The Wingspan: VETERANS DAY EDITION 2010 - OSU Alumni ...

The Wingspan: VETERANS DAY EDITION
2010
Paul and Gloria Jones celebrate their 40 th Wedding Anniversary in Jiuzhaigou National
Park, China
Welcome to The Wingspan, a free monthly email newsletter for OSU ROTC Alumni, Cadre and
Friends of Air Force ROTC at OSU.
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The purpose of The Wingspan, an unofficial publication, is to keep you in touch with each other,
ROTC and Oregon State. Currently The Wingspan is distributed to over 400 households.
We hope you enjoy this issue. Please send us links to articles, pictures or videos, which might be
of interest to fellow classmates, to be published in the newsletter.
If you have any comments about the newsletter or would like to be added to/deleted from the
mailing list, please contact the editor at pjonesjr2000@sbcglobal.net and provide your email
address. If you are an alumnus, please provide the year you graduated.
Per the last edition, I was originally planning on not publishing a November edition due to
extensive travel during September (a two week trip to China and four days for my 45 th OSU
reunion). However, when I ran across an article entitled:
“IT HAPPENS EVERY FRIDAY AT THE PENTAGON – WERE YOU AWARE???”
it seemed appropriate to run the article in a special Veterans Day issue of The Wingspan in honor
of our servicemen and women..
Also, please check out the following link for various offers that are available for veterans
on Veterans Day: http://themilitarywallet.com/veterans-day-free-meals-and-discounts/
The next issue of The Wingspan will be published in January, 2011.
Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Regards,
Paul “JP” Jones ‘65
Lt. Col. USAF (Ret)
Editor
Items in the November - December 2010 issue:
1. NEWS FROM FRIENDS OF ROTC AT OSU
2. OSU NAVY ROTC LIEUTENANT STEVE LAMBERT WALKS AWAY FROM TWO
FIGHTER EJECTIONS
3. IT HAPPENS EVERY FRIDAY AT THE PENTAGON – WERE YOU AWARE???
4. AIR FORCE ONE PILOT FOR BUSH SPEAKS OF 9-11 EXPERIENCE
5. THE ONLY RECORDED KILL OF A FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT BY A
HELICOPTER
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6. LATE MINUTES VS. NUDE SWIMMING – CONTRASTS AT OSU DURING 1961-
1965
7. READERS COMMENTS: Bart Bonar ’96, Col. Steve Hildenbrandt ’77, Col. Len
Kaufman ’65 and Lt. Col. Jay Hansen ‘65
__________________________________________________________
1. NEWS FROM FRIENDS OF ROTC AT OSU
Have you recently been promoted, received notice of a PCS, been awarded a decoration, gotten
married, celebrated the arrival of a new member of the family or retired? If so, please send the
“latest and greatest” news & photos for publication in the next newsletter.
a. Lt. Col. Paul “JP” Jones ’65 and Gloria, his bride of 40 years, celebrated their 40 th
wedding anniversary with a trip to China. They are dressed like Tibetan royalty
overlooking a clear, transparent lake at Jiuzhaigou National Park, China.
2. OSU NAVY ROTC LIEUTENANT STEVE LAMBERT ’65 WALKS AWAY FROM 2
FIGHTER EJECTIONS
Lt. Steve “Wonder” Lambert graduated from OSU Naval ROTC in 1965. He attended
Undergraduate Pilot Training at Pensacola Naval Air Station and went through F-8 Advanced
Training at Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California.
Steve was assigned to VF-211 aboard the USS Hancock and had two tours off North Vietnam
flying the F-8. During this time he flew over 150 combat missions and had 250 carrier landings,
over 100 of them at night.
Later, in 1970, he had to punch out of an F-8 off the Southern California coast.
Steve was then accepted for the extremely competitive position of Lead Solo for the Blue Angels
flying the F-4 Phantom. During his tour with the Blue Angels, he flew airshows in over 40 states
and 8 countries in Europe.
On 8 July 1972, while a member of the USN Blue Angels, Steve was forced to eject from his
crippled F-4J Phantom II. Due to a mechanical malfunction, the aircraft bounced off the runway.
Steve managed a zero-zero ejection and again walked away from certain death. One might say
Steve led a charmed life, but then again, his instincts for survival were perfect and he is still
around to prove he is a winner.
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Steve presently lives in Irving, Texas. He has a 20-year-old daughter, Ashley, who is a junior at
Oregon State and is a member of Alpha Phi sorority.
