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1 Marine Corps Air Transport Association

Quarterly Newsletter Transporter Fall 2015 www.mcata.com

ATTENTION! NEW

MEMBERSHIP DUES STRUCTURE

As of 1 January, 2016 all regular membership dues,

regardless of age will be $35 per year.

Active duty, drilling

reserves and widowed spouses memberships are

FREE, but you must enroll.

See Pg 16 for more membership details.

IN THIS EDITION 2016 Officers and Board Members- Pg 2

From the President-Pg 3

Funnies-Pg 4

Reunion Report- Pg 5

VMGR– 234/452 Support Record Setting Flight-Pg 6

Meet VMGR-252’s New CO- Pg 7

New MCATA Board Members- Pg 8

Reunion Pictures -Pg 11-12

New Website Information- Pg 13

Letters from Members– Pg 14

MCATA 2015 Scholarship Winners-Pg 15

Member Donations– Pg 16

Establishment of Local Chapters– Pg 17

VMGR-252 Supports SPMGTF in Spain– Pg 18

Transport History– Tommie Mabe’s Story– Pg 19

Membership application– Pg 20

REUNION GROUP PHOTO

Courtesy of Alan Stinar


MARINE AIR TRANSPORTER

EDITOR Rich Driscoll

The Marine Air Transporter is published quarterly with an additional issue prior to the

annual Reunion . Opinions are those of the Authors of submitted letters and articles and are true to the

best of MCATA ability to verify. They do not reflect the opinion or policy of the Depart-

ment of Defense, Navy Department or Headquarters United States Marine Corps.

2016 OFFICERS and BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Rich Driscoll, USMC, Retired, Navigator

Vice President

Larry Spangler, USMC, Retired, Navigator

Secretary

Jim Clark, USMC, Navigator

Treasurer Charlie Smith, USMC, Retired, Navigator

Judge Advocate

Dan Burton, USMC Retired, Pilot

Chaplain Bob Guest, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Historian Alan Stinar, USMC Maintainer

2016 Reunion Chairman

Humberto Reyes, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Trustee Red Doktor, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Directors Bernie Bersano, USMC, Retired, Maintenance Officer

Julia Cartwright, USMC. Maintainer (New)

Richard (Dick) Edwards, USMC, Retired, Navigator

Pete Johnson. USMC Navigator (New)

Jim Kikta, USMC Retired Navigator (New)

Ted Newman, USMC Navigator (New)

C.W. Wilson, USMC Retired Flight Engineer (New) Marty Ruane, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Emeritus Directors Jack Flannery, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Jack Dickson, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Past Presidents & Emeritus Directors Con Shuck, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

C.J. McQueen, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer Humberto Reyes, USMC, Retired, Flight Engineer

Membership update as of 15 Jan, 2016 Regular members: 259

Active duty/drilling reserve members 22

Widowed Spouses: 12

Honorary: 1

Total: 294

MAIL ADDRESS FOR

MCATA

MCATA

Charles F. Smith

P.O. Box 1134

Millington, TN 38083

Contact us:

President’s phone

817-657-7768

Email

[email protected]

MCATA IS A 501(C) (19) non-profit

organization incorporated in the State

of Texas in 1991 to foster, encourage

and perpetuate the memory and spirit

of friendship among our comrades in

arms who are or have been members

of any Marine Corps Air Transport

Squadron and to preserve incidents

and memories of our association to-

gether. The Marine Corps Air

Transport Association represents a

complete cross section of all those

who are or have served our country in

Marine Corps Air Transports regard-

less of rank, flight status or MOS.


F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T

Happy New Year Transporters,

Our Reunion is over and was a big suc-

cess. We saw a lot of old familiar faces,

but also saw a lot of folks who haven’t

made a Reunion in a long time and per-

haps never. The weather didn’t com-

pletely cooperate, but nobody seemed

to care and it held for our events s where

we needed to be outside.

The first evening, Wednesday, we had

about 60 people in the beautiful court-

yard of Joe T Garcia’s restaurant in the

Fort Worth Stockyards. If was the early

birds first chance to start catching up

and the venue was a great place to do

that outdoors in the nice fall weather

eating some great Mexican food at an

iconic Fort Worth venue.

Early Birds at Joe T Garcia’s

The next day, Thursday, was regular

check in and it started raining. The hospi-

tality room was full of people as more

and more checked in. Nobody really

seemed to care about the rain. There

were sea stories flowing that day until

the wee hours.

Hospitality Room

On Friday we had our Board and Gen-

eral Membership Meetings. There is a

report on those proceedings and the

financial outcomes of the Reunion on

page 5 of this newsletter. We did elect

five new board members who graciously

volunteered to serve this year. Their

biographies are also published in this

edition.

General Membership Meeting

After the meetings, the ladies hosted

their luncheon. The guest speaker was

J’Nell Pate who is a well known historian

in the Fort Worth Area. She shared notes

of interest about the history of Fort

Worth over he years from it’s time as a

frontier Army post.

Ladies Luncheon

That afternoon we had a special treat.

MAG-41 and VMGR-234 hosted us at

NAS Fort Worth JRB. Included in that trip

was a great time flying the KC-130 T sim-

ulator where several got to show off

their still significant flying skills. Special

thanks goes to Paul Pinaud, David Joyal

and the team from the simulator who

made that visit possible.

P. Meyer, H. Reyes, P. Johnson at Sim

Next we went to the squadron where

we were welcomed and given a tour of a

KC-130J , briefed on Harvest Hawk, the

latest technology for Marine KC-130s

that is a “strap on” missile shooting

package that makes the KC-130 a potent

close air support weapon and offensive

kinetic weapons platform. ( We could

only dream of that back in the day).

At VMGR-234

Finally, we were hosted in the VMGR-234

Heritage Room where VMGR-234 is

starting to house their historical artifacts

and will have a nice reception area. Spe-

cial thanks to LtCol Ken Martin, Maj.

