🚀 go-pugleaf

COPE, 9/23
**NEWS RELEASE**NEWS RELEASE**NEWS RELEASE**

DATELINE TRAVIS

                                                23 Sep 94

Editor's Note: The following information is provided by the 60th Airlift
Wing public affairs office at Travis AFB, Calif.  For more information,
contact TSgt. Patrick McKenna at (707) 424-2011 or DSN 837-2011. 

15.  Group helps families COPE with separation
16.  Thunderbirds and Sean Tucker Headline Oct. 8th Travis Air Show
17.  Career soldier remembers Japanese raid

15.  Group helps families COPE with separation

Patti Rogers
Contributing editor     

     "Join the military, see the world," may have been the initial tactic
that intrigued many young men and women to join the service, but once an
active duty member begins a family, leaving their home base for an
extended period of time can result in a host of uncertainty. 
     To help families persevere in what can often be very trying times,
Jim Harris, Travis Family Support Center volunteer coordinator,
established the COPE program -- Capable of Practically Everything. 
     COPE is for spouses of active duty members on a remote tour or
extended temporary duty. Harris encourages active duty members to sign-up
their spouse before they leave Travis by completing a "contract" with him
at the family support center. In it, the spouse is informing the COPE
program director that his/her spouse is alone on base and may need to call
on someone for help from time-to-time. They may also call just for moral
support. 
     "When the family of an active duty member is left here for several
months or a year by themselves, doing it all can be very demanding and
confusing. There is a lot of stress involved," said Harris. "When the
active duty member signs-up their spouse for COPE, they are leaving them
in good hands." 
     When Deon Norris' husband Ralph left Travis in June for a one year
remote tour, he also left her alone with their two children, 4-year-old
Scott and 2-year-old Ashley. Knowing she would need some help, he signed
her up for the COPE program, and Deon has been attending regularly ever
since. 
     "Dealing with the emotions of my husband being gone has been very
difficult, particularly when the children are involved," she said. "When
the children get angry, they blame me for his absence saying, 'It's your
fault my daddy left'. Coming to the meetings twice a month really helps
me." 
     Mary Beth MacNeil has faced some of the same experiences with her
three children since her husband Dan left for Korea. "My 4-year-old
daughter has said to me, 'I hate you. You go away so Daddy will come
back." 
     Both women are concerned with what extended tours do for the family
structure, but Nil Malabanan, whose husband is on a three-month tour of
duty, says short absences hurt as well. 
     "Being away from each other is very damaging. A husband and wife are
a whole entity, when you suddenly lose one part of the whole, you're
hurting the relationship. And it's not only the spouses who suffer, but
the parent/child relationship as well," said Malabanan, who has two
children. 
     Dealing with their children's frustrations due to the absence of a
parent is just a sampling of what suddenly-single parents have to cope
with. "Doing it all" means housework, yardwork, car repair and paying
bills; and facing illness, insomnia, loneliness and resentment. "It's all
about learning how to be single again," said the women. "You have to hire
a baby-sitter to go anywhere by yourself." 
     But Nil, whose husband will return after three months, stays in close
contact with his squadron. They call her frequently, and when she was ill,
squadron members helped her care for her two children. But for Deon and
Mary Beth, the situation is less comforting. Going on an extended tour
requires the active duty member to outprocess from Travis, essentially
calling his tour-base home, yet his family is still aligned here. Often
the COPE program becomes their family's only refuge. "Because your husband
outprocessed, they think you're gone too," said Mary Beth. 
     But, Mary Beth and Deon agree the COPE program helps make up for the
detachment from the squadron. At the bimonthly meetings, Harris often has
a guest speaker, frequently from mental health, to talk with those in
attendance about dealing with their frustrations. But, the sessions the
women find most helpful are when Harris asks them, "What can I do to help
you?" 
     "We don't have anyone else asking us how we are doing, and that's
what we like about the COPE program. I want somebody to say to me, 'Do you
need help this week? Are the children OK? Do you have any problems with
your finances?'" said Deon. 
     In this world of "learning to do more," friendships become a valuable
commodity to these spouses. COPE introduces spouses to others in the same
situation. "Through COPE I have met people who I can talk to and get
support from, and through the program I have made many friends," said Nil. 
     "Unless you are in this situation you can't realize how hard it is,"
said Mary Beth. "People just don't understand what we are going through.
The people in the group give me the emotional support I need." 
     In turn, the women say they are better able to deal with the needs of
their children. Deon helped her children make "picture books" of their
daddy before he left so that at any time they can look through the small
photo album and remember him. Mary Beth uses a "countdown calender." And
they all have very big phone bills. On an extended tour, the active duty
member is allowed one 10-minute phone call per month, so the women suggest
staying in touch through frequent letters, videos and pictures. 
     Staying active is also very important, they all say, whether it is
going to a COPE gathering twice a month, or having lunch with a friend.
"If you stay busy from the time you get up until you go to bed, the time
goes faster," said Deon, who not only takes care of her two children, but
is a home daycare provider for three other children as well. 
     Harris stresses spouses left alone on base don't need to have a
contract signed by an active duty member to attend COPE meetings. "We
welcome everyone. And you don't have to attend a meeting to get help from
us, there is always someone at the family support center who can help a
family member in need. That's what we are here for." 
     COPE meets the second and fourth Monday of the month. The next
meeting is Monday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
				###
				###
				###

