COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

The

C MPASS
M ISSOURI W ING
FOR

P.O. Box 637 St.Charles, MO 63302 St. Charles County Smartt Airport 636-250-4515 Fax 636-250-4515 www.cafmo.org

MISSOURI WING

E XECUTIVE S TAFF
WING LEADER Col. Patrick Kesler 28 Confederate Way St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5687 636-250-4515 Wing wingleader@cafmo.org ADJUTANT Col.Bob Moore 6 Hidden Meadow Court St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5546 home 314-486-1205 cell moorerw@charter.net EXECUTIVE OFFICER Col. Bob Lawrence 111 W. Essex Ave. Kirkwood, MO 63122 314-494-7539 cell 314-894-3200 x103 work FINANCE Col. Steve Gossett 4 Limerick Lane O'Fallon, MO 63366 636-474-9763 314-306-5021 OPERATIONS OFFICER Col.Craig O'Mara 1085 Graywolf Court Fairview Heights, IL 62208 618-632-6113 home 618-558-7211 cell craigo777@juno.com MAINTENANCE OFFICER Col. Pat Fenwick 6 Heather Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 636-441-2856 SAFETY OFFICER Col. Chris Herrmann 309 Clearwater Drive Belleville, IL 62220 618-233-4782 PIO OFFICER Col. Cecilia Holechek 314-920-5118 infocafmo@gmail.com

PX TRAILER READY

AIRSHOW SEASON

JULY 2013

With a new facelift and shiney new wheels the PX trailer is ready to attract crowds to buy all of our new PX items.

U PCOMING E VENTS
NOTE: NC = Not Confirmed

View The Compass in color at cafmo.org

July 3-7 Six Flags Flybys each evening B-25 & TBM July 12-13 Wingnuts Flying Circus Airshow, Tarkio, Mo. TBM July 13 General Meeting 1:30pm July 19-21 Carbondale/Marion, IL B-25 LHFEs, PX July 26 Wentzville (St. Charles County Fair) B-25 Flyover Aug 10 General Meeting 1:30pm Aug 11 Festival of the Little Hills Parade - St. Charles, Mo. Aug 17 Sullivan, MO B-25, L-3 LHFEs, PX Sep 7 Warrensburg, Mo. Skyhaven Airshow B-25, LHFEs, PX Sep 14 General Meeting 1:30pm Sep 19-21 Camdenton, MO Lake Airshow B-25, L-3, LHFEs, PX Sep 21 HANGAR DANCE! Sep 28 Jefferson City, MO Open House B-25, L-3, LHFEs, PX Oct 11-13 AIRSHO 2013 Midland, Texas TBM (crew pays own expenses) Oct 12 General Meeting 1:30pm Oct 19 Mt. Vernon, IL Little Egypt Fly-In TBM, L-3, PX Oct 26 Smartt Field Open House & Pumpkin Drop Nov 9 General Meeting 1:30pm Nov 9 Veteran's Day Parade - Florissant, MO

