Officer Candidate School Class 57C June 2001 Newsletter

President-Jack Fox Vice President-Gil Whiteman Treasurer-Phil Meek Secretary-Dave Harvey

JACK’S CORNER:
Isn't it amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun? In June our 2002 reunion will be just 10 short months away. Your planning committee is hard at work to make this event even more memorable than our first reunion in Laughlin last year. An invitation letter is included in this newsletter and should provide a fair estimate of what's in store for 2002. We hope to improve in some areas and avoid cramming in more than can be absorbed in four days. But our primary goal is staying in close contact since it has become obvious over the past two years that just being together is what makes a reunion successful and keeps our organization vital. Our mini-gathering and planning meeting in Las Vegas last month supports this contention and Gil and Jeannie Whiteman's laid-back weekend next month promises to be another memorable gathering. So mark your calendars, register with Dennis Goudy and book room accommodations early. Hoping for a large turnout next April. Jack

Following is a long-awaited letter received by Sheri Hofer, daughter of our Second Squadron classmate, Jerry Chambers, who was killed in Vietnam while on a "Blind Bat" mission in 1968. We're most fortunate to have a military establishment willing to investigate circumstances of those killed or missing in action some 33 years after the incident, thereby relieving some of the anguish and uncertainty of next-of-kin. Our thanks to Sheri for sharing the investigative data. Her letter was sent on 13 March 2001.

Jack,
Since I first received a telephone call from your group about a year and a half ago trying to track down all the members of your OCS class I have heard from a number of individuals who knew my father Jerry Chambers and some who even had contact with him while he was stationed in Thailand. I think you folks have a more extensive e-mail network than you think. I have enjoyed the emails and welcomed the opportunity to talk with a couple of gentlemen who were able to explain to me what a "Blind Bat" mission was and why these missions were flown. I received a particularly emotional call from the Officer who had packed my fathers belongings to send home and said he had never forgotten him because of a letter that I had written that was still sitting on dads desk. In the typical blunt style of a twelve year old I had ended the letter by telling dad I wanted him to hurry up and come home.
I think it is fitting that the culmination of this emotional year has brought the news from the Air Force that after thirty three years they believe they have located the suspected crash site in Quang Tri Province of Vietnam. Apparently, the North Vietnamese kept records of aircraft they had shot down and as part of the on-going investigation of the Joint Task Force they spoke with two of the Officers who remember shooting down what they thought was a C-130A aircraft. The Officers had never gone to the site but had noted the approximate coordinates. The Task Force subsequently found a villager near those coordinates who had come across a wreckage in the early 70's and had subsequently scavenged the site on three occasions. He took the Task force to the location where they recovered several propeller blades, two upper leather portions from flight boots, one piece of oxygen hose, one piece of flight helmet shell, numerous pieces of life preservers, numerous pieces of parachute, two, three blade, propeller housings, a red engine inlet shield , a landing gear strut, and a small bone fragment. The site was on a hillside with a creek running through it and the Task Force suspected that there was much more to be recovered but they would need to come back when they could damn the stream and had better equipment for the conditions.
Subsequent analysis has confirmed that the items found were consistent with the parts used on C-130A aircraft and that at least two crew members were in the aircraft at impact. The Task Force will be going back at a future date but seems certain that this was the aircraft dad was on.
I believe that things happen for a reason and after all of these years to hear from so many folks who remembered dad it just seems fitting to have finally come hopefully to some resolution.
Keep me on your mailing list and I hope you all have another wonderful reunion!
Sincerely,
Sheri Hofer

2002 REUNION INVITATION:
The OCS 57-C Reunion Committee met in Las Vegas 1-4 April 2001, launching plans for a reunion to be held at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada Sunday-Thursday, 7-11 April 2002. All members, spouses and guests of OCS classes 57-B, 57-C and 57-D are invited to attend this important event, sanctioned by vote at our April 2000 reunion in Laughlin, Nevada.
Committee members are: Dennis Goudy, registration; Milt Jones, golf; Frank Walls, Gold Coast liaison; Dave Harvey, memoriam display/secretary; Phil Meek, finance; Bob Sims, photography; Gil Whiteman, banquet MC and Nellis tour and Jack Fox, chairman. Our first planning meeting coincided with a small gathering of 57-C members, wives and guests and provided a preview of what to expect next year. Las Vegas and the Gold Coast were selected as the locale and hotel primarily because of the proximity to the majority of the committee volunteers, outstanding facilities at reasonable cost and pleasant April climate.
The main hotel and casino, located at 4000 West Flamingo Road, was built in 1986. Major renovations followed and some are still in work, bringing the complex to 750 rooms, 72 bowling lanes, five restaurants, two live show lounges, complimentary fitness center, RV parking, 700 seat bingo parlor, heated outdoor pool, banquet facilities, large dance hall and free shuttle to the strip, less than a mile east on Flamingo Road. Rooms are average size, newly carpeted and tastefully decorated - an excellent value for under $50.00. The hotel is ideally located and provides a quieter, more relaxed atmosphere than the congested strip. Covered, open and valet parking is provided.

