COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

The

C MPASS
M ISSOURI W ING AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2011

P.O. Box 637 St.Charles, MO 63302 St. Charles County Smartt Airport 636-250-4515 Fax 636-250-4515 www.cafmo.org

MISSOURI WING

E XECUTIVE S TAFF
WING LEADER Col. Patrick Kesler 28 Confederate Way St. Charles, MO 63303 636-928-5687 636-250-4515 Wing wingleader@cafmo.org ADJUTANT / PIO OFFICER Col. Rick Rea 6854 Ardale Drive St. Louis,MO 63123 314-960-4927 col.rickrea@charter.net EXECUTIVE OFFICER Col. Steve Newcombe 708 Kent Drive Wentzville, MO 63385 636-332-6397 FINANCE Col. Steve Gossett 4 Limerick Lane O'Fallon, MO 63366 636-474-9763 314-306-5021 OPERATIONS OFFICER Col.Craig O'Mara 1085 Graywolf Court Fairview Heights, IL 62208 618-632-6113 home 618-558-7211 cell craigo777@juno.com MAINTENANCE OFFICER Col. Pat Fenwick 6 Heather Drive St. Peters, MO 63376 636-441-2856 SAFETY OFFICER Col. Tim Mohr 2301 Ambtose Imperial, MO 63052 314-291-6474 tgm01@sbcglobal.net

WE NEED YOU!!!
With just a few weeks to go before our biggest event of the year, Id like to mention a few things: Consider donating items for our silent auction or door prizes. Read the Hangar Dance packet you received in the mail and the August/September COMPASS inserts. Please volunteer to help with at least one of the listed activities. Buy your tickets early and invite some friends & relatives. Theyll love you for it! Look at the pre-dance schedule and help us out on Thursday, Friday or Dance Day. Plan on having fun, making some new friends and acquiring an acute feeling of satisfaction for doing something great for our Wing and Community.

Col. Pat Kesler

FIRST DANCE TICKET SOLD!

Steve sold the first dance ticket to Kathleen Livingstone.

Have you bought yours???

U PCOMING E VENTS
Sept. 3-4 Sept. 10 Sept. 10-11 Sept 17 345th BG Reunion & Veterans Festival in Forest Park B-25, Px? General Meeting (1:30 pm) Guardians of Freedom Airshow, Lincoln, NE B-25 & TBM Grace on Wings Hog Roast (Charity Event) B-25 Indianapolis, IN (Return for Hangar Dance) M31 Airshow, Halls, TN B-25, TBM & PX Jefferson City, MO Open House, History Flight Event B-25 & PX CAF AIRSHO 2011 B-25 & TBM Camdenton, MO LHFE Flights B-25 Corvettes & Warbirds 10 am - 3 pm

