Page 1 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker The Mohawker Newsletter of the OV-1 Mohawk Association w w w .o v - 1 m oh aw ka sso ci at i o n .o rg In This Issue XO Notes /Reunion Report 2 Reminiscing Flying Days 8 Taps 3 The Artic Odyssey of 60 - 3743 and 60 - 3744 10 Reunion Recap 4 Membership Report 14 Those Magnificent Troops 6 Association Contacts 15 Mail Call 7 This newsletter is the sole property of the OV - 1 Mohawk Association, reproduction by any means is not authorized without written permis sion of the Board of Directors. Permission may be sought by writing to the Executive Director, OV - 1 Mohawk Association, 13111 88th Pl. NE, Kirkland, WA 98034. The OV - 1 Mohawk Association is a nonprofit, tax - exempt corporation, per IRS 501(C)3. Donations are tax - deductible. Ferry Flight from Bethpage, Long Island, New York to Bryant Army Airfield, Anchorage, Alaska 1LT Leigh Sprowls - SP5 Lester Maddox - Navy CPT Gates, BUWEPS - SP5 Jerry Townsend - 1LT John Lane OV - 1A Mohawks 60 - 3743 and 60 - 3744 Page 2 November - December 2013 Issue #116 T he Mohawker From the Executive Director - Gordy Darragh Reunion 2013 in Savannah is now history, but what great histo ry it is! First of all, Savannah was a wonderful city to spend a vaca tion in as a first time visitor from the Pacific Northwest. It is a city founded in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Geor gia. Even though British colonists originally settled it, American revolutionaries controlled the city until the British and Loyalists regained control in 1778. At the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American and French troops fought unsuccessfully to retake the city. Again, in December 1864, Savannah was invaded by Un ion troops during the American Civil War, causing much material damage in the process. Today, this wonderful old city is the site of the Savannah College of Art and Design, an amazing cemetery that is maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution and an old movie theatre that has been fully restored as a result of a gift by actor Kevin Spacey after he visited the city for the filming of the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in 1997 in which he starred. It was wonderful greeting friends, renewing acquaintanc es and making new ones over the five days that I was there. Chris and Beth Walker hit another homerun with every aspect of the Reunion! The Hilton Desoto Savannah was a beautiful venue with a banquet room that easily sat the over 300 reunion guests for Saturday night’s dinner, an easily found room for the Mohawk PX and a large hospi tality room on the 15 th floor with a wonderful view of downtown and the nearby Savannah River. We visited the Mighty 8 th Air Force Aviation Museum, where an almost completely restored B - 17 and other air craft are on display. There were great historical displays of cause of WWII in Europe, tribute to the ladies who were members of the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) and their great contribution to the war effort. There is a life size display of a safe house in Belgium. The tour ends with video presentations of the preflight briefing pilots received, other presentations and a multi - media production of an actual mission over Europe with authentic footage. Some folks decided to be tourists on their own. I would encourage you to send any pictures to George Coleman and/or Mack Gray to share in a future Mohawker or on the website, along with a description of what you saw while you were there. I know many of us would really appreci ate seeing them! Two Army officers gave a briefing on the mission of the 224th MI Battalion at Hunter AAF to us on Friday after noon. They could not tell us a whole lot other than their mission is to gather intelligence using newer technology and different platforms than the Mohawk had nearly a half century ago. We appreciated them sharing with us and answering our questions to best of their ability. At our annual Association Business Meeting on Saturday we welcomed several FNGs (“Friendly New Guys”) who were first time reunion attenders. We also had several very important votes: New Board of Director members were chosen, as was the site for the 2015 Reunion. New Board members are: Tom Hummel, Executive Director;; Bill McNease, Membership Director;; John Bosch, Reunion Director;; and Terry Clark, Website Director. Their terms begin on January 1 st Congratulations all, and welcome to the Board of Directors! The other important vote that was taken was for the site of the 26 th Reunion in 2015. And the winner is...San Die go (with 53 votes)! Other suggestions were Denver, Seat tle, Tucson and Portland, Oregon. Reunion Director - elect John Bosch lives in the San Diego area and will work to provide another outstanding event in two years. I would encourage any of you, particularly if you live in the South ern California area, to give him a call to offer him any help you can. Bob Mallardi gave us an update on Dallas 2014, our 25 th Reunion...dates are September 4 - 7 and the headquarters hotel is the Dallas Intercontinental in nearby Addison. When registration opens on our website don’t be late in reserving your room! You don’t want to miss out on the fun by having to travel between hotels (in case there is one needed for overflow) to attend events at the Intercontinen tal. