Men of Honor (1 Viewer)

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Donivanp

Captain
8,145
6,329
Feb 23, 2014
Katy Texas
Men of Honor I have meant.



I spent 20 years and 19 day on active duty in the U. S. Air Force from July 1977 to July 1997. I worked on navigational radar, weather radar, air born communication systems, INS, TACAN, and numerous navigational aids. I worked on C-5's, 141's 130, B-52's, E-3'd and KC/EC/WC-135 series aircraft. I was stationed permanent party to Dover AFB, DL, 436th AMW/436th AMS, Andersen AFB, Guam 43rd SW/43rd AMS, Grissom AFB, IN 305th AreFW, 305th AMS and OMS, 961st AWACS, Kadena AB Okinawa, and Robins AFB, GA 19th AreFW/G.



At Robins, my last duty assignment, we had the Museum of Aviation, what was the second largest museum in the USAF museum system. It did not start out that way.



The Museum of Aviation, was a small museum when a rag tag bunch of modelers got together and decided to create a new chapter for the IPMS USA. Being that this was middle Georgia, they were looking for a name. They came upon it after much discussion but needed to get permission for it. What they came upon was The Robert L. Scott Chapter IPMS, and to get permission they went looking for the owner of that name, none other then BG. Robert L. Scott, USAF (ret). General Scott had retired form the USAF and lived in Sun Valley AZ at the time. So they wrote him a letter, he wrote back that he would be honored and there in sued a letter writing campaign. Now they needed a meeting place, and the museum looked like a good place for that. It was a small museum but it was a symbiotic relationship for both.



The Museum need to get a breath of life blown into it and did not know where to find that when the IPMS noted that Gen Scott was from Macon, a mere 15 miles north of Warner Robins (only town in the US to change it's name to a USAAC General to get a base (another story for another time)). So as the story goes more letter writing started. Gen. Scott had lost his wife and was lonely and needed a purpose in his life. Long story made short, he was convinced to leave the Arizona sun for the Georgia sun. There he was made the honorary director of the museum, and he thrived at the job. The museum began to have all kinds of new attractions. And money flowed in. Fighter pilots associations and fighter ACE association meeting were held.



Now I say all that as a foundation and that was all second had to me because I came in after it was done. Oh the museum continued to grow while I was there adding new buildings and an outdoors amphitheater and other planes, but that does not matter to the story.



I was made the secretary/treasure of the R. L. Scott chapter and put out a news letter and other things. I had meant Gen Scott in passing a few times but we hosted heim to dinner for one of our meetings and that was when I got to know him better.



Because of the museum I was afforded the opportunity to meet and listen to meet and listen to LtGen Gunther Rall (Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Sword) (Luftwaffe (ret)), Lt Gen Vitali Popkov (Twice Hero of the Soviet Union) (Soviet AF (ret)), Col William (MoH) USAF 9ret)), and Squadron Leader William "Bill" Reid (VC) RAF. When in April of 1996 the USAF Air Command a Staff College held "Gather of Eagles" symposium. It was a wonderful night as men where a kindred spirit on both sides of the war talked amounts themselves and answered questions.



It was on another weekend that I was called by one of the museum staff that LtCol Robert S. Johnson was in the museum, so I grabbed my trusty book of "Air War" by Edward Jablonski and headed off.



I have even meant and received the autograph of BG Steve Ritiche, USAF only pilot ACE of Vietnam.



All these men were men of honor. And I was honored to meet them and get their autographs and spend time with them, but the man I am and always was most honored to know as a privet in the USAAF and got out as fast as he could. He was my Dad, Ervin K. Phillips.

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When he saw this photo, the only thing he could talk about what what a great guy his Crew chief was and how he missed him.

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