November Newsletter

October news		December news
BRIEFINGS
Nov, 2003	The Yellow Rose B-25 Squadron Newsletter	Vol. 06-11

Yellow Rose Impresses ROTC Cadets

The Yellow Rose crew and four UofH AFROTC cadets at the Wings Over Houston Air Show

Photo and article by Lt. Pat Jopling

    On behalf of Detachment 3- AFROTC (University of Houston), I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Yellow Rose crew for taking the time to spend with a few of the cadets from Det 3, while attending Wings Over Houston. The cadets, who are the first cadets to "stand up" the Houston detachment, were only expecting to volunteer for duties relating to recruiting and setup at the show. Little did they know what I had in store for them. On Friday, after spending 9 hours setting up signs, flags, chairs, and tents, I then led them over to the Warbird area to await the arrival of the Yellow Rose. I then informed them that they would be "catching" the Rose and helping to prepare her for her show on Saturday. You could see the excitement in their eyes, but nothing compared to the expression on their faces as the Rose taxied right in front of them. The rumble of the 60 yr old bird, with her engines roaring, put excitement in them that you couldn't possibly imagine.
    After Ron and the crew parked her, they all came out to greet the cadets. Madjack then came out to introduce himself and quickly gave the cadets their assignment. After wiping her down, the cadets were treated with individual cockpit tours. They were also informed of the history of the B-25 and the signatures inscripted on her side.
    Saturday brought out a new set of cadets, who were surprised with the same duties. Col Dave Mintz, Detachment 3's commander, also was treated with a tour of the Rose. He was surprised to find out how small the crawl space was to the nose gunner position, but with his 6' 3" frame, he soon figured out the "trick" to getting in there.
    Overall, the cadets thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with the Rose and her crew. I think they will come to realize that they got more out of this than just learning a little about the interior of the aircraft and how to prep her for an airshow. As these cadets progress through AFROTC and get their commission as Air Force officers, I know they will realize that they had the rare opportunity to interact with a living piece of their Air Force history.
    Special thanks goes to Col Tim Black, and Col Ron Dietes for providing cockpit tours to the cadets. But a very special thanks to Madjack for assisting me with setting this up and making this all possible. I'm sure that cadets Kahil, Lewis, Pucci, Hollingsworth, Coryell, Cutino, and Martinez will never forget this and will be bragging about this event for years to come.

    My last note to this, was from Saturday, when Col Mintz and the cadets were watching the Rose taxi out to do her show. As the Rose passed by them, I heard them state, "There she goes!". This is when I realized there had been a special bond formed between them.

    1st Lt. Patricia Jopling was commissioned through the AFROTC at Southwest Texas State University in 1999 (where she was involved with the CAF). She is currently Regional Director of Admissions for AFROTC, stationed at Randolph AFB.

Maintenance Matters

By Ron Dietes, Squadron Maintenance Officer

Well, Airsho 2003 is now in the history books and we are getting ready for the Oklahoma City Air Show. We have been performing minor maintenance in between shows and the Rose continues to perform well. We installed and overhauled the fuel pump on the left engine and we have also received the overhauled left main gear actuator that will be installed as soon as we have the time. We also have two magnetos at Aero Accessories that will be used as spares once they are done. Mike Renck gets a big thank you as he painted the left and right ailerons. They look really good. Just in time for the photo shoot we did prior to Airsho. Dave Howard also made a slight microphone adjustment for the flight crew and now you can hear yourself when you talk on the radios. Thanks, Dave. This is the busiest part of our Air Show season. We have only one week-end without an air show from now until the middle of November, so let's all pull together and strive to keep her flying. Several folks came up to me at Airsho and commented on how good the Rose looks and that she has not missed a show in the past several years due to mechanical breakdowns. When I hear comments like that, it makes me proud to be a member of the Yellow Rose Squadron.

