Keeping busy with my wife Donna, whom I will be married to forty years in July 2009. We've traveled quite alot having gone to Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Austria in March 2006. March 2007 we drove my inlaws to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesotta. What a snow storm we ran into in Madison Wisconsin! January 2008 we drove to Florida. Visited some of the old TDY bases Tyndall and McDill. I always enjoyed TDY's, and it brings back good memories to go their. July 2008 we drove to Albuquerque New Mexico for a wedding, then up to Colorado Spings and Denver. As you can see I enjoy driving, so I took a part time job driving. One of my "FOX HOLE BUDDIES" Joe Fenton, convinced me to look into parts delivery. I work three days a week for an auto dealership and have a four day weekend. WOW, if I knew it would be that good, I would have done it forty years ago!!
When our children were young, it opened up an avenue to our social lives, so do our five grand children. In many ways re-aquainting us with people we lost touch with. Its true, you really get to enjoy them so much more than the hectic pace of raising your own. I finally have two sons! both are really nice guys and thank God, both marriages seem to be very sound.
Other Comments:
I graduated from Cape May Vocational Technical Institute in 1966 and went to work for Weaton Plastic Co. in Mayslanding as a design draftsman. I had a technical deferment from them to avoid the draft and one from my parents' family farm but felt an obligation to serve in the military. As a child who played soldier with my cousins and admired my uncles in uniform I was inspired to join the military. The Vietnam War was going on and everyone was saying "don't join", this didn't persuade me . I joined the New Jersey Air National Guard in August and left for basic in October 1966. After graduation from Chanute AFB as a hydraulic repairman, I was hired full time by the NJANG as a technician. From that day on I knew I made the right decision about joining the military. On January 26, 1968 the 177th TFG was activated for the Pueblo Incident and we were sent to Phu Cat, Vietnam for a one year tour. After 14 years as a hydraulic technician, I cross trained to flight line and was a crew chief certified on F-106s, T-33s and F-16s. I retired from my technician job with NJANG on my 55th birthday, December 27, 2000 and stayed on as a triditional Guardsman working in the Maintenance Control section (MOCC). The first plane flew into the World Trade building at 0910 and by 0925 hours I received a phone call saying we were activated and to report to base ASAP. I stayed on active duty for two years doing Noble Eagle missions and retired from NJANG military on December 27, 2005 at age 60.
From my first day as a technician until my last day as a traditional guardsman, I knew I had a job that was the envy of my family and friends. Exotic travel to places they only heard about and TDYs to warm climates in January and Feburary always seemed like greener pastures to them and for the most part, they were correct. I couldn't imagine working any other job and being any happier than with what I was doing in the Air National Guard.
Worked on as support aircraft. Since we only had one and their were two crew chiefs assigned to it, they pretty much did all the hydraulic work. Did some rebuild of componets but thats not interesting. Pretty much maintenance free for our hydraulic shop.
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C-131 Samaritan Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
The CV-240/340/440 series was used by the United States Air Force for medical evacuation and VIP transport and was designated as C-131 Samaritan. The first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the 240 model, and was delivered to the USAF in 1954. A trainer model, designated the T-29, was also based on the Convair 240 to instruct navigators and radio operators. The T-29 was eventually replaced by the T-43. A planned bomber training version of the T-29 (designated T-32) was never built. The 340 model was used for most C-131Ds.
The U.S. Navy used the Samaritan as the R4Y. Nearly all of the C-131s left the active inventory in the late 1970s, but Air National Guard units operated a few into the mid-1980s. The C-131 was eventually replaced by the C-9 Nightingale.
A Samaritan was the first aircraft used as a flying gunship testbed in mid-1963, in a program known as Project Tailchaser. A C-131B (#53-7820) was given a gunsight for the side window, but instead of guns it had cameras in the cargo area. Eventually the C-131 was ferried to Eglin AFB in Florida and a General Electric SUU-11A/A 7.62 mm Gatling-style Minigun was installed. Live ammunition was used and both over-water and over-land tests were successful.
whom I will be married to forty years in July 2009. We've traveled quite alot having gone to Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Austria in March 2006. March 2007 we drove my inlaws to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesotta. What a snow storm we ran into in Madison Wisconsin! 
January 2008 we drove to Florida. Visited some of the old TDY bases Tyndall and McDill. I always enjoyed TDY's, and it brings back good memories to go their. July 2008 we drove to Albuquerque New Mexico for a wedding, then up to Colorado Spings and Denver. As you can see I enjoy driving, so I took a part time job driving. One of my "FOX HOLE BUDDIES" Joe Fenton, convinced me to look into parts delivery. I work three days a week for an auto dealership and have a four day weekend. WOW, if I knew it would be that good, I would have done it forty years ago!!
