Service Photo |
Service Details |
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Current Service Status
USAF Veteran
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Current/Last Rank
Airman 1st Class
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Current/Last Primary AFSC/MOS
43151A-Aircraft Maintenance Specialist
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Current/Last AFSC Group
Aircraft Maintenance
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Primary Unit
1964-1965, 43151A, 7310th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
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Previously Held AFSC/MOS
43131A-Aircraft Maintenance Specialist
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Service Years
1962 - 1965
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Other Languages
German
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What are you doing now:
After discharge I worked on airplanes (mostly Navy sub-chasers i.e. P5M ) for about 18 months at a plant in St. Augustine , Florida. Then I sold insurance, and later I went to work with the electric department of the City of Jacksonville, Florida. Retired from the Jacksonville Electric Authory, the local power company, and lived in Orlando, Florida for about four years. I worked part-time at Walt Disney World in the attraction called "One Man's Dream". It's about the history of Walt Disney. I had the chance to meet guests from all over the world, and keep my German language skills active by speaking to German speaking guests. I am also learning Spanish and so the opportunity to practice speaking Spanish was a daily possibility. I enjoyed it very much. We recently moved to Brunswick , Georgia. My wife and I were "seasonal" employees at Disney for a while but unable to commute so we work at jobs here in Brunswick. She works for Jekyll Island Club and I work for the Brunswick News, our local newspaper. I am active with the local Civil Air Patrol, the Brunswick Senior Squadron, which allows me to fly regularly over the beautiful Golden Isles.
I still look up to watch airplanes overhead, and especially love to hear the sound of a reciprocating engine. I attend airshows whenable possible and still have a love and fasination with aircraft.
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Other Comments:
I would love to correspond with any Airman who served at Rhein-Main Airbase in Germany, particularly during the period 1962 to 1965. I was a flight-line mechanic and crew chief on C-54's. I had the opportunity to fly to many countries in Europe and loved my time in Germany.
Please write to me via the e-mail address randyleesmith40@gmail.com if you were in Germany, or know someone who was there while I was stationed there. thanks.
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1962-1962, 43131A, 3767th School Squadron (Cadre)
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1962-1964, 7310th Air Base Wing
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1962-1965, Rhein Main Air Base
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1962-1965, 43151A, 7167th Air Transport Squadron
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1963-1963, 7310th Air Base Group
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1963-1964, 43151A, 7310th Maintenance Squadron
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1964-1965, 43151A, 7310th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
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Reflections on A1C Smith's
US Air Force Service
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PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE AIR FORCE.
My family has a long history of military service with family members in every branch of the armed services. My brother is a career Army Aviator with multiple tours in Vietnam and also served in Korea. My father, uncles, and brother-in-laws were Navy. One brother-in-law was Coast Guard, a Vietnam veteran and died while serving aboard the Coast Guard Cutter White Alder when his ship sank following a collision with a Chinese freighter. Other uncles were Army and served during WWII. My grandson recently joined the U.S. Marine Corps. My brothers and I have had a life-long fascination with aircraft of all kinds. I chose the Air Force, the first in my family to do so, to fill my aviation dreams. I was not disappointed with either my choice of service branch or my Air Force assignment. I often feel some regret that I did not choose to re-enlist.
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WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES, OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
My career path was as an aircraft reciprocating engine mechanic. Following Basic Training I attended the reciprocating engine repair course at Sheppard AFB, Texas. Afterward, I was assigned to Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt Germany from 1962 to 1965. I was assigned to a Flight Line maintenance squadron and later became a Crew-Chief on a C-54 type aircraft. Our squadron also had some C-47's and C-118's and I often worked on them as well. I also attended a course qualifying me to be a Crew-Chief on the C118.