ENTERTAINMENT AND REUNION ACTIVITIES:
Most are familiar with the wide range of activities available in Las Vegas and our scheduled events will allow ample time for personal entertainment choices. The registration fee is $55.00 per person and covers a banquet dinner Wednesday evening, 10 April, plus a floor show earlier in the week. A two-room hospitality suite with cash bar will be provided also. Other planned events are a tour of the Air Force Thunderbirds Museum (not firm) at Nellis AFB, a golf outing at the Nellis course, class meetings and a photo session. While not mandatory, we encourage all to attend these events. The Las Vegas Visitor's and Convention Bureau furnishes official guides free of charge. Write to the bureau at 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109. Check their web site at: WWW.vegasfreedom.com for updated information. A copy of the guide can be obtained by phone: (702) 892-0711 (no toll-free line). Current entertainment listings, maps, etc. will be provided at reunion check-in also.

ROOM RESERVATION PROCEDURE:
Registrants are responsible for room bookings and can secure reservations with a credit card. Cancellations are allowed up to 48 hours prior to booking date without charge and your card account will not be billed until check-out. Reservations can be made toll free anytime: (888) 402-6278. You must specifically ask for AF OCS 1957 Reunion 2002 to get the discounted rate of $45.00, plus 9% tax - $49.05 total for two persons. Add $5.00 for each additional guest. The cut-off date for the discount rate is 5 March 2002. We will not receive discounts for weekend bookings which usually are double weekday rates. Check-in time is 4:00 PM - guests will be housed earlier if rooms are available. The bell desk will store luggage until check-in time for early arrivals. Check-out time is 12:00 noon - the hotel also will store luggage for those checking out at noon but departing the hotel at a later hour. Reunion check-in will begin in the hospitality room at 3:00 Sunday. The hotel check-in desk will provide directions. Frank Walls, a nearby Henderson resident, is your contact for emergencies or problems in the Las Vegas area. Phone: (702) 616-3972. Email: frankwalls@aol.com

WHAT TO WEAR:
Las Vegas is dry and sunny during early April with daytime temperatures typically in the seventies with humidity under 10 percent. Expect nights to be in the fifties - a sweater or light jacket will suffice. Attire for the week will be casual - coat and tie are not required for the banquet, however, we expect all in attendance to reflect our customary high dress standards.

TRANSPORTATION:
McCarran International Airport is five miles from the Gold Coast. Cab fare is $12-$16 for up to four persons. A less convenient shuttle is available for $6.00 per person. A rental car is not required for reunion activities and a free shuttle loops to the strip on a twenty minute schedule. Transportation for Nellis events will be provided by bus or ride sharing. An information bulletin board will be located in the hospitality suite, open at 10:00 AM daily, for information on ride sharing, time changes, room numbers, messages, etc.

REGISTRATION FORM:
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NAME_____________________
SPOUSE/GUEST NAME_________________

ARRIVAL DATE_________________

DEPARTURE DATE_________________

STAY AT GOLD COAST________
RV PARK________OTHER________

INTERESTED IN GOLF OUTING________
HANDICAP_________

AMOUNT ENCLOSED ($55 PER PERSON)________

Return this form with check to Dennis Goudy, 431 East Spring St., Kingman, AZ 86401-5800. If you plan to attend and will register later, notify Dennis either by regular mail, phone (520-753-3466) or email: dlg55@yahoo.com. A registration list will be published regularly.
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We on the reunion planning committee hope you will join us next April. Feel free to contact any member of the committee at anytime. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Until 7 April 2002 - Dennis, Milt, Frank, Dave, Phil, Bob, Gil and Jack
Jack Fox

