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Goose...strange that just read your last post..I was just sitting here watching the weather and the storm bearing down on NEw Orleans and thinking about the HURREVAC(s) to Topeka too. I fact I was the Mission Cmmander for the whole wing delpoyment there about his time of the year in 1984...we went up on Friday ...and Saturday morning Col Profitt the wing vice /cc called and said "bring 'em home...i had been watching the wetaher and the storm had stalled just southeast of new orleans and was just wobbling in the gulf of mexico stationary for about 8 hours...i told Col Profit I thought we should wait until the storm starts moving away toward the east before commiting 80 airplanes for the return....well, Profitt said the storm had stopped and it would take "13 consecutive miracles" for the storm to start west again...he was the acting Wing/cc since Col Jamerson was TDY off station..after another protest on my part he said bring 'em home....sooooo, we launched 80 hogs toward Alex.....you guessed it..the storm stated moving northwest and 14 hours later we had 80 jets in Topeka again,,,,came home on Labor day..and burned a hell of a lot of our flying hours up with minimal training. Apparentlt Profitt had called Gen Horner(9AF/CC) and made the same "13 consecutive miracles" pronouncement!!.....hmmmm. We took off in the teeth of the thunderstorm bands and it was quite an adventure with the storm practically on us by the time everyone had crew rest to fly again so soon...the Hurricane tracked RIGHT OVER base ops...direct hit on Alex...fortunately the winds weren't too bad.
As far as you being a crew chief in the 76th. After I gave up command of the 74th I became an Assistant DO until i left for the pentagon 6 nonths later..I was attached to the 76th and I bet I flew YOUR jet...I always enjoyed the 76th..it's where I started at Alex in 82,,,great memories ,for sure
Cheers!


Col R. C. Lemon

_________________
On God's wing, to Heaven i fly.

Col,

If its the one I'm thinking it was 85,I wasnt there in 84
Col Jamerson was WingCC ,when we came back all the maintance folks came back with their squadron colored "WILD E. COYOTEE" hats on,the Tankers mascot.I still got mine
We made 2 trips before and over Labor Day weekend ,We had either
"HO-JOES" or the one across the street to stay in then you had to cross the 4-lane highway to get back and fourth.
They parked the Jets out in the "No-mans" Land North end of the field.
The 74th did lead the Way because we launched in Squadrons.
Then didnt go the 3rd time and we took the bands HEAD ON.
We picked-up everything off the line,turned the jets so they could take the wind.
The worst thing about Topeka was it was a "DRY COUNTY" you had to belong to a club to drink anything over 3.2 beer.


Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE
<img src="http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/5917/scan00020br.jpg" border=0>

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Goose..YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT...it WAS '85 over Labor Day ...a couple of months before I gave up the squadron......I had an old guy mind fart!...we were prepping the squadron for a deployment to Turkey in Sep 84...thanks for the correction.Cheers!

Col R. C. Lemon

_________________
On God's wing, to Heaven i fly.

I have those too Col.

I killed a few "brain cells" with the 76th pilots on the first one at the hotel across from Howard Johnson.
The first time we picked out our own motel,the other times they put us in HO-JO'S.
That way we got the "Free membership" inside the private club.
If those waitress outfits got any shorter they'd save on cleaning bills <img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

I was only 4 months out of PACAF,single and HAD A REAL GOOD TIME!.

Goose

LIVE FREE OR DIE
<img src="http://img396.imageshack.us/img396/5917/scan00020br.jpg" border=0>

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"