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Commentary Search

December Retiree's Corner

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Bob Barkalow (retired)
  • 169th Fighter Wing
MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. --  

We had around 60 folks to show for the November Luncheon, two first-timers, Carl Kitchens who served in the 240th Combat Communications Squadron from 1955-65, well before my time, and almost an original member (April 18, 1952). The other first- timer was Col. Brian Tenbrunsel, who has flown under the radar for a number of years, escaping a visit to us Retirees. After we teased him about this, he gave us some great information about the Kuwait deployment and other pertinent information pertaining to what is going on presently at McEntire JNGB, and future things to happen.

The person coming the greatest distance to our ‘august’ Luncheon was Graham Heller from the Mt. Pleasant area, 119 miles. I didn’t bother with the shortest distance, since we have a number of folks who probably live within 10 miles of the post and NCO Club, and they never come for whatever reason. I am by no means faulting them. That is just their own choice. Personally it is about 6-7 miles for me, 4.25 miles to the Fort Jackson Golf Course.

McEntire JNGB History: We are still involved with honoring the Berlin Crisis Call Up folks. Supposedly, 747 folks were called up November 1, 1961. Of which through December 2019, we have researched 284 of these folks to date, or 38%, of which 117 known people became the nucleus of full-time and part-time retirees. They helped form the future of McEntire JNGB in various leadership roles for years. We are still combing the ranks of the 169th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (CAMS), and getting down to the lower ranking individuals from this point on. However we still picked up an additional eight known retirees out of the 48 we examined this go around.

For an odd reason, we also had other call-ups during the month of November, one being Operation Desert Storm, 727 folks, and the 110th Aircraft Control and Warning Flight in November 1951, 208 men. I had to add that one in or Buck Buchanan would haunt me.

I have to mention this, but December 9, 1946, the very first muster, and will be the 73rd Anniversary of McEntire. The 75th Anniversary will be coming around soon.

Back to the Berlin Crisis folks, the December group is as follows:

  • A1/C James R. Mobley, I am not sure if the information is correct on him. There is a James E. Mobley that retired in 1995 as an E-7. I’m not sure at this time if these are two different people, or one of the same?
  • A1/C Shelton Mincey, he retired in 1989 as an E-8. He is still living, although I have heard that he is experiencing some medical problems.
  • A1/C Alexander S. Morrison, I have no information on him at this time.
  • A1/C George P. Neeley, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Audy G. Oswalt, was killed in 1984 coming back from a 240th CBCS summer camp at Gulfport, Miss. He stopped to assist a woman whose car was broke down on I-20 in Georgia, and was struck by a car, a real tragedy. Audy and I won the 226th Communications Group Horseshoe Pitching Championship the day before. I still have the trophy. I believe he was either an E-6 or E-7 at the time of the accident. His name is on the SCANG monument. The family came to McEntire JNGB when his name was engraved on the monument.
  • A1/C Harvey D. Parrent, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Alfred S. Pederson, Jr., he retired in 1997 as an E-8. He was also a Desert Storm Call Up. He is still living and was a Dentsville High graduate. However, he may not be in good health. I talked to him on the phone a while back.
  • A1/C John T. Pedings, he retired in 1996 as an E-7, also a Desert Storm Call Up, and also a Dentsville High graduate. His wife and mine were good high school buddies. The Pedings are living in the Fort Motte area. I saw them a time or two at the Fort Jackson Commissary.
  • A1/C Michael R. Quinlan, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Edward G. Rambo, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C William F. Reynolds, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Herbert L. Scott, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Louis A. Shealy, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Thomas I. Sinner, he retired in 1988 as an E-7. He is still living and comes occasionally to our Luncheons.
  • A1/C Wayne L. Smith, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Charles L. Sox, he retired in 1975 as an E-6. He is believed to be still living.
  • A1/C Olin F. Spivey, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Pervis P. Stalnaker, I have an obituary on him. However, I cannot find out if he retired or not? His family lived not too far from us in the Lower-Richland area.
  • A1/C David S. Stradley, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Paul E. Thompson, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C William A. Timms, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Gene A. Tindall, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Eugene Tucker, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Aubrey L. Turner, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Vitalis G. Viavota, he retired in 1992 as an E-8. He was a Desert Storm veteran, and passed away in 2007. His name is on the SCANG monument.
  • A1/C Johnny M. Watson, I have no information on him.
  • A1/C Ottmar R. Wemmer, he was only a one-term member and passed away  January 27, 2017.
  • A2/C Willie R. Aaron, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Thomas A. Albercotti, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Walter M. Ashcraft, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Harry L. Baker, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Rodney L. Bedenbaugh, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Robert W. Beers, Jr., one of our Luncheon guys. Also, heads up the Berlin Crisis monthly meeting at Mathias Sandwich Shop. A good guy.
  • A2/C Robert E. Berry, he was a 1992 retiree as an E-8. He passed away in 2009. His name is on the SCANG monument.
  • A2/C James E. Bishop, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Julius M. Brunson, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Larry C. Burgess, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C James F. Burns, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Gordon C. Campbell, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Paul Q. Carter, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Charles D. Cathcart, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Charles R. Candill, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C John A. Clyde, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Rufus J. Cooper, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Charles M. Corbett, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Vernon R. Coward, Jr., I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Joseph W. Cunningham, I have no information on him.
  • A2/C Colie L. Dooley, Jr., I have no information on him.

Of the 48 examined this month, we had eight known retirees. Now we have a running total of 117 known retirees out of the total of 284 deployed folks during the Berlin Crisis Call-Up, or 41%. The 117 known retirees, consists of three brigadier generals, one colonel, nine lieutenant colonels, two majors, one chief warrant officer 03, 38 chief master sergeants, 23 senior master sergeants, 32 master sergeants, and eight technical sergeants, totaling 117. Again, at this point 41% of these deployed folks formed the backbone of leadership for the South Carolina Air National Guard with more empirical evidence to come.

There are still 108 individuals not examined yet in the 169th CAMS Squadron. Sooner or later I will try and research the ‘no information’ folks to see if any were retirees.

Our next Luncheon is December 3rd, and hopefully we should have the 169th Fighter Wing commander as our featured speaker. Computer wise I may be on shaky ground, reason being, my internet provider has cut my ability in half to get messages out to the Air Guard Retirees. Hopefully this will be temporary, I went through this a couple of years ago. It’s an engineering thing with them. Also, I am required to change to Windows 10 from Windows 7 that I have been operating on since 2011. Again, hopefully I can master this new technology without a hitch. 

So please bear with me for a while, and help spread the word to your fellow retirees. The holidays are approaching, so to everyone have a safe, healthy, and wonderful holiday season.

Looking ahead, as always, we always start off with a short Memorial and Missing Man Service to begin the New Year. We try to honor all the known Retirees who passed away in 2019. I hope to see many of you at the December Luncheon and any other holiday functions!