WHITEMAN’S WRITINGS:
Greetings, Classmates!
When we conducted an opinion survey last year, one of the questions concerned your desired frequency for our class reunions. About half of the respondents suggested annual meetings, while the other half thought that every second year would be appropriate. Since the assembled group in Laughlin, Nevada (1999) had voted on every two years, we thought it would be appropriate to offer some sort of get-together in the off-year. My thought was that I would start it, with a “blue jeans, laid-back Connecticut weekend” in 2001, and then see if someone else would pick up on that idea for 2003, yet another “host” for 2005, and so forth.
To date, we have sixteen couples coming to the Connecticut weekend in mid-June, from as far away as California, Texas, Colorado, South Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia, Florida, Virginia, New Jersey, Idaho and Connecticut! We are all looking forward to a weekend of merriment and relaxation together.
You’ll probably be getting this newsletter a few days before June 15, so if you have a change of mind, it’s not too late to “jump in” for this weekend. Just let me know, and I’ll send you the details.
Howie and Shirley Helms had planned to be with us for this event. As his daughter penned to me, God provided Howie with a different set of orders. Our hearts go out to the Helms family. As Jack Fox has indicated, “We’re in our twilight years, and it will be up to the last one of us to turn the lights out, and to wrap-up our association.” Thank God that Jack was moved a few years ago, to get us all together again -- albeit more than forty years after our first leg of this journey together, back in 1957. To me, this rekindling of friendships has been a meaningful and heartfelt experience.
If you can’t make the Connecticut event this June, then I’m certainly looking forward to being with all of you in Las Vegas in April 2002.
Yours in Brotherhood,
Gil Whiteman

DAVE’S RAVES: ( or is it Dave Raving ? )
Hi Classmates,
It is with a great deal of regret, and a strong feeling of grief that we report the passing of Howard E. Helms, Classmate and friend.
A letter from his daughter was received and is reprinted here for your benefit:
Gentlemen,
I am writing to advise you of the passing of my father, Major (Ret) Howard E. Helms. He died unexpectedly on Easter Sunday. [April 15th] I am assisting my Mother [who is recovering from a broken hip] with wrapping up paperwork and found your Newsletter and thought you would want to report it to your members.
Thank you!
Susan Helms Brigham
[editorial comments by Dave Harvey]
The return address on the envelope was:
Ms. Shirley Helms
21229 Seaside Rd.
Cape Charles, VA 23310-4145
This kind of news brings me again to the brink of my own humanity and to the point of remembering how important we have all found it to be to have renewed our acquaintances since those fitful and fateful days in San Antonio in mid 1957. Howie had sent us his autobiography quite some time ago, at the closing of his which he mentioned, quite profoundly, “…it isn’t the book that is finished, only the chapter…” He was speaking of his long and tragic battle with Cancer but the words are truer today even than they were then. I for one was, and will always be, proud of his great courage, bravery, and spirit. We shall all miss Howie and we offer his family our prayers, our best wishes, and our continual support.
The “Class Register” is being completely republished, hopefully in time to be distributed at our coming Reunion in Las Vegas in 2002. I have tried to reprint the Shavetail, at least in part. I’ve worked long and hard redoing the photography and format, as I originally did as editor in Lackland when somewhat younger. I believe that these changes will prove to be better for us to edit and keep up-to-date. In doing all of this, and in light of our recent losses, it has become more important than ever to get biographies of everyone. Below is a list of the bios we do have…if you are not on the list I beg you to please write it and send it on to us, we all want to share in your life, and in the great part you are and have been to our legacy.
Ammon, Jim (57C/D) Berg, Ed Baisden, Ken Burer, Art Cooke, Lowell Dailey, Boyd Edwards, Rich Egan, Mike Ellis, Howard Ferris, John Fox, Jack Goudy, Dennis Goudy, Karin (Younger) Gullick, Tom Hale, Ace Harvey, Dave Hovingh, Jim Huls, Bob Jones, Milt Killen, Gerry Kinnunen, Cliff Langer, Pete Larsen, Ben Lowry, Stan Mallette, Buzz Marks, Sam McCoy, Jim McGuire, Jim (57C/D) Meek, Phil Nagel,Dick Parton, Paul Rouse, Dick Sanders, Neil Shipley, Dale Smith, Len Suiter, Bill Tortorete, Joe Walls, Frank Walters, Jack Weimer, Bill Whiteman, Gil

Biographies on Deceased Classmates:
Chambers, Jerry Hargrove, Wil (57C/D) Helms, Howard Reilly, Leo
Please send your biography to me either by E-Mail at Jeananddave@juno.com or by Snail Mail to 816 Lincoln Street, Winters, CA 95694-1506 I know I speak for the staff but much more importantly as your Historian, the legacy of the Class 57C members deserves to be recorded and that we are all very much interested in each other. Recently the History/Discovery/A&E Cable channels have produced a new series entitled “Birds of a Feather” in which the unique groups of Americans are remembered for the World to see. They intended it for groups like the Dolittle Raiders, the Black Sheep, the Tuskegee Airmen, the Flying Tigers, and the Green Berets…57C deserves nothing less !!!

