Ken Molnaire: An essential component of Patton’s Third Army
marc.zarefsky2024-04-10T10:58:50-05:00Born 99 years ago this March, Kenneth “Ken” Molnaire grew up in Chicago. Living in Edison Park he attended Ebinger School, graduating in 1939.
Joseph Phelan: A silver star for gallantry
marc.zarefsky2023-10-16T22:57:41-05:00On March 2, 1965, Joseph P. (“Joe”) Phelan flew his rescue helicopter to pick up a downed fighter pilot in North Vietnam. By doing so he participated in the first air rescue in the North.
Duane Buttell, Jr.: Guy In Back for a Mig-21 Victory
marc.zarefsky2023-07-10T22:13:24-05:00Bastille Day, July 14, 1966, a day Duane Buttell, Jr. will remember forever! He was flying in the lead F-4 of four fighters tasked to provide MiG cover for three F-105s (“Thuds”) attacking surface to air missile (SAM) sites near Hanoi.
James Wilson: Interrogating Prisoners
marc.zarefsky2023-03-30T21:13:24-05:00Skip and his South Vietnamese interpreter partner interrogated North Vietnamese Army (NVA) prisoners. In accordance with Army intelligence procedures he wore no rank so that the prisoners would not know his status.
Paul Stromborg, MD: Fill-er Up
marc.zarefsky2022-10-26T22:48:27-05:00Imagine you are flying a fighter or a bomber over the skies of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, or the Gulf of Tonkin and your jet is thirsty. Paul Stromborg’s KC-135 “Stratotanker” will fill up your fuel tanks.
Christopher Mead: Maintaining Order in the Skies Over Vietnam
marc.zarefsky2022-07-17T20:32:34-05:00By early January 1968, Chris shipped out to Vietnam joining MACS-4 (Marine Air Control Squadron) located on a peninsula northeast of Da Nang on top of “Monkey Mountain.” The base was located on the peak of Sơn Trà Mountain, overlooking Da Nang Harbor and China Beach.
Ronald Dascher: Flying With The Blue Dragons
marc.zarefsky2022-06-09T08:08:18-05:00Ron was born on a farm near Freeport, Illinois in 1936, one of six kids. He and several buddies from his neighborhood in Freeport left high school halfway through senior year to sign up for the military.
Thomas Workinger: Flying Midshipman to Flying the ‘Friendly Skies’
marc.zarefsky2022-06-07T19:42:54-05:00Thomas G. (Tom) Workinger was born in 1928 during the Great Depression and grew up and attended school in Terre Haute, Indiana. He “watched” as World War II engulfed the planet.
Bill Baker: Underwater Demolition and Cartography Expert
marc.zarefsky2022-04-09T21:38:13-05:00William “Bill” Baker grew up probably as far from the sea as one could in the States. Born in Minneapolis on January 5, 1940, he lived in Maple Lake just north and west of the Twin Cities, surrounded by farm country.
Betty Lou Paps: Challenges of Being a Flight Nurse
marc.zarefsky2021-09-29T20:00:17-05:00With a lifetime of memories from work, family, travel, and service, Betty Lou Paps reminds us that “there's always something to learn.”
Ronald Navickas: Nuclear Weapons Maintenance
marc.zarefsky2021-09-11T15:59:55-05:00Ron joined the Air Force Reserve at 17, when he was assigned to the Military Police with the 439th Fighter-Bomber Wing.
Donald N. Benkowski: Military Intelligence is a Different Kind of War
marc.zarefsky2021-08-10T08:24:19-05:00Don wanted to be a military pilot. He took and passed all the qualification examinations with just one exception.
Melvin Copeland: Too Tall To Fly, a Tuskegee Airman Provides Support to the Red Tails
Doug Meffley2021-04-20T13:49:08-05:00When Mel Copeland joined the Tuskegee Airmen, he wanted to be a pilot. At 6-foot-4, they couldn't close the plane's canopy over his tall frame, so he became ground support for the fabled unit.
Howard Tweddle, Jr.: “Tweet” Is Still Singing Today
Doug Meffley2019-08-02T21:40:05-05:00Howard Edgar Tweddle, Jr. was born on March 8, 1943, and grew up in Marion, Ohio. During high school, he discovered he could sing.
Robert “Arch” Archibald: The Dangerous Early Years of Vietnam
Ryan Walters2019-05-31T09:18:11-05:00U.S. Air Force Vietnam Wilmette, IL [...]
Joe and Frank Ring: Brothers Who Served At Different Times Share More Than Just an Army Bond
Doug Meffley2019-05-06T12:34:22-05:00U.S. Army Korean and Vietnam Wars Chicago [...]
Walter Mannaberg: Kindertransport, Infantryman in Battle of The Bulge, German Interrogator
Doug Meffley2019-04-08T10:20:12-05:00U.S. Army World War II Chicago, IL [...]
Milan Menich: A Lumberjack Who Knows How to Dance
MicheleZander2018-09-09T13:21:22-05:00A Lumberjack Who Knows How to Dance
Mario J. Cortina: Maintaining Fighter Jets Sometimes Requires “Scrounging”
MicheleZander2018-08-04T15:05:13-05:00Maintaining Fighter Jets Sometimes Requires “Scrounging”
Charlie C. Dobbins: Always Up For a Challenge In Thirty Years of Active Duty
MicheleZander2018-07-05T12:34:41-05:00Always Up For a Challenge In Thirty Years of Active Duty