May Newsletter

		Previous issues
BRIEFINGS
May, 2006	The Yellow Rose B-25 Squadron Newsletter	Vol. 09-05

LEADER'S WORDS

By Ron Dietes, Squadron Leader

We are getting the Rose ready for the Temple Air Show and so far we are on track. Plans are to finish up the few small maintenance tasks remaining and to wash her down on Saturday April 29th. If you can make it, come out to the hangar and help out. The more folks there the quicker we will be finished. A big thank you to Jim Benham for the help setting up the overhauled carburetor on the left engine. I don’t know exactly what he did, or how he did it, but the idle is definitely much better now that he has adjusted it.

We have the radios back from the repair shop and although they are better, the navigation side of the #1 nav/com, is still not working. McKee is going to look at it again, to see if they can repair it before we do the Temple trip. The transponder seems to be OK. We used it on the Open Cockpit trip and we did not receive any complaints from Approach Control.

Grant Lannon, Jim Liles, Greg Young, Ed McCafferty, Jim Stahl and I took the Rose to Midland for Open Cockpit Day. I have to say that normally, the weather is not usually good for this event, but this year it was absolutely great. It was warm and sunny and the winds did not start to blow, until almost the very end of the event. The media was there in force and as usual the Rose got more than her share of the glory. It seemed to me that the crowd was better than in past years and I talked to Tami O’Bannon and Keith Lawrence and they both told me that they thought this may have been the best crowd so far. I don’t know how many people toured the Rose, but we had a cockpit tour line of people the entire day. Even though the B-17 from Arizona was there, I think we got more than our share of the PR and attention.

If you haven’t sent in your squadron dues, please do so as soon as you can. Dave Howard wants to send out the new roster and we need to get our membership list sent to Midland. There is one additional reason to renew. That is the 2007 Doolittle Reunion.

The Yellow Rose Squadron will be the hosting organization for the 2007 Doolittle Raiders Reunion that will be held in San Antonio around April 17-21 or 22nd, 2007. Bob Gardner and Pat Jopling made the presentation at the 2006 reunion that was held in Dayton, Ohio last week. There were about 4 other cities that were also hoping to be selected. I think what the Yellow Rose Squadron and San Antonio had to offer was so much better than the other choices plus the fact our presentation was prepared and done in a professional manner. That is why the committee selected us as the organization and San Antonio as the city to host the event. So, the next time you see Bob or Pat, give them a well done and a big thank you. This is an excellent opportunity for us to get the Yellow Rose Squadron some excellent and well deserved PR and recognition. We have already begun on the absolutely intimidating tasks by having a planning meeting last Saturday at the hangar. Bob, Pat, Grant and I met to get the ball rolling, so to speak. We had a very good meeting and I think there is another article about that meeting elsewhere in this newsletter, but I want to hit a few of the high points of some of the things we discussed and to also list the major committee names. They are:

                Air Operations

                Activities

                Hospitality

                Public Relations/Media

                Security

                Military Liaison

                Transportation

Escorts

Charities Liaison

Facilities

There will obviously be sub-committee’s under these major areas because of the large amount of things that will need to be done, but we thought we would just start with the major ones and fill in the others over the next few meetings as we progress with the workload. So, please think about how you can help and if possible, attend the meetings. Most of our discussion was centered with hotel accommodations and selection, transportation for the Raiders and their families and how many and where to park the B-25’s that decide to attend. We will try to keep everyone up-to-date thru the newsletter, email, telephone where necessary and of course during the meetings.

Although the Yellow Rose is the primary organization supporting Doolittle, we would heartily welcome any help that would be offered. Certainly, we could use any Centex or CAF members that want to help, and of course any military assistance would also be great. We want to make this reunion the best reunion the Raiders have ever had and we know with the support of our members and the community, we can’t miss. I personally will do everything in my power to help make this an event that will be fondly remembered for a long time.

MINUTES of the April 11th, 2006 MEETING of the YELLOW ROSE SQUADRON

Compiled by Dave Howard, Squadron Adjutant
The regular squadron meeting was held at San Marcos in the Centex Hangar Ready Room.   Squadron Leader, Ron Dietes, called the meeting to order at 1810. Other officers present were Finance, Maintenance, Adjutant, PX, and Publicity. Nineteen members were present. Minutes from the previous meeting were accepted as published in the last Briefings.

REPORTS

Adjutant: We presently have 83 members on the roster, of whom 14 still have not renewed. The roster will be purged this month.

