COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

The

C MPASS
M ISSOURI W ING

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

ANOTHER

FANTASTIC HANGAR DANCE!!

OCTOBER 2013

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
"Whoa! Don't drop ME!"

View The Compass in color at cafmo.org

Oct 5 Oct 11-13 Oct 12 Oct 26 Nov 9 Nov 9 Dec 14 Jan 4, 2014

Festus, MO Flyover TBM AIRSHO 2013 Midland, Texas TBM (crew pays own expenses) General Meeting 1:30pm Smartt Field Open House & Pumpkin Drop General Meeting 1:30pm - Chili Cook-Off & Elections Veteran's Day Parade - Florissant, MO General Meeting - 1:30 pm Wing Post-Christmas Party at Lombardo's

U PCOMING E VENTS

"Yum Chili"

Saturday - October 12 - General Meeting - 1:30 pm

WING LEADER'S REPORT

I always love this time of the year as temperatures become more reasonable and things seem to slow down a little, offering us the ability to enjoy the little things in life a bit more. The beginning of Autumn also suggests that our annual Hangar Dance has been held and all of the post-dance tear-down and pickups are complete. This years dance was one of the best I can remember. We had perfect weather, perfect membership help, and perfect attendance. Over 700 people attended and I keep receiving comments from members and attendees as to how enjoyable the entire day and evening was. I think most of us even had a good time sitting up for the event. I saw a lot of smiling faces and great camaraderie throughout the day and week before. Thanks go out to every member, spouse, and relative for all of the support. The teenagers and younger family members were amazing (again). Without them, it would have been a much longer, more labor-intensive day and evening. If you have time, check out my short 2013 Hangar Dance article in this newsletter. As most of you know, the B-25 is down for the rest of the year due to left engine problems. The mechanics will be replacing this engine with a newly rebuilt one during the Fall and Winter. The problem engine will be returned to the Oklahoma City rebuilder for repair and the replacement engine will be coming from the same rebuilder that did the current right engine and TBM engine (Clinton, AR). I would like to thank everyone for all of their support this year and remind them that we still have a few events involving the TBM and L-3. Aircraft annual maintenance will begin in October and continue through March of next year. Please plan on helping us keep the hangars clean and volunteering to help out with the Museum during our non-flying part of the year. We were saddened recently to hear of the departure of one of our long-time members and WWII Veterans, Colonel Richard Ceglinski, father of long-time member and TBM specialist, David. He was a soft-spoken man who honorably served his country and was a hero to us all. His detailed, numerous stories will surely be missed around the hangars. I had to be on my toes when he attended the general membership meetings because he always had a question that taxed my knowledge and memory. I remember all of the pictures he showed me when I was a fledgling, new Wing member and was continually impressed with his details and enthusiasm. He always had that special sparkle in his eye when he talked about B-24 Liberators. He has flown west to join his buddies, many of which departed this world way too early and will be forever young

Elections are next month and, believe it or not, I made a mistake. There are actually five positions open. Col. Chris Herrmann assumed the position of Wing Safety Officer on 01/ 01/2012 and will have served his two year term by this December (time does fly). We will be looking for a few good men and women to fill the key positions of Wing Leader, Executive Officer, Finance Officer, Adjutant , and Safety Officer at the November 9th meeting. So if you are considering becoming a member of the Staff, please contact me or any of the other Staffers and start making your campaign signs. We will be appointing both a Nomination and Election Committee at the October meeting. Note: Look for a related article elsewhere in this issue pertaining to the WL position. The time has come Yummy! Yummy! Chili cook-off time is fast approaching. It is always held in conjunction with the elections at the November meetings and we have certainly experienced some pretty fantastic-tasting concoctions and desserts over the past few years! Its a perfect time of year for this activity and everyone really looks forward to the feeding frenzy. Start researching your archives and secret recipes vault and query your favorite relatives on what best will serve as the winning entry yours! Have a great October and enjoy the cooler weather and activities around the Wing and local area. Go Cards! Maybe the Rams will win one or two? Thanks again to everyone who helped before, during, and after the Hangar Dance! It was a great one and the Wing membership should be very proud. 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, Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

