LIGHTWEIGHTTOWERCALLING

No. 31 February 1997

Dallas Will Host Reunion

Reunion headquarters — Adams Mark Hotel, Dallas, Texas

Savannah Reunion Terrific !!!By Bob Hanson

Just when you think you've "beenthere — done that" — along comesan outstanding host and hostess, C.W. and Ding West, who have set newheights and standards for a 485threunion!

Savannah is certainly one of themost historic cities that lends itself toeverything a reunion could want orneed.

Our host had a full scheduleplanned, and entertainment, dinners,side trips to some military installa-tions, visit and lunch at newly opened

8th AF museum, guided tour toGulfstream Aerospace plant, andmany other trips and items of interestwhich we'll mention on a dailyagenda basis.

Lynda and I arrived Wednesday inearly afternoon and found the Me-morabilia room and registration go-ing like "60." The Marriott River-front hotel was ideal for just such anevent and the breathtaking atriumlobby, plus excellent three meetingfacilities, made for a nearly perfectsetting.

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The 1996 reunion of the 485thbomb group promises to be a realTexas Wingding.

This is the report from SherrillBurba, host for this year's reunion,and his co-host Marvin Lindsay.

The event will be held from Sep-tember 4 to 7 at the Adams MarkHotel in downtown Dallas.

Exact dates for some of the activi-ties have not yet been finalized, ac-cording to Burba, but he reports thattwo things will be on the schedule: atrip to Southfork Ranch and the Mes-quite Rodeo.

These two events were the mostpopular on the survey handed out atSavannah reunion and returned to thehost.

Other events being planned mayinclude the Dallas arboretorium, arailroad museum, the Biblical Artsmuseum. A tour to the School BookDepository, where President JohnKennedy was assassinated, will bemade available, but will not be ascheduled event.

Plans for the Sunday morning me-morial breakfast are already nearingcompletion. Burba reports it will bean ecumenical service. A Jewish can-tor will sing the 23rd Psalm and aCatholic bishop will make commun-ion available following the servicefor Catholics.

The bomb group' s own B aptist mi-nister, Don Whitmoyer, and Don Pe-den, who has established churches inmore than 50 countries, willparticipate.

In addition, others who will parti-(Continued on Page 13)

Savannah(Continued from page one)

Thursday, 9 a.m., found us onArmy busses bound for the vast facil-ities of Fort Stewart where the size isabout 30 miles around the outsideperimeter. It is monstrous and onceinside, you are strictly in militaryterritory.

We were allowed to inspect andcrawl into various Army tanks andtalk to the personnel. We learned thatsome of this equipment was beingsent back to Saudi Arabia and the De-sert Storm area. Everyone was ex-tremely nice and police and did theirbest to answer any questions.

We also were able to be brieflyaddressed by a Major General Hen-drix just before he departed with hisstaff in a Blackhawk helicopter. Thiswas most thrilling to witness for thegraying eagles and their spouses.

That evening we were taken toFort Jackson for a buffet and reenact-ment of some Civil War activities.The Captain of the Guard ceremonywas witnessed by our group alongwith the firing of the largest blackpowder cannon still in use in the en-tire United States. We also learnedthat the Fort saw as it's greatest use asthe headquarters for the Confederateriver defenses during the Civil War.All of us were impressed with thissight and one in which your patriot-ism made you proud to be anAmerican!

Even though Friday the 13thdawned on the 485th, it was a luckyday for all of us. First, we touredGulfstream Aerospace and wereamazed at the size of the plant andsome of the information given to usby tour guides. They only build 4 ofthese Model V's per month with aprice tag in excess of 32 million dol-lar each. One of the ruling class fromSaudi ordered 2 and one with a spe-cial snake skin interior which cost anadditional 3 million dollars. Must benice to be able to throw dollars ar-ound on something that I am deadlyafraid of (snakes). Such is life!

Next stop on Friday's tour was theEighth Air Force Heritage Museum.It had recently opened and was a real2

FIRST TIMERS

Left to right: Edward Gunn, Gordon Sorensen and Melvin Bentley.

treat. I'm sure all of the 485th wouldhave enjoyed it even more if itspelled out "15th" on front entrance,instead of "8th" but was exciting tovisit. The one section of the stimu-lated bomb run with strobe lightsflashing and strong winds blowingwith flak exploding had to test theemotions of all of the flight crews!

Lunch was enjoyed by all at thissite. I urge all of you that missed theSavannah reunion to try and see thisoutstanding attraction if ever in thispart of the country.

Friday evening early were head-quarters and squadron meetingswhich were followed by a lavish Ita-lian buffet. After dinner, we were en-tertained by a barbershop quartet fol-lowed by "A Tribute to AmericanVeterans" by Jerry Hayes. He and his

wife, Judy, entertained us and theshow was outstanding. C. W. Westdid himself proud in the entertain-ment department throughout the en-tire reunion.

Saturday dawned bright and clearwith our business meeting starting at9 a.m. Entertainment by "SavannahSteve" preceded the meeting, as wellas the color guard from Georgia AirNational Guard presenting the col-ors, with the playing of the nationalanthem. During the meeting, SherillBurba spoke of our 1997 reunion inDallas and from all information hementioned, it should be a first classwinner!

Early registration at both the hoteland Bomb Group is one of the secretsof a large turnout and a successful

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,-

Squadron Photos828th SQUADRON

Bus" LanCaSter' T°m McDowe" anJ Lee A!