Derek Neymeyer and the officers and

Marines of VMGR-234 and MAG-41 and

NAS Fort Worth for our transportation.

Visit to VMGR-234 Heritage Room

(Continued on page 4)


FROM THE PRESIDENT (cont from page 3)

We had a golf outing planned on

Saturday morning, but several inches

of rain washed out our plans. The

Fort Worth area had only had about

two inches of rain all summer so

those of us who live here weren’t all

that unhappy.

Most just stayed around the Hospi-

tality Room doing their best to use

the time to get back in touch with

old comrades. Alan Stinar (who

owns and operates the Marine

Battleherks Website www.marine

battherks.com brought a lot of his-

torical video that was shown in the

Hospitality Room. Everyone found

that informative and very entertain-

ing.

Later in the evening we had our big

reunion event and banquet. It was a

wonderful affair with great service

and great food served by the Shera-

ton Hotel and staff. We had our

fundraiser raffle with great prizes

donated by many members . We

thank them for their generosity.

Henry Wildfang’s family also donated

several of his personal awards and

momentos to MCATA. We had a si-

lent auction for several pieces and

others we are working to get into

some museums where they can hon-

or Henry and be seen by the public.

The Marine Corps Museum at Quan-

tico and the Marine Corps Aviation

Association have agreed to take

some pieces already. See more

about our banquet along with select-

ed pictures on pages 11-12.

Semper Fi,

Rich

Speed Trap

Two California Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement

on I-15, just north of the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar One of the

officers was using a hand held radar device to check speeding vehicles ap-

proaching the crest of a hill.

The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300

miles per hour. The officer attempted to reset the radar gun, but it would not

reset and then turned off.

Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in

fact locked on to a USMC F/A-18 Hornet, which was engaged in a low flying

exercise near the location.

Back at the CHP Headquarters the Patrol Captain fired off a complaint to the

USMC Base Commander. The reply came back in true USMC style:

Thank you for your letter. We can now complete the file on this incident.

You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had

detected the presence of, and subsequently locked on to, your hostile radar

equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it

shut down.

Furthermore, an Air-to-Ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also

automatically locked on to your equipment location.

Fortunately, the Marine Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for

what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able

to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched to

destroy the hostile radar position.

The pilot also suggests you cover your mouths when cussing at them, since the

video systems on these jets are very high tech. Sergeant Johnson, the officer

holding the radar gun, should get his dentist to check his left rear molar. It

appears the filling is loose. Also, the snap is broken on his holster.

Thank you for your concern. Semper Fi.


BOARD AND GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS The MCATA Board of Directors met on 24 October, 2016 to conduct

business. Present at that meeting was:

Rich Driscoll-President

Larry Spangler– Vice President

Charlie Smith-Treasurer

Bob Guest– Chaplain

Jack Flannery-Director

Jack Dickson-Director

Jim Clark– Director

Martin Ruane-Director

Bernie Bersano-Director

Jack Taylor-Director

There was a quorum and the meeting was called to order at 0900.

New Directors- The board discussed trying to bring on some new

directors. Jack Flannery and Jack Dickson graciously agreed to step

aside to make room for others. We moved them to Emeritus status

and asked for volunteers at the general meeting.

New Secretary– We needed a Secretary to help handle some of the

administrative duties. Jim Clark volunteered and was elected to han-

dle that role in 2016.

Move Past Presidents to Emeritus Status-There was a discussion

about moving past Presidents back to the Board of Directors. Because

we were trying to bring in new members to the Board and needed to

limit the total number of board members we decided to put the Past

Presidents in Emeritus status. The Emeritus Board is our advisory

board that helps us make decisions based on past knowledge and

their leadership of MCATA.

Build new website– We discussed the limitations of our old website

and how we needed something better and more robust going for-

ward. Rich agreed to look at new options and report back to the

board.

Local Chapters– We discussed the establishment of local chapters and

agreed to approve them. Pros and cons were discussed and we agreed

to move forward to see if we could make them successful.

The general membership present at the Reunion met on 24 Oct, 2016

to conduct business.

The President gave a general overview of the state of the associa-

tion.

The Treasurer read the financial report which was accepted.

We discussed the need for some new board members.

Five volunteered and all were voted onto the board. They are:

Julia Cartwright

Jim Kikta

Pete Johnson

Ted Newman

C.W. Wilson

Reunion Report: The following is a report of the finances of

the Reunion. This reflects money that was handled by the 2015

Reunion Chairman.

2015 MCATA Reunion Chairman Financial Closeout

Reunion Revenue

Registration Fees $3,820.00

Luncheon $808.00

Banquet $5,665.00

Program $1,875.00

Donations $1,340.00

Raffle $2,113.00

Silent Auction $960.00

Tips $138.00

Shirts $360.00

Keychains $123.00

Total Reunion Revenue $17,202.00

Reunion Expenses

Registration Material ($386.00)

Hotel ($9,790.00)

Hospitality Room Liquor ($1,081.00)

Hospitality Room Food ($452.00)

Printing ($537.00)

Table SWAG ($694.00)

Reunion Web Site ($35.00)

Bank Charges ($19.00)

PayPal Charges ($121.00)

Event Insurance ($127.00)

Give away bumper stickers ($308.00)

Raffle Items/Table Gifts ($265.00)

Total Reunion Expenses ($13,815.00)

Net Proceed from Reunion $3,387.00

Memorial Scholarship $6,065.00

Marta Rude Scholarship ($500.00)

Zack Reyes Scholarship ($500.00)

Julia Cartwright Scholar-ship ($500.00)

Scholarship Balance $4,565.00

Membership Fees $2,000.00

Remaining Balance $9,952.00

Other Misc Expenses Paid

Brian Shuck Newsletter ($495.00)

New Website payment ($174.00)

End of FY2015 $9,283.00


MARINES SET NEW RECORD

The Marine Corps set a new distance record for Osprey flights in the Western Hemisphere on Tuesday as three MV-22Bs traveled from California to Brazil.