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our Silver Anniversary Reunion! Let’s make this the biggest and best one ever! The Saturday evening banquet was a wonderful affair. We had LTC Rich Melnyk, CSM Brian Cullen, CPT Alex ander Humes of the 224 th MI Battalion and their wives as our special guests. A Color Guard from Hunter Army Air field posted and retired the colors for us also. In a departure from previous programs, we had three speakers this year. Mark Bellamy of the 20th ASTA, 73rd and 131st Aviation Companies shared about his and his observer’s ejection over Vietnam and their subsequent res cue;; he then introduced LTC Ben Rinehart, USMC (Retired), who was his rescuer. Ben shared with the gath ering the details of the rescue operation and how, over the ( Darragh - Continued on page 3) Page 3 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker T a p s past few years he and Mark have continued their friend ship. I then introduced LTC George Drago, USAR (Retired), who shared the circumstances why he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism while he was with the 225 th Aviation Company in Vi etnam. We all appreciated that these three gentlemen shared their stories with us on Saturday evening. The Interim Executive Director, after some difficulty, managed to introduce the Directors - elect to the audience. (You see, I had not written their names down, so my brain decided to go absolutely blank when I tried to remember their names! Oh well, many told me that this is becoming a bit more frequent for many of us now.) The colors were retired and another reunion banquet was ended. We all adjourned to the chaos of taking unit photos and then many went to the bar to finish up the night. All in all, the Mohawkers agreed that this was one of the best reunions we have had, and we are looking forward to Dallas in September 2014. Will see you all there! Gordy Darragh - Acting XO (Darragh - Continued from page 2) Colonel (Retired) Juan Francisco Herrera , born in Corpus Christi, TX March 8, 1941 passed away from complications of pneumonia, Sunday, October 6, 2013. He is preceded in death by his son, John Frank Herrera and is survived by his wife, Kathleen Herrera;; daughter, Christina Horne (Jason) and grandson, Cullen Horne of Adairsville, Georgia. Other family members include sisters Teresa Sanchez and Angela Kostecka of Texas and brother - in - law John St. John (Demie) of Chicago, Illinois. Colonel Herrera graduated from Texas A & I, the Army War College, and the University of North Carolina. He had a distinguished 33 year career in the US Army, including 3 tours in Vietnam. His numerous awards and commendations, include the Distinguished Flying Cross. John (as he was known) served with the 131 st Aviation Company (AS) in Vietnam (Spud) and commanded the 73rd Military Intelligence Company (AS) in Stuttgart, Germany. He later served as the Army Aviation Officer for the Georgia National Guard. After retiring he taught English for several years at Round Rock High School in Round Rock, Texas. Graveside services were October 10, 2013 at the Georgia National Cemetery, Canton, Georgia. Master Sergeant (Retired) Charles N. Cole, Jr . Member #1355 passed away July 19, 2013 in Temple, Texas. MSG Cole was born April 11, 1929 and served in the United States Army for 30 years. He served with the 245 th Aviation Company (Red Haze) Marble Mountain from October 1966 to June 1969 as an Imagery Interpreter. Burial was at Arlington National Cemetery September 3, 2013. Survivors include his wife, Ruth Elliott Cole, of 62 years;; daughters Patricia Cole Hargett and Mary Cole Davila;; three grandsons and several great - grandchildren. Betty Ann Anderson , wife of Leonard (Andy) Anderson passed away. A memorial service was held December 19, 2013 at the Memory Garden in Gulf Cemetery South Walton County Florida. Andy is member #1187 and served with the 73 rd Aviation Company in 1969. Page 4 November - December 2013 Issue #116 T he Mohawker We closed the books on our 24 th annual OV - 1 Mohawk reunion in Savannah, Georgia, which turned out to be a rousing, surprising, success. There were approximately 300 members, spouses and guests in attendance;; a number larger than expected, by any measure. Typically, those numbers are not seen at Mohawk reunions held anywhere but Las Vegas. Perhaps the draw was Savannah, itself. As an historic city of the old south, it is an attraction on its own for mil lions of people who trek there annually to enjoy the beau tiful old homes, museums and other historic offerings, not to mention the special food. Or, maybe it was the geo graphic location and