829th SQUADRON

Wythe J. Napier HForrest I

son, Clarence *• Kenneth Robi-Best,

830th SQUADRON

First row, left to right: Steve Paynis, John Sehili, RossLeary, Ralph A. Campbell, Paul J. Grubb, George F.Raidel, Cliff Studaker, Ken Muse, Lloyd Rich and Ted Li-pinski. Second row: Henry P. Dolim, (standing), Fred W.Sims, (standing); Earl Bundy, (standing), George E. Dyer,Francis P. Tunstall, Arthur Housden, Robert McAlpine,

Howard Boxley, Don Landrum, Harold Kempffer, SimonBaytala, Jr., Lester deJong, Lawrence Martin and WarrenGorman, (standing). Third row: Richard Griffin, TravisRobinson, Robert E. Plaister, Bill Cummings, Jim Hunter,Bill DeVore, Chuck Forester, Harry Oberholtzer, ChuckPorter, Chet Konkalewski, Edward J. Gunn and RobertBaldwin.

831st SQUADRON

First row, left to right: Robert Swift, Bob Monahan,Jack Nagel, Leo Prince, Vernon Christensen, LewisBaker, Harold Richards, Frank Chaffin, Dan Sjodin, LynnCotterman, Homer Cotton, Richard D. Kingsbury, RobertDietrich, Cliff Woodbury and Ed Wroblewski. Secondrow: Rod Hufstader, Louis W. Sikes, Robert H. Lewis,John J. Breen, Jess Ledbetter, Howard Woodyard, Jim4

Bright, Lee Craig, David T. Hansen, William V. Highbee,Warren Meyers and John S. Jackson. Third row: ThomasR. Fry, A. A. Salazar, George Byrd, Morgan Browning,Edward Siantz, Bill Brokaw, Frank Nardi, Leonard Little,Bob Rector, Ned Peirano, John J. Godfrey and Bob Han-son, Sr.

PRISONERS OF WAR

First row, left to right: Jim Bright, George R. Raidel,Vernon Christensen, Chet KonkolewskL Harry Oberholt-zer, Slayton McGehee, Homer Hale, Billy R. Culver andMarvin Lindsay. Second row: Morgan Browning, LeonBest, Don Roehn, Frank Nardi, John Godfrey, Joe Cath-

HEADQUARTERS

Left to right: Warren D. Sortomme, John B. Comett and Loyd F. Towers.

cart, Bob Rector and Leonard Little. Third row: John B.Cornet, Warren D. Sonomme, Ryan "Scotty" Scott, BobPeterson, William Y. Sanders, Roy Daniel, David Rothand Dick Doyle.

Target PloestiTo Be Re-issued

In last year's issue of LightweightTower, it was noted that LeroyNewby's book, "Target Ploesti: Viewfrom a Bombsight," was about to bere-issued.

This should be of special interest tothe 485th as Newby flew with the460th, based at Spinazzola - veryclose on the ground and in the air aswell. It's been out of print for quitesome time.

Although Target Ploesti is theselection of the Military Book Clubto represent the air war of WWII in itsfive-volume Battle Classics series,arrangements have been made fornon-members of the club to purchasejust that one book.

To do so, phone (800)321-7323,explain that such arrangements havebeen made, and place an order. Thebook costs $17.95 plus $2.95 forhandling, a total of $20.90.

Savannah(Continued from Page 2)

reunion. 1998 site has not beenselected, as yet, as no volunteerscame forward.

Traditionally, this location will beeast of the Mississippi. This will be aprime item on the agenda of the 1997business meeting. The remainder ofthe day until 4 p.m. was "at your lei-sure" giving most folks time in thehospitality and memorabilia room torelive war stories and renew oldfriendships.

The photo session in the atriumwent smoothly and snacks and drinkswere enjoyed by all. The local TVstation, channel 11 (CBS) had acameraman and reporter interview-ing various one in the 485th, but Ididn't talk to anyone who had seen iton the tube later that night. Mini cele-brities in our midst!

The dinner was fabulous as wasthe entertainment and entire evening.We were honored by having mem-bers of the color guard, their spousesor girlfriends as our guests for thedinner and activities. The Gene Fox13 piece band, with a wonderful fe-male vocalist, played the 40's typemusic and everyone felt like theywere in their 20's once again.

Our gracious host, C. W. West, ar-ranged for an unexpected femaleguest to appear on the scene and en-ticed (or rather ordered) Al Peschkaand Hank Dolin front and center. Af-ter a lot of good natured ribbing by"Maude: who appeared to be a rejectfrom a Jenny Craig exercise class,they were led back to their tables.

Helen Wall and our hostess sister,Babe Brown, were then asked tocome forward and these two gals per-formed as dancers with "Maude" andeveryone had a time keeping up withher.l

A wonderful time was had by alland the crowd enjoyed the extra ac-tivities. Marie Ledbetter won the$100 cash drawing and the $500drawing went unclaimed so revertedback to 485th treasury.

The Sunday morning Memorialbreakfast was very inspirational withSherrill Burba in charge and Al Mar-tin leading us in singing. Sherill had6

What Is a Mission?The Winston Dictionary states one

of a number of meanings — as thesending or state of being sent withcertain powers to do some specialservice.

And so the Mission of which wespeak was in essence a Mission ofWar, ordered by the higher echelonto go to a place (one or more) theyselect; and to devastate it with a tor-rential rain of high explosivesnamely bombs of many types.

We must also remember the termi-nology Friend or Foe because thiswas a time of War.

The Grim Reaper is always presentas you approach the selected Targetfor the Day. Havoc is all around youand the Grim Reaper is in the form ofEnemy Fighters or Anti-aircraftGuns firing flak whose purpose is tostop you before you can rain bombson the target.

It's touch and go, never knowingwhen the Reaper will reach out andpick you as you fly through the flak,observe planes exploding, on fire,crew members bailing out if theywere lucky, to become prisoners ofwar, or your time to die.

A Mission is foreboding from thetime you are awakened in the earlymorning hours from your warm cotand going through the morning ritualof a latrine stop, washing up, go to themess hall, and on to the briefing roomfor instructions regarding weather,our fighter planes, P-47's, P-51's orP-38's escorting us to and from thetarget, the number of anti aircraftguns we could expect and the numberof enemy fighters in that area. Thenthe lowering of the drape showing the

wall map pointing to the target for theday.