GONE WEST - CAF COL. RICH CEGLINSKI

THE 2013 HANGAR DANCE

Every year, after weeks of preparation done mainly by Mike and the Mechanics (a very successful recording group), the big WWII Hangar is always ready to accept patrons beginning at 6pm the day of the dance. The floor is clean, the hangar is all decorated (thanks to Connie Coffey and the Ladies some of which were very small this year), the aircraft and military vehicles are all on display (thanks to the mechanics), the parking cones and directions are ready for the onslaught of automobiles (thanks mainly to Lou Tacchi and his band of merry men), the B-25 hangar is filled with silent auction artifacts, and the stage and lighting are professionally prepared and ready to accentuate the sweet sounds of the Sentimental Journey Dance Band - all after hundreds of hours of hard work and gallons of perspiration. Then comes the magic... The people eat, drink, dance, laugh, sometimes cry, and enjoy an evening filled with 1940s-ladened memories. Sadly, all good things must end, and the celebration winds down at 11pm-ish when the band plays its final notes. At 11:05pm, the overhead lights go on and the hangar is now filled with hoards of old and young members and relatives with one mission in mind Get the place cleaned up and back to normal so we can go home and get to bed. Post-dance cleanup starts with emptying the 100s of partiallyfull plastic cups and pitchers, searching for any left-behind items for the Wing Leaders Lost & Found collection, putting all of the tabletop junk into the 55 gallon drums and stripping the tables of the red, white and blue plastic table cloths. All of this occurs while a swarm of worker-bees hand-sweep the concrete floor. Next comes the breakdown of over 100 8-foot tables and 800 folding chairs which immediately get stacked neatly down the center of the hangar in preparation for their pickup on the following Monday or Tuesday. Hubert Looney is like a Colonel possessed while stacking the bundles of heavy tables with the forklift and making sure the pallets of left-over cokes and water bottles are moved back into the northwest corner of the hangar. The floor is clean and the tables and chairs are all still being stacked as the staff car, jeep, 2 ton truck and aircraft are positioned safely back inside the hangar. Its one of the most amazing events youll ever witness. Although it looks like complete chaos, its results produce that which is closer to precision clockwork. No one gets hurt, every person somehow knows what to do and when to do it, and everyone has a fun time doing it no matter what it is. Want to hear an amazing Hangar Dance fact? Here it comes I always gauge the end of the annual hangar dance on when the floor is clean, the tables and chairs are stacked, and the aircraft/vehicles are back under the roof. In simple terms this years dance was officially over when Hubert

and his forklift exited the north end of the hangar. Last year he drove through the hangar door opening at 12:20am. This year he exited at 12:21am. Guess it took a little longer this year because we had more people attending. You talk about precision! Of course, just because everything was done and most of the tired helpers left shortly thereafter, there was a small group of hard-corps members (and spouses) that delayed their departure to make sure we werent giving Anheuser Busch any more leftover beverage than possible. I always stick around to make sure no one overdoes it and it always seems like these workers are just happy its all over for another year and they want to enjoy the moment. I was the last to leave and proceeded on my own into the quiet, dark, peaceful night on my final dance mission of picking up the five directional signs I had put out at 7:30am Saturday morning. That drive is always a longanticipated, enjoyable one. Only thing different this time around was the fact that I had a police spotlight and blinking lights staring me in the eye shortly after I stopped to pick up the first sign. He asked me what I was doing on the side of Hwy 94 at 2am in the morning and I told him about the dance. He saw my Wing shirt and said that he has always wanted to go to that dance! I gave him my card and offered him 2 free tickets for next year if he wouldnt take me in. He laughed and asked me if I needed any help in recovering the next four signs. I thanked him, declined his offer and proceeded on my quest, driving 5 mph under the posted speed limit. Whew! Another possible crisis averted!!! And, another successful MO Wing Hangar Dance graciously supported by and put on by a group of outstanding, dedicated, selfless individuals. Special thanks go out ONCE AGAIN to Mike McEntee and his amazing talent for lighting his flag and stage and projecting the sounds of that bygone ERA OF HEROES Col. Pat Kesler

