The official publication of the
7th Bomb Wing B-36 Association

XXVII NO. 1     February 2006

Email address: b36asn7bw@aol.com Web site: www.7bwb-36assn.org

PREZ SEZ
FRED WENDT

In his "SEC SEZ" column last issue, Dick George explained the loop-hole in our by-laws which enables us to bring our B-36 buddies into the organization as Honorary Members. Those guys we went through tech or flying school with, back in the late 40s or early 50s, were not all as lucky as you and I. We were assigned to Carswell. They were assigned to B-36 units at Fairchild, Ellsworth, Ramey, (ugh) Loring, and many other garden spots. We were fortunate to have guys like Glenn Loveall and Dick George organize a reunion group. Our buddies did not. But we are a generous group and want to share our good fortune. We want them to join us at our reunion scheduled for April 19-22, 2007. That is two-zero-zero-seven not zero-six. Why do I write about it this early? Because, we will be signing a contract with the reunion hotel at our next directors' meeting in May 2006. Figuring how many room nights to block could be a little tricky. We will start with George Savage's graph projections based on attendance at past reunions. For instance, George predicted 265 at the 2005 banquet. We actually had 279. Most of our attendees live in the Fort Worth area. A few local members attended daytime activities only, because they do not drive at night. George's graph predicts 210 in 2007. To that we will add the good buddies you invite to join us (We're not going to advertise-keep out the riff-raff). I suspect most of them will be staying at the reunion hotel, unless the Fort Worth members invite them to use their guest bedrooms. So how many rooms do we block? We won't know until you invite them and we hear that they are planning to come. Remember, reserve too many rooms and our Association could be penalized. Reserve too few and attendees may not all get the special room rates, or worse yet, have to stay at another hotel. 

Here's what you need to do to help us all. Contact your buddies now. Tell them they are invited to join us as "Honorary" members. Have them tell us on which B-36 base they were stationed, unit assigned, active duty dates, what military rank they attained, the name of their spouse, whether or not they plan to attend the 2007 reunion and if they plan to stay at the reunion hotel. Of course, we will need to know their mailing address and they will have to include a $25.00 check (a one-time membership fee). If they do all this correctly and they have not been in the news for some terrible crime, the board will vote to accept them as Honorary members.. A handy application form for use by EVERYBODY is located elsewhere in this newsletter. It will help us tremendously if we can get their application before mid April 2006, so we can factor that information into our hotel contract. They, in turn will begin to receive a SCANNER just like we do…..about a month after it is given to the post office for delivery. They will then see how a really smooth, well-oiled reunion organization functions.

 THE WAY IT REALLY WAS (HARRY HOLLOWAY JR)

 Got an interesting letter from HARRY HOLLAWAY. He noted the item in the last newsletter about the B-36 being the "only" bomber that was scheduled to strike the USSR from US bases and provided info to clarify that claim. He noted that B-29 and B-50 units had plans to attack from US bases. "Until we acquired the operational B-36, we were prepared to, and intended to, fly 'one way' missions. We were taught a little of a foreign language, we were sent through escape and evasion school and for one - and I'm sure all the rest of the crewmen - we intended to carry on."  He included "Intelligence Brief No. 19", dated 19 Sep 1947, which discussed in detail "one-way" tactics. However, they did not have the option of landing in friendly countries but had to crash land or bail out in the USSR and hope for the best. 

I USED TO BE INDECISIVE BUT NOW I'M NOT SURE

MONEY TALKS
DOUG WOOD

Treasurer's report for 2005. (For details, see your printed SCANNER) 

MONEY TALKS BUT ALL MINE SAYS IS "GOODBYE"

HOW TO TELL IF YOU'RE OVER THE HILL

You no longer laugh at Preparation H commercials 
Your arms are almost too short to read the newspaper 
You buy shoes with crepe rubber soles 
The only reason you're still awake at 2 a.m. is indigestion 
People ask you what color your hair used to be 
You enjoy watching the news 
Your car must have four doors 
You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge 
You have a dream about prunes 
You browse the bran cereal section in the grocery store 
You start worrying when your supply of Ben Gay is low 
You think a C.D. is a certificate of deposit 
You have more than 2 pair of glasses 
You read the obituaries daily 
Your biggest concern when dancing is falling
You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations 
You wear black socks with sandals. 

EXPERIENCE IS WHAT YOU HAVE LEFT
WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS GONE

SEC SEZ
(Dick George)

 I was somewhat surprised at the response I got to my request in the last Scanner that you pay your dues through 2010 so I would not have to post a measly $5.00 payment each year. Over 20 answered my plea. I have carpal-tunnel syndrome in my hands and keystrokes become more difficult. There are only 138 in this mailing who last paid in 2005. Sho would save me a bunch of hunting and pecking if yawl would send me a 25 dollar check instead of a $5.00 one. Even Doug Wood would like that since he wouldn't have to make so many small deposits. Don't get me wrong. I'll post whatever you send. But, finishing your dues out far enough ahead to cover our demobilization (dissolution) date of 2010 would be great. Just look at the upper left corner of your address label for your current dues status, subtract it from 2010 and multiply by 5 to see how much paying for total coverage would be. A check for the resulting amount would be graciously accepted. HONORARY MEMBERS The Prez has pointed out our desire to keep the numbers up at our next two reunions by offering an Honorary Membership to those of other B-36 units. It is known throughout the reunion circuit that WE put on the best and most economical reunions. In the past I have had to deny membership to those of other B-36 units and restrict membership to ex-Carswellites. No more. Many of you know those unfortunate enough to have had to serve at other bases but now we have relented and let any exB-36er join our elite group. What I am asking is that each of you becomes an active recruiter. Let's have a reversal of the number attending the 2007 reunion to where we actually have MORE attending than we had in 2005. Get busy! 

