JOHN E. FERRIS Captain, USAF (Retired)

USAF OCS Class 57C, OC TSGT, 4th Squadron

I was born on 26 October 1930 in Curtis, Woodward County, Oklahoma. While a small boy, Oklahoma went through the "Dust bowl,” and I remember it very vividly. The air was full of dust and you had to wear a "hankie" to keep the dust and dirt out of your nose and mouth.

In 1936, my parents left the farm and moved to "town,” where my father obtained a job as a mechanic. I attended the public school systems where I showed my forthcoming tendency to only work as hard as necessary to be in the middle of the class standing. After graduation from high school, I enrolled in Northwestern State Teachers College in Alva, Oklahoma, where I intended to be a high school teacher and sports coach.

After one semester in college, I returned to my hometown one weekend, and a classmate talked me into joining the Air Force for one year. They had a special program for those who where eighteen years old. While in basic training, I was tested for my aptitude and scored the highest out of three flights of basic trainees, 180 airmen. I was told I had my choice of career fields. However, because I only had one year to serve, my only choice was Air Police or Cook-Baker School. I opted to take an immediate reenlistment and applied for clerk typist school in Ft. Francis E. Warren, Cheyenne, Wyoming. I graduated second in my class and was then assigned to McAndrews AB, Newfoundland as a teletype operator with the 1805 AACS Group. Promotions and responsibilities came rapidly.

Upon my rotation from Newfoundland, I was assigned to an AACS detachment providing base communications for Great Falls AFB, Montana. A promotion and additional responsibilities also followed, which was necessary as I had met a WAF and was married.

An unaccompanied tour to Dhahran AB, Saudi Arabia followed. While there, I served as a crew chief and NCOIC of the department. The Vice-Commander of AACS performed an inspection, and as the crew chief, if was my responsibility to brief him. After the inspection, he complimented my department and stated it was the only department that seemed to know what they were doing. Later, the squadron commander called me into his office and recommended that I apply for Officer Candidate School. However, I was due to rotate and did not apply.

An assignment back to Great Falls AFB, Montana and then a subsequent assignment to Travis AFB, California followed. While at Travis AFB, the Table of Organization called for one first lieutenant, three master sergeants and ten technical sergeants. I was the Squadron Communications NCO, with no Communications Officer, plus I was the NCOIC of the Weather Relay Station, one of only three in the U.S. The other two were staffed by CWO-4s. As the closest Communications Squadron, I was tasked to establish the first communications facility for Pacific Division MATS at Parks AFB, California. In this position, I was working daily with a Rear Admiral, a Brigadier General, and numerous Colonels. At this time, I felt that I was doing all the work and getting a sergeant's pay. I applied for Officer Candidate School. The Squadron Commander offered me an Air Force Commendation Medal OR approve my application for OCS. I took the later.

I graduated 47th of a class of 106. Again, my tendency of being in the middle came into being. Bent Larson and Milton B. Jones and I were assigned to Tyndall AFB, Florida, to the AF Weapons Controllers School. Upon successful completion, we were assigned to a mobile Tactical Control Radar Squadron at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. While there, I was assigned as Assistant Squadron Personnel Officer, then upon his reassignment, I was made Personnel Officer, as an additional duty. When the new Personnel Officer arrived, I was assigned as the Squadron Motor Pool Officer. I had two jeeps, 37 three-quarter ton weapon carriers, 162 two-and a-half-ton trucks and two five-ton wreckers. This department also had a ground power department, plus air conditioning and carpentry department. We had just had a Tactical Evaluation, which we had flunked. A reevaluation in sixty days showed a marked improvement and we passed it.

I had applied for Communications Officer School, but this was disapproved due to my "importance" to the unit in my additional duties. I was then assigned to Orlando AFB, Florida to Missile Guidance School. From there I was assigned to Giebelstadt AB, Germany as a Missile Guidance Controller. Again, I had many additional duties. . Communication Officer and Assistant Administrative Officer. An assignment to Celle AB a Weapons Controller, with additional duties as Communications Officer, and then to Drake-Edwards Kaserne, Frankfurt, Germany followed. With my prior knowledge in mobile tactical radar, I was assigned to 17th AF Headquarters, Ramstein AB, Germany. While there, I renewed old friendships with Bent Larson, Walter D. Hawks, Robert E Lee, and Billy J. Young of 57B. On the day that President John F. Kennedy was shot, I was acting as an aide to a Canadian Air Force Lt. General at a Dining-In.

From Germany, I was assigned to Boron AFS, California, where I was assigned as Operations Officer, Assistant Personnel Officer and Squadron Executive Officer. Again, my forte for duties in everything but my primary duty came into play. I was then assigned to Hopedale AFS, Labrador, as Operations Officer. I was then assigned as Squadron Commander for two months until a new commander arrived. After almost a year in Labrador, I was assigned to Hamilton AFB, California, as a Senior Air Surveillance Officer in the 4th Air Force Combat Center. I held this position until they deactivated my unit and I decided that I did not want to move my family again. I applied for retirement after 20 years, 6 months, and 7 days in the service.

I had been attending Golden Gate College while off duty, so I went to college full time, for two semesters, and obtained a degree in business management with a minor in accounting. Upon graduation, I applied for a position as a premium insurance auditor with Kemper Insurance Company. I went from a trainee to auditor, to senior auditor, to field audit manager in four years. I then changed companies and was promoted to regional audit manager for Industrial Indemnity Insurance Company, the second largest writer of workers compensation insurance in California. Again my talent for additional duties came into play. The Vice President for Audit had to perform surveys and other tasks as necessary, and frequently called upon me to do these additional tasks. In addition, I was the only audit manager of sixteen assigned, who also had the additional duty as Assistant Commercial Lines Manager, the number three person in the division.

After sixteen years as a premium insurance auditor and manager, I decided to take early retirement and work as an independent contractor performing the same audits. By this time my wife of forty-seven years and I decided to get out of the rat race in the San Francisco Bay area and moved to Auburn, California, in the foothills. My wonderful wife and I have four children, ten grandchildren and three great grand children. My wife has been a tremendous asset throughout my military and civilian careers.

I am keeping busy as treasurer of the local branch of Sons In Retirement, Secretary/Treasurer of the local Motherlode Bowling Association and with my old/new hobby of genealogy. I have, at present, almost 18,000 names in my computer. My wife keeps busy babysitting our grandchildren.

John