2013 S H ANGAR DANCE MARTT FIELD

MEET OUR NEWEST CAF MEMBERS A THOUGHTLESS WORD

the crash that killed seven 7 members of the B-25 and wounded an eighth was entirely preventable. They cited crew error as the main cause of the mishap. The surviving crew member admitted to missing a critical step that directly caused the mishap. They further stated that their emotional state caused a distraction at a critical and inopportune time in the flight. A key component of safety is being emotionally prepared to execute your duties in accomplishing the mission. Unlike the Air Force, we dont numerically score each members personal preparedness factors before each flight. We dont do a calculated, cumulative risk analysis of the mission and crew before we leave Smartt Field. Nonetheless, it is still critical for each of us to be prepared professionally, physically, and mentally for each and every flight. Flying is inherently dangerous and requires each and every crewmember needs to be at their best. Mental distractions can be just as deadly as physical issues or professional lapses. Distractions we bring with us from home can sometimes be challenging enough put aside. We dont need to add to more contributing factors to others well-being by being thoughtless. How you respond to inputs, do introductions, or even refer to others can affect the way the individual thinks and more importantly responds to situations. The words we choose either foster or destroy teamwork, include or exclude inputs, encourage or discourage a person from participating. A negatively perceived message has the potential to eliminate or exclude the member (and possibly their critical input). Likewise, positive and open communication can encourage and foster teamwork. I need to add a caution here about humor. Humor is a sense. What you find funny may not be funny to another person. So when using humor in reference to others, I suggest you tread cautiously and ensure that you will cause a positive effect versus a negative one. Every member is on the crew for a reason. They are an integral part of the team that helps us safely deploy, show, sell rides, and redeploy our bomber, TBM and L-3. Realize that a thoughtless word or a careless comment can have devastating effects on the mental preparedness of other crewmembers. We all need to choose our words carefully to ensure that each crew member continues to be fully engaged in safely accomplishing the mission. It isnt difficult. Who knows, the life you save could be your own! CAF Col. Chris Herrmann

THE NTSB DETERMINED...

OR

As you can see in this months Compass, we have three new people who have recently joined the CAF and the Missouri Wing. In fact, all of them have already helped with the Hangar Dance and even rode with us in the Octoberfest Parade in downtown St. Charles. Take a few minutes to read about them, look at their pictures, and then introduce yourself and make them feel at home the next time you see them at the airport. You might just make a new CAF friend!

Gary Chambers I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and am happy to be living in St. Louis. Ive been a member of the CAF since 2008 as treat to myself after retiring from 30 years in the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves. My biggest regret is I never joined sooner since I was familiar with the group since the early 70s. Ive long been interested in aviation history, growing up reading through my dads Army Air Force manuals and making an annual pilgrimage to the U. S. Air Force Museum (now National Museum of the U. S. Air Force) in Dayton. My Guard and Reserve flying is as a WSO on the RF-4C and F-4 Phantom IIs in Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama. The phase out of the Phantom in 1993 caused me to switch to navigating the C-130 in the Michigan Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves in Minneapolis. Highlights of my military career were graduating from the USAF Fighter Weapons School three weeks before Top Gun hit the theaters in 1986. The second was being activated for Iraq and Afghanistan in 2003. Civilian flying was primarily doing aerial photography,later air freight, then finally flying for Pinnacle Airlines and briefly Boeing 757s with Omni Air International. Aviation photography has been a passion since I got my first good camera in 1978. Ive been fortunate to have my images published in several magazines and used as box art on three model airplanes. The highlight of both military and civilian flying was attending the Doolittle Raider Reunion in 2012. Gerry Spavale Gerald (Gerry) Spavale is a husband and grandfather who retired from Lincoln Engineering after 20 years as a screw machine operator. Gerald and his wife Mary are volunteers at the St. Charles County Family YMCA where they also belong to the Lamplighter Society. Gerald is a WWII enthusiast who enjoys spending his free time bowling, fishing, and going on trips with his grandchildren. Russ Rosenthal Russ Rosenthal is a proud father and Vietnam vet who retired as owner of Allied Transportation. Now that Russs son has taken over the family business, Russ enjoys spending his free time flying and traveling.

A SEVEN YEAR ITCH

ST. CHARLES OCTOBERFEST PARADE

This year the Missouri Wing was invited to be part of the Octoberfest parade being held in historic downtown St. Charles on Saturday, September 28. Nine members drove all three of our vehicles to Main Street and met the other parade participants at the Foundry Arts Center. There were quite a few floats etc including an appearance by, her honor, Mayor Sally Faith. Music was supplied by the Lindenwood University marching band who did a great job playing their musical numbers as they marched down main street. It was a small but appreciative and enthusiastic crowd who generously waved to us as we drove by. Many shouts of thanks for your service, God bless America and other sayings were heard including the usual what year car is that?. It was a lot of fun especially appearing in front of our home town people. Thanks to all of you who enjoyed this beautiful day with us. CAF Col. Bob Moore