Additionally, I also completed USAFE correspondence courses for engine repairs and/or aircraft maintenance. During this time I also flew with the aircraft and had the chance to visit many parts of Europe. After 3 years at Rhein-Main, I returned to Charleston AFB for discharge. My job covered all aspects of daily flights for our squadron. In addition to maintenance, we did pre-flights, the configuration of aircraft interior for various missions, and post-flight upon return to base. During my tour, I worked with C-54 Med-Evac's, Special Air Missions and cargo flights. While working with Special Air Missions my C-54 was rather plush & fancy. We were transporting some special personnel all over Europe. I was aboard a flight to Berlin with the President of Germany. Other famous people who flew on my airplane were Senator Margaret C. Smith and comedian Bob Hope. We had regular flights for the purpose of flying daily courier flights between Wiesbaden, Frankfurt, Bonn, Berlin, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Paris, and London in addition to furnishing Air Transportation for Special Flights and Missions: i.e. VIP Personnel, entertainment troupes and flights of an emergency nature. Our operations served personnel traveling throughout Europe, North Africa and the Near East and involved flights into some twenty-odd different countries, including occasional flights into Moscow, to furnish air transportation for the American Ambassador and his Embassy staff.
To read more about the 7167th Special Air Missions you can read a sample of the squadron's brochure online by typing either the squadrons name (7167th Special Air Missions) or simply Hydeen into your search engine. I think you' will enjoy reading it.
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IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN ANY MILITARY OPERATIONS, INCLUDING COMBAT, HUMANITARIAN AND PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS, PLEASE DESCRIBE THOSE WHICH MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON YOU AND, IF LIFE-CHANGING, IN WHAT WAY?
I had no combat experiences during my service with the Air Force.
The bars in Frankfurt Germany sometimes seemed rowdy but seldom harmful or fatal. For most G.Is. who have been in a bar, the thought of a beer bottle flying through the air seems to be a reasonable possibility. Although it did happen, it was not a nightly occurrence. The combination of alcohol and competing for the girls can be a stressful environment and we would, therefore, refer to this as our "combat zone". Soon, however, as I observed some of the returning flights from the war zone to the 97th General Hospital near our base, I stopped using this joking phrase. Although it was only a joke, it somehow felt less funny when I compared it to fellow servicemen serving in actual combat. I knew some of them, and my brother was there as an Army aviator. He served multiple tours and was shot down on his last mission. He was patched up & continued serving until his retirement. If I had re-enlisted I almost certainly would have been there too since they said my career field was considered critical at the time. I continue to support and honor all the service members of our country. And I now place my hand to cap in a salute to all of you!
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OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
I have a short list to choose from since I was only involved with three bases. Lackland was the first but hardly ranks as my fondest memory. Sheppard Air Base for my technical training was fine, but it too was "wrapped" in some of the "basic training" procedures which eliminate it from the list of my fondest memory. The third, Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany would be the winner, I believe, even if I had been stationed at many other bases. In fact, I did do a bit of comparison as I flew into the many bases over Europe. The base in Athens, Greece was beautiful, the base in Tripoli, Libya was not. All flights to Denmark & Sweden were wonderful, while most of those to France were not. Remember, French President Charles DeGaulle was "anti-American", and many French people were too. Italy & Spain also were less than fun due to the ill feelings we Americans were experiencing during those days. I could go on with my list but in fairness & for the sake of brevity let me simply say, I loved my time flying to all of these places. I had lots of fun & met many wonderful people in all of these countries. YET... Rhein-Main remains my fondest memory. I spoke German & was able to adapt to the country without many problems. The team of people with I whom I worked was some of the finest. Rhein-Main was called the Gateway To Europe and was centrally located in Europe. With my many flights to various countries and generous military leave-time, I was able to see & visit almost all of Europe. Boy, I could write a novel of the wonderful memories.
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FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
We left Germany for a one day flight to Athens, Greece. Often this trip would be longer and would include landings in Turkey as well as many other bases. Because this was to be a one day flight we did not properly prepare by packing enough clothes & money. What ever happened to my Boy Scout training about "Be Prepared"? During our landing at Athens, we had what can be described as a controlled crash. Due to some extremely high side winds, the aircraft's left landing gear hit rather hard before the right side touched the ground. As a result of this sudden impact, we sustained considerable damage to the tire, the strut and landing gear assembly. We thankfully had an excellent, experienced pilot who managed to keep us on the runway until we stopped & the fire equipment arrived. We were there for just over a week while I made repairs. I was flying in my dress Blues and I had only one set of work fatigues. I worked during the day in my fatigues, had them cleaned each night & repeated the pattern until the work was done. There was a popular Greek wine festival going on & the pilot invited me to join the crew one night for some wine tasting. I was broke & tried to beg off. The pilot loaned me some money and we indeed had a good time testing the wine. That was one cool officer, a Major, and I was thankful for his kindness. I am not sure all of our officers would have been so considerate and caring. I hope I am wrong, & I will believe that they would.
