Disclaimer: Truckin’ On is an unofficial newsletter published every month in the interest of serving Air Force active duty, civilian and retired vehicle operations and

maintenance personnel. Articles submitted by its contributors are not to be considered official statements by the U.S. Air Force.

1 Sep 2014

Special Points of Interest:

Face of Defense PG 1-2

31 Days in PACAF PG 3

Inside this issue:

A Real Woody PG 2

AFGSC—Promoting Driver Safety

PG 4

Marines Prepare for Future War

PG 5-6

The CNN 10 PG 6

Reflecting on Change PG 7

WWI—100 Years Ago PG 8

Former Military Vehicles Find a Home

PG 9

A Superfortress Named Doc PG 10

Misc News From Around the Web

PG 11

Snuffy’s Corner PG 12

Dedicated to the Men and Women of

AF Vehicle Operations & Maintenance — Past, Present, and Future

Truckin’ on

Truckin’ On Marks 2nd Anniversary!

September’s issue is our 24th consecutive monthly newsletter. We never expected it to survive this long, let alone gain well over 600 members. THANK YOU all for your support as we begin our 3rd year.

by Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy

Bowcock

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 7, 2014 –

What little boy doesn't like ripping apart

his toys and making a mess of things?

But the older most men get, the more

expensive and fancier the toys become.

Air Force Senior Airman Christopher

Moore, a vehicle mechanic with the

386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness

Squadron, is no exception. When it

comes to tinkering and fixing things, he

has a passion and curiosity for it all.

Now, his toys are much bigger than they

were when he was a boy, and they

belong to the Air Force.

"Working on cars brings a sense of pride

when you see what you've fixed," Moore

said. "I recently replaced the engine in a

truck. It took three days to take apart the

entire vehicle, but it felt good to hear the

engine fire up and to watch it drive

away."

He said he likes to challenge himself and

feels confident in his skills to try new

projects and learn from them.

Moore grew up in Lebanon, Missouri,

with his father after his parents divorced.

He was 13, when he started working as

a floor sweeper at a salvage yard.

Throughout his teenage years, he spent

his time working at his father's vehicle

restoration shop, where he developed

his skill for working on cars. In college,

he worked as a mechanic at a major

automotive business and continued to

refine his maintenance skills.

"I went to college for two years, taking

classes such as marine biology, science

and other subjects, but I was really

drawn to auto mechanics," said Moore,

who is deployed from Ramstein Air

Base, Germany.

Moore said he decided to join the Air

Force to continue his education, to trav-

el, and to see the world while serving his

country. "My grandfather, Peewee,

served as a mail clerk in the Air Force

and spent time in Germany," he said. “I

felt it was a good way to give back.”

Moore said he lucked out when he was

guaranteed a position in the Air Force as

a vehicle mechanic.

"Growing up, I used to think the Air

Force was cool," he said. "As a kid, you

always aspire to be a pilot. But, when I

got older, I had a new desire -- I wanted

to work on cars. Since joining the Air

Force, I've learned so much more about

how vehicles run. Now, I get to work on

large trucks and construction equipment

that civil engineers operate."

Continued on PG 2

Face of Defense: Vehicle Mechanic Brings Passion to His Service

Senior Airman Christopher Moore has been a mechanic for the Air Force for three years and is deployed to Southwest Asia from the 86th Vehicle Readiness Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jeremy Bowcock

Being in vehicle maintenance takes a lot of patience and anger

management, Moore said. "Little things on the job that look or

seem simple can test a mechanic's patience," he added. "What

should be a quick fix can turn into an eight-hour project where

everything that could go wrong has gone wrong."

Moore said he thoroughly enjoys his personal and professional

life in Germany, and that he has found a great mentor in Air

Force Master Sgt. Paul Bohn.

"When I first got to Germany, he was my shop foreman and

made a lasting impression on my career," Moore said. "I only

worked with him for a few months when I was a new airman. I

made my share of mistakes, but he stood behind me through it

all and he had faith in me."

Moore was promoted to senior airman below the zone -- earlier

than his peers -- and he cited Bohn’s mentorship as a key factor

in that achievement.

(Continued)

Beautiful custom built 2009 wooden car

submitted by Reade Holzbaur, WS-12 (Ret/2T3)

The hours of patience it must have taken for all the intricate stuff

inside the doors, dash, etc. The owner is said to have just

turned down an eBay offer of $10,000. I don’t blame him. It’s got

to be one of a kind and, therefore, worth a lot more than

$10,000.

