Volume 14, No. 4    October 1, 1999


Spirit of patriotism fills the State House

Eighth Air Force plaque dedicated


DAILY TIMES CHRONICLE
BOSTON - The unveiling of an 8th Air Force plaque at the Statehouse in Boston was a special day for many people, including members or the 8th Air Force, their friends and relatives, state officials, and especially Al Audette, the President, of the Massachusetts Chapter of the 8th Air Force Society.

On June 14, "Flag Day", the members of the Massachusetts Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society and invited dignitaries were present at the dedication of a plaque to all Massachusetts veterans of the Air Forces.

A bill-H 4542 "An Act Authorizing and Directing the Superintendent of the State Office Buildings to install and maintain a plaque in honor of the Massachusetts members of the Eight Air Force World War II".

The bill was sponsored by Representative Carol Donovan, D-Woburn. Invited were Governor Paul Cellucci, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, State Treasurer Shannon O'Brien, Assistant to the Commissioner of Veterans Services John F. White, Superintendent of the State Buildings Dennis Smith, and Art Collection Manager Susan Greendyke Lachevre.

Two buses were chartered for members leaving Hanscom Air Base at 11 a.m. to attend the ceremony at the Boston State House. A collation was served at noon and the dedication held at 1p.m. The rotunda was filled to capacity and a copy of the plaque was made available.
The Chapter will continue to meet at Hanscom Air Base Officers Club on the third Thursday of the month at 11 am.


VAPOR LOCKS ....NEIL KELLEHER FINDS FOO FIGHTERS FAKE! South Hadley's Neil Kelleher who flew 30 missions with the 3388H wrote the best letter in response to our question about Foo Fighters. "Fooey!" cries Neil. "I never saw or heard anyone who saw that so called phenomenon." Neil classes Foo Fighters with the Loch Ness Monster, Big Foot and UFOs. Meanwhile an article on the Internet states that most Foo Fighter reports came from the 415th Night Fighter Squadron. Anyone fly with that outfit? See "Foo Fighter Records Revealed" on the Internet. The War Diary of the 415th claims 3 sightings in Dec.,1944. Maybe the 415th started its Christmas celebration early. TREASURER CARL WOOD SAYS WE ARE SOLVENT! The Mass Chapter has $5437.25 in its pocket as of July 31,1999. Carl will give you details if you insist. HELP WANTED New member and Navy Vet Dennis Kazanjian is legally blind and lives in Lowell, Mass. If you can give him a lift to the monthly meetings, it will be appreciated. LAST FLIGHT Many Army Air Corp and Air Force veterans noted the passing of Paulist Father Rev. Walter Sullivan, 92. He served as chaplain with the 379th BG in WW2 and with the 66th Recon,38th BG when he was recalled during the Korean War. He received the Bronze Star, presidential citation with two oak leaf clusters and commendations from the 379th. He retired with the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserve. He had served 64 years as a priest at the time of his death.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Our dedication of the Plaque to honor all veterans of the Massachusetts Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society was installed in the Boston State House on Flag Day "June 14, 1999.

I wish to thank all members who participated in this undertaking for their patience and continued support of our Chapter.

Invitations were sent to 94 contributors and 63 responded, as busses were provided to take the respondents to the State House for the dedication. Take the time and effort to get to the State House to see our Plaque you will be gratified with this honor.

It has been a long and tedious project and has taken its toll on some of our Officers. Your President is one of those, who feels four years in this high office is long enough and needs a rest. Therefore I am submitting my resignation. The nomination committee will be looking for volunteers to take over Officers'duties, at the September meeting it will be open to interested members. Henry Bengis chairman should be the one to contact if interested.

The elections will be held at the October meeting. The "Fall Rendez-vous" is set for November 4, 1999 at the Officer's Club Hanscom Air Base. We will meet at 11:00am and luncheon served at 12:00 noon. Menu and reservation form on the bottom of this page. Thanks to all the Officers and members of the Board of Directors for their help. I may not have done all the right things but my best effort was put into this responsible Office. I will continue to help those newly elected Officers with my experience.

Albert E Audette President,
Mass, Chapter 8th AFHS


REMINDER:
Chapter Meetings start promptly at 11AM at the Hanscom Field Officers' Club on the third Thursday of each month.  All are welcome.  Most people stick around after the meeting which lasts an hour to have lunch and gab.

RENDEZ-VOUS
AGENDA and DIRECTIONS

DIRECTIONS: TO REACH ONE CAMP ENTRANCE, TAKE ROUTE 2A OFF
ROUTE 2 OR .128. TO REACH THE OTHER, TAKE ROUTE 4/225 OFF 128.