Flight crews from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 764 flew 6,165 miles from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to Rio de Janeiro. The Marines made the journey as part of UNITAS Am-phibious 2015, a nine-day multinational maritime exercise that runs through Nov. 24. About 1,000 troops from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru are participating.

The Osprey squadron made a five-leg flight that included stops in Trinidad and Tobago, and Brazil, said 1st Lt. Tyler Hopkins, a UNITAS spokesman.

The three Ospreys were supported by three KC-130J Hercules tankers from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 234 and one KC-130 from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 452.

The flight took five days as leadership decided to wait out some bad weather, said Lt. Col. Greg Gehman, commander of the VMM-764 Moonlighters. Lessons learned from the long flight will lead to faster and more efficient responses, and help to better prepare flight crews for crossing international boundaries and dealing with environmental concerns, he said.

Such challenges were evident when Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response was called into action in Jan-uary 2014 to help evacuate the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Su-dan. The team, based out of Morón, Spain, flew nearly 4,200 miles (roughly the distance from Anchorage, Alaska, to Miami) to pull more than 20 embassy personnel out of the country amid violence between factions on the brink of civil war.

The necessity of aerial refueling for the Osprey was a key

part of the mission, and the KC-130 Super Hercules al-lowed the crisis response Marines to travel quickly to the site, conduct a speedy mission and prevent a potential catastrophe.

That is not to say the Osprey hasn’t been extending its reach. Six Ospreys and two KC-130Js in April 2013 flew from Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, to Moron De La Frontera, Spain. That 15-hour flight marked the longest and largest trans-atlantic flight of any Osprey squadron to date.

Four months later, two Ospreys completed the longest MV-22 tanking mission in the Pacific. The Marines flying those air-craft took off from Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Japan, and landed in Townsville, Australia.

In South America, the Ospreys will lead helicopter operations for UNITAS, and will be assisted by Brazil and Mexico. Members of 23rd Marines, 4th Civil Affairs Group and 4th Marine Logistics Group will also participate in the exercise.

During the exercise, the troops will conduct military operations in urban terrain and live-fire exercises. A final amphibious and humanitarian assistance/disaster relief exercise is set for Nov. 19 at Ihla de Marambaia.

"Exercises like UNITAS Amphib provide real world scenarios for Reserve Marines to train in," Hopkins said. "This allows them the ability to seamlessly integrate with their active duty counterparts and maintain readiness and fosters friendly coop-


VMGR-252 COMMANDING OFFICER

Lieutenant Colonel Claiborne Rogers graduated from Virginia

Tech University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in

Ocean Engineering and was commissioned through the NROTC

program. Following The Basic School, he was designated a Na-

val Aviator in July of 1998.

Upon completion of flight training, First Lieutenant Rogers report-

ed to VMGRT-253, MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina for initial

training in the KC-130. In March 2001, he was assigned to

VMGR-152, MCAS Futenma, Okinawa. During this tour, he

served as the squadron Legal Officer, Powerline Officer, and

Quality Assurance Officer.

In March 2004, Captain Rogers was assigned to VX-1, Patuxent

River NAS, Maryland and served as the KC-130J Operational

Test Director. Captain Rogers completed his KC-130J transition

in December 2004 and participated in multiple KC-130J Aircraft

Survivability Equipment tests in support of the deployment quali-

fication for the KC-130J.

In July 2007, Major Rogers was assigned to VMGR-252, MCAS

Cherry Point, North Carolina. His initially served as a Marine

Central Command Individual Augment to the International Secu-

rity Assistance Force – Afghanistan Headquarters. Here, he

worked as a Joint Fires Watch Officer from August 2007 to

March 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Upon

his return to VMGR-252, he served as the Aircraft Maintenance

Officer from March 2008 to October 2008. In October 2008, Ma-

jor Rogers was assigned as the Officer in Charge for two KC-

130J detachments in support of the Special Marine Air Ground

Task Force – Afghanistan. Major Rogers deployed in support of

the Special Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan, Kanda-

har Air Base, Afghanistan from October 2008 to April 2009 in

support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After returning in May

2009, Major Rogers served as the executive officer from June

2009 until March 2010. He then was assigned as the 2d Marine

Aircraft Wing Air Transportation Coordination Officer, serving

until July 2010.

In August 2010, Major Rogers reported to the Marine Corps Uni-

versity, Command and Staff College. He graduated in June

2011 with a Masters in Military Studies and reported to the Joint

Staff J31 in Norfolk, Virginia to serve as a Contingency Sourcing

Action Officer. In January 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Rogers was

assigned to the Joint Forces Staff College to serve as military

faculty with the Joint and Combined Warfighting School.

In February 2015, LtCol Rogers reported to Marine Air Group 14

and was assigned as the MAG-14 Operations Officer.

In October 2015, LtCol Rogers assumed command of VMGR-

252.

Lieutenant Colonel Rogers’ personal decorations include the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal (3rd Award), and two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals.

MEET THE NEW 252 COMMANDING OFFICER


.

MEET THE NEW BOARD MEMBERS James R. (Jim) Kikta-Navigator-USMC 1972-2002

Jim Kikta enlisted in January 1972 and after completing recruit training at Paris Island he attended Marine Aerial Navigation School in Pensacola. He qualified in the KC-130 at MCAS El Toro with VMGR 352 and then left for WESPAC in 1974. His additional assignments included HQMC Flight Section, Andrews AFB, MACG-48, NAS Glen-view and the Navigation School in San Antonio. He retired in 2002 at MCAS Miramar and then was employed by HQMC as a Project Manager for the Base Realignment and Closure Office. He continued to work as a consultant for HQMC until retiring in 2015. Jim currently resides in southern California.

