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Coles, William John, CMSgt.
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Contact Info
Home Town Etna, Allegheny, Pennsylvania
Last Address Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
Date of Passing Dec 17, 1997
Location of Interment Blanding City Cemetery - Blanding, Utah
Sioux Falls, SD - Radio Operator & Mechanic Jul-Dec 1943
Yuma AAF, Yuma, AZ - 306th SEFTG (Aerial Gunnery) - Dec 1943-Feb 1944
Rapid City, SD - R.T.U. - Feb-May 1944
Kimbolton RAF, England - APO 557, 524th Bombardment Squadron [Jul 1944]; 379th Bombardment Group (H) - Aug 1944-Jan 1945
Laredo AAF, Laredo, TX - Central School for Flexible Gunnery; 524th Bombardment Squadron - Mar-Sep 1945
USAF Reserve - 18 Jan 1949-1 Apr 1952 [Called to Active Duty - 11 Feb 1951]
Lowry AFB, Denver, CO - 3415th Technical Training Wing; 3415th Aircraft Gunnery Group; 3435th Training Squadron (NCOIC B-29 Gunnery Training; Academic Section) - Apr 1951 to Dec 1953 (TDY - NE: Offutt AFB; TX: Kelly AFB, Matagorda Island, Port O'Connor)
Donaldson AFB, Greenville, SC - Fourth Aerial Port Operations Squadron, (TAC) - Jan 1954-May 1954 (TDY - SC: Charleston AFB)
Chanute AFB, Rantoul, IL - 3499th Mobile Training Wing; 3493rd Field Training Squadron; 3497th Mobile Training Squadron - Jun 1957-Aug 1957 (TDY - OR: Portland; WA: Seattle)
Sewart AFB, Smyrna, TN - [Detached from Chanute] 304th Field Training Detachment; C130-2 Mobile Training Detachment; 2nd Aerial Port Sq - Aug 1957-Aug 1958 (TDY - CA: McClellan AFB; CO: Lowry AFB; GA: Robins AFB; KY: Campbell AFB; NC: Pope AFB, Seymour-Johnson AFB; TX: Foster AFB; UT: Hill AFB; WA: Larson AFB)
MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL - [Detached from Chanute] 311 Field Training Detachment; 306th Air Refueling Sq (SAC) - Aug 1958-Jul 1959 (TDY - GA: Hunter AFB)
Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX - Sheppard Technical Training Center (ATC) - 3764th School Squadron; 3772nd Sq - Jul 1959-Oct 1961 (TDY - AZ: Douglas, Phoenix; CA: Beale AFB, Castle AFB, Long Beach AFB, March AFB, McClellan AFB, Ontario International Airport, Travis AFB; FL: McCoy AFB, Tyndall AFB; GA: Hunter AFB, Moody AFB; HI: Hickam AFB; IL: Chanute AFB, O'Hare International, Scott AFB; IN: Bunker Hill AFB; KS: McConnell AFB; MI: Kinchloe AFB, MO: Malden AB, Richards-Gebaur AFB; NC: Douglas Municipal Airport, Pope AFB; NE: Lincoln AFB; NM: Kirtland AFB; NV: Nellis AFB; SC: Charleston AFB, Donaldson AFB; TX: Amarillo AFB, Carswell AFB, Connally AFB, Dyess AFB, Ellington AFB, Kelly AFB, Randolph AFB, Reese AFB; UT: Hill AFB, Salt Lake City; VA: Langley AFB; WA: McChord AFB, Paine AFB, SEA-TAC International Airport; WI: Truax Field *** Japan: Tachikawa AB; Midway Island; Okinawa: Kadena AB; Wake Island).
Chateauroux AS, France - APO 10, 1616th Support Squadron (MATS) - Nov 1961-Jul 1962 (TDY - Germany: Rhein- Main; Evreux-Fauville AB, France - APO 253, 5th Aerial Port Squadron, 322nd Air Division; 317 Combat Support Group - Jul 1962-Aug 1963 (TDY - DC: Washington; TX: Kelly AFB, Sheppard AFB *** France: Chateauroux AS; Germany: Berlin, Wiesbaden; India: Palam AF [New Delhi]; Italy: Aviano; Libya; Pakistan; Saudi Arabia; Turkey: Adana).
Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, TX - 3769th School Squadron; 3750th Technical School; 3773rd School Squadron; 3782nd Instructors Squadron (ATC) - Aug 1963-Apr 1971 (TDY - AZ: Davis-Monthan, Williams AFB; CA: Alameda NAS, Beale AFB, George AFB, Hamilton AFB, Los Alamitos NAS, Los Angeles International, Mather AFB, McClellan AFB, Norton AFB, Ontario International Airport, Travis AFB; CO: Buckley ANG; CT: Bradley Field; DE: Dover AFB; FL: Homestead AFB, Pensacola NAS; GA: Hunter AFB, Moody AFB, Robins AFB, Turner AFB; HI: Hickam AFB; ID: Mountain Home; IL: Chanute AFB; IN: Grissom AFB; KS: Boeing-Wichita; MA: Logan Airport - Boston; MD: Andrews AFB; ME: Loring AFB; MS: Keesler AFB; ND: Minot AFB; NE: Offutt AFB; NJ: Atlantic City Airport, McGuire AFB; NM: Cannon AFB, Kirtland AFB; NV: Stead AFB; NY: New York NAS, Niagara Falls Municipal Airport, Stewart AFB; OH: Clinton Co. AFB, Lockbourne AFB, Patterson AFB; OK: Tinker AFB; SC: Charleston AFB, Shaw AFB; TX: Bergstrom AFB, Carswell AFB, Kelly AFB, Randolph AFB, Reese AFB, Webb AFB; UT: Hill AFB; VA: Langley AFB; WA: McChord AFB *** Japan: Yokota AB; Philippines: Clark AB; Vietnam: DaNang AB; Wake Island).
Little Rock AFB, Jacksonville, AR - 64th Tactical Airlift Training Wing; 61st Tactical Airlift Squadron (TAC) - Apr 1971-Aug 1971.
Spouse: Margaret Arminta (Peggy) Shea
Parents: William John Coles & Irene Barbara Schneider (Snyder)
1959-1964, KC-135 Stratotanker
From Year 1959
To Year 1964
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
KC-135 Stratotanker Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
The Boeing Company's model 367-80 was the basic design for the commercial 707 passenger plane as well as the KC-135A Stratotanker. In 1954 the Air Force purchased the first 29 of its future 732-plane fleet. The first aircraft flew in August 1956 and the initial production Stratotanker was delivered to Castle Air Force Base, Calif., in June 1957. The last KC-135 was delivered to the Air Force in 1965.
Of the original KC-135A's, more than 415 have been modified with new CFM-56 engines produced by CFM-International. The re-engined tanker, designated either the KC-135R or KC-135T, can offload 50 percent more fuel, is 25 percent more fuel efficient, costs 25 percent less to operate and is 96 percent quieter than the KC-135A.
Specifications StatsCentral Model Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker Length 136.25 ft | 41.53 m Width 130.84 ft | 39.88 m Height 41.67 ft | 12.70 m Engine(s) 4 x CFM F108 turbofan engines generating 22,000lbs of thrust each. Empty Weight 106,307 lbs | 48,220 kg MTOW 322,503 lbs | 146,285 kg Max Speed 610 mph | 982 km/h | 530 kts Max Range 2,880 miles | 4,635 km Ceiling 41,719 ft | 12,716 m | 7.9 miles Climb Rate 1,290 ft/min (393.2 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament None. Accommodations 3