ease of travel from Florida, where a large section of our membership resides, and from Geor gia, South Carolina, Alabama, etc. Whatever the reason, this reunion brought out many members who either had never attended a reunion before or had lapsed their attend ance for several years and decided this was one they want ed to part of. I anticipate that the reunion next year, our 25th , to be held in Dallas, Texas, will also be very heavily attended, as Texas is another state which is home to a large portion of our membership, and is easily reached by air or surface travel. Speaking of 2014, Bob and Ginny Mallardi have al ready made some very interesting and elegant plans for our Silver Anniversary reunion in the Dallas suburb of Addison, Texas, at a large, very nice hotel. They will be handling that reunion as the primary on - site reunion man agers under the watchful eye of your newly - elected Reun ion Director, John Bosch, who will serve for the next three years in that capacity. John lives in Southern California, very convenient to the location of our reunion in 2015, which is to be San Diego, CA. Back to Savannah - as many of you know, our block of rooms at the historic Hilton Savannah DeSoto hotel filled quickly and, due to the high demand for rooms during our time in town, the hotel was not able to give us more rooms at the contracted rate. Therefore, it was necessary to find a “spillover hotel” for those who wanted to come but were not able to get an affordable room in our reunion hotel. Through the efforts of our professional reunion planners, Armed Forces Reunions, Inc. (AFRI), we were able to secure more rooms down the street at the same contracted rate of $112.00 plus tax at the Courtyard by Marriott. At the beginning of our reunion we had approximately 140 rooms between the two hotels. Our two group meal events, held Thursday and Satur day nights, were both very well attended and the food pre pared by the hotel was very good. Both buffets had some thing for everyone to enjoy. Friday night was open for attendees to get out and find some of what Savannah is famous for;; delicious comfort food and seafood of all kinds. I did not hear of anyone going home hungry. AFRI will be handling the registration and assorted details for us again next year as we have already contract ed for their services to help us with our 25 th reunion. The fact that AFRI collects all the registrations, takes the pay ments, prints the name tags and keeps straight all the per sons who decide to either come or cancel at the last minute takes a tremendous load off the shoulders of the Reunion Director. At the reunion site there are still many, many details to be handled by the Reunion Director, so it is still an intense, detail - driven duty even though much of the administrative burden is handled by AFRI. Those who attended this year got to experience a new system of reserved banquet seating which was designed and introduced by AFRI. Having seats selected by those who want to sit together at a particular table, and having those displayed in advance on viewable charts, eliminates the mad rush when the banquet hall doors open and makes it much more pleasant to find your seat for the program and meal at our annual Mohawk banquet event. Any va cant seats remaining at a table are filled by AFRI staff from those who had not made a prior choice to join others. This system seemed to work very well and was well re ceived by those in attendance. Look for a similar system next year in Addison. As you may imagine, there is a large learning curve to be overcome by anyone taking over a new position on your board of directors. I will be working with both Bob Mallardi and John Bosch to ease the transition to a new Reunion Director and to pass along any tips I can. We all start with no knowledge, or very little knowledge, of what a particular job entails but you quickly build your database from previous office - holders and learning what has worked in the past. It also helps to have feedback from the membership, so don’t be shy about letting your board of directors know if you think the organization should do business in a different manner. You, the members who attend reunions, can help your Director by announcing as far as possible in advance that you have one or more items to donate for a drawing at the banquet, as this will help tremendously in the planning for the banquet agenda. Anyone who has attended knows that there are always lots of things to accomplish during that evening and often times the end of the program gets a little hectic with added items to be drawn for. As I close out my six years as your Reunion Director, I want to thank everyone for all the offers of help and en couragement shown to both Beth and me over the years. (Walker - Continued on page 5) Savannah Reunion - After Action Report - Chris Walker, Reunion Director Page 5 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker One of the best parts of being a member of the board, and being Reunion Director