Then it's on to the equipmentshack to pick up the necessary gearyou will require for as much safetyfor your sole being, like a parachute,flak jacket, flak helmet, oxygenmask, heated flying suit, and head forthe revetment area where your planeis preflighted by our ever-so-neededground crew. They see that all isready fortoday's Mission, with suffi-cient gas, oil, oxygen, tire pressures,and of course the deadly targetbombs and ammunition for all the ca-liber 50 machine guns.

Next we just wait for the flarewhich tells us we are ready to go forour Mission trip to that target for to-day. With our crew on board, with theplane engines purring, every 30 sec-onds a plane from our Bomb Group isairborne, heading to rendezvous withother Bomb Groups of our 55thBomb Wing, and we are on our wayto the target we have to bomb.

A Mission is usually from three orfour hours to ten hours round trip, buteach Mission can be that one wherehavoc is waiting to do damage to partor all of your plane and the crewaboard.

Finally, those who were lucky thatday, have flown through the flak andavoided enemy fighters via the helpof our fighter escort, P-47's, P-51'sor P-3 8' s, rally together and head forhome base to be briefed as to what weobserved during the time over thetarget. "Mission completed." Tomor-row and the next day and the nextetc., we start all over again, to fly andchallenge the "Grim Reaper."

two friends who were musicians ac-company him to Savannah and theirpiano and violin selections were aprofessional touch to a perfect reun-ion. The inspiring message by Rev.Don Whiteman was the spiritual wayto end a wonderful event.

Mrs. Peg Steinhauser, thedaughter of the late John Hanson, apilot in the 831st, talked about whatthis gathering had meant to her andher mother and thanked everyone for

a wonderful tribute to all those withus in spirit only. For an emotional en-ding to our Memorial breakfast, eachtable joined hands and sang — LetThere Be Peace On Earth.

There are just a few of the high-lights of our Savannah visit — forthose of you that attended, I am sureyou'll remember certain specific'snot included in above but memoriesdon't remain as clear as they did 50years ago.

831st Boasts Only Sergeant/NavigatorAn Oregon veteran of the 831st bomb

squadron and the 485th bomb group canboast of a story unique in the group andprobably in the 15th Air Force.

S/Sgt. Ralph W. Raines served ninemissions as a navigator and for one mis-sion was awarded the Distinguished Fly-ing Cross. As a rule, navigators werecommissioned officers.

This unique veteran, Raines, resides inGaston, Ore., owns approximately 2,000acres of timber and timberland, and is asuccessful logger.

Raines, a pre-Pearl Harbor infantry-man, soon after Pearl Harbor enlisted inthe Air Force and was assigned to navi-gation school, class of 43-12. He com-pleted 16 weeks and was in the celestialphase when he became seriously ill andcould not complete the prescribedcourse.

He was then assigned to armor school,then air gunnery and advanced gunneryschool. Completing these schools suc-cessfully, he was assigned to GowanField, Idaho, as a gunnery instructor.

After a short time as gunnery instruc-tor, he was transferred to a combat crewas ball gunner early in 1944 (Lt. RobertBrown was the pilot.)

In mid-1944 the Brown crew was sentto England, but before being assigned toa group, was transferred to the 15th AirForce. The Brown crew arrived in Ven-osa late in August and was assigned tothe 831st squadron.

Raines, along with the rest of theBrown crew, flew missions through thefall and winter months.

Early in 1945 there was quite a tur-nover of navigators in the 831st becauseof several casualties and rotations. At therequest of Capt. Kenneth Savee, squad-ron navigator, Raines went through sev-eral days of retraining.

Raines was then examined by squad-ron and group navigators and pro-nounced ready to fly combat as a naviga-tor. He flew nine missions as a combatnavigator. Capt. Savee commented thatRaines' "efficiency as a navigator wasequal to and exceeded some navigatorsin this squadron."

On March 25, Raines was assigned asnavigator to Lt. Donald Webb, pilot(Blue Mike). The mission was to Brati-

Ralph W. Rainesthen . . and now

slavia, Czechoslovakia. This was closeto what was then the German-Russianfront line of the war.

There was a taxi accident that morningand Lt. Webb's plane was the last to takeoff. The delay was approximately 45 mi-nutes. LL Webb relates that "with not aplane in sight and no fighter escort, Ielected to try to catch up."

He continued: "I had high confidencein my crew. Raines gave me a course tothe initial point of the bomb run. I wasclimbing at a high rate of speed andpassed by several plotted flak positionwithout incident.

"We caught up with the final friendlyformation as it was turning onto thebomb run. The flak was fairly heavy andwe made the bomb drop and rallied offtarget."

Because of flak damage, the plane wasforced to leave the formation. Russian airfield coordinates had been given at themorning briefing and Raines had a readyheading for the plane should an earlylanding be necessary. However, the crewwas able to return to Venosa withoutfurther incident.

Lt. Webb made a recommendation fora D.F.C. for Sgt. Raines. However, thewar was beginning to wind down and itwas apparently lost in the rush of closingdown the 15th Air Force in Italy.

At the 1980 reunion Webb discoveredthat Raines had never received theaward. After a few telephone calls andletters, Raines received the D.F.C. award37 years late at a ceremony in Portland,Ore.

Ralph Raines has quite a colorful mili-tary record. He served approximately3Xi years active reserve and \% yearsactive duty in the infantry prior to PearlHarbor. He served approximately 4 yearsin the Air Force during World War 2.

From 1947-1950 he served again inthe infantry. In 1950 he retired from themilitary service to devote full time to hislogging business.

Looking back over 50 years, Rainesshould be quite proud of his military ser-vice and his success in the forestindustry.

Said Pilot Webb: "I had great confi-dence in his ability as my navigator. If Iwere to do it again, I would make nochanges." 7

room

LayingFort Jackson. FreTsims (lefand Lynn Cotterman.