Julia Cartwright-Maintenance USMC 2009-2013

Julia Cartwright enlisted in October 2009. After completing recruit training at Paris Island she attend-ed MCT at Camp Geiger. Start her training at NAS Pensacola for basic aviation electronics technician she continued on too Little Rock Air force base to complete her training for KC-130J. During her time in she was assigned to VMGR-152 and VMGR-252. She completed her CDI certification in 2013 at MCAS Cherry Point. Completing two tours in Operation Enduring Freedom. She EASed in 2014 re-turning to North Texas to attend college.

Ted Newman-Navigator-USMC 1958-1965

Ted Newman enlisted in May 1958 and after completing recruit training in San Diego he attended Aviation Fun-damentals in NAS Jacksonville FL and Aerial Navigation School at Cherry Point NC. He was assigned to VMR252 at MCAS Cherry Point where he deployed twice to North Africa. In 1961 he was assigned to VMR-352 and in January 1962 was again assigned to MCAS Iwakuni . In April of 1962 he participated in Operation “Shu Fly” and was assigned in September of that year to VMGR-352. He also participated in the “Cuban Blockade. Ted has a BS in Business Administration from Californai State University . He was a self employed in the investment and banking industry until his retirement in 2007. Ted currently resides in Arizona.

Clarence (C.W.) Wilson-Flight Engineer, USMC 1967-1997

C.W. joined the Marine Corps in January 1967 and after completing boot camp in San Diego and ITR was as-signed to 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, the Famous “Walking Dead”. From there he was assigned to Vietnam where he served as an 0351, spending much of his time as a machine gunner instead. During his tour in Vi-etnam he was engaged in many of the more famous campaigns including the siege at Khe Sahn, operations at Con Thein, Hill 51, Dong Ha and patrols around Highway 1, the famous “Street without Joy.” In 1969 he was assigned to Memphis to train in aviation mechanics and was then assigned to Okinawa as a C-117 Mech. He later returned to Cherry Point and was assigned to the C-118s as a mech and eventually retrained and quali-fied as a KC-130 Flight Engineer where he spent the rest of his 30 year career. After the Marine Corps C.W.

stayed in aviation working in New Orleans for several companies including working as a Tech Rep for GE at NAS New Orleans until he again retired in 2012. C.W. currently lives with his wife Gloria in Louisiana.

Peter ((Pete) Johnson-Navigator-USMC 1962-1968 Carl Peter “Pete” Johnson joined the Marine Air Reserve at NAS Twin Cities on 12 May 1962. After boot camp at Parris Island, NC he was sent to Mechanical Fundamentals School at NAS Jacksonville, FL. Following that he attended Aerial Navigator School at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. I Upon his return to NAS Twin Cities, he was as-signed to VMR 234 as a Navigator on the R4Q 2. By the time his enlistment was up he had about 1500 hours in the Q, and 30 or 40 hours of fam time in the KC 130 F during summer ACDUTRA at NKT. Most of the pilots in VMR 234 were airline pilots, and they encouraged Pete to get a pilot’s license. He followed that advice and applied to Northwest Airlines. He was hired in September of 1965 while he was still in the Reserve and was

Honorably Discharged on 4 April 1968. Pete flew for Northwest Airlines until his retirement in February of 2003. He currently lives in Minnesota.


Transporters, The Sumos of VMGR-152 continue to support III MEF in all reaches of the AOR. This month we are poised to accept our last aircraft from the re-work facility are Korean Air Lines (KAL) as the contract has been awarded to a new vendor in Malaysia, AIROD. Our first delivery will occur later this month as well. AIROD has a much more robust facility in Kuala Lumpur as they already service many other nations Her-cules' needs. Operationally we are gearing up for exercises in Korea, Hawaii, and the perennial favorite Cobra Gold in Thailand. We have been asked to participate in the Singapore Airshow this year as well and are determining the feasibility of support at this time. That's all from the land of the rising sun, until next time. Semper Fidelis, Nature LtCol Matt "Nature Boy" Stover Commanding Officer VMGR-152 "Sumos"

Transporters, At press time we had not received an update from VMGR-252, but will tell you what we do know. There was a Change of Command in October where LtCol. Claiborne Rogers assumed command of VMGR-252 from LtCol. Scott “Bobcat” Koltick. LtCol. Koltick was reas-signed to the 2nd MAW G-3 as Projects Officer. 252 has a 4-plane detachment based in Moron Spain in support of SPMAGTF-CR-AF (Special Purpose MAGTF Crisis Response Africa). They rotate this detachment out every six months. There is an arti-cle in this newsletter about refueling fighters from the Spanish Air Force. On a different note, as this newsletter is being edited, the VMGR-252 Color Guard presented the colors at the National Football League playoff game in Charlotte NC between Seattle and Carolina. Carolina won 31-24. -Rich

Transporters, At press time we had not received an update from VMGR-352, but will tell you what we do know which is not much. Exercise Steel Knight has been ongoing and air sup-port for that is being provided by F35Bs. One assumes where there are Marine fight-ers there are Marine tankers as well. In October the squadron provided air support for 1st Recon Battalion inserts. It has been a busy year for the raiders. In May the squadron’s six month deployment returned from supporting SPMGTF Central Com-mand in Kuwait. January 9th marked a somber date as we all remember the crew of Raider 04 that was lost in Pakistan on that date in 2002. I’ll try to catch up with LtCol Campbell for more information about the Raiders in the next newsletter. Semper Fi-Rich

SQUADRON UPDATES


Happy New Year Transporters,

VMGR-452 is actively supporting logistics movements throughout Europe and the Middle East from CO-NUS. In addition, we have regular trainers at Yuma conducting section, division, LAT, NSQ and ASE flights. We also had one aircraft join VMGR-234 in support of VMM-764’s record breaking long range flight from Miramar to Rio de Janeiro last month.

In 2015 the squadron flew 3,232.6 hours, contributing to the squadron's attainment of 104,340.6 flight hours without a Class “A” mishap. During the year we had multiple deployments in support of RFF Bahrain and the SPMAGTF-CR. We also supported Cobra Gold, AT training at Davis Monthan, WTI, Helo AR support for the Army’s 160th Special Ops Aviation Battalion, Exercise Lava Viper in Hawaii, support for 24th Ma-rines, and SPMAGTF-South in Honduras.