in particular, is that you really do get to know your fellow members of the organization. Af ter a few reunions, you will recognize those who are usual ly first in line to register and reserve their rooms and, con versely, those who wait each year until the bitter end. I’ll let you guess which ones are most appreciated. One aspect of working with AFRI has been to learn what other organizations have done to grapple with the problem of declining membership due to the passing of aging members. Several organizations have developed second - and third - generation memberships;; sons and daughters, and in some cases, grandchildren, of original members who passed on have become members of various military veterans’ groups to carry on the memory of their loved one, or just because the younger folks enjoy the group and want to be a part of the activities. This is some thing that perhaps our organization should start thinking of and planning for. We can either try to recruit younger pri and Mohawk unit members, such as those who took part in campaigns such as Desert Storm, or our own children, or we can try to merge with other groups who have similar interests to ours. Either way, for this organization to continue into the future and survive for many years, it will most likely be necessary to somewhat diminish the past focus on Vi etnam/Korea/Germany service in the various Mohawk units, and instead channel our energies toward becoming a cohesive group which enjoys getting together each year with a view toward fellowship, friendship and a common interest in the Grumman OV - 1 Mohawk aircraft. I look forward to working with Bob Mallardi and John Bosch, and to seeing all of you at our 25 th “Silver Anniver sary” reunion next year in Dallas (Addison), Texas, in Sep tember. Chris Walker Reunion Director, 2008 - 2014 (Walker - Continued from page 4) Keith Towler Page 6 November - December 2013 Issue #116 T he Mohawker Those Magnificent Troops - John Pfeiffer - Member #29 On day one of my war, i pre - flighted an armed A - Model Mohawk - by the book - then strapped in and flew into the Twilight Zone of Laos. Hours later... and well into the scotch... Max Davison (our unit's Maintenance Officer) pulled me aside and said;; "Son, when MY crew chiefs say your bird is good to go, just strap her on and go to work. Don't waste their valuable time with that walk - around and climb - about crap, eh?" The next morning, and there after, all i ever did was finger - count the blades on the nearest prop, kick a tire, and saddle up. Accordingly, my step was always extended, leg garters hung in sight, seat - harness held to slip on, and - given my usual 'morning virus' - informed that my O - 2 bottles were topped off with happy air. For the next year, into October of 1967, i mostly flew our overloaded and underpowered A - Models - with a few night flights in the B - Model - to earn that combat pay. NOT ONCE did any of those aircraft fail me of their own accord...EVER! Those magnificent troops work - ed 24/7 - under floodlights and tarps on rainy nights (they had no hangar back then) - to replace engines, tweek ordnance, camera, SLAR, IR, and avionic systems, and ... once every little safety nut was wired and checked ... emptied the ashtrays and squeaky - cleaned the windshields.( Magnificent, indeed! ) They didn't lack that 'unique humor' that comes with sustained combat - ops under crappy conditions either ... such as offering to 'hold your expensive wristwatch until you got back from your mission, out yonder'. When a Hawk returned with bullet holes in her hide, they'd fix any internal damage, then sand - and - duck tape over the holes and spray - paint the patch and put her up for duty. (Without objections from the CO...like it would matter!...they'd paint quarter - sized, red hearts on the bird's nose wheel door every time she came home wounded. Kinda neat, really.) They concocted - and - conducted a monthly 'ritual' for the VR pilots ( who flew THEIR armed Mohawks into battle ) that the CO frowned upon and ordered stopped [RIGHT !!]. Come the first day of the month, the winner' of "The Magnet - Ass Award" ( for bringing home more wounded birds than any other last month ) was ushered into their flight line shack and - like the handing down of a guilty verdict from a jury - told of their accomplishment. Rank didn't mean diddily in that setting, nor should it among men in Harm’s Way. They invested THEIR All into getting those Mohawks ready to go kick butt ... and bring their flight crews safely home ... so they could ready the bird for its next sortie later that day or the next. They “tended to frown upon” pilots who returned with tree branches stuck in her skin --- or bullet holes through it. (I ‘kinda’ saw their point!) I 'won' "The Magnet - Ass Award" a few months running, and remember asking SGT Tom Cavener;; "Sarge, how many more hits do i need to lock - up this month’s award? Would you go check your ‘Heart Log’ for me, pal?” Tom just shook his head and said ... in