GENERAL MEETING

- 1:30PM September 14, 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 Col. Rich Ceglinski is very ill. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Compass John Coffey Gasoline Sales Jim Lammert/$teve Gossett Museum Jack Seeman Web Site Bob Lawrence PX Bob Lawrence Recruiting & Membership Bob Lawrence Air Shows Matt Conrad LHFE Bob Moore Hangar Dance - Pat Kesler OLD BUSINESS STORAGE CONTAINERS Still trying to acquire some. NEW BUSINESS 1. AIRCRAFT STATUS: B-25 Down for left engine TBM A/W L-3 A/W 2. HANGAR DANCE Next Saturday, Sept 21st Need Assistant and volunteers/chairs on committees. Clean out hangars. Volunteer on Sign-up sheets. 3. ST. CHARLES OKTOBERFEST PARADE Saturday, Sept 28. Nick Talarico is OPR 4. SHORTENED MEETING Everybody go out in the hangars and help with the clean-up and dance preparation. Meeting Adjourned @ 2:00PM

When hearing the term seven year itch, most people think of Marilyn Monroe and the movie. This is actually a phrase that embodies a stage many marriages go through. There are many types of marriages and one could loosely expand the term and apply it to ones relationship with an organization. Marriage requires dedication, understanding, and loyalty. Membership in a special organization requires much the same. I have been a member of the Missouri Wing for well over a decade and have had the honor of serving as your Wing Leader for the past seven years. I often tell visitors that I am definitely not the equivalent of a USAF Wing Commander, but rather a Head Secretary and Grade School Principal. Joking aside, I have the highest respect for both the position and organization and I relay that definition to let them know that I am just a small peg in a gear that helps drive a decades-old, veteran-honoring organization. I replaced long-time MO Wing member and Wing Leader Colonel Chet Davis on January 1, 2007. I had no idea what would transpire after that date. I only knew that it would be an interesting journey and I prayed I would be up to the task and smart enough so as not to let any of the other members down. It has been a memorable trip and I have met some amazing people, witnessed some unbelievable events, and been fortunate enough to fly a WWII Warbird and make lifelong friends along the route. I treasure these memories as much as my 20 years in the Air Force and 18 years in the Airlines (even though I havent been paid as well Im still waiting for my paychecks from $teve Gossett). I consider myself one of the luckiest guys I know. I have been able to fly aircraft continually since 1968 and I continue to make friends with some of the most professional, interesting, dedicated, and principled people on earth. I have also been fortunate in maintaining decent health and am looking forward to another few decades of slipping the surly bonds of earth and harassing fellow pilots, crewmembers and friends. But, time has come for me to relinquish the reins and step aside so some other lucky individual can have the opportunity to pursue the visions and experience some of the things I have. Its a great position in a great organization and I have been blessed to serve as your leader for the past seven years. Ive got the itch to pursue other adventures and use my soon-to-be expanded American Airlines travel pass more often. (US Airways is acquiring American, but keeping the American Airlines brand. Im retired from USAir, so my retired seniority should be elevated. I can now travel anywhere in the world for peanuts Wow! Guess Im just rambling, but wanted to make the point that it would be difficult being Wing Leader and able to get away for a few months at a time I will still be around and available for harassment, war stories and inputs as to how I used to do it but I have hit that point in my life where I must relinquish the office to another qualified, wild-eyed, bushy-tailed member who will probably do a better job. Whoever that may be will certainly have my dedication, loyalty, and admiration. I will be a past Wing Leader who is now a member supporting him or her CLARIFICATION: I am not gone yet, nor will I be until midnight on December 31, 2013, so I expect every individual to still jump and pay attention when I address him or her. Remember - Old Wing Leaders never die they just sort of fade away and find other things to do that dont involve typing CAF Col. Pat Kesler

If you want a tax letter from the CAF for your 2013 return acknowledging items or money donated to the CAF , let me know. CAF Col. Steve Gossett

TAX LETTER

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

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

OCTOBER 2013

END

OF A

I had a great time at last nights CAF Missouri Wing Hangar Dance! It isnt that they appreciate my sophisticate sense of humor and gratuitously laugh at my charming anecdotes, they are downright nice folks. The B-25 was unable to do the intermission engine run so the TBM filled the bill. It was a clear night with plenty of stars. CAF Col. Gary Chambers

GREAT NIGHT

Paul Gardner (1) Lou Niederberger (2) Matthew Davis (5) Peter Sherwin (10) Pat Fenwick (10) Vern Reece (16) Art Hoffmann (17) Bud Eberhardt (22) John Lohmar (26) Al Gruer (26) Compass Deadline: Articles should be submitted by the 24th of the month.

October Birthdays!