Ga. ANG Converts to Global Transport Mission

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard.

 

A KC-97, newly assigned to the Ga. Air National Guard's 116th Air Transport Wing, flies over Dobbins Air Force Base in 1961. The aircraft would
subsequently be converted to a C-97G and assigned to the 128th Air Transport Squadron. Georgia National Guard Archives. 

On April 1, 1961, the Ga. Air National Guard’s 116^th Air Defense Wing, based at Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Ga. was reorganized as the 116^th Air Transport Wing (Heavy).[1]

To prepare for the conversion, pilots of the 116^th began delivering their F-86L fighter jets to the California Air National Guard in February and March and started the training to transition to the double-deck multi-engine C-97. Flight crews and maintenance personnel completed training in May 1961 at Randolph, AFB, Texas and the 128^th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, redesignated the 128^th Air Transport Squadron received the first four C-97s in June.

U. S. Air Force photo showing the cargo capacity
of the C-97. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The initial allotment of C-97s were assigned from Strategic Air Command where they had been fitted as airborne refueling platforms and designated KC-97s. Within six months of receipt, technicians removed the refueling equipment and converted the aircraft to the C-97G model. The pressurized cargo aircraft could fly at an altitude of 35,000 feet while carrying 134 fully equipped troops for a maximum distance of 4,300 miles without refueling.[2]

Brigadier General Bernard Davey, commander of the 116^th Air Transport Wing, noted that the change in aircraft and mission would bring a change in training with crews performing multiple overseas flights.

Colonel Bernard M. Davey, Commander, 116th Fighter Bomber Wing,
arrived by jet at Travis Field, with other pilots of the Georgia
Air National Guard. Shown greeting Davey as he arrives
in his F-84 Thunder Jet, are Col. Joel B. Paris, commander
 of the 128th Fighter Bomber Squadron and future Adjutant
General of Georgia; and crew chief Sgt. Robert E. Denman. 

“We will depart from Charleston, AFB S.C., when making over-water flights over route structure assigned to us by the Eastern Transport Air Force, said Davey during a ceremony marking the assignment of the wing’s first C-97s. Davey went on to explain that these routes would include South America, Europe and the Middle East with some flights traveling 4,000 non-stop miles.

By the end of 1961, 31 pilots and 29 flight engineers had undergone home-station training on the C-97.[3] Subsequently, the Georgia Air National Guard announced that the Savannah-based 165^th Fighter Group would also convert to the heavy transport mission. The 165^th received its first C-97 in 1961[4] and was redesignated the 165^th MATS Heavy Transport on April 1, 1962.[5]

Among the first pilot crew members from Savannah to be checked out in the C-97 were Capt. Ben Patterson, right, and Capt. Kenneth R. Davis. Patterson
served as the commander of the Ga. Air National Guard from 1975 to 1977.

The Georgia Air National Guard flew the C-97 from 1961 to December 1966 when it was replaced by the C-124.

 

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[1] “First C-97 Stratofreighters Arrive for ANG.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, June 1961, 4.

[2] “Global Missions Set for Air Guard as Win Converts to Air Transport.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine. December 1960, 2.

[3] Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Georgia, 1961. (Atlanta: 1961)

[4] “165^th Gets First Stratofreighter.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, April 1962, 6.

[5] “Kuhn’s Fighter Gp in Historic Switch to Transport Role.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, January 1962, 1. 

Remembering the Ga. ANG Airmen of C-124 Globemaster 52-1049

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

A Georgia Air National Guard C-124 GLobemaster in flight. Georgia National Guard Archives

On Aug. 26, 1970, C-124 Globemaster 52-1049 of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 165th Military Airlift Group took off from McChord Air Force Base, Wash. bound for Cold Bay, Alaska with a cargo of satellite equipment. Ninety miles from the destination, aircraft commander Maj. William Goggans, of Savannah, and co-pilot 2nd Lt. Bobby Bowen, of Atlanta, made radio contact with ground control. When the aircraft missed its expected 10:00 pm landing time, the Alaska Air Command Rescue Coordination Center at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage initiated search and rescue operations. The search was immediately hampered by poor weather conditions and the vast 4,500 square mile search area that encompassed remote mountainous regions as well as open ocean. Eight aircraft from California, Hawaii and Japan contributed to the search effort while two Coast Guard vessels initiated sweeps of the Pacific Ocean.[1]

Cold Bay Alaska and vicinity. Photograph by C. F. Waythomas, courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory / U.S. Geological Service.