This custom wooden car rides on a 1986 Toyota truck frame

and gets power from a Chrysler 318 engine. It is driven by an

automatic transmission and has merely 1,800 miles on its

speedometer. The whole body is made of cedar and its interior

is just as over-the-top as the exterior.

It is so beautiful that I would be reluctant to take it out on all but

the most sunny of days.

Everyone needs a hobby. I guess the owner won’t have to worry

about moths eating the upholstery.

Editor’s Note: For more pics of this amazing car logon to

http://yougottobekidding.wordpress.com/2014/04/16/

beautiful-custom-built-2009-wooden-car/

1 Sep 2014

2

Newsletter

Date

Volume

1,

Issue 1

31 Days in PACAF: Spotlight

on Eielson AFB

Editor’s Comments: ‘31 Days in PACAF’ is an official PACAF

Public Affairs campaign conducted by a team of broadcasters

and photojournalists who traveled throughout the region during

the month of August with the goal of informing the public on

everyday life in the Pacific Air Forces. See the official

promotional video and blog below:

Blog: http://pacaf.dodlive.mil/tag/31-days-in-pacaf/

Our intent here is to focus on a small part of the campaign that

features vehicle operators and maintainers in action through a

series of photos taken by the public affairs team. This article

spotlights Eielson AFB, AK.

1 Sep 2014

8/5/2014 - Senior Airman Anthony Tavares, 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintainer, checks paperwork before inspecting and maintaining a flightline snow broom at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug 4, 2014. The 354th LRS is responsible for managing and maintaining the government vehicle fleet which incorporates an immense and diverse snow fleet in addition to all the cargo, passenger and household goods movements for Eielson AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany Richards/ Released)

8/5/2014 - Senior Airman Anthony Tavares, 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintainer, changes the oil on a flightline snow broom at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug 4, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany Richards/ Released)

8/5/2014 - Senior Airman Anthony Tavares, 354th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintainer, repairs a leaky hydraulic hose and cylinder on a flightline snow broom at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug 4, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephany Richards/ Released)

3

AFGSC — Promoting Driver Safety

Skid trainers enhance driver safety

by Airman 1st Class Joseph Raatz

Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs

7/25/2014 - Barksdale Air Force Base, La. -- Three

highly-specialized vehicle safety training systems are now

operational at Air Force Global Strike Command.

Known as skid trainers, these systems are designed to teach

drivers how to handle a wide variety of vehicles. One of the most

recognizable vehicles operated by Airmen today is the High

Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or HMMWV, commonly

referred to as a Humvee.

"The trainers provide initial familiarization on the HMMWV and

then progress into advanced driving techniques with the new

armored platform," said Master Sgt. William Bequette, AFGSC

Security Forces equipment and resource manager. "It is a

multi-faceted, phased approach that is applicable to all security

forces in the missile wings."

Driving in the missile field presents unique challenges for

Airmen. Personnel in these locations are expected to travel long

distances over unimproved country roads and often contend

with inclement weather.

"The training will provide a realistic, advanced practical

experience," said Lt. Col. Derrick Ossmann, AFGSC chief of

operations and training for Security Forces. "It instills confidence

in the Airmen's ability to operate multiple vehicle types safely in

different environments."

The new skid trainers are an integral part of AFGSC's revamped

driver safety program, which aims to prevent vehicle accidents

and rollovers that pose a significant risk to Airmen.

"This is not just a one-time training event for our licensed

HMMWV drivers, but rather a recurring training program that

includes additional specialized training geared toward our

younger drivers," Bequette said.

More than 50 vehicle operators have received the training so

far, and more are lined up.

"So far the feedback from our personnel is that the training has

been well received," Bequette said. "It's meeting all the needs of

our personnel operating vehicles in the missile complex."

Security Forces Airmen pose with a skid trainer at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, June 27. Three skid trainers were recently delivered to Air Force Global Strike Command to complement AFGSC's new driver safety program, familiarizing Airmen with the handling characteristics of the HMMWV in a wide variety of driving conditions.

