Hurricane Response Lessons from the Past: Hurricane Dora, September 1964

By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Base Operations at Travis Field, Savannah, Ga. Nearly 70 families sought shelter from Hurricane Dora at the 165th Air Transport Group Headquarters
at Travis Field in 1964. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Introduction:

On September 10, 1964, Hurricane Dora made landfall just north of St. Augustine Florida drenching South Georgia with rain. The Georgia National Guard response to Hurricane Dora in 1964 provides insight into how the Ga. Department of Defense approaches hurricane response operations in the 21^st Century. While the Ga. DoD of today has the advantages of satellite coverage, internet and cellular phone communications, a review of the actions in 1964 demonstrate that many of the key response tasks of the Ga. National Guard have not materially changed since 1964. During recent hurricane responses such as Irma, Matthew and Michael, Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen have deployed on debris clearances missions, staffed points of distribution, retrograded aviation assets and provided power generation capabilities to civil authorities as they did in the wake of Hurricane Dora in 1964. While technology may have changed, the fundamental role of leadership and mission command in domestic response operations has not.

Dora’s Approach

On September 1, 1964, reconnaissance aircraft investigating a tropical depression in the Caribbean discovered a growing tropical storm. The next day, the storm reached hurricane strength and was designated Hurricane Dora.[1]

The Civil Defense Division Situation Board at the Ga. DoD Headquarters, Atlanta. Georgia Guard Archives.

The Civil Defense Division, forerunner of GEMA

Meanwhile, at the Georgia National Guard Headquarters in Atlanta, Maj. Gen George Hearn, Georgia’s Adjutant General monitored the storm's approach and discussed courses of action with his civil defense directors. In 1964, the Ga. DoD was comprised of two divisions – the military division with the Ga. Army and Air National Guard, and a civil defense division. The Georgia Civil Defense Division was established through the Civil Defense Act of 1951 with the primary responsibility of preparing for the possibility of nuclear attack. Gradually, the role of the state civil defense divisions broadened to include other domestic emergencies, notably, hurricane response. In November 1978, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was established through the merger of several federal agencies that had a roll in emergency response. Accordingly, On July 1, 1981, Georgia’s Defense Division was redesignated the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.[2]

The Georgia DoD Response

As the days ticked away through the first week of September and impact to Savannah appeared increasingly likely, Hearn ordered the 165^th Air Transport Group to begin assisting civil authorities with evacuation of hospital patients and long term care facilities in the Chatham County area. On September 8, the 165^th ATG began transporting patients with Air National Guard jeeps and buses. The same day, the 165^th ATG dispatched its inventory of C-97 Stratofreighters to Nashville to wait out the approaching hurricane.

Colonel Bill Kelly, Base Detachment Commander, Travis Air Field (second from left) with C-97 Stratofreighter. 

By September 9, Hearn had directed Col. Bill Kelly, base detachment commander at Travis to be prepared to set up field kitchens to provide food services following Hurricane impact. Kelly also dispatched Ga. ANG generators to vital infrastructure locations including police, fire and medical facilities. Nearly 70 families of service members living at Travis Field were housed at the headquarters of the 165^th ATG. Among those seeking shelter were three expecting mothers.

1964 Tracking map of Hurricane Dora. National Oceananic and Atmospheric Administration.

The next day, Dora had reached Category 2 strength while its track had leveled westward sparing Travis Field a direct impact.[3] Just after midnight September 10, the eye of Hurricane Dora made landfall just north of St. Augustine Florida, approximately 120 miles south of Brunswick. That day, nearly 80 Soldiers of the Brunswick-based 3rd Battalion 118th Field Artillery were activated by Georgia’s Governor to assist city and county police in navigating debris-strewn roads. Brunswick’s streets were flooded to a depth of three feet while trees and powerlines were down throughout the region.[4] Guardsmen throughout the impact area were also stationed at businesses to prevent looting. Meanwhile, the Ga. Air National Guard’s 224th Mobile Communications Squadron on St. Simons Island dispatched emergency power generators to Brunswick and St. Marys, Ga.  

Airmen of the St. Simon's Island-based 224th Radio Relay Squadron prepare to set up an antenna during a unit training assembly in April 1957. They are,
left to right: Airmen Peyton M. Harrison, Harris T. Mincher, William H. Reynolds, Hershel C. Buchan and Johhny M. Mullins. The 224th was redesignated
the 224th Mobile Communications Squadron March 16, 1961 and provided emergency back up power generators during the response to Hurricane Dora
in 1964. Georgia National Guard Archives.

