C MPASSP.O. Box 637 • St.Charles, MO 63302 • St. Charles County Smartt Airport

636-250-4515 • Fax 636-250-4515 • www.cafmo.org

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

MISSOURI WING

The

MISSOURI WINGEXECUTIVE STAFF

WING LEADER Col. Patrick Kesler 28 Confederate Way St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5687 636-250-4515 Wing wingleader@cafmo.orgADJUTANT / PIO OFFICER Col. Rick Rea 6854 Ardale Drive St. Louis,MO 63123 314-960-4927 col.rickrea@charter.netEXECUTIVE OFFICER Col. Bob Lawrence 111 W. Essex Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 314-494-7539 cell 314-894-3200 x103 workFINANCE Col. Steve Gossett 4 Limerick Lane O'Fallon, MO 63366 636-474-9763 314-306-5021OPERATIONS OFFICER Col.Craig O'Mara 1085 Graywolf Court Fairview Heights, IL 62208 618-632-6113 home 618-558-7211 cell craigo777@juno.comMAINTENANCE OFFICER Col. Pat Fenwick 6 Heather Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 636-441-2856SAFETY OFFICER Col. Chris Herrmann 309 Clearwater Drive Belleville, IL 62220 618-233-4782

Saturday - November 10 - General Meeting - 1:30 pm

NOVEMBER 2012

Nov. 10 Noon CHILI Contest -General Meeting - 1:30 pm

Nov. 11 Florissant Veteran's Day ParadeDec. 8 Wing Christmas Party HO! HO! HO!

UPCOMING EVENTS

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CHRISTMAS PARTY This years Christmas Party will be held December 8th,at Lambardo's Restaurant, 10488 Natural Bridge Road, Southof the Airport, Across I-70 next to the Drury Inn. Time will be6:00 till 9:00 pm. Dinner, dessert, and cash bar will be followed by Meetingand Awards. Cost $25 Per Person. Coat & tie not necessary.Bring your spouse or girlfriend, best friend, neighbor, fishingbuddy or whomever. Enjoy the camaraderie, the season, andjust being away from the hangar for one night. More detailswill be given at the November meeting. Remember you canbe a scrooge or you can come and enjoy the time of year.

Lou Tacchi

View The Compass in color at cafmo.org

VETERAN'S DAY As you know, November 11 is the day we set aside each year to pay special tribute to all theveterans who have served this great country. There is a multitude of ways that veterans are honoredon this day and each one is special in its own way. In many of the towns and cities that we have been to this year, special tributes to veterans werea very large part of the event. I wanted to try to include some of the highlights from these but theywere all very special in their own way and nearly impossible for me to choose a favorite. While we were at Mt. Vernon last weekend, I had a chance to look at the great Veterans HonorWall display in the terminal. Very impressive and emotional! As I was leaving to join the rest of thecrew, I happened to notice a small two line plaque above the display. It blew me away! I would like to share this quote as we remember these men and women on November 11.

“ They gave all of their tomorrows, so we could have all of our todays.”

Col. Bob Moore

Lest We Forget

Ramp at Camdenton, Missouri

WINGLEADER'SREPORT

Have a great November and stay safe and warm… Come onout to your Wing and enjoy some great activities and war stories!

With your help – We can Keep ‘Em Flying and have a great,rewarding time in life while doing so. It’s always great to makenew memories – especially when they are associated with thememories of that Great Generation.

Respectfully submitted,Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

NEW FRONT OFFICEIS LOOKIN' GOODDon't forget: No Food, No Drinks, No Greasy Shoes/Clothes.Let's keep it nice.

Ah! November… One of my favorite months - My birth month,Thanksgiving, the Chili Cook-off, the Macys Day Parade, lots ofCollege and Pro Football, and flames in the fireplace. Many of thehectic Spring and Summer flying and outside ground activitieshave slowly down-sized to inside toils of aircraft annualmaintenance inspections, general cleanup of the hangars andstorage areas, and more casual times at the Wing. The cooleroutside temps produce more inside activities and definitelygenerate more conversations of the previous year’s activities andhow we can do things differently in the future. Sometimes goodideas actually materialize out of these brain-stormers. I do knowmore coffee and hot chocolate are consumed starting in November.