In later years as I reflected on this event and other serious "in-flight" emergencies, I remembered that I really had no fear, and thought the crew didn't either. They had plenty of training and therefore reacted calmly and professionally. On the other hand, I should have been scared. But I was young, idealistic and doing what I considered a dream job. I still feel thankful for the opportunity & experience.
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WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
I received no special medals for valor during my service with the USAF.
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OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
During my tour of duty, I received only a few ribbons. The Good Conduct ribbon remains meaningful to me. Over the years I have heard many discussions regarding ribbons & awards. Some people suggest that many of these are not earned only awarded for time served. While I detest any unqualified wearing of a ribbon, a medal or an award, I tend to disagree with some of the descriptions of not earned. For example, I was authorized to wear the Outstanding Unit Citation with Oak Leaf for my participation in operations for which my Squadron had also won the award twice. As a Squadron and individually we worked hard to achieve success over and above what was considered normal expectations. I realize that some may believe these were given out like candy, but that certainly was not my experience. Second, I was proud to receive the Good Conduct Medal and felt I earned it. I knew of many whom did not receive it due to lack of military bearing, and for not conducting themselves as representing the Air Force and their country. Military life can be challenging and conduct on and off duty required some real effort. I resisted the temptation to stray from my duty and honor and expected others to do likewise. I feel that I earned the recognition of displaying the Good Conduct ribbon.
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WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
SSgt. Paul Weekly was a gifted mechanic and was endowed with patience & understanding. He served as a teacher and mentor as I progress from a young Airman just out of Tech-school to advancement as a crew-chief. He was also responsible for my quick promotion to Airman First Class (E4) and for my selection as a flight crew- member. I was reluctant to accept a crew-member role initially because I felt I might lack the expertise needed to maintain the aircraft while away from my home base. SSgt. Weekly arranged for a group of our experienced NCOs to quiz me regarding my knowledge, proficiency & decision-making skills. After a comprehensive oral examination of what may happen while I was away, the NCOs were convinced that I was qualified. SSgt. Weekly had faith in me and instilled in me the confidence to accept the position. I was fully tested on my very first flight. We lost an engine and when we landed the pilot said "call us when it's ready, and they left me there to handle it. I knew no one at this base yet I was able to accomplish the task. This task certainly boosted my confidence but more importantly, it confirmed to our NCOs the trust SSgt. Weekly had in me. I felt the credit was due entirely to him since it was he who had trained me. SSgt. Weekly was respected and admired by everyone in our Squadron, and as a career Airman, I hope he was properly rewarded for his service.
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CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
A cold day on the flight line. As a flight line mechanic & crew chief, it was a part of my job to launch & recovery aircraft. Our aircraft spent most of their time parked outside in the freezing German winter weather. Hanger space was scarce & used only for extensive maintenance. Crews felt really lucky if space was available. Lots of repairs were made outside in the snow, wind, rain, sleet and whatever else Mother Nature gave to us. It was our policy to arrive three hours before scheduled departures in order to complete everything necessary, and of course to fix those unexpected problems. My plane was not scheduled for a flight so I anticipated a day of regular maintenance.
We had radiator heat in the flight shack, ( I hope you dear readers remember steam radiators) and while it was not always the best source of heat, when temperatures dropped down to zero or worse, it felt good. One very cold day as I arrived for work, our NCOIC said we had a plane that needed to leave ASAP and sent me out to help launch it. I had walked from the chow hall in this freezing weather and was looking forward to a brief warm up before regular duties. Duty bound I went to the aircraft. After snow removal, placing ground power heaters on each engine, a good preflight, fuel check, and de-icing the airplane was finally ready. As usual, we had to wait for the flight crew. Once the crew arrived and the plane was launched I returned to the flight line shack. Despite the warm clothes and a "Parker", I was almost numb from the cold. As I came into the line shack I went straight to the radiators and sat on them. I was moaning with pleasure and said how great they felt. All around me I heard loud laughter. On this particular day, the radiators were not working. They were stone cold. I joined in on the laughter and remember to this day how "good & warm" I THOUGHT I felt.