We now know why Steve’s personal call sign is “Wonder.”
Lt. Steve “Wonder”
Lambert USN
3. IT HAPPENS EVERY FRIDAY AT THE PENTAGON – WERE YOU AWARE???
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY, McClatchy Newspapers.
Editors note: Recovering wounded servicemen and women from the local D.C. military
hospitals are brought in, honored and treated to a luncheon that is hosted by the Pentagon
brass. Joseph L. Galloway is a syndicated military correspondent who wanted to make his
Memorial Day article special for the McClatchy Newspapers on May 23, 2007. He asked his
friend, U.S. Army Lt. Colonel Robert Bateman, if he could include his essay about the special
weekly Pentagon event for the wounded soldiers.
It seems appropriate to reprint this article as a tribute to service men and women on
Veterans Day.
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given
their lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers,
horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals.
This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col.
Robert Bateman, who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the
Pentagon.
Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army
corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first
appeared on May 17 on the Weblog of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media
Matters for America Website.
"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is
newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant
the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all
crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls.
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This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the
other, G8 is around the corner. All Army! Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends,
who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the
way and renew.
Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system
was not designed for this press of bodies in this area.
The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares. "10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring.
That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the
building. This clapping is low, sustained and hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it
as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.
"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who
marks the forward edge with his presence. He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one
leg, and some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or
perhaps a private first class.
"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud,
soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the
hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little more wilder perhaps in private guilt for
not having shared in the burden ... Yet.
"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat
veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there
now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, a full colonel.
"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private,
corporal, or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.
"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at
how stupid that sounds in my own head. My hands hurt. Please! Shut up and clap. For twentyfour
minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come
with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts.
They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at
which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist
upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this
hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a
politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling
shyly.
"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old
husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy
she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino
parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the
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emotion given on their son's behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by
the silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see.
A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them
home. This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years.
4. AIR FORCE ONE PILOT FOR BUSH SPEAKS OF 9-11 EXPERIENCE
Thanks to Steve Jansen ’70 for the link to the video presentation below. This is exactly the type
of information The Wingspan needs to become a more interesting publication for it’s over OSU
Air Force ROTC 500 readers.
Col. Mark Tillman was the Air Force One pilot for President Bush during 9-11. The link below
is to a presentation that he gave in which he shared his experiences with a small group of
executives.
According to Steve Jensen, “I think you will find this very, very interesting. Lots of unknown
stuff about 9-11 and Bush's trip to Baghdad for secret Thanksgiving with the troops. This is
long....but a very interesting!”
Link: http://premierespeakers.com/mark_tillman/video/14296
5. THE ONLY RECORDED KILLS OF A FIXED-WING AIRCRAFT BY A
HELICOPTER
“An Air Combat First” by Keith Woodcock. Thanks to Pete Lossner ’65 for bringing this to our
attention.
During the Vietnam War, the Americans operated a secret radar station; Site 85, situated 15
miles from the North Vietnamese border atop one of the highest mountains in Laos.
Crucially it gave American bombers the ability to attack in all weather, a critical capability
during the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign.
Unfortunately, the North Vietnamese were able to figure out the site’s mission.
Captain Theodore H. Moore and Flight Mechanic Glenn R. Woods had been recruited to fly for
Air America, a CIA owned and operated proprietary that was used to support intelligence agents
and military personnel in Asia.
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On 12 Jan 1968, Moore and Woods, who were on a mission delivering artillery ammunition in
the area, watched in amazement as a formation of North Vietnamese Air Force AN-2 Colt
biplanes attacked the base.
The two Russian built biplanes dropped mortar bombs, fired rockets and strafed the USAF
provided radar station with machine gun fire.
Moore radioed a warning to the agents on the ground; however the NVA air attack killed several
Hmong guerrillas defending the base.
Moore’s helicopter, a civilian version of the UH-1 Huey was supposed to be unarmed, but
Woods had packed an AK-47, officially contraband, but in their defense Moore explained; “If
you go down and don’t have a weapon, you’re toast.”
They decided to; “make chase” Moore said.
The Colts, first flown in 1947, were faster than the helicopter, which was able to gain on them
when the Colts flew low and then tried to climb the mountainous terrain.
Woods fired from the door of the Huey.
One of the planes crashed immediately, while the second plane, also hit, flew on for several
miles before crashing into a ridge.