Saturday - July 13 - General Meeting - 1:30 pm

WING LEADER'S REPORT

July 1st marked the halfway point in our journey through the year of 2013. It also reminds us of how hot it can get in the summer around the Midwest. Our aircrews and PX helpers are sure earning their pay when they volunteer to step up and step out in this 90 degree plus heat. My hats off to them! Better yet, I think Ill keep my hat on out in the sun because it seems like Im becoming more susceptible to getting sunburned on top. Hmmm? Must have something to do with the thinning hair up there. Of course the thinning has nothing to do with my age. It must be from all of the helmet time I had while flying those fast movers in the Air Force. Oh well, kudos to all of the members who continue to donate their valuable time outside in the hot weather conditions while promoting our goals. Speaking of outside, my hat is back off to all of those mechanic-types who so skillfully replaced SHOW MEs #11 cylinder on the left engine in Columbia and #13 cylinder (same engine same rebuilder, yes we know) in Cameron, Missouri. Those guys sure put in a bunch of long hours away from home to work on the engine and get her back in the air. Pat Fenwick, Dutch Meyerpeter, Lou Tacchi, Dan Bauer, Dan Schmied, and Mike Marino worked hard in Columbia and nurtured our bomber back to health so she could support the activities later in Cameron. Hubert Looney, Dutch, Dan Bauer, Bob Sanders, Ken Supranowich, and Bill Wehmeier did their magic in Cameron and got her airworthy again for the long weekend in Davenport, Iowa at the Quad Cities Airshow. According to David Thompsen who piloted the B-25 with Chris Herrmann she flew beautifully and did us proud! All of the driving back and forth and hard work really paid off over the last months flying activities. Did I mention Hubert and Dutch in the last paragraph? Well, Im going to have to mention this dynamic duo again in this one. The B-25 flew great during the Quad Cities weekend and the TBM was also able to participate in Columbia and Davenport. However, it developed a leak up around the prop governor mounting bracket and was unable to return home on Sunday, June 23rd. Instead, Hubert and Dutch took off early the following day (Monday) and had a lonnnnng one day field trip up north to replace the associated gasket. As I type this, the TBM is once again healthy and ready for a steely-eyed Avenger pilot to fly her back home. Oh, by the way, they spent a little extra time in the hangar with our blue beauty while some tornadoes passed over the airport and inflicted some damage elsewhere on the field. I believe Hubert is submitting a voucher to $teve Gossett for Hazardous Duty Pay. Speaking of Hubert (again), I need to send a BIG THANKS to him for the continued use of his trailer in transporting parts, tools and supplies back and forth between home base and the job sites. Oh, and another basket full of gratitude goes to him for utilizing his aircraft to transport our pilots (Matt Conrad and John Fester) along with Dutch (A&P) to bring the bomber back from Cameron in northwest Missouri. Word has it that they were totally impressed by Huberts piloting skills and professional demeanor onboard. His personal flight attendant was unavailable for this particular trip and in-flight meals and drinks were not served, but the boys were still able to survive the short journey to Cameron. After 6 years as the Wing Leader, I am still amazed at the dedication and unselfishness of our members especially the ones who wield wrenches and the various tools of their trade in such a professional and expert manner. If the mechanics and support personnel in WWII were half as good and caring as these men are today, it is certainly no wonder we won the war

Id better quit talking about Hubert or you all might think hes paying me for all of these flourishes. Before I do stop, I need to make one more statement concerning him. I believe it will be a long time before he kids Dave Woodson about dropping keys down an elevator shaft something to do with a dropped bolt while working on the B-25 cylinder change? Please make sure you stay well hydrated during these hot days and try to make it out to the Wing and support some of our summer activities. Remember, you can help Keep Em Flying and have a great, rewarding time in your life while doing so. Its always great to make new memories especially when they are associated with the memories of that Great Generation. Respectfully submitted, CAF Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY DONATE!!!

OR

LATE TO

Its definitely not too early to think about donating any items you or a friend may have that could be used in our Silent Auction at the 2013 Hangar Dance. Books, models, aprons, gift baskets, vintage items, pictures, crystal, or anything someone would find interesting or unique is what were looking for. You wouldnt believe some of the special stuff Ive seen laying on the auction tables in the B-25 Hangar during past Dances! Im sure Col. Bob Moore could tell you some interesting stories about what he has seen being bid on (silently). Many $$$$$$s have been brought in to the Wing because the right someone found that very special piece of memorabilia or perfect thing they thought no longer existed. Dig deep into your closets, basements, footlockers and garages. Make your better half happy when you tell her or him that youre finally relinquishing ownership of that one-of-a-kind tool or cherished memory from high school. You can make their day by finally clearing out those dust-collecting articles that have been just lying there, waiting for new TLC and admiration. Do it! Break the bonds and move on with your life! Let someone else be responsible for care giving to that once prized possession. And guess what? Ill provide a Federal Tax form that you can use to document your thoughtfulness and generosity. Please bring at least one item to the Wing and feel good about what youre doing for mankind. Besides, it will get you interested in looking at what others have brought and you can perhaps find a special item to take the place (and space) of your donated one. Its called perpetual motion CAF Col. Pat Kesler