1 Sep 2014

4

1 Sep 2014

Marines Prepare for Future War with Robot Horses and Swimming Trucks

Robots bring lunch to the battlefields of tomorrow

by Kelsey D. Atherton

Popular Science

Posted 07.16.2014

Legged Support System Robot in Hawaii U.S. Marine Corps photo by

Cpl. Matthew Callahan

Last week in Hawaii, a squad of U.S. Marines brought a robot

deep into the jungle. The Legged Support System (LS3) robot

walks on four legs, carries 400 pounds, and shambles its way

over rough terrain, like a mechanical mule in a future war.

It’s all part of the Advanced Warfighting Experiment, and if the

Marine Corps thinks the tests went well, future invasions may

come with robotic horses doing some heavy lifting.

The whole experiment is a subset of a larger

multinational military exercise. Dubbed RIMPAC (for Rim of the

Pacific, not to be confused with the Guillermo del Toro

robots-versus-monsters movie), the exercise is held by the U.S.

Navy and includes participants from 22 nations, with 55 ships,

200 aircraft, and 25,000 people. It also includes

three LS3 robots.

Marines typically carry between 100 and 135 pounds of gear,

which includes not just weapons and ammunition but also water

and food.

While it's important for troops to carry food with them when

operating far from base, they don't need to have their lunch

physically on their person at all times. That's where the Legged

Support System comes in.

Major Christopher Orlowski, program manager of the LS3

program for DARPA, told Popular Science that the program's

greatest success is "meeting the requirements, demonstrating

an unmanned legged system than can carry upwards of 350,

400 pounds of gear, and demonstrating it effectively. In this

case, DARPA set out a goal and it was able to meet that goal."

DARPA just creates the technology, and leaves it up for the rest

of the military to determine how best it's used.

Lieutenant Colonel Don Gordon of the U.S. Marine Corps spoke

to Popular Science about the how the Marines are using LS3 in

their Warfighting Experiment. The LS3 carries food, water, and

ammunition supplies for a squad of seven to nine marines,

according to Gordon,

What’s unique about the LS3 is normally you take additional

supplies and put it on a vehicle and distribute it around to

companies. The LS3 can maneuver with companies down to the

squad level over terrain that you couldn’t necessarily get a

wheeled or tracked vehicle through just due to the density of

trees and the kind of terrain. ... so it can go out around on patrol

and carry supplies to those marines as they maneuver about the

battle space.

That's the theory, at least. Having the Legged Support System

at these exercises is, according to Gordon, "really the first

opportunity for the Marine Corps to put it into an exercise and

provide it to a force that’s actually exercising the same way they

would in actual operations.” There was one immediate

challenge. While the Marines landed in an MV-22 Osprey, there

wasn't enough room for both the Marines and their robotic mule.

Instead, after arriving, the Marines met up with another group

that handed off the robot.

Here's what it looks like in action: Click on the link.

Continued on PG 6

5

1 Sep 2014

Marines Prepare for Future War with Robot Horses and Swimming Trucks

Robots bring lunch to the battlefields of tomorrow

To get gear like the LS3 from ships onto the beaches, marines

are testing other new technologies. When I spoke to Gordon, he

was watching a swimming cargo mover land on the Hawaiian

beach. Marines, as a rule, think about beaches differently than

most folk, and the cargo mover Gordon described was no idle

beach comber.

Named the Ultra Heavy-lift Amphibious Connector, or UHAC,

the vehicle looks like the treads of a giant future tank stuck on

the body of a small modern tractor. Gordon explained the

vehicle:

Here's what the UHAC looks like in water:

One of the Marine Corps concepts as we face a future

environment, embedded in a document called Expeditionary

Force 21, is looking at ways to move supplies from ship to

shore. UHAC is one of the technologies we're looking at to

embark in the well deck aboard a ship, load it up with

equipment, and carry that equipment from the ship to the beach.

What's really neat about the UHAC is I’m watching it crawl

across terrain right now that would normally be impossible for

some of our current ship-to-shore connectors to cross.

And here it is triumphantly on land:

UHAC Swims To Hawaii U.S. Marine Corps

Marine UHAC Storms A Beach Ultra Heavy-Lift Amphibious Connector swam from the USS Rushmore to land on a Hawaiian beach as part of military exercises there. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Matthew J. Bragg

(Continued)

The CNN 10: Future of driving

Editor’s Comments: This article is too in-depth for the amount

of space available in this newsletter; however, I didn’t want to

leave it out altogether.

In this article CNN takes a look at 10 innovations in automotive

technology, probably the most notable of which is self-driving

cars. Google is actually leading the way with this initiative.