his always gentle manner;; “Your’re SICK, Cap’n” ... and walked away. Two things strike me as i head for a close: First is the evolved realization that those magnificent men could've crewed a winning NASCAR team, hung - over and one - handed. Second, and deep in my bones, is the somber look on their faces as i taxied in without my wingman in tow. On those occasions, they’d quietly seek me out ... one - by - one in a considerate manner ... to wonder IF maybe their aircraft had somehow failed the Crew. GUILT ... though often unfounded once the fog hopefully clears ... seems not to take any prisoners. The unrelenting horrific nature of warfare allows no do - overs for the dead, certainly ... nor unsettled regrets, be they may, for their war - mates and family, living forward. As one of the many pilots and TOs you men safeguarded ... with YOUR ALL ... I “Salute You”, most respectfully, for your Splendid Behavior in our stead ... and our war. None of the “bad and ugly reviews of that war” ... from within our homeland ... will ever sully the Valor of your outstanding performance. Thanks, Guys. pfeiff ... Out! Page 7 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker Mohawk Mail Call ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron Miller" <ronxmiller@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2013 5:25pm To: "pej@reagan.com" <pej@reagan.com> Subject: Mohawk Pilot Ashau Valley 1st Cav Division 9 - 22 - 13 Hey Paul, Life Member VHPA L05434 here. I see you are having your 24th Annual Reunion and Fly In on 5 - 7 Sep in Savannah, Ga. I am looking for the Mohawk pilot that was dispatched very early in the morning from the 1st Cav Div Hq's at Camp Evans, I believe it was in April l968??? - -- not real sure of the exact date. While I was not rated in the Mohawk, I was assigned as the Weather Officer for the Division when it went into the ASHAU Valley. I was the co - pilot. We flew over before sunlight and set up a race track pattern east of the Valley. While waiting for the fog to clear and while we were in orbit, approximately 2000 feet above the terrain, I noticed puffs of black smoke exploding in front and around our aircraft. I ask the pilot if he knew what was happening --- then informed him that we had been targeted by anti aircraft fire --- thankfully we were not hit and a short time later, I called the Division on the command net and informed them that the valley was clear for the attack ---- The division lost several aircraft that day with high causalities. A Sky Crane took a dozer in and just as he was setting it down, an NVA soldier hit the cockpit with a B - 40 rocket -- all were killed. If you find the Mohawk pilot, please give him my email address and ask him to contact me. Thanks -- have a great time in Savannah --- spent many good time there in the 70's. Tailwinds, Ron Miller - Helicopter Gunship Pilot Vietnam l966 - 68 - 73 National Advisory Committee, Veterans Business Affairs, U.S. SBA (2002 - 2011) National Veterans Adviser, National League of POW - MIA Families. Commissioner, City of Jonesboro , AR The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument will be dedicated at the State Capitol in Austin on Saturday, March 29, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. The dedication and “Welcome Home Fair” at the Capitol are free and open to the public. March 29 th has been designated nationally and in Texas as “Vietnam Veterans Day” because on that day in 1973, the last combat troops left Vietnam. The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument was approved by the 79 th Texas legislature in 2005 through House Concurrent Resolution No. 36 to honor Texans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during the Vietnam War, including the 3,417 who died or went missing. The State Preservation Board gave final approval to the monument design on September 20, 2013. The monument, originally designed by New Mexico artist Duke Sundt, is being completed and bronzed by Clint Howard at the Deep in the Heart Art Foundry in Bastrop. A dedication ceremony paying tribute to the service of all Texas Vietnam veterans and the sacrifice of those who gave their lives will be conducted as the monument is unveiled and presented to the people of Texas by the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument Committee. The committee of Vietnam veterans, chaired by Mr. Robert Floyd of Austin, has been responsible for all aspects of the monument design, construction and fundraising. The dedication ceremony theme will be Once, America Sent Them to War. Now Texas Welcomes Them Home. Expected participants include Mr. Floyd, monument legislative sponsors State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa and State Representative Wayne Smith, and other Texas elected leaders. Retired Army Lieutenant General Mick Kicklighter, who heads the United States Department of Defense 50th Commemoration of the Vietnam War program, will speak. Ms. Karoni Forrester, Vice - Chair of the National League