Wing Staff elections for Wing Leader, Operations Officer,Adjutant, and Public Information Officer will be held at theNovember 10th meeting. To date, no one has thrown their namein the hat for any of these positions, but it’s never too late to tossyour name out for consideration. Col. Rick Rea has informed methat he is not seeking re-election to the Adjutant or PIO positions,so we just might have to “wing it” until we can find that specialsomeone to jump right in and become a Staffer. The WL and OpsOfficer positions are also up. I know Col. Craig O’Mara has donean outstanding job with his important job and will be encouragedto do so if no one else is nominated/elected. He has been helpedimmensely by Col. Matt Conrad, the Assistant Operations Officerand Airshow/event scheduler/coordinator. As far as the WL slot –I’ve done it for 6 straight years now, would like to see a new facein my office, but would do it for another year if no one stepsforward. Come on guys – you need to start prepping someone.I’m supposed to be retired. It’s a fun job, has good visibility, youget to meet great people, and you would even have a freshlypainted office with new flooring right next to the CAF’s mostillustrious, best looking, most intelligent Finance Officer… caseclosed.

Meeting day will be busy. The B-25 will be doing a Veteran’sDay weekend flyover of the Quincy, IL parade and will most likelybe flying an LHFE ride or two there as well as a possible SmarttField LHFE ride in the afternoon. We will also have the annualChili Cook-off beginning around Noon, followed by a short-but-meaningful Staff meeting which will be followed by the Generalmeeting and numerous doses of anti-acids and Beano. Comeprepared and bring your best chili and fixins.

I would like to thank Cols. Nick Talarico and Rick Rea for all ofthe planning and coordination necessary for the October 27th Wingand Smartt Field Open House and Classic Car & Warbirds event.I’m writing this report prior to that date and sure hope all wentwell. I do know that the predicted high temperature of 50 degreeswas probably an eye-opener, and do hope everyone had a goodtime and the Pumpkin Drops went well and were in the generalvicinity of the target. If not – it was the target placement’s faultand not the result of poor piloting or bombardier technique.

Remember – Everyone is encouraged to participate in theFlorissant Veteran’s Day Parade on Sunday, November 11th.Everyone should meet at 0800 hours in the TBM Hangar. Anyquestions? Contact Col. Nick Talarico.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 8th! That’s ourannual Christmas Party where we’ll also have a short meetingand hand out a few awards and commendations. Col. Lou Tacchiis ramrodding it and has all of the particulars. Good food, gooddrinks, good camaraderie and good times will be consumed byall.

ACTOR MORGAN FREEMANADMIRING OUR B-25

CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI

Chris Herrmann with Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman chats with the crew of Show Me.

MY FIRST TRIP IN THE GLORIOUS B-25 Because I just turned 12, I signed up right away for a trip inthe B-25. I am now the newest cadet member of the wing and ILOVE it! We traveled out to Mt. Vernon, IL, and had a great time.When we arrived, we hung out at the airport there and talked toa few people. One of them was Everett Atkinson. He told usabout his WWII adventures. He was a B-24 navigator and workedin the famous B-29. We became fast friends and he even mademe cookies! :) Everett is a really fun guy!

On day 2, Bob Lawrence, Nick Talarico and I got to work inthe PX. We sold things like build your own airplanes, airplanemodels, hats, t-shirts, posters, pins, military style dogtags, etc. Igot to work the 1946 dogtag machine!

Many people walked around the bomber, and we showedpeople how amazing it is and what a truly beautiful plane it is.

On the way home, I clambered up into the nose. What amagnificent view! I saw fields and cities full of light and lots oftrees and a train. I took pictures of all of them!

It’s an honor to be part of the Show Me crew. I like flying init and it is a neat experience. I really appreciate the opportunity! Hannah Thompsen

Mount Vernon,Illinois

PUMPKIN DROP DAY AT SMARTT FIELD

A TRIP TO COTTON COUNTRY AND LAKE OFTHE OZARKS - A SENSATIONAL WEEKEND!

Everyone was convinced my name on the crew list wouldjinx the Clarksdale, Mississippi trip scheduled to depart Friday,October 12…my track record was not good, having been listedfor four previous trips, all of which had been cancelled for onereason or another! Two weeks before, we were all assembledto fly to Camdenton, MO for the Lake of the Ozarks Air Showwhere 20 World War II and Korean veterans were waiting toride “Show Me” as part of the planned festivities. Our hardworking mechanics had been toiling night and day to replace adefective cylinder but unfortunately the run up revealed furtherproblems and Col. Pat Fenwick was compelled to wave us off atthe last minute to the great disappointment of our crew and theAir Show folks and veterans in Camdenton.