So, I highly recommend you visit this website and explore the

menu. In addition to the introduction, CNN covers: Cars That

Learn, Connected Cars, Driver Health, External Airbags,

Fuel-Cell Cars, Infotainment, Laser Headlights, Self-Driving

Cars, Self-Parking Cars, and Solar Magnifying.

There’s a subject matter to interest most auto enthusiasts and

“techies.” There’s also an excellent introductory video.

The website is http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/

cnn10-future-of-driving/.

6

1 Sep 2014

Things ‘ain’t’ the way they used to be….

by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)

The previous article (PG 6) about the future of driving caused

me to stop and think about where I’ve come, personally, over

the last 40 years with regard to my car and how technology has

changed my life.

I bought my first new car in 1974 while stationed at McConnell

AFB, Kansas. It was a Volkswagen Beetle with an automatic

stick shift (electric clutch). I’m a fan of the VW Beetle,

especially the older models, but the automatic stick shift was a

bad choice. Anyway, that’s another story.

I paid $3,400 for the car. The trim was standard; it had a radio,

heater, but no air conditioner. According to the Consumer Price

Index (CPI), $3,400 in 1974 is equivalent to $16,437 in 2014.

Just out of curiosity, I priced a VW Beetle on today’s market and

the MSRP for a basic model is $20,295. Even after factoring for

inflation, that’s a 23% mark-up from 1974. Why?

I suppose there’s no single answer, but I assume it’s because of

labor cost and technology. The basic 2014 model comes with

Bluetooth, a sound system with MP3/CD player, AM/FM radio,

alloy wheels, Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod cable, etc.

That stuff is not free, and the price goes up with each additional

option.

In June this year (40 years later) I purchased a new Toyota

Highlander XLE with most of the bells and whistles—the

Highlander Limited has additional features. I’ve been spoiled by

Bluetooth, navigation system, electronic windows and mirrors,

leather seats, dual AC controls, and more. They’re nice.

So what did we do before all these things were available? Well,

we were not concerned with being “connected” all the time. You

don’t miss what doesn’t exist. Some people did have car

phones installed, but not the average person.

If we had to make a phone call while on the road, we stopped at

a phone booth and deposited a dime. Of course, you had to

check to see if the phonebook was in the booth because people

would take them, or they would tear out a page—usually the

page you needed.

If someone needed to contact us while we were on the road,

they were generally out of luck until we got home, which wasn’t

always a bad thing.

If we needed directions, we either read a map, stopped at the

gas station and asked, or flagged down a local resident. Other

than having cars, it wasn’t too far advanced over the pioneers

who traveled west.

Many of the more expensive cars in those days came equipped

with air conditioning, but not my VW. We just rolled down the

windows and breathed in the fresh air, along with the bugs and

exhaust fumes. Somehow we got by without it.

Adjusting side mirrors was always my pet peeve, especially the

right mirror. It seemed like once they were adjusted perfectly,

someone would come along and bump them.

Then the drill would start all over—sit behind the wheel and

adjust the left mirror (easy). Then you’d gage how much and

which direction you needed to move the right mirror, go to the

other side, manually adjust it, and hope you got it right.

Today it seems like we’ve got to be entertained 24/7 with Sirius/

XM radio, Pandora, iHeartRadio, etc. We can tune in the world!

Kids watch movies on a dropdown DVD player or carry their

own iPad. When I was a kid, our mobile entertainment

consisted of holding pinwheels out the car window.

So, where am I going with all this nostalgia? I like looking at old

cars and reminiscing about bygone days as much as anyone.

Classic cars are beautiful when restored. But, I have no desire

to own one. Well, maybe a Willys jeep.

Yes, today’s cars cost more, but they’re better built, a lot safer,

more environmentally friendly, and the creature comforts are

unsurpassed. It would be nice if we could somehow lower the

price of fuel so that we could enjoy them more.

No, in terms of cars, things “ain’t” the way they used to be; in

my opinion, they’re better, and I think they’ll continue to

improve.

The one thing that I’m not sure I could adapt to, however, is the

self-driving car. They’re supposedly safer, or at least that’s the

idea behind it, but for me it would take all the pleasure out of

driving, and perhaps even owning a car.

7

World War I -100 Years ago

1 Sep 2014

American Military Vehicles of World War I

submitted by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)

Yes, it’s true that the United States didn’t enter World War I until

April 1917, but the start of hostilities in Europe was July 28,

1914, one month after a Yugoslav nationalist assassinated

Archduke Ferdinand of Austria.