After tracking westward and downgrading to a tropical storm, Dora tracked north at the Georgia, Alabama border and began a northeasterly transit of Georgia passing between Savannah and Augusta and dropping from five to ten inches of rain across southeast Georgia.[5] Dora dissipated over the Atlantic but not before causing upwards of 250 million dollars in damage in Florida and Georgia.[6]

Maj. Gen. George Hearn

Aftermath

Governor Carl Sanders, speaking to the National Guard Association of Georgia annual convention Sept. 12, 1964 in Augusta praised the work of the Georgia National Guard and its adjutant general.

"It is fitting," said Sanders "that I take this opportune moment to extend the gratitude of all Georgians to our most capable Adjutant General, George J. Hearn, who sprang immediately into action at the first sign of this recent crisis to provide the guidance and to exercise unified control over the civil defense activities within our State. This essential coordination and clear-thinking once again turned a time of crisis into a time of victory.”[7]

 

 

[1] “Hurricane Dora Calmed by Georgia Guardsmen.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine. September 1964, 12.

[2] “Civil Defense Changes Name to GEMA.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, March/April 1981, 16.

[3] “Hurricane Dora - September 7-15, 1964.” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/dora1964.html

[4] Horace S. Carter. Preliminary Report on Hurricane Dora. United States Weather Bureau (Report). Athens, Georgia. Sept. 11, 1964, 1.

[5] David Roth. Dora 194 Rainfall. Weather Prediction Center, Camp Springs, Maryland - WPC tropical cyclone rainfall data, Public Domain.

[6] Dunn, Gordon E; Staff (March 1, 1965). "The hurricane season of 1964" (PDF). Monthly Weather Review. 93 (3): 177. Bibcode:1965MWRv...93..175D. doi:10.1175/1520-0493-93.3.175

[7] “NG Association Installs Rhodes, Names McKenna President Elect. Georgia Guardsman Magazine, September/October 1964, 6.

Georgia Army National Guard Commanding General promoted to Major General

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp pinned the two-star rank of major general to the uniform of Randall Simmons, commander of the Georgia Army National Guard during a ceremony at the state capitol September 9, 2020. Major General Simmons’ promotion was directed by order of the Secretary of the Army in August.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp administers the oath of office to Maj. Gen. Randall Simmons during a promotion ceremony at the Ga. state capitol
Sept. 9, 2020. Photo by Capt. Fred Dablemont.

“I'd like to thank Governor Brian Kemp for hosting today's promotion ceremony,” said Simmons. “I could not be more humbled to serve on this team during such a historic period in our country's history I am honored to serve alongside the best Soldiers, Airmen, state and federal civilians, and a host of interagency partners every day. Your efforts make our state and nation safe with your service here at home and abroad.”

Simmons expressed gratitude to God and thanked service members, civilian supporters and friends who have mentored him over the years. He acknowledged Maj. Gen. Joe Jarrard, former commander of the Ga. ARNG and Adjutant General of Georgia; Maj. Gen. John King, former director of the joint staff of the Ga. DoD and Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, Georgia’s Adjutant General. Carden, who attended the ceremony, congratulated Simmons.

“Randall is an amazing leader and a lifelong friend,” said Carden. We are proud of him and his family. It is a great day for the Georgia National Guard.”

Simmons has served as the commanding general of the Ga. ARNG since September 2017. Since April 2020, Simmons has concurrently served as commander of Joint Task Force Georgia, the Georgia Department of Defense coronavirus response mission.

Simmons enlisted in the Georgia Army National Guard in 1989 as a forward observer. In 1992 he was commissioned a second lieutenant by the Georgia Military Institute. Assigned to the Savannah-based 1^st Battalion 118^th Field Artillery Regiment, Simmons served in positions of increasing responsibility to include command of Battery A, 118^th FA in Springfield, Ga. He deployed to Iraq as the executive officer of the 1-118^th FA from 2005 to 2006. From 2009 to 2010, Simmons deployed to Afghanistan as commander of the 1^st Squadron, 108^th Cavalry Regiment.

Upon his return from Afghanistan, Simmons served with the Macon-based 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team as executive officer and deputy commander until January 2012 when he assumed duties as the personnel officer for the Georgia Army National Guard.

Brig. Gen. Randall Simmons directs the placement of units in support of civil authorities charged with enforcing the mayor’s curfew in Atlanta
June 3, 2020. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

In December 2012, Simmons was appointed to serve as the 16^th commander of the 48^th IBCT. Simmons led the 48^th IBCT through a successful Afghanistan Deployment in 2014. The following year, Simmons was appointed to serve as Chief of Staff for the Ga. Army National Guard until his September 28, 2017 appointment as commander, Ga. ARNG. Simmons is the only Ga. ARNG commander to have served in combat at the battalion and brigade level of command.