You'll be checked off by the Air Police from a roster we will supply.
Please refer to bottom of page for a reservation form to be filled out by you.

Mail it back ASAP. Don't forget to state the number attending, their names and please enclose your cheque. Thank you!


Don't
forget to bring
a gift for the
RAFFLE TABLE!
The receipts
from the raffle,
($1.00 ea.)
defray costs for this newsletter
and help to pay
other administrative costs.

HELEN M. SMITH
Lectures on WW2

Helen Smith, an active member of the 8thAFH, joined the Women's Army Corp early in WW2.  She was stationed outside London for more than two years and worked as a photo analyst studying gun camera footage showing how enemy aircraft were brought down by Allied fighters.

Helen never really got used to seeing pictures of young men regardless of nationality being blasted from the sky but she was tough enough to do her job and do it well.  She also had to endure English weather and that little nuisance called the Buzz Bomb.

Helen has been an ardent fund raiser for the "Women In Military Service for America" Building in Arlington, VA.  She also lectures at Mount Wachusett Community College Division of Continuing Education.  

Her topic, no surprise, is WW2.


While civilizations live, they may still aspire, and hope -- as long as their legions can hold the far frontier.  Military Historian T.R. Fehrenbach quoted in "PROUD LEGIONS..A Novel of America's Next War" by John Antel.  Great reading.  Should be in your library now!  (JB)


DUES MONEY GOES SOUTH!

Guess that caught your eye!  No, your dues payments are safe. Our Treasurer is not tooling about in a Bentley.  He just wants to remind you that annual dues are paid to the National and not the Mass. Chapter.  When you pay your dues to the National you AUTOMATICALLY become a member in good standing of the Mass. Chapter.

Cheques and the bill should be sent to:
MEMBERSHIP RECORDS MANAGER
Kathy McCurry
P.O. Box 1787
Savannah, GA  31402
(JB)


HOORAY ALL BOATS!
ANNUAL BOAT RIDE GETS TIDAL WAVE OF APPROVAL!

Members of the Mass. Chapter of The 8th Air force Historical Society were treated once again to a wonderful day on the water. About two dozen of us were picked up at the West Roxbury V.A.Hospital parking lot and driven to the Quincy Yacht Club on school busses supplied by the mayor of Quincy.

Major and Mrs. Ed and Florence Forester of the Salvation Army were there, waiting with coffee and doughnuts. It is not known whether they were the ones responsible for having the sun come out or whether that was accomplished by Veteran Coordinators Richard Sassoon and Joe Denehy. Even if Dick and Joe did not fix the weather they did make the arrangements for all the veterans. Many vets were wheelchair bound and were carried aboard the lobster boats by husky youths wearing "No Veterans, No America" shirts.

Once again the Lobsterman's Association donated eleven lobster boats and the 8th people were lucky enough to sail aboard the "Brittny'O" captained by Mark O'Meara and crewed by First Mate, (what else), Diane O'Meara, Dick Simone and Peggy 0'Neil same as last year.

We returned to the Quincy Yacht Club after a two hour cruise and were feted with a grand sit down dinner, entertainment and door prizes. Our hosts should be proud of themselves They could not have been more hospitable and we could not have been more appreciative. (JB)

There were 440 congressional Medals of Honor awarded in World War 2. Two hundred fifty of them were awarded posthumously.
NAME THAT SUPERPOWER!
TELL US WHO HAS THESE ARMED FORCES

Here are the clues....  700,000 regular service soldiers.  29,300 reserve troops, eight standing army divisions.  20 Air Force and Navy air wings with 200 combat aircraft.  232 strategic bombers. 13 strategic ballistic missle subs with 3114 nuclear warheads on 232 missiles.

500 ICBMs with 1950 warheads.  Four aircraft carriers and 121 surface combat ships and submarines plus all the support bases, shipyards and logistical assets needed to sustain such a naval force.

ANSWER

1.) Is this country Russia?  Ans. Nyet
2.) Is this country Red China? Say "no" in Mandarin
3.) Is this country Great Britain? Jolly well isn't!

GIVE UP?

Don't feel bad if you could not identify the Superpower.  It no longer exists!  These are the American military forces that have disappeared since January, 1993 while we were occupied with all those scandals.  Were we missing the biggest scandal of all?

Our thanks to the "Virginia Legionnaire, 9-98" and "WW2 Air Commando 9-99" for the logistics.  Editorial comment is by your editor.
CONTROVERSY
What do you think?