However, this article is not a history lesson about World War I.

It’s simply a brief article to commemorate the 100th anniversary

of the “war to end all wars.”

I wanted to somehow tie this article to our newsletter’s main

theme—vehicles, although I thought it might prove difficult since

automobiles were relatively new in WWI. Horses were still

widely used in the Army then and would be for many years to

come.

Surprisingly, I found an entire e-book on the Internet called,

‘American Military Vehicles of World War I.’ It has over 300

pages and is far too long to print here in its entirety, so I thought

I would share the website with you along with a sample of its

amazing collection of photos. You can save it to your hard-drive

and look through it at your leisure. It’s like getting a free book,

and it’s all about early military vehicles!

Website:

http://www.offroadvehicle.ru/AZBUCAR/FWD/[Albert_Mroz]

_American_Military_Vehicles_of_World_(Bookos.org).pdf

After Henry Ford teamed up with Josiah Dallas Dort, the two parted ways and Dort started his own company. Here, soldiers assemble a Dort vehicle circa 1917 as part of their training to become Army mechanics. (PG 142)

As men went off to war, factories needed women to take over as assemblers and mechanics, changing the social fabric in many countries. (PG 143)

8

DOD resumes transferring military vehicles to first responders by Jeff Schogol — Jul 18, 2014 |

Air Force Times—staff writer

The Defense Department has resumed transferring excess

military vehicles to civilian emergency personnel after reaching

an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, said

Jeffrey Curtis, executive director, logistics operations support for

the Defense Logistics Agency.

The 2.5- and 5-ton trucks, Humvees and Mine Resistant

Ambush Protected Vehicles run on diesel engines that do not

meet EPA requirements, but the Defense Department has a

national security exemption allowing it to use the vehicles,

Curtis said.

The DLA temporarily halted transfer of the vehicles to first

responders on June 19 after becoming aware that the

exemption did not carry over once the vehicles were given to

first responders.

This prompted a group of 25 lawmakers led by Sen. John

McCain, R-Ariz., to write a July 10 letter to Defense Secretary

Chuck Hagel saying that the equipment was badly needed by

firefighters and other emergency personnel.

“While we understand that DoD and EPA may be close to

resolving this issue, we respectfully request that you provide us

with your specific course of action for rescinding the restrictions

placed on both the FEPP and FPP programs and clarify any

vehicle title concerns raised by state foresters and law

enforcement agencies,” the letter says.

Curtis said the EPA has allowed the flow of vehicles to

emergency personnel to resume because the Defense Logistics

Agency agreed to keep the titles indefinitely.

Thus, the vehicles retain their exemption from EPA standards

after they are given away.

The agreement should not delay when the vehicles can be

provided to emergency personnel, nor should it limit what types

of vehicles can be transferred, Curtis said.

The sheriff's office in Johnson County, Ind., used a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle to replace its 22-year-old armored 'Peacekeeper' vehicle (left). (Kelly Wilkinson/Indianapolis Star)

Tesla, Panasonic to build ‘Gigafactory’

submitted by Greg Morris, CMSgt (Ret/2T3)

Panasonic and Tesla Motors have signed an agreement to build

a large-scale manufacturing plant in the U.S., which will be

known as the “Gigafactory,” to produce Tesla's next-generation

battery. Tesla will prepare, provide and manage the land,

buildings and utilities, while Panasonic will manufacture and

supply cylindrical lithium-ion cells and invest in the associated

equipment, machinery and other manufacturing tools based on

their mutual approval, Tesla has announced.

The location of the new $5 billion Gigafactory is still being

determined. Tesla is asking states for bids on the site that

claims to hire an estimated 6,5000 workers by 2020. However,

Tesla did acknowledge it has broken ground on a potential site

for the new factory near Reno, Nevada. Other top contenders

for the battery factory are California, Texas, New Mexico and

Arizona.

A network of supplier partners is planned to produce the

required precursor materials. Tesla will take the cells and other

components to assemble battery modules and packs. Tesla will

still purchase the battery cells in Panasonic’s factories in Japan.

The Gigafactory will be producing batteries for Tesla’s Model 3,

the company’s lower-priced electric vehicle. Tesla plans to

unveil the Model 3 in 2016 and put it on sale by 2017. The

vehicle is expected to retail for $35,000, Auto Express has

reported. The Model 3 had initially been named the Model E.