Through the efforts of our intrepid air show coordinator, Col.Matt Conrad, arrangements were made to add a Camdentonstop to our Clarksdale weekend and make good on our promiseto the veterans. A clear blue sky greeted us when we arrived atSmartt the morning of October 12. Prior to takeoff, we weretreated to a photo “shoot” of beautiful actress-model JennelleGilreath posing with our aircraft and vehicles (see accompanyingstory and photos). Our crew consisted of PIC Col. Conrad, co-pilot Chris Herrmann and crew members Col. Bob Moore, Col.Tim Dexter, Col. Bob Carmack, Col. Tom Wagoner and myself.Hey, you know what, we actually took off without a hitch andperformed a dramatic fly by for the benefit of the folks who hadseen us off!

Flight time to Clarksdale, situated in western Mississippi nearthe Mississippi River, was abut one hour, 45 minutes…there weresome considerable clouds en route which had to becircumnavigated but overall it was a most pleasant ride. Onarrival, we knew we weren’t in Missouri anymore. There wascotton, cotton and more cotton as far as the eye could see. Wewere greeted by Missouri Wing member and Mississippi residentMike Bond and the airport folks who treated us to a real Southernbarbeque lunch at a local restaurant. We spent the afternoonchatting with local visitors about the aircraft when suddenly anairplane pulls up nearby and out comes Hollywood actor MorganFreeman who had just arrived with his pilot from California…helives nearby and frequently returns between movie shoots.Morgan chatted with our crew members, most notably Col.Carmack, and posed for some photos. There was a short flightfor the local media later in the afternoon and in the evening wewere treated to some true Southern hospitality at a fried catfishdinner attended by many Clarksdale area dignitaries. All in all, ithad been a terrific day!

The following day, Saturday, was warm (maybe even hot!)and sunny. Attendance at the airport open house was goodthough there was some grumbling that the Ole Miss football gamein nearby Oxford had diverted some potential attendees. Wehad an opportunity to meet with many very friendly folks and tellthem about our wonderful aircraft. Col. Moore, with the ableassistance of Col. Carmack, was successful in signing up enoughpassengers for three LHFE flights…one passenger enjoyed hisflight so much that he signed on for a second! Unfortunately, itcame time to bid farewell to Col. Bond and all this fine Southernhospitality and leave for our next stop, Camdenton, MO.

After an hour and a half’s delightful ride we arrived inCamdenton just ahead of a bit of rain. We were greeted by theairport manager Corey Leuwerke and our own Col. BrandonBebow who had driven over from Jefferson City to join us. Aftersecuring the aircraft, the crew headed to Jake Culpeeper”s CattleCompany in Osage Beach for nourishment and much welcomeliquid refreshment before retiring for the evening.

Sunday dawned cool, bright and clear though some cloudinessdeveloped later on but most importantly, it stayed dry all day.Upon arrival at the airport, we were met by Corey and his airportcolleagues, members of the Chamber of Commerce and the nicefolks from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association as wellas the first group of WWII and Korean veterans anxiously awaiting

the first ride of the day. The rides for the veterans had beensponsored by local business organizations and the Chamber ofCommerce. If one ever wonders why we CAF members do whatwe do, one need only attend a function such as this…the veteranswere visibly moved by the experience. In all, Cols. Conrad andHerrmann, with Col. Wagoner performing the role of SafetyOfficer, flew four separate trips accomodating a total of 20veterans. Prior to each flight, members of the Combat VeteransMotorcycle Association formed two lines, standing at attentionwith flags extended, between which the veterans passed as theyapproached the aircraft. Believe me, it doesn’t get any betterthan this! We are also pleased to report that all PX items suppliedby Col. Bob Lawrence were sold, including many Challenge Coins.Plans are already underway for a return to Camdenton next yearand more flights for veterans.

Following the final flight, we said goodbye to Corey and Col.Bebow and headed back to Smartt. I think the entire crew wasdelighted with what was accomplished over the weekend. Thankyou to our excellent pilots Cols. Conrad and Herrmann and therest of the crew for helping make this a most memorable weekendfor this old bird who was finally able to take to the air in 2012 inhis favorite airplane!

Col. Dick Hyde

ACTRESS/MODEL DOES PHOTO "SHOOT"AT MISSOURI WING

Crew members arriving at the Wing on Friday morning,October 12 for the flight to Clarksdale, Mississippi were surprisedto see actress-model-singer-dancer Jennelle Gilreath ofChattanooga, TN doing various poses in and around “Show Me”and the other Wing aircraft and vehicles for a series of photos.The photographer was Kevin Owens, a local World War II re-enactor and World War II enthusiast. Jennelle trained as adancer with the Radio City Rockettes and has performed on stagein both musical and dramatic theater. She has received creditsin film, television and radio. She is also a model and a singerand particularly enjoys modeling ‘40’s “stuff” and singing WorldWar II vintage songs. Jennelle and Kevin plan to attend nextyear’s Hangar Dance and I have warned her that she may beasked to sing a song or two or more!