It has been a busy and productive year and we’re looking forward to the same in 2016. Semper Fi,

Semper Fi, LtCol. Kevin Kronoveter Commanding Officer, VMGR-452 “Yankees”

Happy New Year Air Transporters from the Rangers of VMGR-234.

The Rangers finished up 2015 by providing tilt rotor air to air refueling support to VMM-764 for their de-

ployment of MV-22B Osprey aircraft from MCAS Miramar to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to participate in the

2015 UNITAS Naval and Amphibious Exercise. Three KC-130s from VMGR-234 and one from the VMGR-

452 “Yankees” enabled the “Moonlighters” of 764 to get where they needed to go, with what they needed

to operate and then return to NAS Fort Worth on schedule. Each aircraft flew approximately 12,000 miles

round trip from KNFW, and while I would like to brag that it was non-stop, that would move this update

into the realm of fiction.

No major operations on the table for 2016……yet. LtCol Jeff Demers will assume command this spring and

I would be surprised if he did not have some plans for the Marines and aircraft of VMGR-234.

Semper Fi, LtCol. Ken “Bear” Martin Commanding Officer, VMGR-234 “Rangers”

SQUADRON UPDATES

Thanks for the Reunion Support Miller/Coors Brewing Company John Lane-Beer

Pete Quinn-Donation

Lee Booth-Program ads and raffle items

Red Doktor-Program ads Jay Pellicone-Donation Dick Edwards-Raffle items and photography Zack Ellison -Key Chains Julia Cartwright-Photography Alan Stinar– Photography and MC/program Henry Wildfang Family–Donation of Henry’s per-

sonal items for silent auction. Cheri Dedrick– Raffle items and help Carol Driscoll– Raffle items and a lot more!

Rita and Jack –Help with setup, shopping and more.

Rita-Bartending and running raffle. Col. Tim Patrick and Laura for being our guests. MAG-14-Color Guard. MAG-14-Drivers to base visit and logistics. VMGR-234 for hosting hangar visit. The KC-130 Simulator Instructors– Hosting. NAS Fort Worth-Drivers to base visit. Con and Carol Shuck for table settings, wine glass-

es and more. J’Nell Pate for being our guest speaker at lunch-

eon. All those who attended and supported. All those who traveled far to get here. Anybody I missed, you are appreciated!


Reunion Hospitality Room Photos

Rita Berquist Charlie Smith, Jack Dickson Russ Tucker, Pete Meyer, Bob Meyer

Dave XXX and Matt Piliere Jim Kikta, Jack Taylor, Larry Spangler C.W and Gloria Wilson

John Klossner and Carol Driscoll Rich Driscoll and Chuck Burgess Bob Guest, Robbie Robertson, C.W Wilson

Ted Newman and Pete Johnson Rich Driscoll, President Charlie Smith, Treasurer

Bill Claussen, Pete Meyer, John Mckee Julia Cartwright Alan Stinar, Steve Kovalchick, Jeff Adams


Reunion Banquet Photos Our Reunion Banquet was held in the Sheraton Hotel Ballroom and was a rousing success. Our Guest

speaker was the Marine Aircraft Group 41 Commanding Officer and KC-130 pilot Colonel Tim “Tiny” Patrick.

The Colonel was accompanied by his lovely wife Laura. Marine Aircraft Group 41 supplied the Color Guard

as well. Alan Stiner was our Master of Ceremonies and presented a unique and interesting history of the Ma-

rine Transport community. Here are some Banquet pictures. Enjoy!

Reunion photos are available on CD or for viewing and download on our website www.mcata.com

If you want us to send you a CD please send email to [email protected] or call Rich at 817-657-7768.

http://www.mcata.com/


Our new website is really a combination of a website and an integrated member database that works within the website and automates dues collections and tracks financ-es. It is now up and running and our old one has been tak-en down. The old site was pretty cosmic when it was first introduced, but was getting rather dated after all these years. In addition, the member database was not integrat-ed and automated in a way that helped us manage our membership effectively or that gave our members the kind of flexibility to control their own personal data. The new website and member database resolves most of those problems. As you look at the new website www.mcata.com the first thing you notice is the banner at the top of each page with the logo like the one at the top of this page. A great ban-ner makes the page stand out and makes it pleasant to use and look at. I want to thank our historian, Alan Stinar, for creating that banner. It looks outstanding! The new website has both a public and a “member’s only” view. The member’s only view is password protected and all members in good standing (dues paid, not lapsed) will be able to use their personal password to access that part of the site. That includes the member directory , social forum (similar to previous bulletin board for member’s only conversations) access to your personal profile where you can select privacy settings, add you own personal pho-tos to an album, and subscribe to email, forms and news-letters. When you subscribe you will get notices in your email about those subjects. Here is a list of key features of the website: Public plus password protected member’s only site. Public photo album (currently has Reunion photos) “About Us” page” that states the purpose of MCATA as

stated in our constitution. “Join/Renew” page that lets you sign up and use a

credit card to pay dues. (Checks too if desired) “Personal profile” page that lets members select what

information they want others to see in the directory, create a personal photo album that can be shared and subscribe to email and newsletter notices.

“Buy Wings” page with options to buy MCATA minia-ture wings and other items of interest.

“Donations” page for making donations by credit card or check.

“Social Forum” page for members to post thoughts and commentary.

As previously mentions, a members only directory with names , addresses , phone numbers and email of those that choose to share.

“Events Calendar” that will allow us to post events and even register online for them. Info about Reunion 2016 San Antonio and local chapter events will be lo-cated here.

“Useful Links” page that has “click to open” links to all Marine Wing and Squadron “official web” pages, “unofficial squadron and VMGR Facebook pages” and links to places of interest in San Antonio and sur-rounding area where members can find information about the reunion.