XO REPORT

A Week At Six Flags

SAFETY
WHICH ARE YOU?
As we are about to start the busy part of our air show season, I want to ask you a simple question to which you should have an almost instantaneous, simple response. Are you cargo or are you crew? According to Merriam-Webster, cargo is defined as the goods or merchandise conveyed in a ship, plane or vehicle. Basically, cargo is an inanimate lump of stuff being moved from point A to Point B. When you are flying on any one of our aircraft, though you are not assigned pilot duties, it does not mean that you are cargo being shuttled from one airport to another. While you most probably will not be responsible for manipulating the aircraft controls, it also does not mean that you do not have any inflight duties. One definition of crew is the persons who have duties on an aircraft in flight. From the start of the mission, at the CREW brief, the pilots include all CREW MEMBERS in the brief. That is because you do have responsibilities in flight. You are part of an extended monitoring system of the aircraft. The pilots expect you to take an active role in safely moving the aircraft from point A to point B. I wont go into yet another litany of what you should be doing, but I want to remind you once again, that you need to pay attention to your surroundings and advise the pilots if you see, smell feel, or hear things that are out of the ordinary or are unexpected. You probably noticed this is a variation on a theme that I wrote about only two months ago. Why am I harping on it again? As part of my job, I attend mishap outbriefs to the commander. This past week, I attended yet another. A perfectly function aircraft was flown all the way to the mishap sight by the pilot. Two other crew members had the opportunity to intervene and prevent the mishap, but for various reasons did not. 3 pilots; one flying, two cargo. End result? Several million dollars worth of damage to an aircraft and airfield. Fortunately, none of the 55 persons on board was hurt. So which are you? Crew or Cargo? Please take an active role in safely accomplishing our mission!! CAF Col. Chris Herrmann

A good time was had by everyone that came down and gave me a hand in the PX July 3rd - 7th. Anyone that didn't know how to make dog tags was given a quick lesson. The B-25 and TBM caught the attention of the crowds with their daily flyover.

Yes, it's our finance officer, Steve Gossett making money typing dog tags.

Four of July flyover B-25 and TBM at Six Flags

CAF Colonels hooking up the bomber for Sunday flyover.

Work on the September 21st 2013 Hangar Dance is well underway. This is our 31st year! Flyers and letters should be hitting local and distant mailboxes soon. We still need all of you who helped last year to come out in force again and help make the dance another success. We still plan on having door prizes and a Silent Auction so please do everything you can to locate local (or distant) donors so we can have many high dollar items available. Some items could include tickets to a sporting event such as the Rams, Blues or Cardinals, a weekend at Branson or Lake of the Ozarks, Southwest Airline tickets or some other priceless item. Remember, in addition to our thanks, their name will be included on a Hangar Dance Supporters display board for all to see at the dance. Remember, tickets sales will be available through our website, www.cafmo.org, as well as through the mail and Wing. Our fearless Finance Officer has volunteered to handle the mail sales again, so be sure to address your requests to: CAF Hangar Dance 4 Limerick Lane OFallon, MO 63366 We do have many members that have been supervising/ ramrodding different aspects of the dance for decades and would like to pass the baton on to someone else. Please consider volunteering for one of the following Committees and being the member that assumes a little more responsibility just once a year for our biggest event. Its fun, you meet lots of nice people and you get to be the Commanding General for a couple days a year. Here is a list of the committees/committee heads, so please get in touch with the person in charge and volunteer to help out on at least one: Ticket Sales/$teve Gossett Hangar Prep/Cleanup/Pat Kesler Stage-Lighting-Sound/Mike McEntee Food/Bob Lawrence Parking/Lou Tacchi Drink Sales/John Coffey Silent Auction/??YOU?? Door Prizes/??YOU?? 50/50-??YOU?? Table/Chairs setup/takedown/Everyone Please get involved this is the biggest Fund-Raising activity we have in 2013 - and it is always the most enjoyable. Volunteer to help out and email me or give me a call if you have any questions or suggestions. This is the one time of the year we need every members dedication and support. CAF Col. Pat Kesler/ Coordinator/Chairman/ Head Person in Charge - (Looking for an assistant)