Jennelle was thrilled at being able to model next to ourgenuine World War II airplanes…she had never had thisopportunity previously. Thanks to Col. Bill Wehmeier for moving“Show Me” out of the hangar for Jennelle and Kevin and forguiding them around the premises. Kevin advises he took between500 and 600 photos and he will provide the Wing with a diskcontaining the best ones. Col. Dick Hyde

MEDAL OF HONOR - WWI AVIATORSFrank Luke Jr. (May 19, 1897 – September 29, 1918) was

an American fighter ace ranking second among US Army airservice pilots after Captain Eddie Rickenbacker in number of aerialvictories during World War I (Rickenbacker was credited with 26victories, while Luke’s official score was 18). Frank Luke was thefirst airman to receive the Medal of Honor. Luke Air Force Base,Arizona, a U.S. Air Force pilot training installation since WorldWar II, is named in his honor. Between September 12 andSeptember 29, Luke was credited with shooting down 14 Germanballoons and four airplanes: These 18 victories, which Luke earnedduring just ten sorties in eight days, was a feat unsurpassed byany pilot in World War I.

On the evening of September 29th, Luke flew to the front toattack three balloons in the vicinity of Dun-sur-Meuse six milesbehind the German lines. He first dropped a message to a nearbyU.S. balloon company, alerting them to observe his imminentattacks. Luke shot down the enemy balloons, but was then severelywounded by a single machine gun bullet fired from a hilltop abovehim, a mile east of the last balloon site he had attacked. Lukelanded in a field just west of the small village of Murvaux afterstrafing a group of German soldiers on the ground - near theRuisseau de Bradon, a stream leading to the Meuse River. Althoughweakened by his wound, he made his way toward the stream,intending to reach the cover of its adjacent underbrush, but finallycollapsed some 200 meters from his airplane. Approached byGerman infantry, Luke drew his Colt Model 1911 pistol and fireda few rounds at his attackers before dying.

Eddie Rickenbacker said of Luke: “He was the most daringaviator and greatest fighter pilot of the entire war. His life is oneof the brightest glories of our Air Service. He went on a rampageand shot down fourteen enemy aircraft, including ten balloons,in eight days. No other ace, even the dreaded Richthofen hadever come close to that.” Col. Tim Mohr

Vets helping Vets. Camdenton, Missouri

B-25 Crew & Corey Lauwerke, airport manager, Camdenton, Mo.

COL TIM MOHR LEVELS OIL HOUSE FLOORThrough the 100 degree weather Tim persevered! A big thanksgoes out to Tim for the warmth we're going to have this winter.

Tim Mohr with leveled floor.

Unsightly barrels will be a thing of the past.

The Fix: Now the barrels on pallets can be removed with afork lift. What a relief! Thanks Tim!

Navions

Twin Navion

PUMPKIN DROP DAY AT SMARTT FIELD

OH, MY ACHING BACK....As October is National Spinal Health Month, the irony of recent

events in the Herrmann Household, and the coming decorating /inspection season, it was inevitable that I choose back health asthis month’s safety topic. What is your plan for a healthy back??

At the CAF, our annual aircraft inspections are looming. Wewill soon be hangaring and working on all three planes. On thehome front, the holiday season is rapidly approaching and it willsoon be time to dig decorations out of storage, haul them aroundthe house or office, and decorate to help us enjoy the season.

An understanding of how your back works; what can go wrong;and techniques / tips for protecting your back may help preventor you deal with a back problem. It is a lot easier to preventback injuries than it is to correct potential back problems downthe road. Your back is working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.You use your back every time you sit, stand, bend, lift, or evenlie down. It is not surprising that 70% of all back problemsresult from the ageing process rather than a specific injury. Thismeans that over a number of years a poor posture, lack ofexercise, excessive weight, and disregard for back savingtechniques will probably lead to back problems.