“Contact “page with contact information. “Current Officers” page. A page with the names of cur-

rent officers and board members. There are still a few items that are being worked through on the site and we’ll add more features as we get time. One example of an issue I’m working on is a field in each member profile that states “Member Since”. That field defaults to the date I enter your information for the first time or when I move from one database to the other. I’m trying to figure out how to change that. Even if I do, I do not have the exact dates everyone first joined since the old database did not track that specifically. If I figure out how to edit that field I’ll do my best to figure out a way to correct that information. If I can’t I may just eliminate it.

OUR NEW WEBSITE

http://www.mcata.com/


MEMBER COMMUNICATIONS

John Tiblier Sends: Hello Charlie, Rich, C.J and Con and all Transporters.

Sorry I am unable to attend the reunion this year. My wife, Liz, is still bedridden for over a year now. She will be eighty on the 28th of this month. Enclosed is my check for $50. $25 for dues, I'm 87, and $25 in memory of Eddie Daigle and Ralph Provost. Hope everyone has a great reunion and maybe someday I may be able to make another. I can still get around with some help. Take Care and Semper Fi, John Tiblier MSgt USMC (Ret) Flight Engineer

Jim Clark Sends, Rich: During a read of the November 2015 issue of Leatherneck I came across a story of VMA 121 “Wolf Raiders” that fea-tures recollections of MCATA member Jim Shank during his tour in Korea flying AD-2’s during that conflict. Jim later was transferred to VMR-252 as a pilot of R4Q-2’s and was a Major at that time. I flew with the Major in 1960 and remember him as having a pleasant personality and good stamina on the two late night flights we made that year. It might be a good article for the Transporter to point out the Leatherneck article that provides two pages of quotes (p. 55 & 56) of his flying experiences in Korea before he became a Transporter. Jim

Evelyn McGuirk : I had a nice email exchange with Evelyn McGuirk after I sent some mass mail about membership renewals. She told me that Al had passed away in 2011 and that she would not be renew her membership. I explained that the membership for widowed spouses is free and if she wished to continue as a member she could and I’d in-clude her in the newsletters too. She told me she didn’t think that Al’s obituary ever made one of our newsletters. I’m not sure either, but promised her I’d make sure it did. Here it is: FRAMINGHAM - Alexander McGuirk, age 78, of Framingham, died, suddenly after a brief illness, Fri-day, November 25, 2011 at Metrowest Medical Cen-ter, Framingham. He was the husband of 55 years to Evelyn J. (O’Leary) McGuirk of Framingham. Born in Cambridge, he was the son of the late Ed-ward J. and Pearl (Beaton) McGuirk. He was a graduate of East Coast Aero-tech with honors. Mr. McGuirk enlisted at the age of 16 in the U.S. Ma-rine Corp. Reserves then was called to active duty for the Korean War and served from 1950 – 1972 where he did 3 tours in Vietnam and was stationed in Japan and Cherry Point, NC, while working as a flight engineer of the C-130 planes. He retired as a Gunnery SGT. Following his military service, he retired in 1996 after putting in over 20 years as a sheet metal worker for Amtrak. He was an active member of Grace Congregational Church in Framingham and the Marine Corp Air Transport Association. Besides his wife Evelyn, he is survived by his chil-dren, Daniel M. McGuirk and his wife Donna L. of Avon and Diana D. Williams and her husband Mi-chael of Newburyport. He is also survived by three grandchildren, Corrine DePatra of Avon, Jessica M. and Andrew J. Williams both of Newburyport, three brothers, Edward McGuirk of NC, Earl McGuirk Rest in Peace Brother! Evelyn, Thanks for being a loyal MCATA member and for bringing Al’s memory back to our attention. Semper Fi, Rich


2015 MCATA SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS We had three scholarship winners this year. Each was awarded a $500 scholarship.

Marda Rude– Sponsor Dale Rude

Hello Mr. Driscoll, My name is Marda Rude and I am a second year student at the University of Iowa studying Chemistry as a major and Math as a minor, on a pre-medicine track. Thank you so much for awarding me this scholarship. It means the world to me that I will have less to worry about in the way of tuition costs. I've heard from my father about the work that you and the Marine Corps Air Transport Association have done and continue to do, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heroism and your service in defending our country. Sincerely, Semper Fidelis Marda Rude

Zack Reyes– Sponsor Humberto Reyes

Dear Rich Driscoll,

I would like to thank you and all of MCATA for granting me this check so that I am able to further pursue my educational goals and gain the experi-ence I need in order to be successful in the future. It really means a lot to me that an organization such as MCATA ha selected me for this grant and again everyone within MCATA has my upmost respect and appreciation.

Sincerely, Zachary Reyes.

Julia Cartwright– MCATA Member

Dear Fellow Transporters,

I am sincerely honored to have been selected as the recipient of the MCATA scholar-ship. Thank you for your generosity! As I complete my education at North Lake College I am very thankful for your thoughtful gift. Because this scholarship reduced my finan-cial burden I am able to apply myself more than before. I am currently completing my Associates degree in science and am making applications to a four-year university.

Thank you again for your thoughtful and generous gift.

Sincerely,

Julia Cartwright


NEW MEMBERS Joe Mehlick Jay Joseph

Tim "Fred" Frederes Arlen Rens Ron Franks John Lane

Dale Tinline Jerry Lofton

New members include anyone whose membership may

have lapsed a year or two and have now renewed.

GENERAL FUND DONATIONS

Ted Newman $50

Jay Pellicone $100

Bill Davis $50

Bob Meyer $100

Larry Woodruff $80

Gary Graves $80

Buddy Smith $40

Mike Marshall $40

Bob Cole $80

Ed Grigalis $100

MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

FUNDS DONATIONS

Tony Scenna $25 Henry Wildfang

Bill Davis $50

Jim Clark $100 Henry Wildfang

John Wasilowski $100 Geo Whitehurst

Bob Meyer $100

Pete Johnson $50

John Tiblier $25 Ed Daigle/Ralph Provost

Bill Seely $50 Mel Shoup

Dick Edwards $607.31 Russ Barber/Ernie Howe

Russ Tucker $50 Bob Bonebright

Russ Tucker $50 Dave Devik

Thanks to everyone for their

incredible generosity!!!