Yellow Rose B-25 Squadron Election

Tuesday, November 11, 2003 at the Regular Squadron Meeting

The annual election of officers to serve for the 2004-2005 years will be held during the regular squadron meeting on November 11, 2003 at the hangar. Nominated for office are:

Tim Black - Executive Officer

Judy McMillan - Finance Officer

Jerry Taylor - Safety Officer

MINUTES of the October 14, 2003 Meeting of the Yellow Rose Squadron

By Dave Howard, Squadron Adjutant

The regular squadron meeting was held at San Marcos in the Centex Hangar Ready Room. Jack Reeves called the meeting to order at 1800. Other officers present were Operations Officer, Adjutant, Maintenance, Finance, Safety, and Publicity. Grant was dealing with Safety Officer issues in the Centex Wing board meeting. Twenty-one members and friends attended. Jane West attended as a visitor. Minutes from the September meeting were approved as printed in the newsletter.

REPORTS

Adjutant: The membership count stands at about 60.

Operations: The Houston show seats are all filled. New Orleans is off for the Rose, although the show publicity people are still asking for our arrival schedule! The Hondo fly-in is on for October 25^th. Randolph is Nov 1^st and 2^nd, (the PX is allowed this year), and the Dedalian Dinner is on the 7^th.

Finance: September's beginning balance was $25,218. Net deposits and disbursements was $580, leaving a September ending balance of $25,798. October activity to date brought in $9,122. Payables are $243. Expected near-term expenses include $6000 for cylinders, a $10,000 transferal to the engine replacement fund Money Market account, and $613 for PX replenishment. Projected October ending balance including payables and expected expenses is $18,064. Balance in the Aircraft Account is $35,876. Judy also reported that our teams are doing well at the shows. Wichita got us a $2500 fee, $415 in PX sales, and $152 in cockpit tours. Midland brought $1241 to the PX and $227 in tours. We got $1000 in donations for the stop at Ada, OK; and at Oklahoma City we got a $2000 fee, $1090 PX revenue, and $199 in cockpit tours.

Maintenance: During the Oklahoma City trip a cylinder went bad. It has been replaced for the Houston trip. Miscellaneous items are piling up for attention during the B-inspection.

Safety: Phil cautioned that we must be especially careful when using solvent to wash the nacelles. The slippery floor that results can cause the ladder to slip. Always use a safety person to anchor the ladder.

PX: Stock is getting sold down. Everything in stock will be loaded for Houston.

Newsletter: Jerry needs articles. The target deadline is the 25^th of the month.

OLD BUSINESS

Bob Gardner provided a status report on the effort to get a link to our webpage added to the CAF webpage. The snag continues to be the issue of releases for photos posted on our webpage. Bob is working with HQ on an agreement.

ANNOUNCEMENTS / NEW BUSINESS

Chuck Clayton reported the committee nominations for next year's open positions are XO - Tim Black, Safety - Jerry Taylor, and Finance - Judy McMillan.

The cockpit tour information sheet was discussed again. Ed McCafferty will research it.

The Rose information sign is in need of a facelift.William Foster volunteered to do it.

Judy McMillan suggested we consider new button-type shirts for members, similar to those the West Houston group was wearing at Midland. She volunteered to collect the necessary information.

Bob Gardner suggested a new PX item in the form of a B25 checklist card. He also volunteered to work out the cost details.

Meeting was adjourned at 1843.