Snapshots

Savannah

Sherrill Burbaconducting memorfal service.

A! Pescha being entertainedat annual banquet.

Jllillllfe1 • - - " ,-•£&'; . '•' :. »'

- - -- - --, -;_-. .-^.-^.^-:^.:\.^

Hayes, patriotic entertainer,presenting John DJRusso's poem,"Please Remember Me."

C. W. West and Earl Bundyat business meeting.

Photographs courtesy ofFrances Fundling

-'U "

Donald Whiteman givingsermon at memorialservice

Minutes of GroupBusiness Meeting

Minutes of 485th Bomb Groupbusiness meeting — September 14,1996 at 9 a.m. in the Marriott River-front Hotel in Savannah, Georgia.Entertainment by "Savannah Steve"preceded the meeting.

The color guard from the 3rd In-fantry Division from Ft. Steward,Georgia presented the colors, withthe playing of the National Anthem.Earl Bundy called the meeting to or-der. He asked for a moment of silentprayer for our departed comrades.

Minutes were read from the 1995reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mi-nutes were approved. Howard"Woody" Woodyard, treasurer, gavethe financial report. At present, wehave in account: $6,316.00 in Certifi-cates of Deposit; $4,000.00 in check-ing account. The reserve over theyears is to cover cost of LightweightTower and bequests to members andfamilies who have passed way. Alsoincreased cost of Lightweight Toweras it had cost $2,300.00 to print andmail this past year.

Earl thanked C. W. West for agreat reunion. C. W. spoke about thebanquet this evening — pictures willbe taken at 4:45 with coat and ties butno name tags. He thanked all whosent in their registration early. Therewere 300 plus who had done so, andhe mentioned that this is a great helpfor the host. C. W. also announcedthat the ads for Souvenir books tookin $3,500.00. The T-shirts and mis-cellaneous items in welcome bagshad all been donated. He thankedeveryone for all their help and statedthat total attendance at reunion is345. He also announced that allbranches of the services, in uniform,would be our guests this evening,along with their spouses. He receiveda standing ovation from all present!

Earl asked for a count: POW'S,18; MIA'S, 6; 1st Timers, 4; Wi-dows, 5; Hdquarters, 3; 828th, 43;829th, 47; 830th, 38; 831st, 49.

Flight crews were counted. JoeCathcart won again with 5 members10

They Walk Down the Aisle

Virginia and Earl BundyDuring the 1995 Scottsdale reun-

ion, Earl Bundy was honored by be-ing asked to be best man for a buddysince high school days.

At the same time he met the maidof honor who was from their home-town of Chanute, Kansas.

Says Earl: "I enjoyed walkingdown the aisle so well ahead of thebride and bridegroom, I decided a

few months later to ask them (thenewlyweds) to lead us down the aisle.

Thus, on June 5,1996, the formermaid of honor and the best man be-came Virginia and Earl Bundy, wifeand husband.

Earl moved from his former homein Columbus, Ohio and has taken upresidence with his bride in Chanute,KS.

in attendance.Ground crews numbered: 828th, 5;

829th,5; 830th,2; 831st, 3. Rod Huf-stader from Bend, Oregon hadtraveled the farthest.

Carl Mazzoni told that SamSchneider, who had written the bookon 485th history, and was the grouphistorian, had made and donated thesquadron doormats to be raffled. Carlhad one left and had a drawing for it.He asked Earl Bundy to draw a namefrom the hat. Guess who won? EarlBundy! He also told that one couldcontact Sam Schneider if theywanted to order a doormat, or to givehim any information or stories for his

second book of the 485th history, thathe is in the process of writing. SamSchneider's address is: 20110 Ven-tura Ave., Port Charlotte, Florida33952 and his telephone number is813-629-2935.

John DeRusso thanked all who hadplaced his poem "Please RememberMe" in various places. He also askedfor a show of hands of those who hadobserved that the flag was not flyingat half mast on December 7th, PearlHarbor Day. He asked us to contactour Congressmen, Mayors etc. onemonth ahead of December 7th to re-quest that flags be flown at half mast

(Continued on Page 11)

Minutes(Continued from Page 10)

to honor those who had died on thatday.

Dan Sjodin asked for men to standwho had competed 50 missions inItaly. Francis Tunstall of the 830th,led a rousing "Hip, Hip, Horray" forWalter"Pop" Arnold who was absentfrom this reunion, but had promisedto come next year.

Chet Konkolewski told of the 15thAir Force reunion to be held in LasVegas on April 22nd thru 26th, 1997.He also had 15th AF patches avail-able for $3.00 each with $1.00 goingto 485th treasury. Earl announcedthat he had files of Carl Gigowski'swith old copies of Lightweight Tow-ers — numbers 1 through 24. Hewould compile books at $5.00 eachfor anyone interested. Earl's new ad-dress is: P.O. Box 492, Chanute, Ks.66720 and phone number is316-431-9315.

Col. John Comett asked to honorCol. Tomhave who was group com-mander prior to Col. Douglas Cairns.

Sherrill Burba gave informationon the reunion to be held in Dallas,Texas — September 4th through 9th,1997, at the Harvey Hotel in down-town Dallas, at the rate of $68.00 pernight. He asked that all fill out ques-tionaires, give them to him at re-gistration in Savannah, or mail themto him so he can make the final deci-sions on what events etc. will be se-tup for the '97 reunion. There will besome new inovations at this reunion,ie: pictures of couples, plus squadronpictures, reusable name tags, andecumenical service on Sunday with aRabbi, Catholic Priest and ProtestantMinister officiating. Marvin and Na-omi Lindsay will co-host the reunion.

Earl asked for a host for the 1998reunion to be held East of the Missip-pippi. There were no volunteers.