16.  Thunderbirds and Sean Tucker Headline Oct. 8th Travis Air Show

     The Travis flightline will be the place to be Oct. 8 from 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. for Air Expo �94. 
     The air and ground at the base will be filled with aviation
enthusiasts' dreams, ranging from aircraft of the current inventory to
vintage World War II aircraft. 
     On the ground will be engine-running offload demonstrations of
Travis' own C-141 and C-5 aircraft as well as static displays of F-14,
F-15, F-16, F-4, C-9, C-130, C-12, C-21, T-37, T-38, T-1, A-10, KC-135 and
E-6 aircraft. 
     Bringing up the final event of the air show will be the U.S. Air
Force Thunderbirds, performing at 3:30 p.m. Other events to fill the skies
include the F-15 Aerial Demonstration Team, Steve Stavrakakis in his
Zlin-50 dubbed the Wild Thing, flybys of the "Travis Trio" -- C-5 Galaxy,
C-141 Starlifter and KC-10 Extender aircraft, Army AH-64 and OH-58
helicopter demonstrations and Sean Tucker in his 1-800-COLLECT Challenger. 
     Sky Dance, the name of Tucker's daytime performance, is an aerial
display of extreme originality. The powerful opening sequence sees him
tumbling the 1-800-COLLECT Challenger end over end and then tail first,
straight toward the earth at negative airspeeds of up to 100 mph while
rolling the aircraft counter-clockwise. Before the first spiral of smoke
fades, Tucker plunges into a complex aerobatics sequence that demonstrates
the talent that has won him many national awards. 
     Some of the original, adrenaline-pumping maneuvers he displays
throughout Sky Dance include, The Centrifuge, The Son of Edwin, The
Spiraling Tower, The Tucker Upper and the Harrier Pass. 
     Tucker's unique 350+ "top secret" horsepower 1-800-COLLECT Challenger
aircraft is an extensively modified, factory built, Pitts biplane. 
Because of the intensity at which Tucker flies his aircraft, its engine is
overhauled and the wings are completely rebuilt at the end of each
season.  Thorough preflight and postflight inspections are made every time
the aircraft takes to the air. 
     The "G forces" exerted on Tucker when he is flying the 1-800-COLLECT
Challenger are as great as the forces exerted by modern fighter pilots
like the Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels. 
     "I have a weight problem that would scare a lot of people, when I
start pulling +9.2G's in flight. My normal weight of 175 pounds increases
to make me at some points over 1,472 pounds," said Tucker. 
     The event is open to the public, with free parking and admission.
				###
				###
				###
17. Career soldier remembers Japanese raid