Let me remind you of proper lifting techniques to help get youthrough the coming months without injury.1. Plan ahead before lifting. Knowing what you’re doing andwhere you are going will help prevent you from making awkwardmovements while holding something heavy. Clear a path, and iflifting something with another person, make sure you agree onthe plan.2. Lift close to your body. You will be a stronger and morestable lifter if the object is held close to your body rather than atthe end of your reach. Make sure you have a firm hold on theobject you are lifting, and keep it balanced close to your body.3. Feet shoulder width apart. A solid base of support isimportant while lifting. Holding your feet too close together willbe unstable, too far apart will hinder movement. Keep the feetabout shoulder width apart and take short steps.4. Bend your knees and keep your back straight. Practicethe lifting motion before you lift the object, and think about yourmotion before you lift. Focus on keeping your spine straight—raise and lower to the ground by bending your knees.5. Tighten your stomach muscles. Tightening your abdominalmuscles will hold your back in a good lifting position and willhelp prevent excessive force on the spine.6. Lift with your legs. Your legs are many times strongerthan your back muscles—let your strength work in your favor.Again, lower to the ground by bending your knees, not yourback. Keeping your eyes focused upwards helps to keep yourback straight.7. If you’re straining, get help. If an object is too heavy, orawkward in shape, make sure you have someone around whocan help you lift.8. Wear a belt or back support. If you are lifting in your jobor often at home a back belt can help you maintain a betterlifting posture.

Tips:1. Never bend your back to pick something up.

It’s just not worth the damage that improper lifting techniquecan cause.2. Hold the object close to your body.

You are a much more stable lifter if you’re not reaching for anobject.3. Don’t twist or bend.

Face in the direction you are walking. If you need to turn, stop,turn in small steps, and then continue walking.4. Keep your eyes up.

Looking slightly upwards will help you maintain a better positionof the spine.

Irony - Webster’s Dictionary defines irony as “an incongruitybetween the actual result of a sequence of events and the normalor expected result”. It is ironic that during National Spinal HealthMonth, both Angie and I suffered back problems that causedhospital visits and missed work. While some back problems arenot preventable, take a lesson from us and the informationprovided and make a plan to protect YOUR back.

Col. Chris Herrmann

L-3S REMEMBERED

GONE WEST We are sad to report the passing of JOE SHEA, a longtimemember of the CAF and the Missouri Wing. His military servicewas in the U.S. Army.

Joe passed away at his home in Perryville, Missouri on October19, 2012. In addition to his love of aviation, he was active in theBoy Scouts for 62 years. He was also a member of the AmericanLegion and the Knights of Columbus 4th degree. Besides flying,his hobbies included hunting, fishing, and spending time with hiswife and family. Joe was a pharmacist for 50 years.

Joe is survived by his wife, Vivian, whom he married in 1959.He leaves behind 5 daughters, 1 son, 14 grand children, and 6great grand children.

Lest We Forget

During the Scott Air Base show the L-3 crew was privilegedto meet Mr. Joe Przada. He shared with us that his father, Julian,was an observer on an L Bird during WWII European theater ofoperations. As customary, he was assigned to the 39th FieldArtillery Battalion. Joe Przada and his brothers John and Jimvisited our Wing on October 13th.

We were honored to accept a framed photo of their father,Julian, standing by his L Bird, and copies of two Bronze Starcitations he received for service during 1944 and 1945 in Italyand Germany. We will display these in our museum to honor theservice of Julian Przada who flew in the L Birds our L-3 is intendedto “remember”.

A fascinating story was related to us, that during his servicein Italy, they were flying low over the olive orchards, and notedtracer rounds flying past their L-3 from behind. Due to the airspeeddifference it didn’t take long for the German fighter to whiz pastthem. As they were down amongst the olive trees seeking toavoid the enemy fighter plane, Julian is reported to have heardthe pilot say “Oh no!”. This was followed by a sharp break to theside to avoid a large hill. A couple seconds later they heard alarge explosion, and there was no longer any tracer rounds goingpast them, and no more German fighter.

It certainly took special kinds of airmen to fly these littleairplanes in combat.

Col. Bob Cushman

Joe helping clean the T-33 after the 1993 flood.

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCEMISSOURI WING

P.O. Box 637St. Charles, MO 63302-0637

NOVEMBER 2012

Compass Deadline: December Newsletter - Need info by November 23 January Newsletter - Need info by December 27

NovemberBirthdays!

Pat Kesler (1) • Karl Hering (1) • Steven Newcombe (2) • Tim Dexter (3) • Alvin Kaser (7)Betty Pearce (12) • Robert Cushman (13) • John Coffey (14) • Julieann Smith (19)

Brandon Bebow (26) • Jim Pearo (27) • Kyle Racine (30) • Jim Hatcher (30)

Ordnance being loaded aboard “Show Me” for pumpkin dropwith Korey Tacchi at the ready for saboteurs!

Due to safety concerns the drone was taken down.

HapHapHapHapHappppppyyyyy

TTTTThanksgiving!hanksgiving!hanksgiving!

hanksgiving!

hanksgiving!