of POW/MIA Families and daughter of Texas Marine Captain Ron Forrester, MIA, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. Other ceremonial participants will include Texas Vietnam veterans representing all services, the Texas Children’s Choir and students from Edgewood ISD in San Antonio. Following the ceremony, attendees will be invited to visit the Texas Vietnam Heroes Exhibit in the Lower Rotunda of the Capitol. The exhibit displays replicas of the 3,417 personalized dog tags honoring Texans who died in Vietnam that will be entombed in the monument. Additional Vietnam War related historical and tribute exhibits will be displayed on the Capitol grounds in a “Welcome Home Fair” through the day. Page 8 November - December 2013 Issue #116 T he Mohawker Reminiscing Flying Days with George Coleman - As Told to Mack Gray At the end of 2013 George Coleman finished 13 years of service to the Association as newsletter editor and web master. His contribution of time and talent has helped the Association in ways that are hard to measure. In addition to the newsletter and web site, George was instrumental in starting to digitally archive the story of the OV - 1 Mohawk. He converted the first 100 newsletters to Adobe PDF format (these are available for purchase from the Association PX on a disk) then helped Craig Breder when the Association authorized funds to scan other documents. In an exchange of emails in May of 2012 George and I recounted our stories on how we got into the flying business. The beginnings are similar but George continued long after I was finished. Also, his experience was much greater then my experience. Following is a capsule of George’s journey in military and civilian aviation. Mack Gray - Member #248 George’s Journey The Army ad said, "High school to flight school" and that was very true. Some came into Warrant Officer Candidate (WOC) school right out of high school and basic training, some were enlisted first for several years and then applied and made it through a flight school board and then came while others were Second Lieutenants (2LT) right out of Officer Candidate School (OCS) while still others were Captains and even a few Majors. There were also a few riffed Commissioned Officers coming through WOC as Enlisted men and we even had a few former TO's on occasion. There was supposed to be a plan to all of it but only DA knew what it was! In my case I was 26 years old when I went to flight school since right out of high school in 1961 I served three years in the Army as a SP - 4 Radio Repairman, MOS 296.10, stationed in Vicenza & Verona, Italy. Then I got out, completed my 6 year obligation in the Inactive Reserve and went to work as an electronics Tech Rep for Smith's Industries, Inc., in Clearwater, FL. I worked on the US Marine Corps AV - 8A Harrier jump jet's fire control computers while TDY at Pax River, MD for their flight trials, and in my spare time earned an FAA Commercial Pilots license, Instrument, Multi - Engine Land, a Private Pilot Glider License, Advanced & Instrument Ground Instructor Licenses and was in school for my CFI/CFII flight instructor licenses when my 5th straight years application for WOC flight school was approved so I quit CFI/CFII school and came back in for flight school. Needless to say I already knew how to fly and had about 450 hours in all kinds of civilian aircraft so all I really had to learn was how to fly the Army way. I wound up in Fixed Wing WOFWAC class 70 - 01 and became class leader and had my choice of transition aircraft and of course chose the OV - 1 Mohawk and, as they say, the rest is history! Coming back from Vietnam en route to the 122nd AVN Co. in Hanau as a Mohawk driver on an Inter Theatre Transfer I was sent to and graduated from the Aircraft Maintenance Officer course in Ft. Eustis, VA and then back to Mother Rucker for a Rotary Wing transition in OH - 58A's and UH - 1B/D/H model Huey's as all fixed wing drivers were required to also be rotary wing rated. I received an FAA Commercial Helicopter Pilot's license, single rotor, w/Instrument endorsement from the transition. Then on to Germany. I also earned an FAA ATP Multi - Engine Land pilots license in a US Army C - 12C while stationed at Mc Dill AFB in Tampa, FL. I would have gotten a dual ATP in a Huey also but was shipped out to the OV - 1 IP school instead en route back to Korea for my second of three tours before I could complete the course. So, as you can see there were many ways to get into flight school and almost everyone's experience was different. (Coleman Continued on page 9) Page 9 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker I started my Private Pilot License schooling in a 7AC Aeronca Champ in Plant City, FL. I came out to fly one day when I had about 6 hours total and they had it stripped down and were recovering the wings so I switched over to a Piper Cherokee 140 and completed my Private in that - Like going from an old Chevy to a Cadillac. After getting my Private I went back and