THE CHANGING SCENE

 Memories are a wonderful part of our contemporary life and most of you will remember approaching the main gate of Carswell Air Force Base after passing under the White Settlement Road overpass. (Ed Note: Us older guys remember when the main entrance was at the end of Meandering Road and went by the NCO club) The street was named after a doctor whose beautiful home occupied the northeast corner of the intersection Dr. Pumphrey. The gate was a simple guardhouse where cars with base stickers were normally waved through. Closing Carswell as an Air Force base and the incident of 9/11 has changed your entrance to the base and the Capehart Housing area dramatically. Much of the property where the Capehart housing was located was ceded to the City of Westworth Village. The houses along Roaring Springs Road are no more. In their stead the area across from the Shady Oaks Country Club is filled with pricey homes behind a brick wall. Along Highway 183 Capehart has given away to a shopping center with things like Lowes. High-rise apartment buildings occupy the area to the west edge of the golf course which (by the way) also became the property of Westworth Village. Our golf pro Al Leferink advises there is no longer a military rate for green fees and that the sequence of holes has been modified. The gate area itself has several new innovations to block entry if required. 

"JUSTICE"
WHAT KIDS HAVE WHEN THEY HAVE KIDS OF THEIR OWN

When the Navy closed Dallas Naval Air Base and relocated to Carswell it became the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field. That's a real mouth full. All four services are now located on Carswell and the station shows just as much or more activity as when we were there. You would be proud of what the Navy host has done to upgrade the installation . But why tell you of theses changes? Merely to keep you from being shocked when you come to the reunion in 2007 and pay a visit to the old Air Force Base. The basic framework and structure of the base is the same except for the absence of the wonderful region hospital we all visited at one time or another. It is now the property of the Department of Corrections, housing some bad girls. Call it progress or what ever you want to, you will still be able to reminisce about the good old days when we were all young and knew that without us the world would have become one in which a war of unbelievable magnitude was probable. Thank you all for your service. 

B-36 PEACEMAKER MUSEUM, INC.

As you were advised in your previous SCANNER, the B-36 is no longer in Fort Worth and rests in the Pima Museum at Tucson, Arizona. However, the officers of the B-36 Peacemaker Museum, Inc. have not given up on an aviation museum in Fort Worth. The officers meet every Monday morning at the Meacham terminal building to plan for the establishment of a museum at Meacham Airport which will be dedicated to Aviation history. It will include the history of the B-36 even though the aircraft has departed. At the present time action is under way to obtain a City of Fort Worth agreement to establish the museum on property just North of the Terminal building and West of Main Street. Present plans call for the construction of an entrance building to house artifacts and a meeting area. A series of concrete pads will be arranged to support military aircraft for display. Future plans include construction of a larger building to house the aircraft. Since the B-36 Peacemaker is no longer the center piece of the museum, a change of name of the organization seems appropriate. Perhaps "Fort Worth Aviation Museum, Inc." or some such. In any event, the Officers conduct a monthly meeting in the Terminal building of Meacham Airport to provide information on the status and plans for a museum. This meeting is held at 7 PM on the third Monday of each month. All interested individuals are invited to attend. Attendance and parking is free. In addition. cookies and punch are available to all for the same price - free. Not only that, the meeting includes an interesting speech/video or otherwise on the history of aircraft and aviation in Fort Worth. 

I CAN KEEP A SECRET. 
IT'S THE PEOPLE I TELL IT TO WHO CAN'T

D E A T H ~ WHAT A WONDERFUL WAY TO EXPLAIN IT

A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side." Very quietly, the doctor said, "I don't know." "You don't know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?" The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough." May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly. Good Friends are like Stars You Don't always see them but you know they are there !!! 

LAST FLIGHT

COL GEORGE E BURCH     SMS JAMES D DUFF 

COL JAMES F MARR          SMS JAMES W KENT 

LTC LOREN S LOOMIS      CMS JESSE D MOORE 

MSG VITALE TRIPPODI

AUGUSTA wife of LTC JAMES E FORREST 

THELMA wife of LTC CHESTER GODSEY

VIRGINIA wife of LTC NEAL J HARRINGTON 

CARMEN widow of COL HAROLD THIELE 

EVELYN widow of LTC EDMUND J WHITE 

BEING OVER THE HILL IS MUCH BETTER THAN BEING UNDER IT

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
(Membership open to anyone assigned to a B-36 base,
Aircrew, Ground crew, Staff, Air Base Group, etc.)

(For a printable form, CLICK HERE)

ONE-TIME DUES: $25.00 (2006 THRU 2010)

NAME:_____________________________________SPOUSE__________________________

ADDRESS:___________________________________________________________________ 

HIGHEST RANK:_______B-36 BASE OF ASSGNMT_______________________________ 
(If not Carswell, enter "Honorary Membership") 

UNIT ASSGND____________________________________________ 

ASSGD TO B-36 BASE:

 FROM:____________________________________TO:____________________________ 

MILITARY ACTIVE DUTY FROM:___________________TO:__________________________ 

WILL ATTEND REUNION 2007: YES___ (LORD willin' and NO___ 

AND STAY AT REUNION HOTEL: YES___ the creek don't rise) NO___

 SIGNED:_____________________________________________________________________ 

NOTE: Completion of form - and submission of $25 - entitles applicant to membership in 7BW B-36 Association until its dissolution in 2010 and means receipt of the newsletter three times a year and acceptance at the 2007 and 2009 reunions to be held in Fort Worth, Texas. 

MY WIFE SAYS I NEVER LISTEN TO HER.
AT LEAST I THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID.

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