SSgt. Stephen Pierce
60th AW Public Affairs

     The old phrase, "the third time's a charm" rings true with George
Justice -- his military career spans three separate enlistments from 1937
to 1973. 
     His first stint in the military lasted three years as a vehicle
operator in the Army, but he could only stay away about month before
joining the Army Air Corps as an aircraft mechanic.  When World War II was
over, Justice decided he had enough of military life.  His decision to
stay away was changed by the escalation of events in Korea. After being
recalled to active duty, Justice decided to hang around a while this time. 
     The retired senior master sergeant considers himself one of the
luckiest men alive, having survived the combat theater during World War II
and the Vietnam Conflict. 
     "Everyday I would walk down the same path to the hard stand (where
the aircraft are parked).  One day I noticed a hand grenade lying on the
edge of the path, apparently for quite some time.  After the bomb guys
exploded it, I realized just one wrong step and that could have been me,"
said Justice about one experience on the island of Saipan during World War
II. 
     Another unforgettable experience happened the night he first arrived
at Saipan in November 1944.  "We were told to dig a foxhole next to our
tent, but like a few others I didn't the first night. About midnight that
night as Tokyo Rose promised, those Zeros came in strafing the base.  As I
was trying to find some kind of cover, I kept thinking God I'll dig my
hole if they just let me live through tonight," said Justice. 
     Just as embedded into his memory of his time at Saipan were his
accomplishments and the successes of the aircraft he maintained. 
     "My aircraft flew 29 straight missions without an abort.  That means
when it was scheduled, it went," he said. "Not all the airplanes came
back. Some with only one engine. Fortunately, none of my aircraft had any
serious damage." 
     Justice said the early days of the Army Air Corps had one thing over
the Air Force of today - total unit cohesiveness. He prefers the concept
of a whole unit going as a team, not just one person from here and there. 
     "When the chips are down, I want to know who I can count on," he
said. 
     During World War II, the Army Air Corps commanders counted on the
B-29 Superfortress crews of the 500th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)
stationed on the tiny Pacific island of Saipan.  Justice was part of that
unit, and the following excerpts about the first fire raid on Tokyo (March
9, 1945) were written by Arthur Miller and appeared in the unit's memory
book, An Unofficial Pictorial History of the 500th Bombardment Group. 
     "... It was a sober group of combat crews who walked slowly back to
their Quonsets after the briefing. 'Over Tokyo at 5,000 feet' -- it was
inconceivable, beyond comprehension. 'What would they think of next?'
mused more than one as he got his gear together and prepared to entruck to
the flying line. Minds slowly reviewed the previous three months,
December, January, and February when the 73rd Wing was fighting the Battle
Over Japan alone, when enemy fighters were thick as flies in an uncovered
latrine, when flak was black and accurate, when crew after crew
heartbreakingly ditched hundreds of miles from home with little hope of
rescue. 
     "... Then it was time for the 500th and slowly the big 'Z' ships
jockeyed into position, lined up, and roared off, leaving behind a
strangely empty airfield and a quiet group of stay-at-homes. 
     "... To the uninitiated, it may be stated without equivocation that
it is a mighty long road from Saipan to Tokyo over a mighty wide and deep
ocean.  Cruising along, all alone except for occasional glimpses of
running lights from other planes, the crews felt lonely and a million
miles from nowhere. The flight plan called for each plane to fly by way of
Iwo Jima, for by this time the Marines had the situation in hand on that
little bit of Purgatory, and it furnished an excellent checkpoint. 
     "...Landfall! The tip of the Chofu peninsula -- about thirty-five
miles away -- was showing on the radar screen. ... Then a faint glow
appears, looking like the very beginning of sunrise, quickly expanding
into a bright orange reflection in the sky.  ... The bombardier opens the
doors and at the same time the plane plunges headlong into a huge column
of acrid, black smoke.  It is tossed around like a leaf, the turbulence is
worse than a West Texas thunder storm.  Suddenly they are out of the smoke
and there below lies a panorama out of Dante's Inferno, a huge, gushing,
roaring fire licking its irresistible way through the heart of proud
Tokyo. 
     "... And then the long way home. But it is a jubilant crew which
breaks open the food-box and sits around discussing the mission while
cruising south. ... The next day Nagoya, then Kobe, then Osaka and then
the lesser cities until more than 160 square miles of Japan's cities are
pulverized into ashes. 
     "Result of this mission: 17.2 square miles of Tokyo up in smoke, a
reported 100,000 dead Nips; 500th Group losses on mission, none. 
     "Mission complete." 

				-30-

-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
Patrick M. McKenna     Air Force Technical Sergeant       Travis AFB, Calif. 
              Noncommissioned Officer in Charge of Media Relations
Work Phone: (707) 424-0135/2011             E-Mail: paddy@solano.community.net