On Sunday, Aug 30, 1970, an Air Force C-130 discovered the wreckage of 52-1049 on the slope of 8,200-foot Mount Pavlof in the Aleutian Islands. The Globemaster had struck the mountain at more than 200 miles per hour scattering wreckage over a wide area 200 feet from the summit of the snow-swept peak.[2] Several attempts were made to reach the crash site, but the remains of the crew were never recovered. The tragedy marked the first loss of life for the Ga. ANG since it began flying air transport missions worldwide in 1961.[3]

 

Mount Pavlof, 36 miles northeast of the runway in Cold Bay, Alaska. Taken from the southwest, this image captures the point of impact of 52-4019. Photo by David Fee Courtesy of the Alaska Volcano Observatory / University of Alaska Fairbanks, Geophysical Institute.

The crew of the C-124 II Globemaster II 52-1049 were:

Major William Goggans of Savannah, aircraft commander

Second Lt. Bobby Bowen of Atlanta, co-pilot

Major Paul R. Jones, of Haines City, Fla., navigator

Tech Sgt. Charlton L. Cohen of Pooler, Ga., flight engineer

Master Sgt. Wesley E. Vaughan of Garden City, Ga., flight engineer

Master Sgt. Carl J. Worrell of Garden City, Ga., mechanic

Staff Sgt. Thomas Fogle of Aiken, S. C., loadmaster

Graphic depicting the flight path of 52-4019 in yellow with the Cold Bay Airfield destination and Mount Pavlof viewed from the flight elevation of 2,400 meters.
Google Earth illustration created by Maj. William Carraway

Georgia Air National Guard Chaplain Capt. Thomas E. Crawford conducted services for the fallen Airmen at the Calvary Baptist Temple in Savannah Sept. 5, 1970. Following the memorials, Maj. Gen. George Hearn, Adjutant General of Georgia, remembered the fallen Airmen in a message to the Ga. DoD.

Georgia's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. George Hearn addresses the media from Dobbins Air Force Base in 1970. Georgia National Guard Archives

"As we look ahead, we mourn those recently lost in the service of our state and nation," noted Hearn. "They were mighty good men. May their supreme sacrifice remind us of our heritage as volunteers in the service of our country and inspire us to meet the responsibilities of the uniform we so proudly wear."[4]

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[1] “Big Search Under Way for Lost Georgia Plane.” Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 29, 1970, 2.

[2] “C-124 Wreck Seen on Active Aleutian Volcano.” Atlanta Constitution, Sept. 1, 1970, 3.

[3] “Seven 165^th MAG Air Guardsmen Lost as Globemaster Crashes in Alaska.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, July/September 1970, 3.

[4] “The Adjutant General’s Message.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, July/September 1970, inside cover.

Final Flight of the 116th Fighter Wing

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

More than 300 Georgia National Guard Airmen, family and friends attended the ceremony marking the final flight of the F-15 Eagles Aug. 30, 1995.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Twenty-two years of Georgia Air National Guard history came to an end August 30, 1995 with the ceremonial final flight of four F-15 Eagles of the 116^th Fighter Wing. The flight heralded the end of the 116^th Fighter Wing and the beginning of its transition to a bomb wing.

“It’s tough, particularly for people who have been fighter pilots all their lives,” said Col. Bruce MacLane, commander of the 116^th.[1] MacLane, a 30-year veteran of the Air Force and Ga. Air National Guard, led the flight which took off from Dobbins Air Reserve Base just after 2:00 pm. Joining him on the mission were Lt. Col. Bob Doehling, Lt. Col Rich Zatorski and Maj. Tom Jordan.

Georgia Air National Guard Maj. Tom Jordan, Lt. Col. Bob Doehling and Lt. Col. Rich Zatorski before the symbolic last flight of the 116th Fighter Wing’s F-15
aircraft August 30, 1995. Atlanta Constitution photo by John Spink.

“It leaves a big empty feeling to see the Eagles go,” said Jordan reflecting on the flight. Jordan, like many pilots of the 116^th had flown the F-15 his entire career. The twin-tailed fighter interceptor was assigned to the 116^th in 1986 and was the fourth fighter jet in the wing’s history. MacLane, who joined the wing in 1973 was one of two pilots to have flown the F-100 Super Sabre, F-4 Phantom, F 105 Wild Weasel and the F-15[2]. From 1973 to 1995, the 116^th deployed four times as a fighter unit, participated in two William Tell fighter competitions and earned an unprecedented nine Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. The final award was conferred in part for the tactics the 116^th developed for employment of the Advanced Medium Range Air-To-Air Missile that were implemented across the Air Force by F-15 pilots.[3]

The Georgia Air National Guard’s 116th Tactical Fighter Wing receives the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award during a ceremony at Dobbins
Air Force Base May 21, 1977, its second since the 116th FW converted from a transport mission in 1973. Georgia National Guard Archives

