Squadron 3703, Flight 521, Lackland AFB, San Antonio,TX
Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 04-07-2010
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Well, all this military stuff this weekend has caused me to dust off some old pictures. No, we were not still flying bi-planes in 1954, but we did not have any F-16 either. Some of the guys I can remember and some of them may remember me…I was the right guide, fellows, remember…Sgt. Cole fired me on the spot one day while marching…maybe some of you remember that…We were marching across the parade ground, and I was probably day dreaming about my girl friend or some girl I wanted to make friends with…anyway, Sgt Cole was giving us the old, hut, ever so often…remember…a few steps, then, hut…a few more steps then another, hut…then if he wanted the pace picked up a little, then he would hut 2, hut 4 and then when we were where he wanted us he would settle back to the hut,……hut…well, this one day I am talking about he called us to a halt, gave us a left face and by the time I reached the squad on the left, he was waiting on me…He says, “Hester, where the hell are you from” and I say, “Alabama, Sir” and he says, “Did you ever plow a mule”…well, being from Alabama I did not want to say no, so I lied and said, “Yes, sir”. “Well,” he says, “I would have hated to see your rows. You have wandered all over this parade ground. You need to fix your eyes on an object way out in front of you and march toward it. When I give you a new direction, pick another spot to march toward.” He went ahead and replaced me for a time but eventually he put me back in that position. I saw him again a few years later, I was an Airman First Class and he was still a Tech Sgt…It was at Upper Hayford RAF station in England. I could not help but call him sir….He continually corrected me, but it was automatic…I said, “Sgt. Cole, I just can’t help it. You spent to long getting me there. I just can’t quit in a few minutes of visiting.” He was a very nice guy, looking back but at the time, he sure had my number. If any of you guys or any of you guys grandpa served back then, tell them about this post and web site….We even had jet aircraft…with radios and radar….But eyes straight ahead stuff is good advice for us today, is it not…Fix our eyes on the direction we wish to travel, marching right toward it…If life turns you somewhat, affix your eyes on the next goal and keep on marching….Happy Fourth of July folks….Pete
Sgt. Cole is probably retired now drawing money from an empty Treasury that is being baled out with borrowed money from China. The entitlements we have in this country are very nice, but we better make sure that we have the financial and business infrastructure to pay for those entitlements, or no one will get anything.
Your blog brings back very fond memories for me too. I too was at Lackland about 11 years later than you were, which some now may think of as the Dark Ages. It was the year that the Viet Nam War, which some say is the first war that our nation lost, was just beginning to boil over. We even had B52’s flying over Hanoi and bombing the fool out of them. We had already perfected the technique of fighting a was without seeing the enemy and returning home to a nice warm bed and hot meal at the end of the day. It’s no wonder we lost that war. Of course, the war effort had me. The only weapon that I saw during the entire war was the very rapid kick from the hind end of a sheep.
thanks for the comment..
Well, Uncle, 16 years after you were there I in was in 3703 Squadron Flight 1532. And two men there got my s*** togather
S.Sgts Ragland & Amos, never saw them again but I have never
forgotten them. I have always said that I was a trained kill’er with a flash light. Working on diesel engines & generators.
That’s good…Trained killer with a flash light…That’s good to know…Thanks for writing Nephew…come back again soon…
“Trained killer with a flashlight.” That makes me feel much better. At least, I had access to sheep which had a very mean kick, at least before they were irradiated. Radiation effectively took the meanness out of them as it will all of us in the event of a nuclear holocaust. Its coming folks. We had better get ready. There are simply too many terrorist around who hate us and who would like to get their hands on the means to do it.
You heard it here folks…..