The shooting down of fixed wing aircraft from a helicopter was a singular aerial victory in the
entire history of the Vietnam war, according to the author of “One Day Too Long: Top Secret
Site 85 and the Bombing of North Vietnam.”
Moore was initially hauled before his superiors under threat of Courts-Marshal,
“I was a little out of line in what I did,” he recalled.
However after initial consternations his actions were finally commended.
Twelve U.S. Air Force personnel, on loan to the CIA, were killed, the largest single loss of
USAF personnel during the war.
Since the bombing sortie didn’t go so well, the NVA assaulted it with a regimental-sized force a
few weeks later and over ran the site.
After the fall of Site 85, 7 th Air Force ordered B-52’s to carpet bomb what the site in an attempt
to keep any USAF equipment that was left from falling into enemy hands.
6. LATE MINUTES & NUDE SWIMMING – CONTRASTS AT OSU DURING 1961-1965
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Due to the large number of new readers, it seems appropriate to rerun this article, which was first
published in the Dec 2005 issue of The Wingspan. Contributors/reviewers include Pete Lossner
’65, Dave Newbern ’65, Jim Trost ’65, Jim Williamson ’65, Dave Ells ’65, Mike Wilson ’65,
Connie Martin ’65 (class secretary in 1965) and Bill Winkler, Director Emeritus and
Legendary OSU Men’s Swim Coach for 30 years. Sincere thanks to all!
Many of the Air Force ROTC cadets in the early 1960s were sometimes puzzled by the contrasts
in OSU’s ‘policies and procedures’ for men and women on the OSU campus. In no place was
this disparity more apparent than the late minutes that the women endured vs. the nude
swimming partaken by the men.
Jim Williamson ’65, had the “late minute” policy explained to him in exquisite detail after
returning a certain young lady to the residence hall well past closing.
Women living in the residence halls were allowed 15 late minutes each term. If a woman left the
residence hall after 7pm any night of the week, she had to sign out at the front desk stating with
whom she was leaving, where she was going and when when would return.
At 1900 hrs precisely, the exit alarms on all doors of the women’s residence halls other than the
main door were activated and monitored by the residence hall advisor on each floor. All women
had to return not later than closing and sign back in at the front desk. Closing on weekdays was
11:00 pm; on weekends it was 1:00 am. For every minute a woman returned to the hall after
closing, they were assessed a late minute. When they exceeded 15 late minutes a term, they were
put on restriction.
Restriction had to be immediately worked off. Women put on restriction had to dress up as if
they were going out (no grubbies) and, starting at 1900 hrs, were required to check in with the
residence hall housemother every 15 minutes until closing.
Men, as we understand, were not subject to late minutes, nor were they put on restriction.
The second, relatively unknown area of university policy where there were significant
differences between men and women, was the attire for swimming classes at OSU.
The men’s first introduction to school policy in this area took place in their freshman year, when
all men were told to report to the indoor swimming pool for their mandatory swimming test,
which all undergraduate men and women had to pass in order to receive their degree.
Yes, you read correctly, if you couldn’t pass the swimming test, you couldn’t get your degree
from OSU.
Upon arriving at the gym in Langdon Hall, the men stopped by the cage where towels and
athletic clothes were checked out to pick up their swimsuits. The attendant usually laughed and
told them:
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1. No swimming trunks were provided
2. They were not allowed to wear their own swimming trunks in the pool
3. They better hustle out to the pool; otherwise they would automatically fail the test.
Appropriately attired, the men went through the shower area and emerged in the indoor pool.
The swim instructors, who were all wearing fashionable red swim athletic supporters, told the
assembled mass they were required to jump or dive in at the deep end, swim the length of the
pool (33 and 1/3 yards) “face down” (crawl, breast stroke, etc.) and then ½ way back using some
sort of back stroke. If anyone was unable to successfully complete the test, they would have to
take swimming classes every term until they passed, otherwise they wouldn’t graduate from the
University.
Every time the test was given, a certain number of the men had to be hauled out of the pool by
the instructors after floundering and subsequently were entered into Swimming 101.
Jim Trost ’65, says that even better than the swimming test was the men’s “Introduction to
SCUBA” class. Imagine, if you would, 20 guys in mask, swim fins, scuba tanks and nothing
else. Naturally, the air tanks (without backboards) were secured not only with shoulder but also
with crotch straps, which, of course, caused a certain amount of chafing.