All that is missing is YOU ! >

Sept. 17
Sept 24-25 Oct 1 Oct. 8-9 Oct. 15-16 Oct. 29

HANGAR DANCE

Saturday - September 10 - General Meeting - 1:30 pm

WING LEADER'S REPORT

August has arrived and things are still jumping at the Wing despite the high temperatures. We have participated in Airshows, parades, LHFE events, a fly-over of Fredericktowns new Air Terminal, and weve even spent some time over at Spirit of St. Louis Airport supporting FiFis (the worlds only remaining airworthy B-29) visit to our local area. I would like to thank everyone that has supported these important events. It has truly been impressive seeing the enthusiasm that is out there even during the dog days of Summer. We have been fortunate in having acquired a bunch of new members that have a myriad of talent and its refreshing to see them jump right in and get active. Thanks everyone for your help, perspiration and elbow grease this past month! We are in the process of rehabbing our office, entrance hall, and hangar hall areas and I can think of no better OPR (Officer of Primary Responsibility) than the same Lady that enhanced our entrance way last year with a patriotically decorated Christmas tree. Col. Angie Herrmann volunteered to ramrod the facility facelift and I jumped at it. She has some great ideas and we should be starting shortly on cleaning, repainting, decorating the walls, and installing new flooring. Feel free to contact her and offer assistance. The plan is to move everything out of the offices and halls, do the work, and then be very selective on what we move back in. I know $teve Gossett and I need to plan on being displaced for a while, but thats easily accomplished with briefcases and thumb drives. Come on out, volunteer and get involved in this much-needed endeavor. Our industrious Executive Officer (XO no, thats not hugs & kisses) has been very busy rehabbing the rear bathroom and it will soon become the Gents privy, loo, latrine, lavatory, water closet, dunny, netty, or whatever you want to call it. The main one in the hall is slated next and will become the Ladies Only rest/powder room. I would like to apologize if I filled up your email bank recently with updates on SHOW MEs return to Smartt from the CAFs Red White and Loud event at Rifle, Colorado. Many members wanted to be notified on the return and I felt the easiest way was to do a mass emailing with the information. The only problem was that the initial ETA was changed a few times because of an early departure and a fast-turn fuel stop coming through Nebraska. I really didnt expect those out-of-state members to show up at Smartt, but just thought the email route would be the easiest way to inform the troops. Ill try to be a little more selective in the future. Please visit our website (www.cafmo.org) and see what Col. Bob Lawrence has done to advertise the upcoming September 17th Hangar Dance. He makes it so easy to purchase tickets and also encourages site visitors to checkout our unique annual event. You all will be receiving Dance flyers and information sheets soon in the mail. Please plan on supporting this years Dance and helping out with the many side activities. The B-25 will be at the Grace on Wings Hog Roast charity event in Indianapolis that day, but will be returning to Smartt just prior to the Dance to kick it off with another great Arrival Show. Itll be great to see and hear her with 1940s tunes playing in the background. I was in the cockpit last year and got goose bumps when we saw all of the cars, people, and activity on the ramp as we flew down the runway. Also - what a great way it was to prove to everyone that the Dance set-up could still materialize without the Dance Chairmans direct supervision. I was tempted to do it again this year, but

received too much grief and gave up the seat to one of the other pilots. Maybe next year??? Plan on coming to the Dance. It is one amazing event!!! Make sure you peruse the upcoming events schedule on the other side of this page and the website. There are a lot of exciting times ahead and the more you get involved the better chance you have of creating new friendships and great memories. Remember - with your help We can Keep Em Flying and have a great, rewarding time in your life while doing so. Its always great to make new memories especially when they are associated with the memories of that Great Generation. Respectfully submitted, Col. Pat Kesler, Wing Leader

EVER HEAR

OF A 50-50 DRAWING? This is always a lot of fun. Simply stop one of our members selling the tickets and wait for your number to be called at one of the intermissions. The winning number is entitled to half of the money collected for the drawing. Thus the name 50-50. Oh, did I mention that this is given out in cold, hard cash! Give it a try!

NO TICKET / NO WRISTBAND / NO ENTRY

As in all prior years, we thank all the members who buy tickets to support the Wing and then offer to help before, during, and after the Dance. This support enables the Dance to be as successful as it always has been and makes each member proud to be a part of this memorable evening. Each year our patrons who attend this great event simply rave about it and thank all of us for putting it on. Again this year, everyone who buys a ticket will be presented a wrist band. This will enable us to see, even from a distance, that each person has paid to attend. Yes, it is sad to believe that, in past years, we have had a large number of people who attended but did not pay for a ticket. To avoid confusion, our members will also wear their wristband to show that they have also bought a ticket in addition to helping during the event. This should eliminate the possibility of anyone entering the function without buying a ticket. Dont forget that getting tickets online is as easy as One, Two, Three!

A GENTLE REMINDER
The good news is that the Missouri Wing is growing we are up to around 130 members with many joining in the last year. Unfortunately, the number of Wing members who are NOT members of CAF National has also risen. As part of his work as Finance Officer, $teve Gossett and Rick Rea, as the Adjutant, receive monthly rosters from HQ of Colonels who have not renewed their annual membership at the national level. According to the Unit Manual (guidance on how to operate a Wing from HQ), Colonels who have not renewed their National dues are supposed to be limited in their Wing participation. They are not eligible to vote in Wing elections, may not hold Wing office, and may only participate in Wing activities on a limited basis. You are all very valuable to the Wing and we dont want to lose anyone. The economy hasnt been very kind to us in the last few years and I know that its difficult to decide what our priorities are. And sometimes we just forget to renew memberships, especially when we belong to several organizations. So, as a gentle reminder may I ask you to see if you are current on your dues at HQ so that $teve and Rick dont have so much paperwork! Those guys work way too hard as it is!! Thanks.