The final flight represented more than just change of aircraft. With the transfer of the F-15s to the Florida Air National Guard, the 116^th would relocate from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, its home of 40 years, to Robins AFB, convert to the 116^th Bomb Wing and begin flying the B-1 Lancer. The change of mission and station was part of a larger force structure realignment by which the U.S. Air Force began transferring traditional active duty missions to the Guard and Reserve. Rumors had swirled for months before the May 1993 announcement heralded the conversion and move. In late 1993, the wing’s allotment of fighters was reduced from 24 to 18.[4] By 1996, the personnel strength of the 116^th had dropped from 1,250 to 1,100. Of 32 pilots assigned, only ten elected to relocate closer to Robins. For pilots such as Capt. Roger Griffith who had more than 800 hours in the F-15, the prospect of moving to had to be balanced against a full-time aviation career based out of Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport.[5]

A B-1 Lancer of the 116th Bomb Wing commanded by Col. Bob Doehling departs Dobbins Air Reserve Base in September 2001. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Chief Master Sgt. Don Barber, Command Chief of the Ga. Air National Guard, writing in April 1995, recognized the challenges facing the Ga. ANG and praised Georgia’s Citizen Airmen for their esprit de corps in the face of unprecedented force structure changes.

“While we all must support and meet the missions assigned to the Air National Guard, I can assure you that commanders are giving top priority to meeting the needs of our people as we plan for the future,” wrote Barber.[6]

The 116^th Bomb Wing would fly the B-1 for six years. On October 1, 2002, the 116th and active duty 93^rd Air Control Wing were reorganized as the 116^th Air Control Wing, the first such combined unit in the history of the Air Force.[7] As the largest wing Air Force with 2,700 assigned personnel, the 116^th ACW assumed the unique Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System mission.

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[1] Baldowski, Ken. “Fighter Era Ends For 116th, F-15 Eagles Fly Last Flight” Georgia Guardsman Magazine Spring 1996, 6.

[2] “116^th History Long, Colorful”. Georgia Guardsman Magazine, September 1993, 6.

[3] “116^th Receives Outstanding Air Force Unit Award.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Spring 1996, 3.

[4] “What About the 116^th?” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, September 1993, 4.

[5] “Reaction to the Plan.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Sept. 1993, 6.

[6] “Keeping up with Opportunity.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, April 1995, 2.

[7] Martz, Ron. “New Air Guard Mission” The Atlanta Journal Constitution. June 23, 2002, A5.

55 Years Ago: Ga. Guard Unit Takes to the Air to Demonstrate Alert Mobility and Joint Capability

By Maj. William Carraway
Historian, Ga. Army National Guard

DOBBINS AIR FORCE BASE, December 20, 1964 – Members of Rome’s Company A, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment prepare to board a Ga. Air National Guard C-97 Stratofreighter of the 116th Air Transport Wing as part of a rapid assembly and mobilization drill. The Guardsmen reported to the Rome Armory at 6:00 and were transported to Dobbins by 9:30. For some of the men, it was their first time in an airplane. After flying a circuit throw North Alabama and Tennessee, the C-97 returned to Dobbins and the Rome Soldiers returned to their armory. Georgia Guard Archives

When the Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of the Rome-based Company A, 2^nd Medium Tank Battalion, 108^th Armor Regiment reported for duty Sunday Dec. 20, 1964, they received a surprise mission order. The Soldiers were briefed of a simulated emergency situation that required rapid deployment by air to assist Georgia citizens. The Soldiers hurriedly drew their weapons, assembled in formation and were loaded onto trucks for transport to Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Ga.

By 9:30 a.m., the Soldiers were transporting south in columns of trucks. Huddled together in the back of the 2 ½ ton trucks, the Soldiers endured the chill December air as the trucks rumbled south over surface roads bound for the Marietta headquarters of the Georgia Air National Guard. Arriving at Dobbins, the men received a boxed lunch from the unit’s mess section and were directed to the flight line to board a waiting C-97 Stratofreighter of the 116^th Transport Wing. For many of the Soldiers strapping themselves into the seats in the cargo hold of the transport plane, this would be their first flight. As the men peered from tiny windows dotting the aircraft’s fuselage, the four engines roared to life and propelled the lumbering aircraft to the runway. Taking to the air, the plane flew north to simulate transportation to an impacted town. The men passed the time playing cards and viewing the North Georgia terrain from an entirely new perspective.

