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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)
1953-1954, C-45 Expeditor
From Year 1953
To Year 1954
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
C-45 Expeditor Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
The Model 18 Twin Beech twin-engine aircraft were designed by Beech as a response to global tension in the late 1930s. After the prototype took flight in 1937, China issued a order amounting to $750,000 to convert these aircraft into light bombers, but only 39 were delivered by the time China entered WW2 in Jul 1937. As the United States geared for war, the Model 18 design were built as US Army AT-7 Navigator, AT-11 Kansan, and C-45 Expeditor aircraft and US Navy SNB Kansan, JRB Kansan, and UC-45 Expeditor Navigator aircraft. They were used as transports or trainers. After the war, the US Air Force kept C-45 aircraft in use until 1963, Navy SNB aircraft until 1972, and US Army C-45 aircraft until 1976. The production of the Model 18 aircraft did not stop until 1970, with the last model exported to Japan Airlines, making the design the longest continuous production of a piston engine aircraft; a total of nearly 8,000 were built during the production life. In addition to the production record, Model 18 also held the most US Federal Aviation Administration-approved Supplemental Type Certificates of any aircraft design (over 200), making it the most modified American aircraft. In the civilian world, they were used for a wide variety of functions, including pesticide spraying, fish seeding, firefighting, ambulance service, and cargo and passenger transportation.
Source: Wikipedia.
SPECIFICATIONS
UC-45 Machinery Two Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-1 'Wasp Junior' radial engines rated at 450hp each Span 14.53 m Length 10.41 m Height 2.95 m Wing Area 32.40 mē Weight, Empty 2,800 kg Weight, Loaded 3,400 kg Weight, Maximum 3,959 kg Speed, Maximum 360 km/h Rate of Climb 9.40 m/s Service Ceiling 7,930 m Range, Normal 1,200 km