A letter in the Buffalo, NY, News from the the president of the Western, NY, Chapter of the 8th AFHS complained mightily when the Confederate Air Force San Diego Wing invited seven, count 'em, seven, German war aces to be guests at a dinner in their honor earlier this year!

Do you think 50 years plus are enough for a person to forgive and forget or would 500 years not be enough?

Would you invite an aging Nazi into your house for a cup of tea even as you remember friends falling from formations and hurtling to earth?

But what about forgiving sinners?  Let's hear your thoughts.  We'll tell you how your comrades feel.

This should be interesting!  (JB)
AMERICA'S MOST WANTED!

You are wanted to attend the Famous Far Flung Fall Fling of the Mass. Chapter.  The reservation form is at the bottom of this page.  As an added attraction, your editor promises to not speak which should be a relief.  The stuffed chicken breast and stuffed filet of sole will be even better than last year and last year the food was MIGHTY GOOD!
HOORAY FOR HAROLD
HOORAY FOR LIONEL!
And don't forget Colonel Kenneth Clark!

The fact that our old pal and comrade Harold Miller has been having some health problems didn't stop him from recruiting former Master Sergeant Lionel, LeBlanc to get Harold's famous W.W. One WACO propeller to the 8th Air Force National Historic Museum in Savannah, Georgia

Lionel, despite his shy and retiring Master Sergeant personality, headed straight for Pease Air Force Base in Newington, New Hampshire and landed directly on Col. Kenneth Clark; Wing Commander; 157 Air Refueling Wing.

"Why didn't you answer my letter?" allegedly whispered Lionel who previously had demanded the Air Force transport the unwieldy propeller south. "Because l didn't have good news, retorted the Colonel. "But I have good news now. I am flying south before the end of the month and your propeller will be aboard my KC 135R. We'll make a special stop in Savannah and people from the museum will pick up your most carefully wrapped propeller!" Bravo, Col. Clark Bravo, Lionel and Bravo! Harold, whose name will be right there beside the propeller for all to see as the generous donor.

GUNNERS WANTED

We should say ex-gunners. The Previously Mentioned Lionel is recruiting ex-gunners for the Air Force Gunners Association. Send your name, address, DOB, wife's first name, phone number, to Air Force Gunners Association, 5574 Crosscreek Lane, Fort Worth, TX. 76100. Tell 'em what type bomber you were on. Annual dues, $15, Life dues, $100.

READ THIS BOOK!
"The Greatest Generation" Tom Brokaw

The 8th Air Force is well represented in Tom Brokaw's easy reading best seller, "The Greatest Generation" which, ahem, refers to us! James Dowling, a bombardier-navigator with the 445th Air Wing is written up in a chapter. He was on his 11th mission into Germany near the city of Kassel when things began to go wrong in a big way. His B24 plus 29 others were knocked from the sky. He spent the rest of the war in Stalag Luft One near Barth, Germany.

Lloyd Kilmer was a Liberator pilot assigned to the 448th Bomb Group, 712 Squadron, 2nd Air flivision. He crash landed near Beenister, Holland on his 16th mission and spent the next ten months as a POW under atrocious conditions. His story is here also.

Read "The Greatest Generation". It's been out quite a while so there shouldn't be a long waiting list at the library. If I had my way it would be required reading in every High School. (JB)


RESERVATIONS FOR THE 14TH FALL RENDEZ-VOUS
MASS. CHAPTER 8TH AF.H.S.
Hanscom A. F. B.
* OFFICERS Club *
Thursday, November 4,1999

Names (s)_______________________________ 8AF Unit___________
Guests (s)_______________________________

Amount enclosed $20.00 x _________ Persons (s) = _________

Indicate number of meals by choice:
____________ Stuffed Filet of Sole
____________ N.E. Traditional Stuffed Breast of Chicken

Deadline for reservations is before October 15, 1999 Make check payable to "MASS.
CHAPTER 8th A.F.H.S."

Please email us for more info! [email protected]

No tickets (s) mailed to you; be assured that if you mail the reservation it will be received and you and your guest (s) be listed on the attendance roster.

The day's program starts with registration at 11:00 am. The PX will be open and there will be coffee while making new acquaintances or renew friendships. Dinner will be served at 12:00 noon with Belgian carrots, rolls & butter, coffee or tea , and for dessert, Boston Cream Pie.

AFHS President
Albert E. Audette 385BG

Vice President
Henry Oi 446BG

Secretary
John McKernan

Treasurer
Carl Wood

Editor of Vapor Trails
John Brennan


For comments, send email to the Vapor Trails Editor at:  [email protected]

Last Update: September 16, 1999




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