Photo via Tesla.

9

1 Sep 2014

A Superfortress Named ‘Doc’

Historic World War II-era plane set to fly again by Faith Mangan, Alicia Acuna Published July 17, 2014

FoxNews.com

WICHITA, Kan. – Decades after pieces of World War II-era

history were left to deteriorate in the desert, one aircraft artifact

is close to flying again.

It has been a 14-year project in the Air Capital of the World to

restore a B-29 Superfortress named "Doc." It is a full-circle

journey, since the historic warplane was originally manufactured

in Wichita in 1944. Doc's squadron was named for Snow White

and the Seven Dwarfs.

After service in the Korean War, this B-29 and others were used

for target practice in the Mojave Desert.

"They towed about a hundred of them out there with Doc and

they blew all of them up -- but Doc.," TJ Norman, project

manager for the restoration, said. "The story is they dropped

missiles or bombs six different times and missed it all six times,"

It took years of negotiations with the U.S. Navy to get it

released. The non-profit organization Doc's Friends now owns

it. The organization's volunteers have logged roughly 250,000

hours of painstaking work to give it new life with wires, cables,

hydraulics, tubing and skins. They run on donations.

"There are no more to be restored."

- TJ Norman

When Doc takes to the skies this October or November, it will be

one of only two flight-ready B-29s in the world.

"There are no more to be restored," Norman said. "We've looked

all over the world. There's just no more. The desert is empty,

boneyards are empty, there's no more to be had."

This also means a lack of sources for tools and parts. The team

has had to fashion new ones, while staying true to the original

design.

Boeing, which manufactured the B-29s, did not even have the

plans anymore. They had to work from drawings preserved by

the Smithsonian.

"Reading the blueprints is like a second language," tooling

technician Dan Wimberly said. "You have to be able to know

what symbols mean and be able to do precision measuring,

because everything has to fit."

Many of the people working on it are in their 70s or older. With

an older group, there are safety limitations.

"I finally had to set a rule last year that if you're older than the

airplane, you couldn't be up on top of the wings," Norman said.

Some have an aviation background, like Herbert Berger, who put

in more than 40 years with Boeing. His work partner for the day,

Bob Gerrell, says he's with the post office, but has an interest in

the past.

"I restore old cars and tractors," Gerrell said. "This is my first

airplane, quite an airplane to be restoring."

Many share a personal connection to the original warplane

assembly effort.

"Most everybody in this hangar had relatives that worked during

the war on B-29s... that's just the way it was. Everybody worked

on airplanes," Norman said.

He says it matters because it is a national treasure and "you

know, this airplane helped us win the war."

Once Doc takes off again, they will turn their attention to building

a permanent home for the war hero. For the time being, it's

housed in donated hangar space.

Click on the image above to activate video or go to: http://

video.foxnews.com/v/3680239915001/historic-b-29-bomber-

to-hit-the-skies-again/#sp=show-clips

Additional info on this restoration project can be found at the following website: http://www.b-29doc.com/ ...and Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DocsFriends

10

MISC NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB

The oral history of an amazing 1930 Ford Model A off-road mail truck

by Andrew Collins — Jalopnik

submitted by Al Baird, CMSgt (Ret/472)

See website for full story: http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/the-oral-history-of-an-amazing-1930-ford-model-a-off-ro-1588212852

Amazing product demo — Ultra-Ever Dry

submitted by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)

Watch as Mark Shaw demos Ultra-Ever Dry, a liquid-repellent coating that acts as an astonishingly powerful shield against water and water-based materials.

Associated Websites

http://www.ultraeverdrystore.com/

https://www.ted.com/talks/

mark_shaw_one_very_dry_demo

Click on Fox & Friends video in the next column

Acuity flagpole project

submitted by George McElwain, CMSgt (Ret/472)

Standing 400 feet tall, the new Acuity Insurance Flagpole is the

tallest flagpole in North America. Located on the Acuity

Insurance headquarters campus in Sheboygan, Wisconsin,

along Interstate 43 between Milwaukee and Green Bay, the

pole supports a 60-foot-wide by 120-foot-long American

flag. Located at the base of the flagpole is a brick paver patio

featuring the names of Sheboygan County residents killed in

active duty.