Colonel Craig OMara

B-2 STEALTH PILOT VISITS SMARTT FIELD

RIFLE COLORADO

When we returned from our great trip to Colorado for Aaron Tippens Red, White, and Loud concert, a lot of people asked me the same question. How did Rifle Colorado get its name? According to the Rifle Chamber of Commerce this is how the story goes: Although no one can tell for sure the true naming of our town, most stories lead to the conclusion that Rifle got its name from an old cowboy surveyor that had left his rifle/gun leaning against a tree near a local creek. Since then he had referred to this area as Rifle and the name has just kept living on. True or not, it does make for a good story and this explanation seems to satisfy everyones curiosity even today. Now you know. Col. Bob Moore

B-2 Stealth pilot and St Louis area native Michael Klotz (on right in photo) paid a visit to our Smartt Field facility with his father, brother, two sons and friend on Sunday, July 24. Wing members met Mike at Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, SD earlier this summer when his B-2 was on display there. Mikes father, also Mike, used to hang out at the Wing a number of years ago. Mike and his family enjoyed a tour of our facilities and museum and watched the return of the B-25 from the Moberly, MO Airport Bash. Mike said he would like to host a visit by Wing members to the B-2 facility at Whiteman AFB later this year.

SUPPORTING FIFI
The Missouri Wing supported FIFI, the last operational B-29, and SHOW ME Monday through Wednesday August 1-3 at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. Activity began July 31st with a small greeting team from the Wing assembling at Spirit Airport to greet FIFIs and SHOW MEs arrival. Our B-25 arrived at 4:30pm with a small starboard engine oil leak and FIFI arrived an hour later. The PX truck was already parked on the tarmac. At 0800 Monday, the event began with a flurry of activity. The PX opened for business and a field repair team arrived to inspect the oil leak. They decided to fix the problem the next morning after retrieving tools and a replacement hose from Smartt. Meanwhile, several wing members took their stations under our B-25s wing and at the PX to entertain the crowd of anxious paying visitors. The temperature reached 110 degrees. Tuesday found our mechanics with their heads under the cowling, entertaining visitors who now watched in awe an actual repair activity - something like WWII field repair in North Africa, 115 degree temperature and all. FIFI flew two sorties that day. There were three empty seats on the afternoon flight and FIFIs coordinator offered then to three lucky MO Wing members. The dog tag machine was in fluent operation all day. Wednesday morning saw two more MO Wing members enjoying another free FIFI flight. Those manning the B-25 station noticed that their FIFI counterparts were charging $10 to visit FIFIs interior. Not to be outdone, our crew upped the $0 fee to $5 to climb up into SHOW ME. The PX was roaring. The day ended with the usual private auto shuffling to return SHOW ME, the PX truck and trailer, and all participants safely home. Col. Nick Talarico

B-25 FREDERICKTOWN FLYOVER RIGHT BUTTON

ON

To help the folks in Fredericktown, MO celebrate the opening of its new tower, pilot and co-pilot Cols. Matt Conrad and Pat Kesler performed a dramatic flyover (actually four of them) right on time at 10:45 am on Saturday, August 6. Even though there were a few storms in the area which were skillfully dodged, it was a perfect on time arrival over the field. Intrepid crew members Cols. Nick Talarico, Mike McEntee and Dick Hyde kept Matt and Pat company and did little else but just enjoy the flight. Rumor has it that Col. Hubert Looney was on the ground observing the flyover. How did it look, Hubert? To avoid the storms on the return flight, a scenic Mississippi River route was taken...total flight time was approximately one hour. Col. Dick Hyde