Dan Sjodin spoke of the visit of the8th Air Force Museum on Fridayhere in Savannah. He thought it wasinteresting, but remembered that theB-17's had flown at 29,000,' whilethe B-24's were at 24,000': thus wecaught the brunt of the flak!

Earl Bundy spoke of the reunion in

Second Reunion — In 1961 the 828th Squadron held Its second reunion, priorto the first reunion for the entire 485th group. The 1961 event was held at thehome of Robert Deeds. The banner was brought to Toledo by a group of squad-ron veterans from North Carolina.

Fairmont, Nebraska in June, 1996,with approximately 12,000 in atten-dance. He said that there were copiesof the program in the memorabiliaroom. There was an air show, a tourof the city and a new museum. Sevengroups had trained there, includingthe 15th and 20th Air Forces.

Ed Nett told all "computer buffs"of a way to locate lost friends on C.D.Rom. AH telephone numbers in theUnited States are listed. If the nameyou're looking for isn't too commonie John Smith, you may be able tofind that person.

For those interest in ordering thehistory of the 485th, 'This is how itwas" — the address of the publisheris: Southern Heritage Press, P.O. Box10937, St. Petersburg, FL 33733,(813) 823-1938 or (800) 282-2823.The price is $39.95 plus $3.95 S/M— Total $43.90 — Florida residentsonly, add 7% sales tax.

Bob Hanson told of "Fantasy ofFlight" museum near Lakeland, FLand had brochures for any one inter-ested and going in that direction. Hethen read "The Fighting Men of the485th" poem to close the meeting.

The color guard returned the Col-ors. Meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully submittedLynda L. Hanson — Secretary

485th Bomb Group

Ex-GunnersBeing Sought

Ex-gunners are eligible for mem-bership in the Air Force GunnersAssociation.

Formed in 1986, the associationmembership is open to any veteranwho flew on any type of bomber air-craft as a gunner, including radio op-erators and flight engineers.

The group has biennial reunions,alternating from east, central andwestern sections of the country.

Annual dues is $15. Address forthe association is 453 Plaza Circle,Bossier City, LA 71111-4811.

Proper Address

One of the increasing costs of pub-lishing the Lightweight Tower is thepostal service charges for publica-tions being missent.

Veterans are asked to make suretheir particular squadron reporter isaware of your proper address at thetime the Lightweight Tower is to bemailed.

Fewer wrong addresses will meanless expense and we urge everyone toassist us in this undertaking.

11

A Tail Gunner's PlightBy Charles R. Fournier

After a very tense and stressfulbriefing, the crew of Captain Tomp-kins listened as he spoke the words,intense heavy and accurate. Withthese words ringing in their heads,the crew loaded their gear on thetruck and jumped aboard. On reach-ing the ramp with the ship, still notfully lighted as it was 5:00 a.m., no-body was talking.

Going to Munich, Germany didnot set well so the crew wasn't in thebest of moods. "Load up" came alltoo soon. Each one took his parapher-nalia, consisting of flak helmet, flaksuit, heated gloves, parachute andoxygen mask, and placed it near his

station.Not long after take-off and forma-

tion of the bomb group, each airmanwent over his equipment. At thispoint the tail gunner discovered hisoxygen mask was missing. Panic setin and he ran about the ship to see ifanyone had an extra. None wasfound, now what to do?

The tail gunner got into his turretand when the pilot said "go on oxy-gen," he came up with a plan. Puttinga hankerchief over the oxygen hosehe was able to breathe.

Just before entering the target areathe ME 109 fighters hit like flies on agarbage can. The tail gunner becameactive in firing his guns and forgot

the oxygen hose, dropping it.In a few minutes his hands began

to shake. His thoughts were "man,I've got to control my fright." Thenhe remembered his training in thepressure tank of what lack of oxygencauses. He put the hose back in hismouth and turned on the emergencyknob.

After the mission, and when thegunner set foot on terra firma, hecould hardly stand or walk to his rideback to camp. I'll have to say that Inever forgot my oxygen mask again.

S/Sgt. Charles R. Fournier485th E.G., Sqdn 830

Original Crew #46

Door Mats for Sale

The door mats shown above were displayed for the firsttime at the Savannah reunion.

They are being offered for sale at $10 each and are handpainted.

You may order them by contacting John Spurlock, 4089Rose Arbor Circle, Port Charlotte, Fla. 33948.

12

Dallas(Continued from Page 1)

vcipate include Al Martin, our We-sleyan song leader, Lee and MableCraig, our Presbyterian musicians,and Burba, a Presbyterian deacon.

According to Burba, entertain-ment for the Saturday night dinner isnot yet completed, but he assures allthat it will have a "Texas theme" toshow the diversity of the populationof Dallas and Texas.

Help in FindingFormer Buddy

Are you trying to contact a long-lost crew member, or a pal from theengineering shack whom you havenot seen in 50 years?

Well, Sherrill Burba may be able tohelp you. He reports that his compu-ter has on file 90 million residentialtelephones. He is willing to try to helpyou locate your buddy.

He needs the name and as much in-formation you can give him — atleast, his home state.

*• You may write Sherrill at hishome: 11314 Hillcrest, Dallas, TX75230.

Happy Birthday—The then Col. Wal-ter E. Arnold Is shown cutting his birth-day cake (No. 31) at Venosa, Italy in1944. The now Gen. Arnold was the485th's first commander.

JOURNEY'S ENDCurtis Abbot, 831st 1996George Albrecht, 829thDonald Evjen, 831st 1996John D. Hansen, 831st 1996Art Karns, 829th Apr. 1, 1996Harry L. McGaw, 831st 1996Sherman Peters, Hgts. July 1995

LIGHTWEIGHT TOWER

CALLING

Published annually by and for theveterans of the 485th Bomb Group(H).