In his closing remarks, following the promotion ceremony, Simmons thanked his family for their unwavering support and remarked on the meaning of the ceremony.

“If this promotion does nothing else, I hope it inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more; in this organization anything is possible,” said Simmons. “Thank you all for your continued support and well wishes.”

Eight Decades of Coordinated Domestic Response Operations: The Ga. DoD and GSP

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

A mosaic of images representing Ga. DOD and GSP collaborations from 1958 to 2020. Georgia National Guard Archives. Photo mosaic by Maj. William Carraway

Over Labor Day weekend, Citizen Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard worked with members of the Georgia State Patrol in Atlanta to ensure public safety following instances of civil unrest. The Ga. National Guard has a long tradition of partnering with the GSP and other state and local responders in times of emergency.

Operation Deathless

In August 1958, Georgia’s Governor Marvin Griffin, a former Adjutant General of Georgia, pondered grim traffic statistics provided by the Ga. Department of Public Safety. The previous year, the GSP responded to 281 accidents resulting in 117 injuries and seven deaths over Labor Day weekend.[1] Despite more than 450 public safety officers from the GSP and Georgia Bureau of Investigations ramping up enforcement and patrols, the GSP estimated that 14 Georgians would die in traffic accidents from August 29 to September. 1, 1958. Not content to simply stand by and wait for the statistics to become reality, Griffin turned to the Georgia National Guard.

After consulting with the governor, Maj. Gen. Charlie Camp, Georgia’s Adjutant General, ordered more than 600 Guardsmen to state active duty over the Labor Day weekend for an unprecedented mission of public safety.[2] The Guardsmen, representing more than 30 units from across the state, took to the roads and skies in partnership with GSP to spread a message of traffic safety and to prevent traffic accidents and deaths associated with increased holiday traffic.

“I’m supposed to use the National Guard only in times of emergency,” said Griffin in a statement announcing Operation Deathless.” Well, when it is estimated that 14 people will be killed in Georgia in one weekend, I think a real emergency exists and I want to save those 14 lives.”[3]

Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Georgia State Patrol speak to motorists during Operation Deathless. Georgia National Guard Archives.

On the ground, more than 100 National Guard jeeps, prominently adorned with the 12 by 18-inch Operation Deathless sign with skull and crossbones logos were positioned to deter aggressive driving and assist motorists. Guardsmen in radio-equipped jeeps maintained roadblocks and observation points at key intersections and highways. Though Guardsmen had no arresting authority they provided backup at GSP checkpoints, helped detain intoxicated drivers and stopped cars with defective headlights. The Guardsmen also rendered aid to stranded motorists with flat tires, stalled vehicles and other minor problems. 

Operating 24 hours a day, the Guardsmen worked with state and local law enforcement officials to spread the word about highway safety and to respond to those in need. In addition to the robust ground effort, 20 Ga. National Guard helicopter and fixed wing aircraft took to the air to advise GSP of reckless drivers. As a result of their combined efforts, traffic fatalities fell well below the predicted level of 14 with eight lives lost over the long travel weekend.

Patriot Winter

When a rare winter storm descended upon north Georgia January 9, 2011, the combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain covered roads and interstates from Atlanta to Chattanooga with ice. Again, Georgia’s Governor turned to the Ga. DoD and GSP.

“Soldiers and Airmen of the Georgia National Guard stand ready to do our part to help local communities recover,” said Maj. Gen. William Nesbitt, Georgia’s Adjutant General.[4]

Specialist Joshua Lee Cloer with Calhoun’s Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1-108th Cavalry reviews a map at GSP Patrol Post 43 Jan 11, 2011 as Georgia State Patrol Corporal Shan Burnette explains the route upon which they are about to patrol.  Georgia National Guard Archives.

At the request of the GSP, Georgia National Guard units transported hospital staff to Grady Memorial Hospital and other medical centers throughout north Georgia. reconnaissance flights by the Marietta-based 78^th Aviation Troop Command helped the Ga. Department of Transportation assess the storm impact while GSP officers, travelling with National Guard High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles assisted stranded motorists and cleared roads for civilian emergency vehicles. In Calhoun, the 1^st Squadron, 108^th Cavalry Regiment deployed Soldiers and vehicles to assist GSP in reaching areas inaccessible to patrol vehicles.