FiFi and Show Me at Spirit Airport 2011

THE MOBERLY, MISSOURI AIRPORT BASH

The day started at about 90 degrees And that was at 7:30 in the morning. We were planning on an 8:00 departure so many of the ground folks, including the Maintenance Officer, were at Smartt early to get the airplane out and ready. A huge thanks for that! Our flight crew consisted of newly checked out co-pilot Julie Thomas, Buddy Welsh, Tom Wagoner, Mike Kemp, and Hezekiah Kemp. After departure, Julie made a nice low pass for the ground crew at Smartt. The trip up was uneventful and quick at about 25 minutes. Julie made the landing (a greaser that showed me up!) and a large crowd had already gathered. The PX crew was in place with Bob Moore and Bob Lawrence keeping people back while we parked. The neatest thing was that new MO Wing member Brandon Gomer Bebow (sporting his bright orange safety vest and waving wands) was waiting there to park us. It was great seeing our own and knowing they were taking care of everything on the ground. We all stepped out of the airplane and man was it hot! We knew we were in for a sweaty day. We decided that a small town like this deserved to be able to get up in the airplane and take a tour. This required someone up in the front and rear at all times (sorry guys). So we switched out OFTEN as the airplane heated up inside very quickly and someone could not stay up there very long without a break. We couldnt ask for a better crew. Tom Wagoner is so versatile he was helping with tours, then got recruited for dog tags, and then had to be the safety crew member for the VIP ride. Mike and Hezzy talked to a lot of people and were up in the airplane helping with tours. Buddy was a machine! At one point, he stayed up in the back of the airplane giving people tours for at least an hour. I couldnt pry him out. Brandon was extremely helpful with the crowd and overall ground operations. By the way, he drove up from Jefferson City to help with this event! Julie fit right in and was a hit with the crowd. Of course she knew most of them.she and her husband Howard have a farm about 7 miles away. It had it perks. She got us some free chow! Bob and Bob were selling like crazy and it was good day for the PX! Steve Gossett is celebrating. Thanks to the whole crew that worked so hard. You guys were awesome! The highlight of the event was having a lady who fabricated B-25 cockpit floors during WWII take a ride with us on the VIP flight. She did an article for the local paper awhile back about her experience during wartime and in the last paragraph mentioned that her dream would be to one day take a ride in the airplane she once helped build. Well guess what? The Missouri Wing of the CAF fulfilled her dream! Louise is an awesome lady and I was glad to be a part of this important event in her life. Col. Matt Conrad, B-25 PIC See you at the

MOBERLY, MISSOURI AIRPORT DAY

Arrived at Moberly to a good crowd. Show Me was the centerpiece of the entire day. Area pilots gave over 150 Young Eagles rides, encouraging youth to be exposed to the world of aviation. The local motorcycle club held a bike show, ride, and dance that attracted over 50 riders. The airport was busy with refueling of traffic on the way to the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, AirVenture Fly-In. Michael and Hezekiah Kemp endured a day of 100-degree temperatures to answer questions about everything from machine gun caliber to bomb loads. PX traffic was handled by Bob Lawrence, Bob Moore and Brandon Bebow. Brandon drove up from Jefferson City and provided marshaling for the 4 LHFE rides. The VIP of the day for the LHFE ride was 91-year old, Louise Dowell, who was surprised when her family brought her to the airport to see the aircraft. She had worked in Memphis, TN in 1942-43 riveting the cockpit floor sub-assembly. She remembered these parts were sent to Kansas City for final assembly, in the same location where Show Me rolled off the line. She commented that this was the first time she had seen an entire B25. Tom Wagoner commented, before leaving Smartt Field, that he had not eaten breakfast because he heard a new copilot was doing the flying to Moberly. Both he and Buddy Welsh bravely took their positions in the back and endured the waist gunner pinball as a new copilot built experience under the watchful eye of Aircraft Commander, Matt Conrad. Colonel Julie Thomas Newest B-25 Copilot

July Meeting

Hangar Dance!
VETERAN'S FESTIVAL PARADE
We have been invited to be in the parade that kicks off the big Veterans Festival in Forest Park. They have asked for all three of our vehicles. The staff car, jeep, and big truck. The parade starts at 9 a.m. on Sept 3 at Kingshighway and Lindell, proceeds up Lindell, turns left on Cricket into Forest Park, and ends at the Festival site near the lower Muny parking lot. We will also stay there and be part of the opening ceremony for the Festival. This is another great opportunity to support the festival, have some fun, and get some great publicity for the CAF. I hope many of you will be able to join us! Col. Bob Moore