Operations: Ron updated the schedule for the upcoming air show season. Hondo is uncertain. It would cost us about $400 in fuel. If the crew wants to donate $50 each we could go. Possibly we would stay at a member’s place in San Antonio. Wichita, KS is August 24-25. We discussed the possibility of a flyover at Wolf City, 18 miles north of Greenville, in connection with the Dyess trip.

Finance: Tha balances in the various accounts were announced. Upcoming expenses are estimated at $5000, including $4500 for parts and repairs and $500 to re-stock the PX.   Judy also reported that at Burnet we took in $542 in the PX and $100 from cockpit tours. The CD’s are selling well, bringing in $280 so far. We are setting up a separate internet account to handle them.

Maintenance:       The oil cooler tubing for the right engine was found to be deformed, causing a leak at the clamp. A replacement has been purchased. Also on the right engine, cylinder #9 needs replacement. We are trying a new type of soap for cleaning the oil off. It costs $10/gallon, and should eliminate the need for Varasol. The front hatch needs some repair. The radio panels have been overhauled to repair the dead display segments.

PX:         The new T-shirts are being made by the same San Marcos shop that made the ones with the B25 structural drawing on the back. Some will be white and some will be ash grey. We have 4” squadron patches back in stock. We won’t try to take the PX to Open Cockpit day at Midland, but we will probably take some of the Flight Simulator Add-on CD’s.

Publicity:              Bill Cavoli dropped by to sign the Rose and meet the squadron. Randolf-Brooks FCU declined to provide a sponsorship for this year. Warbirds Beer, run by an ex-CAF guy, is testing the markets in San Angelo and Abilene. They hope to sell a truckload in 6 months, before opening distribution statewide. Bob is looking at a sponsorship/promotion arrangement. He suggested that it wouldn’t hurt our cause if everyone bought a case to help reach the 6-month milestone. (wonder what it tastes like??)

     The Doolittle Raiders ’65th reunion is next year, and Bob has prepared a plan to bring it to San Antonio/San Marcos. He plans to include a fund-raiser effort to benefit Any Baby Can. His presentation to the Doolittle planning committee is next Tuesday. Our squadron would be the HOST. Stay tuned!

Adopt-an-Airport: Mike reported that Greg and Joe recently cleaned up the airport entrance area.

SICK CALL

Ron reported that Jack Hart, who lives in Wimberly, continues to decline. He explained to those who don’t know Jack that he is one of the founding members of the squadron. He said Jack has held every office, holds three sponsorships, paid to have the Yellow Rose painted as she is today, and originated the little rose sticker still presented to our lady visitors. We send Jack our prayers and best wishes.

The meeting adjourned at 1900.

    PLANNING BEGINS FOR THE 2007 DOOLITTLE RAIDERS REUNION

By Ron Dietes, Grant Lannon, Bob Gardner and Pat Jopling

     As you already know from the first page of the Briefings, the Yellow Rose Squadron will be hosting the 65th Doolittle Raiders Reunion on April 18-21 in San Antonio. The main purpose of this article is to stress the importance of this event to our Squadron. We will need everyone’s support in order to make it a success and do honor to the heroes we will be hosting at their 2007 Reunion!

     How did our small group manage to be selected over some pretty tough competitors, including the City of Dallas/University of Texas; Maxwell AFB and the City of Honolulu, Hawaii? Basically, we wanted it very badly. But it wouldn’t have happened without a lot of hard work by several people – including Bob Gardner, Grant Lannon and Pat Jopling.

     It started several months ago, when Bob Gardner contacted Tom Casey, the Doolittle Tokyo Raider manager, to find out what would be required for the Yellow Rose Squadron to compete for the 2007 Reunion. Tom explained that each proposal by a host organization would need to include information about accommodations; transportation; sites for special events including the business meeting, book signings and the Goblet Ceremony; and a local charity that would be selected to ‘partner’ with the Reunion to raise funds for their special cause.

     San Antonio stood out as an ideal destination city because of its rich military history, outstanding cultural and tourism highlights, hotels, the Riverwalk, restaurants, and the potential for strong local support by local leaders, tourism and convention businesses and retired military.

     Just one element remained to be identified – the local charity. Judy Gardner remembered that she and Bob had attended an annual fund-raising event for Any Baby Can. They were very impressed with the staff, the volunteers and the strong local support. Since 1982, this wonderful organization has provided free help and hope in San Antonio and 11 surrounding counties to over 1,200 families with children who are facing serious chronic illness or disabilities. After several phone calls and contacts, Any Baby Can excitedly agreed to be our designated charity and wrote a strong letter of support that was included in the final proposal.