Membership Information Some of this membership information has been published from time to time, but I wanted to up-date and remind everyone. I’ve had to set some clear parameters for membership as part of the au-tomation process for the new website and member management database. The software has to have some concrete parameters to work with. 1. Membership runs concurrent with the calendar

year. That was a change from three years ago. Over the last year I’ve moved the expiration dates for everyone who had a membership date in the middle of the year forward to 31 Decem-ber of that year. Now, all memberships expire on that date and renewal is due on January first.

2. Since the system is sending automated renewal notices, invoices and receipts it needs to know when to do so. It is set to send a renewal notice on Jan 1st, couple of reminders then to set the membership as expired if it hasn’t been paid by 1 March. At that time you’re access to the web-site is turned off.

3. Membership statuses are as follows” Active member– Dues paid for that year

or renewed in a free status (active duty, drilling reserves and widowed spouses).

Pending renewal– Dues expired for less than 60 days.

Lapsed/Expired- Dues lapsed for more than 60 days.

Renewing member– One who is a cur-rent member and pays dues or renews for the current year before 31 December of that year or, if having lapsed more than a year, pays back dues to bring themselves current as a continuous member.

New member– One has never been a member.

Rejoining Member- One whose mem-bership has lapsed more than a year and then rejoins by paying one year’s mem-bership.

Active Duty/Drilling Reserve- Active du-ty and drilling reserve memberships who join for free are updated until the next expiration date. Of 31 Dec. On 1 January the member must renew for free, but establish that they are still on active duty or are a drilling reserve.

Widowed Spouses- Widowed spouses of former MCATA members are free and are set to never be notified of renewal.

Please let me know if you have questions. -Rich

MEMBER DONATIONS AND INFORMATION


Since the very beginning of the establishment of the

MCATA organization there have been discussions

about establishing local chapters of some sort. In the

first iteration of he MCATA charter it was even men-

tioned that there would be local chapters estab-

lished in the future. For whatever reason, these nev-

er really got off the ground. Over the past year

we’ve been discussing these again and we are finally

ready to kick off our first one.

Tom Dietrich, Pete Quinn, Con Shuck and Rich Dris-

coll met to discuss the establishment of a DFW

Squadron Chapter. The purpose of this chapter is to

pursue the prescribed purposes stated in our Consti-

tution. Those are:

1) To promote professionalism, camaraderie and ser-vice to and among Marines and their family mem-bers whether active duty, reserve, retired or former in the U.S. and in all foreign countries.

2) To foster, encourage and perpetuate the memory and spirit of friendship among our comrades in arms who are now or have been members of any Marine Corps air transport, air transport and refueling or any other supporting squadrons or units.

3) To perpetuate the history and traditions of the Marine Corps Air Transport Association.

4) To promote and safeguard the principles of justice freedom, and democracy.

5) To foster patriotism, love of our country and our flag; to perpetuate the spirit and traditions of the United States Marine Corps.

6) To promote and cultivate social intercourse and fellowship among our members.

7) To hold meetings and social gatherings for the better realization of the purposes of our association.

8) And such other lawful purposes from time to time

the association may choose to pursue.’

The primary purpose would be # 6 and to provide

more opportunities for our members to get together

socially than just once a year at the national reunion.

During the discussion it was decided:

1. That this chapter would meet quarterly the first,

second and fourth quarter of the calendar year,

skipping the third quarter in favor of members

attending the national convention.

2. These are not intended to in any way replace the

need or desire to attend the national reunion.

Everyone is still encouraged to do that.

3. Meetings will be rather informal and social tak-

ing minimum time to discuss business. At least

one MCATA member would have to be present

for it to be an official MCATA meeting. That

member would lead the event and be responsi-

ble for it.

4. Individuals must be MCATA members to be part

of the local chapter, but invited guests and trans-

porters are all invited to join the social events.

5. Members may join a local chapter by simply indi-

cating they want to affiliate with that chapter.

There is a field on the website individual profile

with a list of possible chapters.

6. Local chapters are separate from national and

are self-sustaining in all aspects.

7. Chapters should elect a “Squadron Lead” and a

“Dash 2” to help coordinate events.

8. The DFW Squadron is planning it’s first event in

March. Time and place TBA.

9. More information will be forthcoming as these

chapters get underway.

10. So far about fourteen local MCATA members

have affiliated with the DFW Squadron. We ex-

pect to be able to recruit more members as this

gains momentum.

ESTABLISHMENT OF LOCAL CHAPTERS


MORÓN AIR BASE, Spain -- Refueling MV-22B Ospreys is nothing new for a U.S. Marine KC-130J Hercules crew, but providing almost half a million pounds of fuel to more than 50 Spanish aircraft is not standard. That’s exactly what the detachment of U.S. Marine KC-130J Hercules with Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa achieved in less than six months during their deployment to Morón Air Base, Spain. During these ‘sorties’, Spanish pilots earned their NATO aerial refueling certifications, continuing the strong defense relationships between U.S., Spain and other NATO allies. “We normally provide logistical support, assault landings, expeditionary operations and air-to-air refueling to the Os-preys,” said U.S. Marine Capt. Ryan Gibbons, a pilot with SPMAGTF-CR-AF. “Refueling Spanish jets provided addition-al bilateral opportunities for us and Spanish fixed-wing aircraft consisting of E/F-18 Hornets, AV-8 Harriers and EF-2000 Eurofighters.” Previous detachments have trained with the Spanish pilots, but it was all dry-plug – no fuel was transferred from the KC-130J Hercules. The current rotation of Marines was the first detachment approved to fuel Spanish aircraft. “Apart from Spanish pilots receiving their certifications, air-to-air refueling provides our pilots with training and readiness proficiency, not just for tilt-rotor aircraft, but also for fixed wing as well,” said Gibbons, a native of Raleigh, North Caroli-na. “It is also provides us an opportunity to conduct missions based on pure NATO standards when refueling Spanish aircraft.” Gibbons, commissioned in 2008, takes great pleasure being a pilot, describing a very independent environment being a flight commander, building relationships and trust with his air crew and exercising leadership, which he says is some-times difficult being in aviation. “It’s one of the rare opportunities where you get to take a plane on the road, sometimes thousands miles away, several time zones away from your home station and ultimately, you are the arbiter of all decisions made with the aircrew, the plane, and the mission,” he adds. “It always keeps you busy and I enjoy a challenge.” In 2016, the Marines are looking forward to working with the Spanish Air Force and Navy, possibly expanding their refu-eling capabilities into the Canary Islands as well as supporting future exercises.