As this summers heat wave seems relentless, and may not be ending anytime soon, here are some safety tips for us all to consider and keep a safety minded eye on wing visitors, crews, workers, LHFE riders, friends, neighbors, loved ones: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! It is hard to judge how much moisture our bodies lose to the heat. When out in the heat, drink at least a quart of water an hour. It is better to take drinks every few minutes, then to wait and guzzle a quart only once an hour. If you are craving water, you have waited too long. Take frequent breaks and get out of the heat/sun, cool down, splash some water on your head/face. Wear light colored clothing and a hat to keep direct sun off your head. Dont overdue it. Slow down and work a bit easier. If you start to feel overheated or dizzy, go inside where it is cooler and please tell someone s they can check on you occasionally. Keep mentally cool... We all know tempers seem to flare when it is extremely hot and people are in traffic or in line somewhere, or in a hurry. Try to remain courteous in these situations. Keep an eye on those around you and dont hesitate to call for help if needed, or ask a few simple questions to make sure someone else isnt dazed or confused in the heat. Dont Learn by Accident Col Tim Mohr , SO

SEPTEMBER SAFETY BRIEF

COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE

MISSOURI WING P.O. Box 637 St. Charles, MO 63302-0637

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2011

e nc Da011 arr 17, 2 g e an temb H Sep

Mechanics doing maintenance after the Rifle trip.

Don't miss the Hangar Dance! Saturday, September 17, 2011 See you there!

Tim McCluskey (2) Mary Racine (3) Marty Malinee (9) Joe Wotchko (9) August George Hohmann (11) Marilyn Feltham (13) Les Heikkila (24) John Marshall (25) Jim Lammert (26) Mark Statler (27) David Groen (28) Gary Budke (31) Birthdays!

September Birthdays!

Betty Evans (1) John Scholes (7) Greg Gysbers (9) Cletus Mueth (11) Marilyn Feltham (14) Robert Cushman (14) Butch Hutter (19) Bob Lawrence (23) Robert Lewis (25) Mike Steinhour (25) John Ellis (29) Bob Moore (29)

Compass Deadline: October Newsletter - Need info by September 22 November Newsletter - Need info by October 25

Missouri Wing
STAND UP FOR AMERICA

HANGAR DANCE
On behalf of the Missouri Wing, I would again like to ask each of you for your support for this years 29th Anniversary Hangar Dance which will be held on September 17, 2011. With your help, we can make this dance THE major fundraiser for the year. Please sell as many tickets as possible (they also make great gifts) and invite all your friends and relatives to join in the fun. Tickets will cost $15.00 in advance per person or $18.00 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased one of two ways; by mail or through the internet. Mail your check along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: CAF Hangar Dance, 4 Limerick Lane, OFallon, MO 63366. Tickets will be mailed back. Purchase tickets online by simply going to our website, www.cafmo.org. Click on the hangar dance tab and follow the simple steps to buy your tickets with a credit card on a secure PayPal form. Within minutes your printed receipt will be emailed. This receipt will serve as your ticket and should be brought with you to the dance for admission. In an effort to generate more revenue at the dance, we will again have a silent auction to help raise additional money. This auction has been very successful in past years and should be even better this year. We already have some great items that have been donated and we hope to add many more. You will also note that we have revived the sponsor sheet that was popular with our members several years ago. A copy is enclosed for you to review and see where you can help out. The following list shows some of the jobs necessary to make the dance a huge success. THURSDAY: FRIDAY SATURDAY: Clear out hangar. Wash and sweep the hangar floor. Clean up and dispose of any trash, etc. Straighten up B-25 hangar and restoration room. Help with staging, locate and place proper supplies in the hangar. Receive deliveries. Set up tables and chairs. Decorate the hangar. Set up booths. Move planes to ramp. Put up parking signs. In general, GET EVERYTHING READY. Help with parking. Volunteer at food, soda and ice booths. Help the PX. Conduct tours. Greet guests. Sell tickets. Help clean up the hangar. Take out the trash. Put the planes back. Help remove and load lights and staging. Put all dance leftovers away for the next year.

DANCE NIGHT: AFTER DANCE: SUNDAY:

This is one of the times that our whole wing works together as a unit a unit that you can be proud to be a part of. Our goal is to make this the best Hangar Dance we have ever had! It takes quite a bit of work and preparation to make the Hangar Dance a success and with your help we can all get together on September 18th, have some fun, and raise money for the Missouri Wing! Hope to see you there! Col. Pat Kesler