LEADER'S WORDS

By Grant Lannon, Squadron Leader

We keep making our appearances as scheduled and it is due to the fact that we have people who are willing to put in the time to keep the squadron humming. Midland, Oklahoma City, and Houston all went well and we continue to increase the overall gross income for this airshow season. For the first time in history, that anyone is aware of, we will have a very minimum inventory in the PX at the end of the season. This helps with our balance sheet and allows us to evaluate what sold well and what didn't during the off-season. A big thanks to Tom and Brenda Koepke for this accomplishment. After Oklahoma City, a cylinder needed to be changed and the regulars were there to help. Special thanks to Jim Liles for giving us a head start on the work, enabling us to make Houston without a hitch. The Flight Mechanic checkout is going well and we have new blood in the "essential crew" category. I think the major reason all this is happening is because we are communicating well with each other. If there is a problem, to a great extent, we talk it out with those directly involved. We won't know until the end of the year, but there is a good possibility that we will get a Distinguished Unit Citation. We will be passing out the other awards at the Christmas party. By the way, some want to go back to a non-hanger dinner. If you have a preference, tell one of the staff members. We had a terrible weather day last year for the Christmas flying party but I think many liked it - but I am supposed to be unbiased. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU!

ROSE TRAVELS

Midland,September 23-28

A CADET'S TALE!

By Cadet Cory T. Leist

We got into Midland at 2:20 a.m., tired but excited. We'd finally gotten there. At our hotel while we were leaving we met a great couple from England, Carol and Rae Campbell, who used to belong with the famous B-17 Sally B in England. They gave us all sorts of buttons, pins, etc. from Sally B. I found out Sunday Rae joined the Yellow Rose Squadron. Way to go, Rae!! We are planning to visit them when we go to England to visit relatives in the near future.

Saturday I went out to work the tours and flight line with the Rose and I believe I may have scared Ron Dietze. I had just gotten a break so decided to sit under Rose's wing and watch some of the air show. Ron didn't know I was in Midland since I didn't fly up with the Rose. He came around the corner, stopped dead in his tracks, and the look on his face was total confusion and surprise. He said, "how did you get here?" I told him we drove up but I think he thought I stowed away in the bomb bay!! Wonder what he'd said if I told him that? I also had the good fortune of getting a private tour of Devil Dog (B-25). William Foster and I went over to talk to one of the crew members and he said I could go on up and check out the plane. Also got to meet Charles Bond and his brothers and talk to them. I really felt proud being a part of Yellow Rose's crew. I didn't see any other cadets there working the flight line. While I was working the tours I met some young guys from Germany who were touring the Rose. It gave me an opportunity to practice my German since I am taking German in High School. The air show was great and when I had free time I toured some of the other bombers like Sentimental Journey, FiFi, etc. Midland may be a long drive up but it was well worth it. One final note, Thanks Jim for the patch.

SHORT REPORT ON MIDLAND

By Grant Lannon

Judy and I were hoping to get the T-6 to Midland but we have this roving ignition/carburetion (?) problem so we ended up making that beautiful 5 hour drive to the crossroads of Texas. We had many members at Airsho and they did a good job of flying the demonstrations and manning the aircraft/PXs. Midland is a real marketing challenge because there are so many units selling stuff. Some members flew their trusty metal steeds in the air while many, many others provided the supporting roles in sales and tours. The weather was very good and it wasn't even very windy. We could only reminisce about huddling in a corner of the PX trailer with every piece of clothing in our suitcases on, as happened in previous years. We can thank the Snowbirds for the show being moved up into reasonable weather and they were spectacular. Imagine an aerobatics team flying jets that stay in sight during the whole routine and don't cause little kids to cry while covering their ears. The Lions Pancake breakfast filled us with calories at the beginning of the day so we could work it off the rest of the day. The BBQ party on Saturday night in the Officer's Club had live entertainment and good food. I got two different Flying Tiger books personally autographed by Tex Hill and Charlie Bond. We had a great time dancing in the American Legion on Friday night and created our own party in the Days Inn bar on Saturday night after the BBQ dinner.

Here is the Midland quote of the weekend that happened in the Days Inn bar:

"What do you have in Red Wine?"

"White Zinfandel."

"What do you have in White Wine?"

"White Zinfandel."

