The Warble Tone - The latest news and information from AAFM
December Newsletter - provided at the end of December to those who signed up for the Electronic Newsletter - mailed in mid-January for print copies.
2012 SAC Reunion
A reunion is planned in Omaha 31 May to 3 June 2012, to include dedication of the new SAC Memorial. - Registration Form and Schedule
2012 AAFM National Meeting Attendance List to date Click to see list
The 2012 AAFM National Meeting in Great Falls
We are less than a year away from our next national meeting, this one commemorating two important events, the 50th anniversary of both the Cuban Missile Crisis and the first Minuteman missile on alert. A number of you have already registered - if you aren't one of those, you can register now either by mail or on line at National Meeting Registration. Don't forget to make your hotel reservations early - otherwise you may have to stay in one of our backup hotels,
The 2012 meeting will feature great tours of Malmstrom and the Great Falls area, a special commemorative ceremony at launch facility A-06 and a superb banquet speaker. AAFM has designed a special commemorative patch and challenge coin for the meeting - both will be available to attendees and to all at the time of the event. We have commissioned artist Warren Neary, who did the artwork for the 50th Anniversary of ICBM Alert two years ago, to do a special painting that features a view of site A-06. The original painting will be presented to the 341st Missile Wings and prints will be available for all. AAFM member David Bath is editing a collection of stories about your Cuban Missile Crisis experience - so far we have over 40 stories from members, spouses, family members and others. Get your story to us for inclusion. The collection will be published as a book and will be available at the meeting.
We are getting strong support from the Great Falls community, the 341st Missile Wing, 20th Air Force and AF Global Strike Command. There is no doubt that this will be our best National Meeting since we began in 1993.
The 2014 National Meeting
Still a long time from now, but we plan ahead at AAFM. We are looking at three locations - Albuquerque, Ogden and Shreveport. All offer interesting options for both military and local area tours, as well as great meeting spaces. Your executive director and board member Mike Kenderes toured Shreveport and found plenty to do to make it a great meeting location. As home to the AF Global Strike Command and the 2nd Bomb Wing, as well as some excellent museums and historic sites, we will have lots to see and do there. Albuquerque offers the Nuclear Weapons Center at Kirtland and the Nuclear Museum, as well as other options. Ogden is home to Hill AFB, the logistic support center for Minuteman, and much more. The AAFM board will discuss options and choose the preferred site during the 2012 National Meeting.
If you would like to voice your opinion for 2014, email us.
Other News
Friends Journal, published by the National Museum of the Air Force - The Winter 2011/2012 issue features several articles on the Cold War, including one by your AAFM executive director titled "Coming of Age:The SAC Missile Force." You can visit the musem web page although this issue may not be posted yet, or see the Missile article here
The issue also features an article on DEW line by AAFM member Walter Greene and an article on Matador in Korea
The Budget and ICBMs - Latest Budget Data - Click on this link - FY 13 Budget Priorities and Choices
All of you are aware of all the discussions on the federal budget and the potential impact the military, the Air Force and the ICBM force, as well as other AF systems. Rumors are rampant, from "no more triad" to "no more ICBMS" and every option in between. We won't try to keep you current on all of the stories here but we recommend that you visit Air Force official web sites and the AFA site for their releases. You can sign up for email updates at most of these sites.
STRATCOM and Strategic Air and Space Meetings
In mid-December, your executive directory, board president Lance Lord and board member Patricia Fornes met with the commander, US Strategic Command, at Offutt AFB to discuss future AAFM involvement with the command and possible support for specific projects or recognition programs. General Kehler gave us a great rundown on the outlook for the ICBM force - and the fact that there are a lot of unknowns at present. Your board will continue to work with the command to determine the best way we can support the command. We also had an informal gathering the evening before at the Offutt club. A number of AAFM members joined us, as well as many missileers assigned to the command. We picked up a few new members that evening.
Following the meeting with the STRATCOM commander, your executive director met with the leadership of the Strategic Air and Space Museum to discuss future missile projects and AAFM/s support of those projects. You will see more about this issue in coming newsletters. The new leadership is working hard to inprove missile displays in the museum.