I have deliberately neglected to use the old decorations and graphics in formatting this newsletter. I hope that the absence of such graphics and photographs does not offend anyone. To include those things the publishing and copying required becomes both uneconomical but extremely wasteful of computer memory space. It is my hope that our Class will soon have a more user friendly web-page, one with which we can all work more easily and share the memorabilia, photos, stories, lies, and maybe even chat that we would all enjoy. Until then…as you read this remember that it was 44 years ago at this time of year that we became First Class!!!
CLASS CONCERNS:
Our classmate, Sam Marks has had a couple of serious gall bladder attacks and will be attending surgery on June 7th so I’m told. Having spent a few tours under the knife myself I know that the prospect is less than pleasant and we all ought to remember him on that day particularly. Our support is needed for the Helms family of course and for others who are having a bit more on their plate than they deserve. Irma Larsen has had a problem or two and though we are all sure that Ben is taking care of her, she too can use a word of encouragement as well from us. Bessie Dailey stands still in need of our prayers and support and Boyd as well. In fact, if anyone needs a supportive word or help we can provide please notify us by the method most effective for you and we will share the load…as is our custom and as is our blessed pleasure.
I am in receipt of some forms which Gil Whiteman has procured for the use of a survivor when a member passes. Casualty Support Forms and they do provide a lot of good-to-know information and could relieve a lot of discomfort if filled out before the awful event pressures everything out of reason. A lot of information is necessary and if you would like copies of the forms, there are about four of them, notify either Gil Whiteman or me and we’ll see that some are sent right away.
Our fellow classmates in 57D have just had a reunion, their second, and all the reports are that those who attended were extremely excited to be together again. I have no idea what the numbers were but I have heard from a few of those who were “downstairs” at the “Thundering Third” and they sounded delighted with how things went. Maybe we taught them well after all…I know that if they could feel half as good as I do after a reunion it can repair old wounds for a long time. When I went to the planning session for our next one I was still under a specific regimen of medical procedure that was truly discouraging to have to perform after surgery on my anal sphincter, but it did not detract from the great gathering those of there had. I even forgot to be uncomfortable and the following two weeks were as if I’d lost five years of the most recent past. It is getting to be that even carrying a complete pharmacy and a treatment room with me is still okay considering what I get from the reunion.
Dave Harvey

MILT’S BITS:
Attention ladies, gentlemen, golfers, duffers and wannabes. We have been in contact with the Sunrise Vista Golf Course at Nellis AFB about having a one day golf outing at that location. The tournament director has approved our outing although he has not responded officially to our letter as yet. His delay is as a result of a green fee rate increase that he anticipates between now and next April and the fact we do not have any idea how many of you want to play. The assistant pro gave me the current rates for an 0-4. The riding rate is $29 and the walking rate is $20. I'm sure that the tournament rates will be quite close to those figures. In addition to the green/cart fees we are anticipating a small prize fee of $5 for fun prizes. At this point we are not contemplating a tournament per se, but, a playing format that will be enjoyable to everyone at every skill level.
The final rates and the playing format will be announced upon receipt of solid pricing from Sunrise Vista GC. We hope that everyone who will attend the reunion and likes to play golf will join us on the course for a fun day.
Milt Jones
PHIL’S BILLS:
This space is reserved for the financial report……But Phil didn’t send me one…So…
As I remember, we had a lot of money, we ain’t spent any to speak of, therefore we must still have some…Okay??? Actually we had about $1800 and we only spent for last March’s newsletter which was about $15 so we must have about the rest left…the real expenses won’t be heard from until we begin the set-up expenses for the reunion anyway. At least I am sure we don’t need to worry about what we have…that is unless the reason I don’t have Phil’s report is that Phil has left the country with all our dough. In which case I’ll be giving him my personal best regards fo a lovely holiday on whatever $1800 will get him to.