2014 Winter Storms[5]

Two winter storms struck Georgia between January 28 and February 10, 2014. The first of these storms struck Atlanta with freezing rain paralyzing traffic and stranding motorists. More than 200 Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers were activated in response to Governor Nathan Deal’s emergency declaration. The Guardsmen mobilized more than 50 response vehicles to assist the GSP and other local responders in rescuing stranded motorists. Nearly 5,000 motorists were assisted in the early hours of January 29 alone.

Terry Ball, Deputy Director of Programs with GEMA (rear left), and Georgia Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class David Akins, with the Marietta-based 201st Regional Support Group, speak with emergency responders at the West Lake Marta Station to coordinate support for Georgia residents needing assistance retrieving their abandoned vehicles Jan. 30, 2014. Georgia Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Uribe.Add caption

A heavy snow event impacted Georgia with snow and ice accumulation from the Tennessee border to Augusta February 12. More than 1,000 Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen were activated to assist the GSP and Ga. DOT with road clearing operations while volunteers of the Ga. State Defense Force augmented response operations at GEMA.

Major Nicholas Anthony, Bravo Flight commander, 165th Air Support Operations Squadron, speaks with a Georgia State Patrol officer at the scene of recovery of a vehicle that slid off the road along Interstate 20 near Augusta Feb. 12, 2014. Georgia Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Michael Uribe.

“Our Georgia Guardsmen have been trained to respond to (winter storms),” said Brig. Gen. Joe Jarrard, commanding general of the Ga. ARNG. “Guardsmen want to help their fellow citizens during state emergencies and are well prepared to do so.

Civil Defense Operations

On the afternoon of May 29, 2020, thousands gathered in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta for a peaceful observance of the life of George Floyd and to demand justice for his death. Despite the peaceful intent of the demonstration, violence broke out as the evening wore on. Live footage of burning police cars and shattered windows at the CNN center shocked Atlanta and world residents alike. Peaceful demonstrations swiftly gave way to coverage of widespread looting from the College Football Hall of Fame to Lenox Mall.

Six minutes before the stroke of midnight, Governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Fulton County and activating 500 Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen. By 3:00 a.m. the next morning, more than 60 Ga. ARNG Soldiers of the 265^th Chemical Battalion were in position guarding property adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. Arrayed along Marietta Street NW From Baker Street to the CNN Center, the thin line of Citizen Soldiers stood as a bulwark against further property damage. Meanwhile, Soldiers of the Decatur-based 170^th Military Police Battalion rushed to Lenox Mall to deter further looting.[6] Just hours before, the Soldiers of the 265^th and 170^th had been engaged in COVID-19 response operations disinfecting long term care facilities and supporting Ga. Department of Health testing sites around Atlanta.

A GSP officer briefs Georgia Army National Guard Soldiers of the 265th Chemical Battalion in the early hours of May 30, 2020 as they prepare to assist in civil defense operations in Atlanta. Georgia Army National Guard Photo by Capt. Ryan Schwartz.

 Standing among the early responders to Centennial Olympic Park were Maj. Gen. Tom Carden, Georgia’s Adjutant General and Brig. Gen. Randall Simmons, commander of the Ga. ARNG. In the pre-dawn darkness, the senior leaders conferred at the intersection of Marietta Street and Centennial Olympic Park Avenue and conceived of the initial troop movements to assist the GSP in providing for public safety and preventing escalating violence and property damage.

The Georgia National Guard prepares to move in support of Atlanta Police and the Georgia State Patrol to enforce the mayor’s curfew June 1, 2020. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

For the first week in June, Soldiers and Airmen of the Ga. National Guard supported the efforts of the GSP in ensuring a peaceful environment for Georgia’s citizens to exercise their constitutional rights of speech and assembly. The GSP and Atlanta Police Department were also charged with enforcing the curfew imposed by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. To support this mission, the Ga. DOD dispatched Citizen Soldiers of the 48^th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and 201^st Regional Support Group to supplement GSP and APD security. Georgia Air National Guard Airmen of the 165th Security Forces Squadron also deployed in support of civilian law enforcement officers at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic with medics from the 116^th Air Control Wing and 165^th Airlift Wing. As a result of the strong coordinated response, Atlanta did not witness a repeat of the violence and property damage observed May 29 and Ga. DoD support operations concluded June 8.[7]

The morning of July 5 saw a return of violence as vandals struck properties across Atlanta including the GSP Headquarters. In response, Governor Brian Kemp issued an executive order authorizing the activation of up to 1,000 Georgia Guardsmen. Briefing senior leaders of the Ga. DoD, Carden addressed the gravity of the situation.

