JAMES G.(JIM) HOVINGH Lt Colonel, USAF (Retired)

USAF OCS Class 57C, OC LT, 5th Squadron Adjutant

I was born in Marne, Michigan November 23, 1930 in a large family on a dairy farm. I remember many good times, such as following behind the hay loader bare-footed to step on and kill field mice and putting them in my pockets to carry home for our pregnant barn cats. (If any of you are animal rights advocates, I can change my biography to suit your taste) I attended a one-room one-teacher eight-grade school for six years, then on to Berlin High School which had about one hundred students in a twelve- grade school. I graduated with the largest class in several decades (twelve) in 1948, playing second base on the UNBEATEN baseball team.

From there, I went to Michigan State for a special two-year program for agricultural students. I was thinking about continuing on in veterinary science, but the draft was becoming more and more noticeable. So, like any good American, I decided to dodge the draft and enlist in the Air Force on September 26, 1951. The Air Force recognized my leadership abilities by letting me carry the paperwork for our group of about ten recruits from Michigan to Sampson AFB, NY for basic training. Three months later, I was sent to Keesler AFB, Mississippi for Radar Sets Maintenance School. About that time, I slipped home to Michigan and married Lois Moir on December 27, 1951.

The highlight of 1952 was pulling a large house trailer from Mississippi to Fairchild AFB, Washington. At Fairchild, I worked with B-36's on Airborne ECM equipment. We took several side trips with my '47 Ford convertible including up Pikes Peak in Colorado. In 1954, I transferred to downtown Spokane to a ground radar site and got experience with ground ECM, radar, and radio. This was great duty, which allowed me to operate my own radio and television repair shop. By 1956, we had four (two boys and twin girls) a good Air Force job and a successful civilian business, as well as a new motorcycle paid for with a six-year reenlistment bonus. In January 1957, several of my enlisted crewmembers decided to take the OCS application test. I had no interest, since I was enjoying my position and status at that time. They challenged me to go with them because they said I was afraid to fail. I took the challenge, was the only one to pass and was told to be in San Antonio by mid-March. With four children, three still in diapers, I decided to send my family back to Michigan for six months.

I actually enjoyed most of Officer Candidate School. You see I have always been a "religious" person, and 1957 was five years before our country took prayer out of schools. So, I had help going through OCS. From there I went to Harlingen, Texas to become an official navigator, the first step to becoming an ECM officer, which is what I wanted to be all the time. Then, they sent me back to Keesler for a year-and-a-half, to teach me how to turn the equipment on that I had been maintaining for the past six years. WHAT A CHALLENGE!

From there, I went to Castle AFB, California to transition to B-52's. After 2 1/2 years at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, I was privileged to be the only member of the crew to receive a spot promotion.

As the senior instructor crew at Ramey, we were offered the opportunity of going to Grand Forks AFB, ND to open a new B-52H Bomb Wing. One catch was that it would require us to temporarily go non-combat ready which meant I would have to volunteer to give up my spot promotion. I did. Imagine me volunteering to give up a pay grade and moving from Puerto Rico to North Dakota in the middle of the winter. After arriving in Grand Forks, we found out they did not have any airplanes yet. So, we had to commute to Minot AFB twice a week to do our flying for the next several months.

In 1964, I was called back to the same outfit that I had been assigned to earlier, located in Spokane, Washington. It was the Radar Bomb Scoring part of the 1st Combat Evaluation Group. After one year at Turner AFB, Georgia, I moved to HQ at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana for six years and then to SAC HQ in Omaha, Nebraska until retirement in 1977 with 26+ years of service. I never regretted spending my career in the AF. The service took good care of this dumb mouse-killing farm kid and helped me provide for my family by promoting me at least a couple steps above my capabilities.

While at Barksdale, I was privileged to serve my country with two tours in Vietnam. The first tour was at Pleiku AB and the second was at Bien Thoui AB in the Delta. There was a great feeling of actually doing what my government had spent thousands of dollars and time training me to do. Again, I must say the successful completion of my Vietnam duty was a real answer to prayer.

Since 1977, I have been involved in the staff and management on Officers Christian Fellowship, The Gideons International, Volunteer Christian Builders, various church construction projects, and acting as president of J&R Express, INC, a family owned trucking company. Last year, my wife and I traveled to Israel and Jordan for a couple weeks, which continues to provide pleasant memories since Lois lost her battle with cancer this year (forty-eight years of marriage)

I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in April at Laughlin, Nevada.

Jim Hovingh