DOBBINS AIR FORCE BASE, December 20, 1964 – Members of Rome’s Company A, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment catch a ride on a Georgia Air National Guard C-97 Stratofreighter of the 116th Air Transport Wing as part of a rapid assembly and mobilization drill. Georgia Guard Archives

The Stratofreighter flew the Rome Guardsmen on a loop over North Georgia to Gadsden, Ala. And Chattanooga, Tenn. to demonstrate the rapid reach capability in the event of a local emergency. Before returning, the Air National Guardsmen circled the aircraft over Rome to afford the Guardsmen a birds-eye view of their hometown. The Aircraft then bore them back to Dobbins where the men boarded their trucks for the return drive home.

Captain John. Yarborough, commander of Company A, considered the mobility

DOBBINS AIR FORCE BASE, December 20, 1964 –
Members of Rome’s Company A, 2nd Medium Tank Battalion,
108th Armor Regiment pass the time during a flight aboard a Ga.
Air National Guard C-97 Stratofreighter of the 116th Air
Transport Wing as part of a rapid assembly and mobilization drill.
Georgia Guard Archives.

exercise a complete success lauding the cooperation between the Georgia Air National Guard personnel and the Georgia Army National Guard Unit. Yarborough also praised the Soldiers for their response.
“The alert was 100 percent,” said Yarborough. “The assembly order went out at 6:00, and by 8:00, 85 percent of the unit’s officers and men were present.”

The unit left the armory at full-strength at 9:30 a.m., less than four hours after the initial notice. This is all the more remarkable when one considers that the alert did not have modern communications capabilities afforded by internet or cell phones. The alert required total commitment of the unit and the Rome community to communicate the assembly order and assemble the entire unit in short order. The exercise demonstrated not only the partnership between the Georgia Air and Army National Guard but the synergy between the Soldier and community.

Fifty-five years later, Rome Georgia is home to the Georgia National Guard’s 1160^th Transportation Company. In 2019, the 1160^th completed a mobility test of its own when its nearly 200 Soldiers completed back-to-back rotations at the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.

Legacy of MOH Recipients Honored at Newnan Armory

by Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Medal of Honor recipient Col. Joe Jackson accepts a saber from 1st. Lt. Wendall McMillanas a gift from his unit, Troop E, 348th Cavalry during the dedication
of the Jackson-Pless Armory in Newnan, Ga. April 22, 1978. Georgia Guard Archives

As the Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment attend weekend drill in Newnan, Ga., they pass through the doors of the Jackson-Pless Armory, which honors the memory of two Medal of Honor recipients.

Colonel Joe Jackson and the family of Maj. Stephen Pless attend
the unveiling of the citation dedicating the Georgia Army National
Guard Armory in Newnan, Ga. in honor of the two Medal of Honor
recipients April 22, 1978.Georgia Guard Archives. 

On April 22, 1978 the Newnan Armory was dedicated in honor of Air Force Col. Joe Jackson and U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Stephen W. Pless, both former residents of Newnan. Colonel Jackson was in attendance as was the family of Maj. Pless for the official dedication by Georgia Governor John Busbee.

As the Governor spoke, four F-100 Super Sabre jet fighters of the Ga. Air National Guard streaked in the skies overhead. Joining in the aerial honors was a UH-1 helicopter of the Ga. ARNG.

“To place their names on this armory for all posterity to observe is a fitting tribute to these heroes,” said Governor Busbee during his dedication address. Busbee also noted the significance of the occasion because, at the time, only 23 Georgians had been honored with the nation’s highest award for valor.

Jackson and Pless, both pilots, were on their second tour of duty when they earned the Medal of Honor for life saving actions while surrounded by enemy forces in Vietnam. Colonel Jackson, the pilot of a C-123 aircraft was cited for making a daring rescue of three airmen at Kham Duc, South Vietnam on May 12, 1969. Major Pless, who died in a traffic accident July 20, 1969, was cited for landing a helicopter in the midst of Viet Cong forces and rescuing four American Soldiers stranded on a beach near Quang Ngai, South Vietnam on Aug. 9, 1967.

Mrs. William Smith, former wife of Maj. Pless is presented a gift 

from Col. James O. Hardin, Jr.,  (Ret.) on behalf of the United 

States Marine Corps Reserve during the dedication of the 

Jackson-Pless Armory in Newnan, Ga. April 22, 1978.  

Georgia Guard Archives

In addition to the armory dedication Jackson and Pless were honored with the presentation of ceremonial sabers by 1st Lt. Wendall McMillan representing Troop E, 348th Cavalry, 48th Infantry Brigade which occupied the Armory.[i]

Colonel Joe Jackson died Jan. 12, 2019 at his home in Washington. Company B, 2-121, is currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of its fourth combat deployment since September 11, 2011.

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[i] "Newnan Armory Named for Two Medal of Honor Recipients.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, April-June 1978, 2.