Flagpole facts:

400-foot flagpole weighs approximately 420,000 pounds

There are two versions of the 60 by 120-foot flag:

- 220 pound flag is flown during normal conditions

- 350 pound flag is flown during harsher weather

Each star is 3 feet high and each stripe is 4 1/2 feet wide

1 Sep 2014

Click Arrow to Watch Video

11

Yipes stripes!

by Bob Wiley, MSgt/GM-14 (Ret)

Setting the Stage: Pease AFB Portsmouth, New Hampshire;

Strategic Air Command (SAC) installation; SAC alert in progress

(what again); vehicle maintenance shop; night shift.

The Story: Snuffy had had enough of this war gaming

stuff. Every time he turns around, he thinks he’s being recalled

to work for another SAC alert. And too often, he thinks, it hap-

pens shortly after a full day at work on his normal work shift

which is the dayshift. So he’s been recalled and is back to work,

and is now about halfway through his “alert “night shift.

He says he thought “This just ain’t fair”. I’m tired. I wonder if I’d

be missed if I slipped away somewhere and found a spot to rest

a bit where I won’ get caught by any of the supervi-

sors. Hmmmmm. After giving it a bit more thought, he must

have figured it out because he seemingly disappeared, and

couldn’t be found by the boss, who said he’s looked high and

low and can’t find Snuffy anywhere. And the boss ain’t too

pleased with this turn of events either.

Meanwhile, I’m working the SAC alert night shift as well, and I’m

in allied trades doing what I’m supposed to be doing. All of a

sudden I see that Snuffy’s standing beside me, and I glance at

him and ask him where the heck he disappeared to. He replied

he was in the tire shop, which is adjacent to allied trades. I told

him the boss has been looking for him all around the shop and I

was pretty sure he checked in the tire shop.

Snuffy says, “yeah, but he didn’t look into the tires on the tire

racks.” That’s when I got a good look at him, and he looked like

a tiger, what with “stripes” on his fatigues from his ankles to the

back of his neck. He said, “When looking for a good hidey-hole

he figured if he crawled into the tires on the tire rack, he could lie

down and relax for a while. What he didn’t count on was getting

all that black rubber residue all over his uniform, and a lot of his

exposed skin as well.

All of a sudden the boss stomps into allied trades and spies

Snuffy, black rubberized stripes and all, and starts to blow his

top.

Then all of a sudden he shakes his head and guffaws loudly,

and says “see, you ain’t as clever as you think you are — you

hid sure enough, but you couldn’t hide the fact that you hid. Go

get cleaned up—I’ve got a couple of really lousy details for you

to handle.”

Airman Snuffy’s day off….

by Roger Storman, SMSgt (Ret/2T3)

I suppose there are a number of ways to screw up and as a

young two-striper stationed at Patrick AFB in 1970, I found at

least one way to do it.

I turned 21 in 1970 and on my birthday I got up as usual and

went to work at the special purpose shop It was summer and a

beautiful day.

If you’ve never been to Patrick, it is located on the beach.

Florida State Road A1A separates the base from the ocean.

The transportation squadron barracks in those days was just a

short walk from the water. Cocoa Beach held a lot in store for a

young airman who had just turned twenty one.

As the morning dragged on, I began to think more and more

about getting away for the day and having fun at the beach, or

even having my first legal drink somewhere.

So, I finally worked up the courage to approach my civilian boss

and ask him for the rest of the day off. I told him it was my

birthday. He didn’t believe me and made me produce my ID

card. Once he confirmed it, he asked what I would do if he gave

me the day off. I said I wanted to go to the beach and have a

little fun. He told me to go ahead. Wow, that was easy!

I started to clean up and put my tools away when I began

thinking about the situation—perhaps a little too much. I went

back to my boss and said, “You know, I’m already here and I’m

dirty. I might as well stay. He said, “Suit yourself.”

I returned to work, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking

about that day off, and my boss already said I could go. So, I

went to him again and told him that I had changed my mind and

I was going to leave for the day.

He said, “You know, you’re already here and you’re dirty. You

might as well stay.”

That was a lesson learned that I never forgot. You can apply

whatever idiom you want to it; the fact of the matter is this

Airman Snuffy talked himself out of a day off. Who knows, I

might be the only guy on record to have ever done so.

Editor’s Comments: Got any Airman Snuffy Stories? If so,

send them my way; we would like to share them with the group.

Rule: Make sure Airman Snuffy remains anonymous unless,

of course, he/she happens to be you—then it’s your call.

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1 Sep 2014