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WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
Although I loved aircraft & everything about flying it was not my destiny to continue in that field, at least not for a lifetime. After discharge, I worked on airplanes (mostly Navy sub-chasers i.e. P5Ms ) for about 18 months at a plant in St. Augustine, Florida. Then I sold insurance, and later I went to work with the electric department of the City of Jacksonville, Florida. I retired from the Jacksonville Electric Authority, the local power company, and lived in Orlando, Florida for about four years. I worked part-time at Walt Disney World in the attraction called "One Man's Dream". It's about the history of Walt Disney. I had the chance to meet guests from all over the world, and keep my German language skills active by speaking to German speaking guests. I am also learning Spanish and so the opportunity to practice speaking Spanish was a daily possibility. I enjoyed it very much. We recently moved to my wife's hometown, Brunswick, Georgia. My wife and I are still "seasonal" employees at Disney so we can work a few days when we want to "change the pace" of our retirement. She actually continues to work on Jekyll Island. She says it keeps her going.
I still look up to watch airplanes overhead and especially love to hear the sound of a reciprocating engine. I attend air shows whenever possible and still have a love and fascination with aircraft.
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WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I have been a member of the following associations. The Air Force Sergeants Assoc. (AFSA) The Air Force Association (AFA)
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
I learned to be confident in my abilities. I developed an attitude of perfection regarding my work, always striving to do a job skillfully and correctly even while working under some stressful and demanding conditions. I always sought out every possible way to improve my skills. These characteristics helped me in every civilian job I had during my life.
I feel fortunate to have worked with so many skilled and dedicated airmen. Certainly, we had some slackers, they are everywhere in this world, but I avoided the malcontents and developed working relations with those who had the same work ethic and pride that I tried to maintain. I continued that philosophy in my civilian life. There are always some who say "that's good enough", but I try to be around people who go beyond what is expected. Some of my fellow airmen may have even gone separate ways during our off-duty hours, but we always worked well together to ensure quality maintenance. Some were interested in seeing all we could while in Europe, others were limited in their pursuits. I have found the same is true in civilian life. Why do I use the word fortunate to describe my tour of duty? Because as a Crew Chief I was also a flight crew member & flew with my plane throughout Europe. During these flights, I witnessed first- hand the many air bases & duty assignments where I could have been stationed. Some were not so bad, but none seemed to compare as well as my own. The same is true of my civilian job. I feel fortunate to have worked where I did and now to have a pension for life. Some of the Airmen with whom I served played hard, drank lots of beer and sowed some wild oats, but they always were reliable, capable, and eager hard workers. I can't imagine what it would have been without them. I remain grateful to this day. And if you were with me during those days, I salute you and say thanks.
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BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE AIR FORCE?
Serve with honor. Be true & trustworthy to yourself and others. Learn all you can and apply yourself to your job specialty. There will never be a better place to improve your skills. Avail yourself of all the training opportunities that are possible, and there are plenty, whether or not you plan to be a career airman. Everything you learn & all that you become will be of great value in the civilian world too.
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IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.
I enjoy being a member of "Together We Served". The stories and blogs have been both interesting and entertaining. I have always felt a bond or kinship with Airmen, and my participation with TWS has made it ever so much stronger. I still have not connected with any of | TWS and the US Air Force |
the fine men with whom I served, but I likewise still have not given up hope. I have met some who were at Rhein-Main Airbase, and although we never met then, we are now connected and related. I enjoy the camaraderie we share. After reading some of the stories on AFTWS, often from members who are very active, I have come to feel as if I know them. I certainly enjoy reading their stories and exploits. I have been reluctant to submit a Reflections story because, to me, my tour of duty was not as exciting, as some of the stories I have read. Although I really loved my time in the Air Force, my tour of duty seems rather mild or tame in terms of having an interesting & exciting story content. DS 8/14/17
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