got checked out in the 7AC and rented it on the week ends to fly around at $9.00 per hour wet! What a deal... When I was the Battalion Standards Instructor Pilot (BN SIP) in the 3rd Military Intelligence BN in Korea then COL Bill Page, Commander of 8th Army Aviation at the time, came down to Camp Humphries and wanted to fly a Mohawk so I was elected to be his IP. He was qualified in the OV - 1 but had not flown one in over 8 years. He flew better than most of our line pilots - Only off his altitude by less than 100 ft and airspeed less than 10 knots. He really loved doing rolls and loops - We had a really good hour and a half flight. Small world. When I went through Aircraft Maintenance Officer Course (AMOC), at Ft. Eustis, VA one of our very old ground school classroom instructors had Aeroplane Pilot License #2, signed by Wilber Wright and what stories he had - Flying a biplane when he was caught VFR on top of an under cast, "You simply pulled the power off, put the plane into a spin and held it there and hoped you had enough altitude left to recover when you broke out VFR under the overcast!" What a great story teller and instructor he was! My glider time was in 2 - 32 and 1 - 26 Schweizers and my IP's were two women at a grass strip in Florida - We used airplane tows from a Super Cub up to three or four thousand feet and then release. We would fall in behind circling Buzzards to find lift - Lots of fun. We even did some loops and rolls in the gliders since they were stressed for +/ - 12 G's and you would black out before you could hurt the plane. When I was giving training and check rides as an IP in the Mohawk if I felt the pilot was apprehensive about flying with one engine shut down I would demonstrate single engine rolls into the dead engine, single engine loops and stalls to alleviate his fear of the airplane - Not in the book but it worked;; the airplane only cares about airspeed and altitude, not the number of engines online. I was really into the US Army and US Navy aerodynamics reference books at the time and felt confident in my ability in the airplane. I had three single engines, two complete hydraulic failures, two complete electrical failures (both while IFR) one propeller over speed while inverted and reversed elevator control cables on a test flight in OV - 1's and was an IP/SIP and a Maintenance Test Pilot and ME (Maintenance test pilot evaluator) and it never bothered me, I thought I could handle anything the old girl could think up to throw at me - Always, though, in the back of my mind was the knowledge that if everything turned to shit there was always Martin Baker as a last resort - A pretty dumb and dangerous attitude in retrospect. I also had single engines in RU - 8D's and U - 21A's and one in a civilian Piper light twin. I wound up with around 2,200 hours in OV - 1A, B, C, D and RV's and another 2,000 plus in C - 12C, D and RC - 12D, N and P models and was also an IP/SIP/ME in C - 12's plus 601 hours in helicopters and the rest in various other aircraft from Civilian and Military flight schools and the US Army National Guard and Reserve for a grand total of about 6,019 hours total. I had several friends offer to help me get in with the airlines after retirement but I really didn't want to fly an airborne bus and I didn't need the money so I just retired but it was a lot of fun while it lasted. The only jet I ever flew was the US Air Force C - 21 Learjet, we had two at Stuttgart, GE in the flight detachment. I was next to get my Learjet transition when they pulled me up to Wiesbaden to be the OV - 1 Aircraft Maintenance Officer for the 1st MI BN. Talk about pissed off! The Air Force IP felt sorry for me and took me out for several hours flying the jet - Lots of fun and real easy to fly. I would have liked to have flown a 747, or the simulator, once just for fun. It's been one hell of a ride and a lot of fun and I wouldn't trade my experiences in the US Army for anything! HOOAAH!!!! George Coleman - Member #40 (Coleman Continued from page 8) Page 10 November - December 2013 Issue #116 T he Mohawker As an introduction to my relationship with the best airplane in the US Army, and perhaps the whole world, I’ll relate some details about my early career which formed my character, morale, strength, and love of airplanes The story starts after completing the fixed - wing pilot course, class 59 - 13, November 1959, at Camp Gary, Texas (San Marcos, Texas) and Ft Rucker, Alabama. My class closed Camp Gary literally, and we went on to Ft Rucker and graduation without enough TDY money remaining to finish the required instrument flying phase. That would come later. From Rucker, I received orders to the 1 st AVN CO, 1 st INF Division, Ft Riley, KS. After settling in, things happened quickly, and during that first year, I got further acquainted with the L - 19, attended a civilian - operated instrument school (Central American Airways) a 2 nd Army contract, near Ft Hollibird at Harbor Field, Baltimore, MD. Upon completion, I went