Major General Tom Carden, Georgia's Adjutant General briefs senior leaders of the Georgia Department of Defense July 5, 2020 after Georgia Governor Brian Kemp authorized the activation of 1,000 Georgia National Guard Soldiers and Airmen following violence in Atlanta. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

“We do a much better job protecting the American people than we do policing the American people,” said Carden. “This is not a job we relish doing, but when the situation like we saw over the weekend dictates our assistance, we will do it and be professionals while we do it.”[8]

The GSP and Ga. DOD provide security at multiple sites across Atlanta May 30 to September 7, 2020. Photo by Maj. William Carraway

From July 6 through Labor Day weekend, Ga. ARNG Soldiers supplemented GSP personnel, secured public property throughout Atlanta and responded to demonstrations to prevent violence. While Labor Day weekend operations have ended, the Ga. DoD remains on duty performing missions in support of COVID-19 response efforts, civil defense and deploying personnel in support of overseas combat operations. 

 

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[1] “Georgia’s Holiday Road Toll Is Held to 7 Deaths.” The Atlanta Constitution, Sept. 3, 1957, 1.

[2] "State Starts Road Safety Push Today.” The Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 29, 1958, 17.

[3] Operation Deathless Holds Ga. Fatalities to 8 as Guard Patrols Hwys. Labor Day." Georgia Guardsman Magazine, September/October 1958,8-9.

[4] “Patriot Winter 2011: National Guard Helps Georgia Communities Weather Snowstorm”. Georgia Guardsman Magazine, January 2011, 3.

[5] “Georgia Guard Responds to Leon and Pax Snowstorms.” Georgia Guardsman Magazine, February 2014, 15.

[6] June 9, 2020 interview with Capt. Ryan Schwartz, 265^th Chemical Battalion, by Maj. William Carraway

[7] Team Update Brief, June 8, 2020. 

[8] Command and Staff Meeting, Ga. DoD July 6, 2020. 

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.

Sept. 3, 1950: Training Accident Claims the Lives of Two Ga. ANG Pilots

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

F-84 Thunderjets of the Georgia Air National Guard fly in formation in 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Two Georgia Air National Guard Pilots of the Marietta-based 128^th Fighter Squadron were killed Sunday Sept. 3, 1950 when their F-84 Thunderjet fighters collided in the skies over Dobbins Air Force Base. Killed were 1^st Lt. Kenneth M. Goodrum, 26, and 1^st Lt. Tom Martin, 25, both of Griffin, Ga.[1] The pilots were conducting flight training in anticipation of possible Korean War mobilization when their aircraft collided at more than 500 miles per hour at an elevation of 20,000 feet. Both men were thrown clear of the wreckage. Goodrum managed to deploy his parachute but did not survive.[2]

 

Martin was born Nov. 5, 1924 in Griffin, Ga. He enlisted in the U.S. Army December 15, 1942, completed pilot training and was assigned to the 358^th Fighter Group.[3] The 358th provided fighter escort to bombing missions over Germany first with the P-47 Thunderbolt and later the P-51 Mustang.[4]

 

Born June 29, 1924, Goodrum entered Army service June 19, 1943 and served as a flight officer in World War II.[5] Joining the Ga. ANG after the war, Goodrum, served as aide de camp and pilot for Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Adjutant General of Georgia and frequently flew the general and Governor Herman Talmadge on official visits throughout the state. During the 1949 annual training at Camp Stewart, Goodrum, flying a B-26 Bomber, towed aerial targets for the 90 mm gun crews of the 108^th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade to conduct target practice.[6]

 

Gravestones of 1st Lt. Kenneth Goodrum and 1st Lt. Tom Martin, Oak Hill Cemetery, Griffin, Ga. Photos by Rebekah Duncan.

The pilots were remembered during a solemn ceremony in Griffin September 5. Both Governor Talmadge and Gen. Vandiver served as pallbearers. Martin and Goodrum were interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Griffin, Ga.[7]

 

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[1] “Two Air Guard Jet Pilots Meet Death Above Dobbins.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, Sept/Oct 1950, 7.

[2] “2 Georgians Killed in Collision of Jets.” The Atlanta Constitution, Sept. 4, 1950, 1.

[3] Headstone Application for Tom A. Martin. Ancestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[4] History: 358th Fighter Group. https://www.trailblazersww2.org/history_358thFG.htm

[5] Headstone Application for Kenneth M. GoodrumAncestry.com. U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925-1963 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

[6] “Anti-Aircraft Field Training Big Success.” The Georgia Guardsman Magazine, August 1949, 7.

[7] “Griffin Rites Today for Guard Pilots” The Atlanta Constitution, Sept 5, 1950, 23.