EditorDonald L. Webb138 Popodickon DriveBoyertown, PA 19512

Historian:Sam Schneider20110 Ventura Ave.Port Charlotte, FL 33952

Hdqtrs. Reporter:Robert M. Benson11002 N. May Ave., Apt. #211Oklahoma Ciiy, OK 73120

828th Reporter:Carl Mazzoni18211 Nebraska CLOriand Park, IL 60462

829th Reporter:Joe C. Cathcart510 Old Hickory Blvd., Apt. 304Nashville, Term. 37205

830th Reporter:Chester Konkolewski7454 Pipers BluffSanAntonio, TX 78251

831st Reporter:Lynn Cotterman6425 Dorado Beach, NEAlbuquerque, NM 87111

An Open Letter from Our HistorianWhat can I say to you from my home in Port Charlotte,

Florida? Perusing the thought, my immediate statement is"I wish I had been there in Savannah with you to enjoy ourreunion to the fullest."

Meeting some of my old buddies as well as meeting thenew, and reminiscing "This Is How It Was Stories," andtrying to catch up on 50 years plus what has happened tous. Stories about our families, children, grandchildren andfriends.

Unfortunately my physical problems say: "Sammy, youcannot go, so just hang hi there and keep playing the shotsand look forward to another year."

The mission you assigned "Writing the History of my485th," I completed within the six months deadline. In myestimation, the book was published with flying colors.Hopefully to the satisfaction of the majority who pur-chased the book. I know there will be some who are not sa-tisfied and rightfully so. Names and rank missing etc., butsix months was not sufficient time to do an A-l job in myestimation. It took the publisher six months to have thebook printed.

One of the goals that I set for myself at the time was toget it on Talking Books for the Blind and the Handicapped.I'd like to report that this came about in August, and is nowavailable through libraries and the Library of CongressChapter in Deltona, Florida. A special cassette player isneeded for the many kinds of talking books that are avail-able and is free. The receipt and return of cassettes havefree postage. From this effort, the 485th will receive addedpublicity via National Coverage.

An application with instructions may be gotten fromyour local library. Have it completed and signed by theirdoctor, then return it free to: The Bureau of Braille andTalking Book Library Services, Daytona Beach, Florida32198-0001. A short wait, and you will receive the cas-sette player, a catalog and your choice of audios to listento.

In closing may I say give it full throttle on another mis-sion. Only milk runs this time for easy, enjoyable living inour golden years. Best wishes to all, always, and That IsMy Story For Today.

Sam Schneider485th Bomb Group Historian

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MAIL ROOM

485TH BOMB GROUP HQ —

Bob Benson(with help from

Warren Sortomme)

Due to the fact that Dorothy and I were unable to attendthe Savannah reunion, Warren Sortomme was able to pro-vide me with sufficient information to write this article.Thank you, Warren.

The comments that I have received from the men whoattended the reunion and that I have talked with have beenhighly complimentary. It was a wonderful reunion, and C.W. and Ding West and their family members are to be con-gratulated. A big "thank-you" to all of you for a great time.

Group headquarters was not too well represented, I'msorry to say. John "Beau" Cornett, Loyd Towers and War-ren Sortomme were the only three men from headquarters,but I'm sure there will be more in attendance next year atDallas. There were 180 veterans attending and, when con-sidering the wives and guests, the total came to 345.

All of the meals that were served were excellent, and theservice provided at the hotel was outstanding. The showand dinner at Fort Jackson were very enjoyable—even forthe mosquitos that attended and kept coming back formore. The entertainment and the Big Band Sound at theSaturday night banquet were wonderful.

It is with regret that I inform you of another loss fromgroup headquarters. Sherman Peters passed-on in July,1995. Our deepest sympathy is extended to his widow,Shirley. Sherman was in group operations.

Our next reunion will be at Dallas, Texas. As you cansee elsewhere in this publication, it will be held in Septem-ber, 1997 at the Harvey Hotel in downtown Dallas. Furtherinformation is also included in this publication, and youwill be receiving a schedule of events and hotel informa-tion along about May or June of this year.

We're looking forward to this being another reunion tobe remembered. We are all getting up there in years and, ifyou have never attended one of our reunions, you will ben-efit a lot being with us in Dallas later this year.

Once again, I ask for your financial support in meetingmy expenses. The cost of printing, postage, phone calls,mailing supplies, etc. keep going up, so I ask for your help.My appreciation is extended to those of you who do send adonation annually — thank you.

We will see you in Dallas in September — God bewilling.

828TH BOMB SQDN —

Carl Mazzoni

Let me begin this report of our 32nd reunion with a cres-cendo of heartfelt "thank you, thank you, thank you:" forour hosts, C. W. and Ding West. Their limitless congenial-14

ity and generosity pervaded and prevailed throughout theentire time and functions of our reunion. These superbqualities were also extended to us by C. W.'s family andfriends who gave much time and effort to us all. To all ofyou, our sincere gratitude.

The facilities offered were most spacious and there wasmuch time socializing in the hospitality rooms and thebeautiful atrium overlooking the Savannah River.

Wednesday was spent checking in and saying hello toold and new friends. Also, Mary and I arranged a raffle forfive door mats, artfully painted with the insignia of all foursquadrons and headquarters. These mats were donated bySam Schneider, our group historian. We raised $80 whichwas given to the 485th group. Thanks, Sam, from all of us.

These mats were really a piece of work. They are handpainted and cost only $10 plus shipping and handling. Or-derthem by contacting Mr. John Spurlock, 4089 Rose Ar-bor Circle, Port Charlotte, FL 313948. The winner of the828th drawing was Herman Laorno of Phoenix. Ariz.

Thursday we took a tour of Fort Stewart, home of the24th Infantry. It was very interesting to get to meet ourmodern soldiers and get an introduction to modern wea-pons systems. Buck Rogers and the 25th Century had no-thing on these guys! And the mess halls! Would you be-lieve air conditioning and individual dishes for the foodserving of your choice from a menu that went from soup tonuts. The old Consolidated Mess Hall will never comeback — thank goodness. And NO KP! Unbelievable!