     Pat Jopling began a first draft of a PowerPoint presentation, which was expanded and finalized by the Gardner’s to address each of the Raider Reunion committee’s required elements. The final product incorporates an exciting ‘vision’ of the 65th Doolittle Reunion in San Antonio – incorporating all the wonderful tourism highlights the city has to offer blended with historic photos and drawings of the Doolittle Raid.

     On Monday April 17, Bob and Pat flew to Dayton, Ohio with high hopes and 15 copies of the presentation in bound notebooks. They made their presentation on Tuesday and found out several hours later that the Yellow Rose Squadron’s proposal was the committee’s first choice! Tom Casey and his wife Catherine were wonderful hosts, and the Raider survivors and their families are very excited about coming to San Antonio next year. In fact, one of these dedicated supporters has already contributed $1,000 toward next year’s Reunion.

     Several of us have attended these famous Reunions over the years and it is a real honor to meet these heroes and be in their presence. We all have a close kinship to our very own Raider, LtC Dick Cole (ret), and also to another dear friend and Raider, Col Hank Potter (ret).

     Now, it is our turn to step up to the plate and thank them for all they have given to us and to our country. We have one year to make their 65th Reunion – which they tell us may be their last public reunion – the best ever! We have already begun ‘brainstorming’ for the committees that will be needed to handle each Reunion event. Ron Dietes will be the designated contact to the Doolittle Raider Reunion manager Tom Casey, and will be heading up the overall planning. But it will take each of us, contributing our ideas, talents and enthusiasm, to handle the many details involved with this event. While you are welcome to make a financial donation, what is really needed is your commitment and willingness to work. The majority of the costs will be raised by outside contributions from companies and private individuals.

     Each issue of Briefings will provide updates on the Reunion, lists of Committees and volunteers, details on each of the Reunion events as they are planned, and opportunities for you to help.

DOOLITTLE GOBLETS FIND NEW HOME

By Steven Donald Smith American Forces Press Service

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - Eighty silver goblets commemorating each man who flew in the "Doolittle Raid" over Japan were added to the collection of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force here Wednesday.

"We are honored in the trust you place in us. We will honor and respect that trust." retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Charles D. Metcalf, director of the museum, told the eight raiders attending a reunion here this week on the 64th anniversary of the famous raid.

     The "Doolittle Tokyo Raiders" were volunteer airmen from the U.S. Army Air Forces, the predecessor of the U.S Air Force, who on April 18, 1942, flew 16 B-25 Mitchell airplanes in an attack against Japan during World War II. Army Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle led the raid.

     The goblets, which were presented to the raiders by the city of Tucson, Ariz., in 1959, have taken a highly symbolic place in the history of military aviation, U.S. Air Force officials said. The goblets were previously housed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colo. In 1973, retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole, Doolittle's co-pilot during the raid on Japan, built a portable display case to transport the goblets to the raiders' annual reunions.

     At every reunion the surviving Doolittle Raiders meet privately to conduct a "Goblet Ceremony." After toasting the raiders who have died since the last reunion, they turn the deceased men's goblet upside down. Each goblet has the raider's name engraved twice - so that it can be read if the goblet is right side up or upside down.

In addition, the president of Hennessy Company gave Jimmy Doolittle a bottle of 'Hennessy Very Special' cognac, vintage 1896, the year of Doolittle's birth. When there are only two raiders left, these two men will open the bottle and have a final toast to their departed comrades, Air Force officials said.

     "I've been wondering who the other guy is going to be to enjoy the bottle of cognac," Cole, who officially presented the goblets to the museum, quipped during the ceremony.

     The goblets will be displayed alongside a B-25 bomber at the museum, which receives more than 1 million visitors per year, museum officials said.

     "Airmen have a proud heritage that we can call upon as we move forward to an unlimited horizon that is ahead of us. The Raiders are not only a part of our Air Force heritage, but they are our heroes," Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, assistant vice chief of staff and director of the Air Force Staff, said during the ceremony.

     Lichte credited the Doolittle Raiders with helping turn the tide in the Pacific theater during the war. "The eventual triumph of the Allies was certainly not a given, but the raiders set us on the path to victory and on a path that we will follow for many years to come," he said.

     The general said the Doolittle Raiders define what it means to be an airman, and their legacy serves as an inspiration.