Ron smiles in Oklahoma

Photo by William Foster

OKLAHOMA CITY
October 3, 4, &5

By Ron Dietes

The trip to the Oklahoma City Air Show was definitely going to be a fun trip. You could just feel it. So, with the Rose waiting patiently for the crew to load up and roar off into the Blue, the take-off time finally arrived. So Tim Black, Jack Reeves, Tommy Kopeke, Ken Udcoff, Letty Dietes, William Foster, and I climbed on board and roared off into the blue for OKC by way of Ada, Oklahoma.

We were approached by Frank Stout to stop on our way to OKC for a brief stop over to show the Rose to 5th and 6^th graders. Well, that turned out to be about 450 kids. Letty and Tommy also took out some of our PX and proceeded to sell that, while we toured the kids through the Rose. We received a $1,000 donation thru the efforts of Frank Stout. Thank you, Frank. Then it was on to OKC.

We had the usual merry-go-round trying to land but once on the ground the OKC folks were extremely cordial. After getting the Rose bedded down for the night and we had our arrival packet, we were driven to pick up the van, which turned out to be a Surburban. That was great because it meant we would not have to make two trips to the hotel. The hotel (The Biltmore) turned out be be really huge and we found our rooms and a lively watering hole where we had a few liquid refreshments before heading out to dinner and then back to the airport to watch the night airshow. In doing that, we were able to meet Jimmy Franklin and got a close up tour of his Waco with the T-38 jet engine on the bottom. That is an incredible aircraft. Anyway, after having some breakfast we headed to the airport for the normal airshow routine. Attend pilot briefing and get the PX out and prep the Rose for cockpit tours. We all worked very hard right up to the point where it rained. Not only did it rain but it absolutely poured. So we shutdown the PX and closed up the Rose for the night, hoping the weather would allow us to fly on Sunday. So it was back to the hotel for more liquid refreshment and then dinner. A few of us went back to the club in the hotel for another round and to listen to the music. If I remember correctly, William was the last to leave the club. Way to go William.
Sunday turned out to be a good day and we not only got to fly the show but we did OK in the PX, but not terrific. The cockpit tours were also slow.

As usual, the Rose was one of the last to leave the show for home and I would be remiss if I did not mention our exalted squadron member Capt. Al Maxwell. Although he was not flying on the Rose (he brought the LSFM B-17), he did signify his love of the Yellow Rose by wearing his green Rose shirt. Way to go Al! That made our day.
All in all it was a productive trip. We put the Rose in front of a whole bunch of kids and did an Airshow plus had fun doing it. Thanks to the OKC crew. You guys and gal did great. Also thanks to Tim Black and Ken Udcoff who shared the flying duties.

Madjack and part of the 5th and 6th graders at the Ada, Oklahoma stop

Photo by William Foster

Rose taxis back from performing at Wings Over Houston

Photo Courtesy Lt. Pat Jopling

Wings Over Houston

October 18 & 19

By Pat and Charlene Moore

Once upon a time, eight brave people climbed into a sixty-something year old B-25 bomber and flew it to the Houston airshow . There were two first time Yellow- Rosers on board, Minnie Reeves and Charlene Moore. The flight down to Houston was wonderful and the weather great. The view of the power plant off Ellington Field was so spectacular, that the Rose circled it for twenty minutes before landing. After putting the Rose to bed, our two first timers and the rest of the crew, Ron and Letty Dietes, Tim Black, Jack Reeves, Howard Martin and Pat Moore spent the evening at the participant's party at the Holiday Inn. There, we were regaled with stories of Tim 'The Culligan Man" Black's adventures with his water softener and discovered how famous Howard Martin was among the Subway Sandwich chain across the state - look for his photo in a Subway near you!

The airshows on Saturday and Sunday were great and featured everything from the Helldiver, Wildcats, B-17's and B-25's to C-17's and C-5's. A crash Saturday evening of one of the Wildcats which killed the pilot, Bill Johnson, put a damper on Saturday evening's activities. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family.