I don't have a report about the golf outing since I don'tgolf and judging by the reputation of duffers in general, I'lllet them tell their tall tales in person when you see themagain.

In the evening we visited and had a typical Southerndinner at Old Fort Jackson. It was very interesting to learnof the old military traditions and customs of the earlyGeorgia Militia. It was a great show.

On Friday we toured the Gulfstream plant where theymanufacture a beautiful, state of the art executive jet trans-port. Of course, the cost of the planes are also fantastic. Imade an offer on one, but they said "no," although they didsay I could have three (3) rivets if I paid cash. (Maybewhen the market is down.) The personnel were veryfriendly and informative and the lunch was delicious. Wehad a good time.

The dinners were all excellent and Saturday night thedancing and entertainment were great. Once more may Isay thank you, C.W. and Ding.

The 828th meeting was held Friday at 5:15 p.m. We had43 members in attendance. We had two first timers, Leo-nard Kraus, of Mission Viejo, Calif., and Henry L. Millerof Savannah, Ga., our host city.

Ed Nett welcomed all the men of the 828th, said howproud he was of us and the pride he feels to have servedwith us. Thank you, Ed, we value and hold dearly yoursentiments.

First timer, Henry Miller, pointed out the fact that henever knew about the 485th Group reunions until he readabout this one in his local paper. We had a lively discus-

sion on the matter and some good ideas were suggested.Think about the problem of how to let more people knowabout the reunions and let me know your ideas. I hope tohave more in our news letter.

Sherill Burba said he is getting a new computer that willhave a nationwide listing of names and telephone num-bers. Maybe we could put this to use in finding many lostmembers of the group. More on this advertising problemlater.

The 33rd annual reunion will be in Dallas, Texas, hostedby Sherill Burba and his lovely wife, Geraldine. From thelooks of plans they have for us, I would say — DON'TMISS THIS ONE!

33rd Annual ReunionSeptember 3-7, 1997

485th Bomb Group ReunionHarvey Hotel — Downtown Dallas

Dallas, Texas

Carl and Mary MazzoniHope to see you all there.

829th BOMB SQDN. —

Joe Cathcart, Jr.

As this is my first time being fully responsible for the829th mail room, please bear with me. At least I have leftplenty of room for improvement.

C. W. West and Ding sponsored a wonderful reunion atSavannah. Of course it was great, C. W. was from the829th, worked in the orderly room, made up payrolls,issued passes and kept Fred Sims out of trouble.

With his hosting duties he was not able to keep Fredfrom joining Earl Bundy and Hank Dolim in the 830th pic-ture. Another first for the 829th, the only squadron withpast Commander, Executive Officer and reporter picturedwith the wrong squadron. Come on back, fellows, we loveyou anyhow.

On the count of attendees in the official minutes the831st nosed us out 49 to 47, but at one point we had themost standing. We are giving them a run for their money.Next year in Dallas we will take'em. Sounds like the fan ofa losing football team, doesn't it.

Mary Karns reported that Art passed away April 1,1996. He has attended many of our reunions and will besorely missed. Also mail sent to George Albrecht has beenreturned marked deceased. These will be forwarded to the15th Air Force. I apologize for any omissions but with thechange of reporters we may not be receiving all of the mailyet.

I received notes from Charles Crane and James Rideoutexplaining why they could not make Savannah. They areexcused this year, but we hope to see them in Dallas.

Congratulations are in order for Earl Bundy and BartonBrown who both were married this year. Earl's lovely

bride, Virginia, was in attendance and we are looking for-ward to meeting Barton's wife at a future reunion.

I was pleased that a goodly number of our original firstpilots were in attendance: Roy Daniels after several yearsabsence, Bob Skelton, Don Whiteman, Bob Peterson,Clark Miller and myself— almost enough for a maximumeffort mission.

On a personal note, Martha and I celebrated our 50thwedding anniversary on Wednesday before the reunionwas in full swing. Don (my bombardier) and Mary Roehncelebrated their 49th on the same day. We were joined bythe rest of our crew in attendance in Savannah. Slayton andJo McGehee, Marvin and Naomi Lindsay and Leon andBetty Best ate a delightful dinner at a restaurant C.W. andDing has recommended.

In closing I quote the Nashvillians I grew up with whoused to say on the radio "keep them cards and letters com-ing in" and if they include a little contributions to cover ex-penses, that wouldn't hurt either. Thanks to those of youwho have been most generous.

My new address is 510 Old Hickory Blvd., Apartment304, Nashville, TN 37209. Y'all come to Big "D" for the1997 event.

830TH BOMB SQDN —

Chester Konkolewski

We all are another year older, some with canes and infir-mities, but yet, we come to join our friends in the quaintand beautiful city of Savannah, Georgia in September to sitdown and swap some stories, share a few jokes and havefun.

This successful reunion owes itself to the efforts of C.W. West, his wife Ding, and several of their friends. Ev-erything was wonderful and seemed to flow like clock-work. Congratulations!

It was a very nice turn out by the 830th veterans, theirspouses and relatives. By my count I believe we registered43. However, three of those were unable to attend due topersonal concerns. During the roll call taken at the generalmeeting, 38 members were counted as present.

Our Squadron meeting had an excellent turn out and re-sulted in a very good informational exchange. Unfortu-nately, yours truly failed to have members sign in. I guessit happens to some of us youngsters, hey!! We did pass thehat around and collected atidy some of money towards ournewsletter fund. Thank you one and all! I also receivedsome donations from Ralph B. Helm, Leroy Sanders, BobSamuels since then; thanks guys.

