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HLB B-3 restored at last
- Thread starter Peter Graham
- Start date
Peter Graham
Well-Known Member
I was shocked. He looks just like me when I was 18 !bazelot said:
Peter Graham
Well-Known Member
To update this story, I've had a plaque made up to mark the 70th anniversary of Jefferson James death which is now on the wall of remembrance in the tower museum, Bassingbourn, home of the 91st bomb group.
PaulGT3
New Member
That is so cool Peter. I was in the Air Force Post Viet Nam, and I remember being in Basic training at Lackland AFB where everyone went for basic
then. Earlier there were different places for basic, I think my Dad who was in during the Korean War went to Scott AFB in Ill. But I remember we still
had a TON of WW2 buildings and barracks there at Lackland. I was in a much more modern building built in the 70's. But I pulled Gaurd duty in a WW2 barrack once and It was like on TV. Two story, hard wood floors polished to a spit shine. Foot lockers were out in front of each bunk and the place just REEKED of history. We would march everywhere to get our Blues and BDUs and we would go into buildings that were built in the 30's and 40's. And I was just in awe of the history of the place. Luckily we had Air Conditioning in our barracks as I was there in Aug in San Antonio. You could tell the Texans from everyone else because everyone who wasnt a Texan had huge salt rings in their caps and we didnt. Our group was made up of Texans and Northerners for some strange reason. You were either from Texas or Ohio or Maine or Alaska. It was weird. I supposed the Floridians and other humid natives handled the intense humidity as we did.
You didnt get any more gear till you went to Tech school and graduated in your career field. If you were a crew member you would get your gear on graduating that particular school. I was an electronic technician and was selected for several different career field after testing in basic. But all of them required and extra enlistment and I declined them all including some crew positions and some kind of linguistics school where I would have spent 2 years in Monterrey. But I was there for one reason and one reason only and that was to get out go to college and become a scientist. Which I did, and RIGHT back into the military as a DOD civilian Scientist for the Navy. Kind of funny if you think about it, I hurried up to get out of the military to go right back to the military. When I got here at the Naval Air Warfare Center I got a chance to go to test pilot school and then become a flight test engineer on flight status. But when I was offered my chance we had had a couple of accidents involving fighter aircraft do I decided to stay on the ground. So there went my chance to get some Naval flight gear.
Funny thing tho, now that I am retired I still feel more attached to the Air Force where I was for four years as opposed to the Navy where I was for 30 years, as a civilian. Go figure.
then. Earlier there were different places for basic, I think my Dad who was in during the Korean War went to Scott AFB in Ill. But I remember we still
had a TON of WW2 buildings and barracks there at Lackland. I was in a much more modern building built in the 70's. But I pulled Gaurd duty in a WW2 barrack once and It was like on TV. Two story, hard wood floors polished to a spit shine. Foot lockers were out in front of each bunk and the place just REEKED of history. We would march everywhere to get our Blues and BDUs and we would go into buildings that were built in the 30's and 40's. And I was just in awe of the history of the place. Luckily we had Air Conditioning in our barracks as I was there in Aug in San Antonio. You could tell the Texans from everyone else because everyone who wasnt a Texan had huge salt rings in their caps and we didnt. Our group was made up of Texans and Northerners for some strange reason. You were either from Texas or Ohio or Maine or Alaska. It was weird. I supposed the Floridians and other humid natives handled the intense humidity as we did.
You didnt get any more gear till you went to Tech school and graduated in your career field. If you were a crew member you would get your gear on graduating that particular school. I was an electronic technician and was selected for several different career field after testing in basic. But all of them required and extra enlistment and I declined them all including some crew positions and some kind of linguistics school where I would have spent 2 years in Monterrey. But I was there for one reason and one reason only and that was to get out go to college and become a scientist. Which I did, and RIGHT back into the military as a DOD civilian Scientist for the Navy. Kind of funny if you think about it, I hurried up to get out of the military to go right back to the military. When I got here at the Naval Air Warfare Center I got a chance to go to test pilot school and then become a flight test engineer on flight status. But when I was offered my chance we had had a couple of accidents involving fighter aircraft do I decided to stay on the ground. So there went my chance to get some Naval flight gear.
Funny thing tho, now that I am retired I still feel more attached to the Air Force where I was for four years as opposed to the Navy where I was for 30 years, as a civilian. Go figure.
TankBuster
Active Member
Great thread and work on putting a face/name with the jacket! Not sure how I missed this one the first time around! Great jacket Peter!!!
Peter Graham
Well-Known Member
Thanks Paul. Great info. It's been quite a moving and rather sad journey from buying the jacket to placing the plaque at Bassingbourn but a very worthwhile and fascinating one. This hobby tends to send a person off on all sorts of tangents but that's what's great about it.