VMGR-252 MARINES FROM SPMAGTF

A Eurofighter Typhoon with the Spanish Air Force receives fuel from a U.S. Marine KC-130J Hercules with Special-Purpose Ma-rine Air-Ground Task Force Crisis Response-Africa, August 13, in Spain. A total of five Spanish pilots and their aircraft had the opportunity to practice their air-to-air refueling skills with the Marines from SPMAGTF-CR-AF. While this particular training was a first for the two countries, the U.S. and Spain work together routinely, fostering one of the closest defense partnerships


SOME TRANSPORTER HISTORY

DISPELLING A MYTH

During the reunion I had an opportunity to chat with many of our members. One discussion I found sur-

prising was that some younger Marines may think MCATA is only for pilots, aircrew non-active duty and

maybe retirees. Some suggested that was because our logo has a set of aircrew wings on it.

Let me dispel that myth now!

If you were in any role in the Marine Corps, regardless of rank or MOS, that remotely

supported the KC-130 or any other fixed wing transport aircraft you are eligible. The

organization is not just for aircrew and pilots.

So join us!”

TRANSPORTER TOMMIE MABE’S STORY

If you’ve been to a reunion you know

Tommie Mabe and his pretty wife Mary

Ellen. They are always there. This year

they drove all the way from Florida to

be with us. Of course, Tommie is a Ma-

rine, but Mary Ellen is a U.S. Air Force

veteran too. Tommie’s story is a very

interesting one. At one time the U. S.

Marine Corps declared him dead on the

tarmac at Quantico. Tommie, a crew

chief at the time, was towing an R4D-4

when he clipped a runway light. The

tow bar snapped and Tommie was hit

by one of the plane’s ailerons then knocked from the tractor. He was

taken to the base morgue where he was to be prepared for burial, when

they noticed his arm twitch. Tommie survived that and went on to a

successful career in the Corps.

After the mishap he was eventually sent to Korea. This was 1953 and

even though there was a cease fire, things were still tense. He remem-

bers once participating in a sea rescue of a C-119 bound for Dien Bien

Phu. Little did he know at the time that 10 years later he would be in

Vietnam too.

Tommie was deployed to Taiwan during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis

in 1958 and after returning to California was deployed within one day

out to Lebanon where another crisis was brewing. In 1961 Tommie was

on the crew of an Air America plane during Operation Millpond, a joint

Marine CIA operation against the Pathet Lao in Thailand. During a land-

ing in Cambodia he was captured by guerillas and pistol-whipped. Left

unguarded, he slowly and methodically edged his way back to the jun-

gle and made his way back to the aircraft where he escaped with the

pilot.

Tommie also was aboard the USS Boxer for the Cuban Blockade. In Vi-

etnam he served at Marble Mountain near Danag, enduring frequent

rocket attacks. Twice the base was overrun and once he had to take

command when the senior officer was killed. Tommie retired as a Gun-

nery Sergeant in the 1970s and eventually moved to Florida to stay.

Tommie wrote an account of his eventful years in the Corps. He doesn’t

type and wrote it longhand. It’s titled, “A Marine and His Brother”.

Mary Ellen and Tommie Mabe

Tommie talking to young Marines of VMGR-234 Color Guard


NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID FORT WORTH,

TX PERMIT NO. 2069

Marine Corps Air Transport Association Corporation P.O. Box 1134 Millington, TN 38083

MCATA MEMBERSHIP FORM

CALENDAR YEAR 2016

Please make your check or money order payable to the Marine Corps Air Transport Association and mail with this form to:

M.C.A.T.A. • P.O. Box 1134 • Millington, TN 38083

Or go to www.mcata.com to join and pay by credit card or PayPal.

$35 for regular membership all ages (NEW!)

FREE for Active Duty, Drilling Reserves and Widowed Spouses

❏ Enclosed my check for $_______. Please enroll me as a NEW member.

❏ Enclosed my check for $________. Please RENEW my membership.

❏ Donation to Memorial Scholarship Fund $____________.

In memory of:___________________________________________.

❏ Donation to General Fund $_______.

Name______________________________________________________

Address:

Street _____________________________________________________ PO Box or Apt #______________________________________________ City _______________________ State _________ Zip +4___________ Phone ________________________ Email________________________ Service Dates_________ to___________ DOB__________

Email__________________________

ARE YOU / WERE YOU?

Check appropriate choices:

❏ Pilot

❏ Flight Engineer/Student

❏ Crew Chief

❏ Navigator

❏ Flight Mechanic

❏ R.O. / Loadmaster

❏ Operations

❏ Administration

❏ Air Freight

❏ Maintenance Crew

❏ Other Squadron Support

❏ Spouse

Combat Service

❏ WWII

❏ Korea

❏ Vietnam

❏ Cold War

❏ Desert Shield/

Storm

❏ Northern/

Southern Watch

❏ Iraqi Freedom

❏ Afghanistan

❏ None

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