     "Our young airmen are inspired by the innovation of their forefathers and, of course, all these raiders," Lichte said. "We pledge to take the heritage we inherited from you and continue to protect our nation, so that you can be proud of America's next best generation."

    ROSE TRAVELS AND EVENTS

BURNET, April 7

     Sittting in the hangar of the CENTEX wing on April 1st a voice states, “Hey, the Rose has some open seats on it for the Burnet Airsho if you are interested.” Unbeknownst to me at the time, those words, just one week later, would have a great impact on me. After a round of frantic e-mails I managed to secure a seat on the Yellow Rose, beginning what would be, for me, a never to be forgotten adventure!

      An aviation aficionado since childhood (and at 26 years old childhood wasn’t that long ago) this is precisely the reason I joined the CAF: working with and being around the pilots and planes that helped shape our world to be what it is today! Growing up I remember my dad arranging cockpit tours for me at the Wings Over Houston Airshow and thinking to myself, “this is the neatest thing in the world.”

     April 7th finally rolls around and, to me, it feels like the earth slowed down as the clock crept up on departure time. In the briefing before the flight our pilot, Ron Dietes, explained we would be a part of a 4 ship formation flight over a parade, and then we were en-route to Burnet. I strapped myself into the left rear seat along with 3 other passengers, visitors to the CAF. The airplane started shuddering and shaking as the huge double stacked 1700 h.p. Wrights came to life.

     The trip en route to Burnet was breathtaking and, of course, during the whole trip I had been discussing facts about the B-25 and explaining the various phases of flight to the other passengers. I have been flying for a number of years and nothing has ever come close to what I have been able to see and do with the Rose (with the exception of some other formation flying I was able to ride back seat in a T-6 not to long ago).

     Disembarking upon arrival in Burnet, I was taken aback by the sheer volume of people coming out of the woodworks to look at the plane and help us wipe her down. Some individuals I recognized from the wing, others were total strangers who wanted only to be up close and personal with the Rose. As we made our way to the hangar for dinner I was chatted with my fellow passengers. All of them explained to me that, while they enjoyed the flight tremendously, they were impressed with my knowledge of the B-25, and that my narration of events and being able to answer their questions made the flight that much more enjoyable! Hearing this for the first time was incredible and added to my delight! We grabbed dinner at the airport and went to the hotel after securing the Rose for the evening. Of course we participated in the ritual of visiting the bar and exchanging stories which is always fun!

     The day of the airshow I was able to sit in the airplane and help our great flight mechanic give tours of the airplane. Interacting with the public and answering questions they had about the airplane was riveting, and fueled my own zeal for the historic bird. After the day was done, the Rose was loaded up and back to San Marcos we flew. During this flight I was able to ride in the nose of the aircraft. I can say with certainty that I have NEVER experienced anything even similar.

     After the Rose was cleaned and put up I sat back and recounted the events that took place. I had accumulated over 50 pictures of my adventures, strengthened ties with some great folks in the CAF, and solidified my commitment to helping preserve these great aircraft. I will close by saying “thank you” to all of you who helped make this experience one of the best things I have ever been able to be a part of and by recounting one final story:

     I was sitting up behind the cockpit helping with the tours and a young boy and his father crawled up into the cockpit, talked to me for a bit, and then off to the nose they went. When they were coming out of the nose the little boy looked up at me and said, “This is the coolest thing in the world.” I lookat the boy and his father squarely in the eyes and told them, “I know exactly what you mean”.

OPEN COCKPIT DAY

by Jim Stahl

     I made my second flight on the Rose last week end. My first flight was to the Burnet Air Show. That was my first flight since Oct. of 1945. It brought back many memories. The second flight was to the Open Cockpit show in Midland. Ron Deitz, Grant Lannon, Jim Lyles, Ed McCafferty, Greg Young and I made this trip. This was an experience for me since I am a new member of the squadron. To go with all of these older members was awsome!! They seemed to know all of the ropes and I was just learning.

     We went out on Friday afternoon. Had a very good flight, the weather was good. We arrived in Midland and taxied up to the hangar. We were met there with a member of the Midland squadron (with a cold beer) which was a nice welcome. We wiped down the Rose and and towed it into the hangar.