Warren Visit - Your Vice President, Bob Mattson and your Executive Director spent two days at Warren AFB in early February getting updated on the way we train and evaluate missile crews and maintainers. We attended a Pre-Departure Briefing (now called the MASS Briefing), toured maintenance facilities and talked to team members - mostly young enlisted folks, attended a Codes Class (the idea is the same - the acronyms have changed), sat in a trainer ride and talked to a number of ops crews and staff. We had a number of local area members join us for lunch, along with several wing and 20th AF folks, where member Jim Widlar talked about his experiences as an Atlas maintainer in the early 1960s. We learned that a lot has changed, but a lot has not. For example, everyone still uses paper tech orders - just like we always have - no electronics versions yet. We also learned that recent Vandenberg graduates in ops only get the missile badge with the ops designator - they no longer get the "new Space Badge" - the "wings." Watch for a full report in the March Newsletter.
Missile Models - for a short time we have some of the Minuteman models at a reduced price - go to the Donations/Store area to see what is available.
Taps for Missileers
Robert Auger, who served in Atlas in the 556 SMS
Maj (Ret) Arthur Broadbent, who served in Atlas in the 556 SMS
Col (Ret) Richard W. Beck, who served in Snark in the commander of the 702 SMW and Atlas as commander of the 556 SMS, at SAC Headquarters, and lived in San Antonio, TX
Maj GEn (Ret) Ben Funk, an AAFM Member, was one of the pioneers in missiles and space, working with Gen Schriever on early ICBMs and space programs in the Western Development Division and Ballistic Missile Office, and lived in Long Beach, CA.
King Kleiber, who served in Minuteman in the 351 SMW
Lt Col (Ret) Bruce Rodie, an AAFM Member, served in Titan II in the 390 SMW, in Minuteman in the 341 SMW and in GLCM in the 487 TMW, and lived in San Antonio, TX
James Olson, an AAFM Member, who served in Mace in the 498 TMG and Titan II in the 308 SMW, and lived in Atlanta, GA.
MSgt (R) Myron Ventura, an AAFM Member, served in Minuteman in the 44 SMW/MW, in the 532 TRS and at AFSPC Headquarters, and lived in Colorado Springs, CO.
Meetings and Reunions
341 SMW/MW Maintenance Reunion, 10-12 August 2012, Great Falls, MT, contact Sheryl Yocom at lonnie267@min.midco.net
390th SMW Reunion, 26-30 September 2012, Tucson, AZ, contact John/Susan Lasher at redsnooty@comcast.net or 520-886-7157 or 520-886-3430
485 TMW (Florennes) Reunions, 2012 in Alabama, 2013 reunion in Florida and 2014 reunion (25th anniversary of base closure) in Belgium - details to follow
4 ACCS Reunion, 15-17 June 2012, Rapid City. SD, go to the 4 ACCS web site at www.4accs.wordpress.com or contact Mary Hillman, E-mail mdhillman@fedteldirect.net
556 SMS (Plattsburgh), 10-14 October 2012 with the AAFM National Meeting - register with AAFM or contact Bruce Raleigh, email braleigh@wowway.com
579 SMS 50th Anniversary Reunion, 3-6 May 2012, Roswell, NM, contact Terry Doyle, 580-228-2409, terry.doyle@juno.com
Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadrons Association, 16 20 April 2012, at the BOOMTOWN Casino in Bossier City, LA . Contact MSgt (Retired) David Ray Galbreath, 903-876-3769, E-mail galbgen1942@yahoo.com
SAC Reunion, 31 May-3 June 2012, Omaha - Registration Form and Schedule
SAC Airborne Command Control Association, 22-26 August 2012, Washington, DC, contact William Curtis, 804-740-2290, wcurtis135@aol.com
Association of Air Force Missileers 2012 National Meeting will be in Great Falls, Montana in 10-14 October 2012. Registration forms in the newsletter or see above.
Get your meeting notices to AAFM as early as you can for posting - email to aafm@afmissileers.org
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