HANGAR DANCE UPDATE

WELCOME NEW MEMBER KEITH DANIEL

William Keith Daniel is a US Navy veteran that served as an Aircraft Structural Mechanic on F-14 Tomcats from May 1991 to May 1999. He was assigned to Fighter Squadron Thirty-one Tomcatters at NAS Oceana, Virginia upon completion of basic training and Airframes A-1 school. In March 1992, VF-31 was transferred to NAS Miramar, California, the home of TOPGUN, to fly the new F-14D Tomcats. Keith was temporarily assigned to VF-124 Gunfighters for F-14D systems familiarization training, then returned to VF-31 to prepare for the Western Pacific/Indian Ocean Cruise aboard the USS Carl Vinson CVN-70 in 1994. He spent two and a half months in the Persian Gulf supporting Operation Southern Watch. In August 1995, Keith had the pleasure of being on board the USS Carl Vinson for the 50th anniversary of V-J Day in Honolulu, Hawaii where several WWII-era aircraft were deck-launched from the carrier including three B-25s, an FM-2 Wildcat, an F-4u Corsair, and a Dauntless, just to name a few. In January 1996, he was transferred to VF-101 Grim Reapers and returned to NAS Oceana as NAS Miramar was realigned to a Marine Corps Air Station. Keith left the service to start a family with his wife Janet. They have three children, Joshua-age 14, Joanna-age 11, and Sarah-age 9. He worked as an automotive technician for a few years and currently works as a parts specialist at NAPA. His passion is photography and is centered on old planes and old cars and attends airshows and car shows every chance he gets!

Keith and his son Joshua enjoying a day at the Wing in front of the Gruman TBM.

LHFE PERKS

One of the fringe perks we get when we do LHFE rides is the chance to meet a lot of nice people. As we book these riders, usually by phone or email, you get to know a little about them and begin to share their excitement as they anticipate riding in our B-25 Show-Me. This happened to me again as I was lining up riders for our flights in Macomb, IL. I received a phone call from a man who said his name was Lloyd Yetter and he wanted to know if he could sign up for a ride in the B-25 when it was at Macomb. I told him we would love to take him and then he said he wanted to take his son along and wanted to know if they could sit together on the flight. Still being in my fill out the paperwork mode I mentioned that if his son was under 18 we would need to have a minor hold harmless form filled out and notarized.. After a brief pause, Lloyd said his son was 63 so he didnt think that was a problem. OOPS! Well we actually had a good laugh at that and we just started talking about the CAF and the B-25. It was a neat conversation and lasted quite a while. Turns out he is 88 and actually flew B-25s during the war. As I have said before, I am always honored to be in their presence. While enjoying his flight in the B-25, one of his family members told me how much he looked forward to flying in a B25 again and also to have his son, Roger, share the experience. The following is an excerpt about Lloyd from a book he wrote about his experiences during the war. Being so busy at the show, I didnt have time to read about him until I got home but when I did I felt so proud to have met him and shared our Living History Flight Experience with him. Lloyd, thank you again for your service! BTW: Before his flight, Lloyd asked me how fast we flew the plane. I told him I thought between 185 and 200 miles an hour. With a quizzical look he said is that all? so I asked him how fast they flew during the war. He answered with a straight face As fast as they would go. After all somebody was usually shooting at us. Another laugh we shared. CAF Col Bob Moore

Okinawa, and Japan. While with the 35th Fight Contral Squadron he was in command of a radar station on top of a small mountain near Moji, Japan. For his military service Lloyd received the American Theatre Ribbon, The Asian-Pacific Theatre Ribbon, one Overseas Service Bar, The Victory Medal, and The Japanese Occupation Ribbon. At the time he was serving his overseas tour of duty and piloting a Mitchell B-25 Bomber, he was only 20-21 years old and was the smallest pilot in the group..using a cushion so he could see out of the cockpit windows. Lloyd married Dorothy Martin of Colchester, Illinois in 1944 while he was in pilot training. Lloyd and Dorothy met and kissed for the first time when they were five years old...and began dating in the 7th grade. They celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary June 11, 2013. They have two sons, Roger and Larry, who also served in the United States Military.

Lloyd E. Yetter is a lifetime resident of Colchester, Illinois. He entered the Army Air Corp Pilot Training in 1943 at the age of 19. Soon thereafter, he began his flight training at Stanford, TX in a PT-19, a 100 horsepower aircraft, and flew solo in this airplane in 4 hours. After completing his primary training, he moved on to basic flight training at Sherman, TX, and began flying a much larger aircraft, a BT-13, which was a 450 horsepower aircraft. His next transfer was to Waco, TX for training in a twin Beech AT-10. Lloyd graduated from the Army Air Corp Pilot Training Program in 1944 at the age of 20 and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. Following pilot training graduation, he became an Amry Air Corp Twin Engine Flight Instructor. He was then transferred to Greenville Army Air Base, Greenville, South Carolina, where he began training in Mitchell B25 high performance aircraft. From South Carolina he was transferred to March Field in Riverside, California for additional special low level combat training using 50 caliber machine guns, 75 millimeter cannon and low 2 level bombing. He was the pilot of a Mitchell B-25 Twin Engine Bomber with the 38th Bomb Group and 35th Fighter Control Squadron which was part of the 5th Air Force in the Pacific Theatre of WWII. Lloyd was promoted to 1st Lt. This bomb group conducted low level combat operations, usually at tree top level, to achieve surprise on the enemy, and to avoid radar detection. During Lloyd's overseas tour he was stationed in the Philippine Islands,