     After getting the Rose put away we drove to Odessa and checked into our motel. We all cleaned up, put on fresh foofoo juice, put on our dress uniforms and went to dinner. Enjoyed a good dinner and drinks. As you probably know we are all responsible for our our rooms drinks and food. I was surprised that several people noticed our uniforms and asked about The Commemerative Air Force. We then went over to the American Legion Hall for a little R&R. Met a lot of nice, friendly folks there. We then retired for the night to get ready for the Open Cockpit Show.

     After breakfast (with no bloody mary,s) we went back to the hanger. There was a good crowd there to view the aircraft on display. The Rose drew a lot of people. Had a line most of the day for the cockpit tour. Answered a lot of questions about the Rose. Ron was interview by one of the local TV Stations. I did not hear the interview but it was quite lengthy. I personally enjoyed talking to the people about the B25's and my experiences flying on the B-25 during WW2. Since I flew as a bombardier, flying on missions out of Italy, it was even more interesting for me. There are not many veterans of WW2 around now, so I got a lot of attention. Made me feel more inportant than I really am.

     The show ended at 1500 hrs. We got out of the hangar and took on about 200 gallons of fuel. This was furnished by the wing. It didn't cover all of our fuel but did help offset some of our costs.

     We departed about 1600 hours. Had a nice tail wind for the return flight so we weren't in the air but about 1 hour and twenty five minutes. We landed and taxied to the hanger. After wiping down the Rose again we put it back into the hanger . We retired into the break room. Had a nice BS session and then returned home. I really enjoyed this trip and am looking forward to my next trip.

Jim Stahl and Grant Lannon in the back, Rodin's model, at it again, in front

One of the few short lines for the cockpit tour

Jim Stahl, hawking goodies at the PX table, Ron Dietes in the bomb-bay
Photos by Jim Liles

     -----Original Message-----

     From: Keith Lawrence [mailto:diradmin@cafhq.org]

     Sent: Monday, April 17, 2006 7:16 AM

     To: Gary Austin; Airsho Info; Alyson Trevino; Bobby Lea; Donna Blalack; Emily Broome; Dot Erwin; Gena Linebarger; Grant Lannon; Floyd Houdashell; Jeff Wood;

              Kay Crites; Krystal Crook; Mark Baxter; Pat Moore; Randy Wilson; Ron Dietes; Rusty Mc Inturff; Tami O Bannion; Floyd Houdyshell; Eric Van Hoff; Bob Rice

     Cc: Bob Rice; Clay Francell; Pam Linscott

     Subject: Open Cockpit Day

To ALL:

Thanks to everyone that helped make Open Cockpit Day 2006 a great success. It takes a team effort and I sincerely appreciate all the efforts that you put into this event.
Thanks to the Arizona Wing and the Yellow Rose Squadron for bringing their aircraft in for the event and staying for the photos. We appreciate your support.
Thanks to Gary Austin and the members of the B-29/B-24 Squadron for your support of the event. Gary I know we make you nervous but we appreciate your patience.
Thanks to the High Sky Wing and Desert Squadron members for your support with the drinks, food and volunteers to run the event.
Thanks to Mark and Eric for the efforts to have the Hangar looking good. It looked great with all the Bombers standing tall for the public.
Thanks to Bobby Lea of Rainbow Water for the water and ice.
Thanks to Donna and her assistant Carla for making folks feel welcome.
Thanks to Kay for the ads that helped to make it a successful event, PR duties and getting the photo releases of the children.
Thanks to the Museum Staff for your efforts, Tami, Annelorre, Jeff. Stacey, Dot, Emily, Krystal. We always appreciate your help.
To all the CAF members who volunteered their time, THANKS. Miles and others who stood out in the sun for us, for General Staff member Gordon Stevenson, Taylor and friend John for coming out to help and supplying the donuts.
And last but not least Pat and Darrell for the great job in the Gift Shop. And to Kelley for "keeping me straight".
Your help and support is APPRECIATED!! THANKS, KEITH

Keith Lawrence
Vice President of Administration
Commemorative Air Force

Event	Date	Confirmed	Duration
Brownsville Fiesta	Mar 11-12	Confirmed	2 days
Burnet	8 April	Confirmed	One day
USAA Spring Flyover	6 May	Confirmed	Single Event (Sat)
Temple	May 5-7	Confirmed	two days
Hondo EAA Fly-in	May 12-14		three days
Dyess AFB	21 May	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Ada, OK Fly-in	18 Jun	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Alice TX fly-in	2 Sep	Confirmed	One day (Sun)
Midland Fina	Oct 7-8		two days
Wings Over Houston	Oct 21-22		two days
New Braunfels	Oct 20-21		two days