The Yellow Rose crew got very efficient at packing up the PX and moving it every time the flight line closed so got a good workout as a result. The PX did very well at Houston earning over $2000.00 in sales and $400.00 in cockpit tours. The Rose was nearly cleaned out of inventory and if Judy McMillian , Roger Newcomb, Tom and Brenda Koepke hadn't driven to the airshow, there would not have been enough people to man the PX and the cockpit tours. And if Jack Reeves son hadn't generously provided himself and his van for transportation, we would have had a long way to walk.

Flying back to San Marcos on the afternoon of the 19th was as pretty as the trip down. All in all, a great time was had by all. We also learned a lesson; if Tim Black tells about sound being delayed when the sound barrier is broken, don't believe him!

HONDO

"In Honor of the Rose"

October 25

By Letty Dietes

  Flightline Café owner, Evelyn Lindeman, has always held a special place in her heart for the Yellow Rose - for Hondo, Texas was the Yellow Rose's home years ago. Photos of the Rose adorn the walls of her restaurant and Evelyn even has a photo of the Rose on the front of the Flightline Café's menu.

  Ron and I have stayed in touch with Evelyn - flying the T-6 down to Hondo for lunch once or twice a month and Evelyn has been trying to get the Rose down to Hondo for a day of "honor".

  Well, the Rose made the trip on Saturday, October 25, 2003. The weather that day was not very inviting. Jack and Mini Reeves, and Chuck and Julie Clayton had driven to Hondo and kept us apprised of the weather via cell phone. The weather cleared early in San Marcos but was a continuing problem in Hondo.

  The Rose arrived at 11:30a.m. , did a low pass with Grant and Roger Newcomb in the T-6 on her right wing. Members in the Rose were Ron Dietes (PIC), Howard Martin (SIC), Mike Francis (FM) and Letty Dietes ( Letty rode up front with the big boys).

  Other Squadron members who attended and chose wheels over wings were Don Hayden, Jack Skipper, and Julie Pulcipher. There was a dual purpose in the trip and that was to honor Jack Skipper. Jack was the original wing leader and was the project leader for the Yellow Rose back in the 70's. Jack had not seen the Rose in years and was full of praise for the Squadron members and the beauty of the Rose herself. His comment was "She has never looked better." He had obvious pride in her. Heck, he knew her the day she was born.

  Though the crowd at the airport was small, the heartfelt welcome was huge. Ed Fisher, Hondo's mayor, was among those welcoming us. Photos were taken continually. We let everyone tour the plane, collected some donations, sold a couple of caps and enjoyed a great lunch.

  She has 5 days to take a deep breath and get ready for Randolph. Till then…..

DEDICATION

TO DUTY

Copied from the Internet

The following item appeared on the wire services a few weeks ago. You may have seen it, but I think it bears repeating.

Because of the dangers from Hurricane Isabelle approaching Washington, D.C., the United States Senate and House of Representatives took two days off, as they could not work.

The Military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tombs of the Unknowns were given permission to suspend their assignment.

They refused. "No way, Sir!!"

Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, these men said that guarding the Tombs was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded a service person.

The Tombs have been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

We can be very proud of our young men and women in the service, no matter where they serve.

May God Bless them!

A GREAT TRIBUTE

Copied from the Internet

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,

who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,

who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,

who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,

who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,

who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,

who has given us the right to vote.

2003 Yellow Rose B-25
Squadron Staff Officers

Squadron Leader - Grant Lannon

Glannon@texas.net

Executive Officer - Jack Reeves

Madjac2@aol.com

Finance Officer - Judy McMillan

heyjude@texas.net

Adjutant - Dave Howard

Dave.howard@baesystems.com

Operations Officer - Howard Martin

bigbad@tstar.net

Maintenance Officer - Ron Dietes

Dietes.ron@heb.com

Safety Officer - Phil Lockett

dlockett@itouch.net

PX Officer - Thomas Koepke

koepke@ctesc.net