Women were required to pass a swimming test similar to the men’s – in a shorter (25 yd) indoor
pool in the Women’s Building. The women had to swim two lengths, switching strokes just like
the men. The contrast was that the women were provided swimsuits by the university, unlike the
men.
According to Coach Winkler, there were two situations in which the “no swimming suit” rule
was waived for the men. The first was for the OSU swim team during competition. After all, the
public attended intercollegiate swim meets and, naturally, both teams wore swimsuits.
The second was during Water Safety Instruction classes, which were co-ed classes held in the
women’s indoor pool. According to Dave Ells ‘65, the men were required to wear suits 'issued'
by the Gym. Those 'Speedos' were probably acquired as WW I military surplus. Dave and his
male classmates, “couldn't have been less comfortable in Saran Wrap.”
The next step was to pair up with a partner in the class in order to practice their life saving
carries. Dave’s partner turned out to be Jeannie Saubert, a member of the 1964 U.S. Olympic
Downhill Ski Team. Jeannie was only 5'4" but incredibly strong - especially from the waist
down, as you can imagine. According to Dave, her legs were about the size of tree trunks.
Both Dave and Jeannie weighed about the same (at the time about 160). The first time he
attempted to 'rescue' her, Jeannie, playing the part of a “panicked, drowning swimmer,” tried to
wrap her legs around him and drag him under. Fortunately, Dave managed to spin her around
fast enough that she was unsuccessful (she was a better skier than swimmer.....) However, in the
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course of the ‘rescue,’ Jeannie managed to 'dislodge' his issued suit so that Dave was able to
both rescue her and moon the rest of the class while carrying Jeannie the length of the pool.
Thereafter he made a pact with her that they could both continue to be partners and pass the
course if she kept her legs away from him and he agreed not to report her to the U.S. Olympic
Committee for “un-sports lady like conduct.”
7. READERS COMMENTS
Let us know what you think. Comments on articles, suggestions for future articles and
recommendations for improvements in format, etc. are appreciated. Your inputs and suggestions
play a vital role in determining the future course of The Wingspan.
Editor’s note: You will notice that four of our major articles, one of our “News of Friends from
OSU ROTC” and four of our “Readers Comments” in this edition were generated as a result of
readers suggestions or were written by the readers themselves. The most notable of these is the
article entitled, “Late Minutes & Nude Swimming: Contrasts at OSU during 1961-65,” which
had inputs from eight readers. ;-)
Contributions of this caliber are greatly appreciated and will help The Wingspan become a more
interesting publication to its readers.
Much thanks to the readers who submitted the articles, suggestions & links. You are what makes
the Wingspan a great newsletter!
a. From Bart Bonar ’96. “Thanks for the update. I appreciate the effort you put into the
newsletter. I am a 1995 graduate. On Facebook, there is a tribute page to a friend of
mine, Greg Young, class of '96 who died in a F-15 crash while flying for the Guard. If
you have Facebook, the group is called "In Memory of Greg Young." Maybe you can put
it in your newsletter for others to see.” Editor’s comment: Glad to so, Bart. For those of
you who have Facebook, please search for “In Memory of Greg Young.”
b. “Enjoyed the quick read that your electronic version of Wingspan represents. Please
keep me on your e-mail list. … and give my regards to the ‘Gang of Five.’” Col. Steve
Hildenbrandt ‘77
c. “Nice work on The Wingspan.” Col. Len Kaufman ‘65
d. "Barbara and I drove to Auburn, WA yesterday to find OSU 1965 AFROTC classmates,
Jim Badley and Doug Condit, names on the Vietnam Veterans Traveling Wall. The Wall
is on display at Veterans Memorial Park. The exhibit is a half-scale replica of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which lists the names of the 58,249
killed or missing in action in the Vietnam War.
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Thanks to veterans manning the database, we found Jim’s and Doug’s names on the
wall. Both were killed in North Vietnam; Jim on March 27, 1968, and Doug on May 22,
1979.
If you have the opportunity to see the Wall in Washington, DC, or the Traveling Wall,
you can find Jim’s name on Panel 46E, Line 43 and Doug’s name on Panel 30E, Line 89.
It was a moving experience." Lt. Col. Jay Hansen ‘65
Vietnam Traveling Wall &
Colors – picture by Lt. Col. Jay Hansen
Maj Douglas Condit ’65 – picture by Lt. Col. Jay Hansen
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1 st Lt. James Badley ’65 – picture by Lt. Col. Jay Hansen
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