GENERAL MEETING MINUTES 1:30 PM June 8, 2013 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLIGIENCE ROLL CALL OF STAFF: WL __ ADJ __ EXEC __ OPS __ MAINT __ FIN __ SAFE __ PIO __ RECOGNIZE VISITORS AND GUESTS MINUTES OF LAST MEETING in COMPASS INFIRMED MEMBERS none noted COMMITTEE REPORTS: Compass John Coffey Gasoline Sales Jim Lammert/$teve Gossett Museum Jack Seeman/Joe Wurtz Web Site Bob Lawrence PX Bob Lawrence Recruiting & Membership Bob Lawrence Air Shows Matt Conrad LHFE Bob Moore Hangar Dance - Pat Kesler OLD BUSINESS RANKIN TECHNICAL SCHOOL VISIT Don Huster ramrodded this on Sunday April 21st. Had a great time! STEVE BROWN VISIT Went very well! He was impressed with our people! MAINTENANCE STORAGE BLDG Looking into grants and assistance in getting 4 20 movable storage containers. B-25 flew from Columbia to Cameron, MO yesterday (Friday) morning and will hopefully be able to recover to Smartt Sunday. Need below 29.5 feet for full runway. NEW BUSINESS 1. STAFF REPORTS: MAINTENANCE___ EXECUTIVE___ OPERATIONS___ SAFETY___ ADJUTANT___ AIRSHOW__ PUBLIC INFORMATION __ LHFE ____ FINANCE___ 2. AIRCRAFT STATUS: B-25 - A/W TBM - A/W L-3 - A/ W 3. AIRCREW SAFETY TRAINING More classes will be available in the future. Chris Herrmann is OIC. 4. FEP PROCEDURES So far so good. Flood peaked at 30.94 at 6:30am Tuesday morning (June 4th) down by Tracy Smiths office. Currently receding. 5. HANGAR HALL AREA Next to be upgraded. 6. HANGAR DANCE Sept 21st Need Assistant 7. SIX FLAG EVENT TO SUPPORT OPERATION HOMEFRONT WITH FLYOVERS Jul 3-7 (Wednesday thru Sunday) Each day at 2:30pm, B-25 and TBM (if we can get pilots). FAA waivered flights are restricted to max crew of 3 in the B-25 and 1 in TBM. We will have an area inside the park (with PX) which needs to be manned each day 11am to 9:30pm). 7 people are required each day. 11am 5pm: 4 volunteers. 5pm 9:30pm: 3 volunteers. Scheduling inputs to Pat Kesler or Bob Lawrence. Meeting adjourned @ 2:30pm

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

MISSOURI WING P.O. Box 637 St. Charles, MO 63302-0637

JULY 2013

Hangar Dance Tickets on Sale NOW !!!

Help support the biggest fundraiser of the year. Buy your tickets !

"OPERATION HOMEFRONT" SUPPORT MISSION

AT

SIX FLAGS ACCOMPLISHED

Pilot Sam Graves and Shane Roden in the TBM taxiing out past crew chief, Dutch Meyerpeter for the Sunday Six Flag flyby. Airshow pass upon return. Thanks Sam, it was wonderful!

Hubert Looney marshalling out the B-25.

July Birthdays!

Dick Hyde (7) Norval Seeley (8) Tee Baur (8) Hubert Looney (12) TR Proven (18) Hezekiah Kemp (18) Wanda Weaver (19) Cecilia Holechek (23) Jack Seeman (24) Ron Anderson (24) Joe Racine (25) Nick Talarico (26) Rich Ceglinski (30) Lou Tacchi (30) Lennie Kratzer (31) Compass Deadline: Articles should be submitted by the 24th of the month.