it in the schedule. If you do, I would need to know how many so arrangements can be made for transporta-

tion. You will pay the entrance fee at the Museum.

MUSEUM YES______NO_____

Are you (ladies) interested in going Shopping on Friday? YES_____NO_____

WILL YOU NEED LOCAL CAMPGROUND INFO? YES______NO_____

FLYING? YES______NO_____

NAME(S) ____________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________

CITY_________________________________

PHONE #_____________________________

EMAIL _______________________________

Please return the Survey ASAP to:

Billy D. Williams home phone 402-438-1913

5546 Enterprise Drive cell number 402-432-1307

Lincoln, NE 68521 email: jwbwdwilliams17@gmail.com

As noted in the President’s Column, Brent has

assigned to our Advisory Board the task of deter-

mining how our association will proceed after the

Lincoln get together in 2015. Our board members

and email addresses are listed below. Please make

your inputs on this matter through the members of

the board.

307th BW Assoc Advisory Board

Bill Filipula - jmcf7@yahoo.com,

Larry Hall - lawrencehall550@comcast.net,

Gene Lee - g1936lee@gmail.com,

Ken Tarwater - nanatar@kc.rr.com,

Bill Williams - jwbwdwilliams17@gmail.com,

Dick Arens - dickarens@verizon.net,

R.T. Boykin - dru_rt92@sbcglobal.net,

Bud Flanik - airbud@aol.com,

Mike Gingrich - mikegingri@cs.com,

Wally Mitchell - wpmitchell@sbcglobal.net

SEE YOU HERE IN 2015!

12

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Lincoln, NE

PERMIT NO. 700

307th Bomb Wing B-47/KC-97 Association 5920 Robin Court Lincoln, NE 68516 Dated Material Return Service Requested

The Data Plate above honors the fallen

leader of our association. It was placed by

his friends.

The National Museum of the

United States Air Force at

Wright-Patterson AFB has estab-

lished a Wall of Honor, shown

below

The Wall currently displays over

700 “ Legacy Data Plates” honor-

ing individuals or units.