back to Ft Riley. That exciting endeavor (instrument school) turned out to be too mundane for the DA Assignment Personnel, so they sent me to the Rotory - wing “Q” Course (Class 61 - 4) Feb 1961, at Ft Walters, Mineral Wells, Texas. After becoming a rotorhead, I spent a short time back with the 1 st Infantry Division Aviation Co, attempting to master all of these new skills I learned, but before I could get my laundry properly cleaned, I was promptly transferred from the 1 st AVN Co (which had all my new toys), next door to the 18 th AVN Co, a 5 th Army unit which had a bunch of monstrous U - 1A Otters, and started to transition into that beast, which turned out to be a whole lot of fun. All of this transferring around occurred from Dec 1959, to May 1961. I was just getting used to the Otters when DA Personnel stunned me again with another set of orders: assignment to an aviation company in Germany with a TDY trip to Ft Rucker to attend the OV - 1 Mohawk Transition Course in route! Class 61 - 4, August 1961. That news caused a badly needed trip to the Cockpit branch, the watering hole at the airfield, where I would try to find out if my buddies knew what tribe the Mohawk came from. I packed my meager belongings in my auto, told all my friends goodbye, and headed for Rucker once again. Now comes the time when authoring an odyssey becomes difficult. It has been over 33 years since I retired and this episode happened at least 20 years before that, so like most old folks, I have lost a large percentage of my memory. Therefore please excuse the inaccuracies which I’m sure will be popping up hereafter. Next time I’ll do a diary. After a long, boring trip, it was nice passing through the gates of The United States Army’s Aviation Center and School. Just look at all of those beautiful aerial machines. Well, It’s time to go to the club, and then check into the BOQ. Early the next morning at the flight line we had our first meeting of Class 61 - 4. All 6 students showed up. A G - 1 officer from Ft Rucker announced the bad news. Some problem had arisen which caused Ft Rucker to be unable to start the class with six students. The solution: drop the two junior officers and send them on to Germany. Keep the other four to complete their training. I, of course, was one of the two juniors. I notified my infantry assignment officer at DA who said “you will stay at Ft Rucker for the next class and we will provide new orders for you after completion. Tell Ft Rucker that DA is still running the Army, not Ft Rucker.” I was to attend the maintenance classes (1/2 day), with my original class, and then do the flight program for ½ day when the next class came. That worked! After completing the entire course, my new orders arrived to the USARAL AVN BN, Ft Richardson, Alaska. One other officer, Lt John Lane who was in my Hawk class and earlier my primary fixed wing class, was enroute to Alaska also. Upon arrival, in the frozen north, John and I were welcomed by the CG who was very eager to have us. He mentioned that Alaska was due to receive two new Mohawks just off the Grumman assembly line and we were to be responsible for getting them ready for a forthcoming major winter exercise, and we would ferry them up the ALCAN Highway as soon as possible. John and I knew what he meant. He was eager to have them. We were assigned a quonset hut and several telephones, and were lucky to discover that a few maintenance and operator personnel had already arrived. The Mohawk Platoon was formed! I was elated to see that the senior Mohawk maintainer was a good friend, SP5 Jerry Townsend, who was the chief instructor for the maintenance phase at Rucker. I got to see him for two classes worth of time, and learned a lot from him. I just found out through the newsletter that he had passed away last year(2012). One of the finest soldiers I have ever worked with. Alaska was really fortunate to have Jerry. Since the Mohawk was originally designed for the Marine Corps, it had a relationship with aircraft carriers, dirt and water. The carrier association (short field, rough field, strong legs, tough skin, etc.) and the dirt association worked out well with the army. Since it was too heavy, (Sprowls - Continued on page 11) The Artic Odyssey of 60 - 3743 and 60 - 3744 - Leigh Sprowls, Member #1497 Page 11 November - December 2013 Issue #116 The Mohawker the water association (floats, ski’s, etc.) caused us problems. John and I started right off working on the biggest problems: arctic survival equipment, and the obvious lack of space to store much of anything. Bear in mind that the OV - 1 aircraft designation does not start with a “C” so consequently, there is very little space to store even necessities, let alone golf clubs. We decided to approach our Air Force friends at Elmendorf AFB which was just next door to Fort Richardson. We started with the parachute maintenance crew who we knew had good strong material and sewing and riveting equipment, and we started designing and fabricating cases