Present at the reunion were: Simon & Elaine Baytala,Howard & Shirley Boxley, the Baldwins, Bill & BettyCummings, Les DeJong, Bill & Naomi DeVore, George &Kathie Dyer, Chuck Forester, Paul & Beverly Grubb, theEd Gunns (first timers), Warren & Evelyn Gorman, ourCO Richard & Marilyn Griffin, Art Housden, Jim & VioletHunter, Harold & Mickey Kempffer, the Norman Kings,

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Don & Carline Landrum, the Learys, Ted & Rose Li-pinski, Larry & Lila-Beth Martin, Bob Plaister, ChuckPorter, Steve & Jean Paynic, John & Anne McCarthy,George & JanetRaidel, Harry & Jane Oberholtzer, John &Dell Schill, Cliff Studaker, Howard & Mary Sanborn, FranTunstall & Son, and finally, Ken Muse.

There may be some that I missed, forgive me, my mindjust does not cooperate some times. By the way, sorry thatSandy Sanborn and John McCarthy missed the photosession.

Thank you one and all for your lovely Christmas greet-ings!: Ted & Rose Lipinski and their donation; Bob &Linda Hansen; the Herb Kohlhorsts; Harold & TheoEngle; Bob & Dorothy Benson; Bob & Lucy Esarey; Earl& Virginia Bundy; Nick Nicholson; Oscar Knight; Joe &Fay Morgan; Leroy Sanders and their donation; Ray &Irene Foster w/picmres; John & Dell Schill; George &Janet Raidel; Sam Schneider, Warren & Evelyn Gorman;Ev & Melba Banker (my pilot); Guy & Ina Botard; Ralph& Wilma Skinner; John & Mickey Strang; Dick Bizzozerow/donation; Bill & Betty Cummings; Paul & BeverlyGrubb; Mrs. Florence Laughtlin; Howard & Shirley Box-ley; Harold & Mickey Kempffer; Chuck Porter; BobLewis; Jim & Pat Roach; Steve & Jean Paynic w/letter;Bob & Ruth McVann; Pat & Pat Russo; Aldo Grandoni(my tailgunner); Ralph & Irene Campbell; Art Housden;Don & Mickey Kogas; Bob & Donna Samuels w/donation; Clarence (Deacon) & Ruth Miller; John & JeanForst w/letter; Paul & Jean Lovejoy; and Dick Fedell w/letter. Best wishes to all of you! Hope you received myChristmas letter!

FYI! In October, one month after the reunion I was in-volved in a major car accident as I was returning home oneevening. As I proceeded through the main intersection intomy housing development I was broadsidcd by a city policevehicle; the officer even admitted his car ran the light.

Anyway, my Suburban was destroyed and I wound up inthe hospital, severely bruised (luckily I had my seat belton). The next 30 days I spent in my house without trans-portation and just trying to heal my sore body.

So there you have it! I am doing well and, in closing, Ido wish you the very best in the coming year. With thegrace of God I am hoping to see all of you at our next reun-ion in Dallas, Texas.

God Bless!

831ST BOMB SQDN —

Lynn Cotterman

Another great reunion! Seems like they get better everyyear. Since I'm "Tail End Charlie"! won't rehash the reun-ion, but I would like to mention a couple of things. First Iwant to add our thanks to the hosts, C.W. and Ding West,who did a super job and they deserved the standing ovationthat they received at the group meeting Saturday. They16

saw to every detail, even handing out insect repellent at theOld Fort Jackson. Also being a reformed smoker I thinkthe smoking room is a great idea and hope it becomes atradition. Their's will be a hard act to follow.

Besides the good stuff at the reunion there was aboutone mile of shops and restaurants along the River Front,just a short work from the hotel. Since I live in the middleof New Mexico I really enjoyed the fresh sea food. Alsothe women could shop until they dropped or run out ofmoney.

Those who visited the old town of Savannah found it tobe an interesting city loaded with history. The city wasspared during the Civil War and many of the old homesand historic landmarks have been cared for so they can stillbe enjoyed by visitors. This is another reason I enjoy thereunions. Not only do we enjoy seeing our friends and theentertainment, but also we have the opportunity to visit thecity and see its points of interest.

Seven of our gang reached "Journey's End" this pastyear. I received a letter from Harry McGaw's wife sayingHarry died in January from a heart attack. John Hansen'sdaughter called to say John had passed away in the Springafter about with cancer. Bill Brokaw called and said CurtisAbbott passed away in October. William Todd died in Julyand Robert B arrett and Charles Nordstrom passed away inNovember 1995. Also I learned at the reunion that DonaldEvjen, passed away.

We were glad to see Don's wife, Jeanette, attend thereunion as did John Hansen's wife, Dolly, and hisdaughter, Peggie Steinhauser. We are always glad to seethe widows at the reunion as they are still a part of thegang. Helen Iwanski can tell you that; she hasn't missedone for several years.

There were no first timers this year, but I heard from acouple of old timers who planned to come but didn't makeit. I talked with the Proudloves, last year's hosts. Junesounds good but she is not able to travel yet so she andLloyd canceled. Jim "Doc" Johnson, our Flight surgeonand his wife, Judy, caught a bug while touring Ireland withBill and Jo Anne Brokaw and were unable to attend. Morebad luck for Jim, he was diagnosed as having acuteLeukemia in October and has spent most of the time in thehospital since them.

Now for some good news and gossip. Woody, our re-tired 831st reporter, attended his high school reunion lastFall in Arkansas and ran into an old flame. I understand therelationship is heating up. Colonel Dan who is a bacheloragain bought a winter home in Texas and is dancing thetime away with the widows there. A big thanks to Frankand Lucille Chaffin who help with the stuffing and mailingof the information to you guys. They discovered what anice place Albuquerque is and now live down the road apiece. Frank was the nose gunner on our crew.

Make your reservations for the reunion next year in Dal-las. After seeing the list of tours and entertainment avail-able I know that we are in for another great time. I am look-ing forward to seeing the regulars and hope to see somenew faces in Dallas.