MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. -- I estimate we had around 65 folks at our July Luncheon. Jeff Osmer came all the way from Mt. Pleasant. It was good to see him. Our featured speaker, Lt. Col. Chris Gamble, the 169th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, gave us a complete rundown on the unusual maintenance problems they had while in Sweden, plus he fielded many other questions. It was a great Luncheon and he did a marvelous job.
McEntire History: While doing some research, along with the assistance of Nelson McLeod, we uncovered that one of our members, Archie S. Thorpe Jr., joined the Air Guard July 17, 1949, at 17 years of age. He subsequently was called up for the Korean conflict as a corporal assigned to the Utility Flight, 157th Fighter Squadron. Later, he was called up with the Berlin Crisis group, this time as a technical sergeant assigned to Headquarters, 169th Fighter Group. And yet later, he was part of the Desert Storm deployment as a master sergeant assigned to the 169th CAMS. Assuming he retired on his 60th birthday, he contributed 42 and a half years as a SCANG Member. I bet he went on other shorter deployments such as Panama, Hawaii, England, and Norway. I don’t think anyone can match this record of length of service and activations. In fact, in my June Retiree’s Corner, I left off with Tech. Sgt. Archie S. Thorpe Jr., who had a nickname of “Mutt.”
So it’s back to the Berlin Crisis deployment folks, which we are still recognizing the folks assigned to Headquarters, 169th Fighter Group. Rank will be at the time of deployment and if I have any information on these individuals it will be under the Remarks column. If I have no information on them, then it will be left blank, usually meaning they were one-term members.
| NAME |
REMARKS |
| Staff Sgt. |
|
| Peter O. Allan |
|
| William D. Bouknight |
Retired in 1990 as a CMSgt |
| Harold E. Guerry |
Retired as a colonel in 1990 |
| Richard E. Huffstetler |
Retired as a SMSgt in 1984, ran the McEntire canteen for a while |
| James B. Kelly Jr. |
|
| Jimmy W. Nelson |
|
| Harry O “Jack” Nichols Jr. |
Retired as a Maj. in 1985 |
| William E. Padgett |
|
| Charles H. Risinger |
|
| Trezevant T. Timmons |
Retired as a CMSgt in 1994, ended up in the civil engineer squadron |
| Deleon R. Wallace |
Retired as a CMSgt in 1992 |
| Raymond E. Williams |
|
| |
|
| Airman 1 Class |
|
| Johnny L. Bedenbaugh |
|
| Julian F. Branham |
|
| George B. Brazell Jr. |
|
| William N. Cobb |
Retired as a CMSgt in 1999, became a Senior Enlisted Advisor |
| John P. Fruit |
|
| Pinckney K. Holmes |
|
| Oda B. Kelley Jr. |
|
| James L. Kyzer |
|
| John H. Lockman |
|
| Hiram H. Moseley |
|
| Hubert H. Paul Jr. |
Retired as a SMSgt in 1995, he died 1/14/2009, on our Monument |
| Crosson K. Roland |
|
| Hal B. Tyler |
|
| Roland R. Wilson |
|
| |
|
| Airman 2nd Class |
|
| James W. Carter |
|
| John Q. Caughman |
|
| Henry J. Corbin Jr. |
|
| Michael W. Edmonds |
|
| Fairy M. “Max” Fralix |
I remember Max for being the president of the S.C. State Employees Credit Union |
| James E. Hunter |
|
| Rodney B. Kelley |
|
| Thomas B. Kinard Jr. |
|
| Heyward L. King Jr. |
|
| Gordon R. Vison Jr. |
|
| Tommy B. Wessinger |
|
| John W. Williams Jr. |
|
| David E. Wilson |
|
| |
|
| Airman 3rd Class |
|
| Robert C. Aiken Jr. |
|
| James K. Ball |
|
| George D. Brown |
|
| William C. Clough |
|
| Birkett L. Floyd |
|
| Henry W. Kennedy |
|
| Houston D. Mason |
|
| David A. Mitchell |
|
| Charles R. Moseley |
|
| Robert E. Palmer Jr. |
|
| James E. Rawls |
|
| Ellison D. Smith III |
|
| William D. Sword |
|
| Charles L. Wooten |
|
| |
|
| Airman Basic |
|
| James D. Fanning |
|
| William Howard Jr. |
|
| William B. McGill Jr. |
|
| John D. Monroe |
|
| Francis E. Toledoano Jr. |
|
| Charles W. Wooley |
|
I apologize in advance if I missed a Retiree, but with so many names and lists floating around me and my head, and without massive amounts of research time, it becomes hard and tedious. If anybody spots a missed Retiree, please let me know, I’ll check it out and publish the Retirees name at a later date.
Our next Luncheon is August 6 at the Fort Jackson NCO Club at noon, come see us. The food and banter is always good.