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"There weren't any scrambles all day and it was pretty dull." |
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"Another day, another dollar. I was on the pad today. We got up at 3:15 this morning in order to be out by 4:13, but while in the mess hall we got a call from Combat Ops saying that we were on 30 minute alert, so we were able to go back to the sack. There we stayed until about 8:30 when they called again saying that we had to taxi out. From then on it was just another day on the pad. There weren't any scrambles all day and it was pretty dull." Lt. Wm. Starr "Hartenbower on the pad, K-14, April '54" Webmaster note: In the journal entry below, dad made a reference to a similarly amusing scene that is best documented in this 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing "yearbook" photo of 2/Lt. Frank "Rags" Ragland:
"And another day on the pad is behind me. There was only one scramble and the 334th got it. It was the second longest day of the year and it was hot as the very devil. I had plenty of opportunity to use my parasol that I bought in Japan, and it was a life-saver. I guess it is a rather strange sight to the uninitiated to see a flight of nice shiny F-86s lined up, with each pilot slumped under a brightly colored Japanese parasol. I spent a good part of the day figuring out a rig to hold mine in any desired position so that I wouldn't have to be adjusting it all the time and using one hand to hold it." Lt. Wm. Starr |
