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15th Anniversary Message From Major General Doyle E. Larson COMBAT APPLE-THE FIRST SORTIE DTG 111845Z SEP 82 ZFF4 ZFF1 Hq ESC KELLY AFB TX//CC// TO RULH6AB 6990ESS OKINAWA HQ ESP HQ ESE 6916th 6949th 6910th HQ ESS From Maj Gen Larson
UNCLASSIFIED E F T O SUBJ: THE FIRST SORTIE-A LOOK BACK
1. Fifteen years ago today-at 03:45 in the morning-the 6990th flew its first operational sortie. This was an important day in my life and the lives of those early unit members. So, on this 15th Anniversary, please allow me to reminisce about that first mission. We had activated the '90th just 2 ½ months earlier and had worked 16 hours a day preparing for this first "Combat Apple" launch. Our unofficial motto had been "furor se remittet" (Things will ease up), but they rarely had. The Vietnam conflict was in full swing, and I must admit we were all just a bit nervous about our first RC-135 flight into the Gulf of Tonkin. The flight would be long-18 hours and 45 minutes, including 12 hours in the gulf with inflight refueling to begin 11 hours after takeoff. As I remember, we had manifested 24 crew members: 2 pilots, 2 navigators, 13 USAFSS operators, 2 maintenance technicians, 4 SAC operators and myself. At the controls of aircraft 4135 was the aircraft commander, Major Bernie Allen. Of those I recall, the 6990th crew consisted of the airborne mission supervisor, TSgt. Riley Flynn (now a businessman in San Antonio), and Staff Sergeants Bobby Lantz (now a SMSgt. In the '90th, Larry Mills (now a Chief at the 22nd, Al Znoj (retired in the Dallas area), Bill Sheck, and Huey Brooks.. He's the center of attention whether he's trying to be or not.
2. At the south end of the Kadena runway that night, members of the SAC and USAFSS squadrons milled around to watch the takeoff. After so much hard work, they could finally let the feeling of accomplishment soak in with the sight of our aircraft safely aloft. Some of the names might be familiar to you and the '90th's "old timers:" Lt. Col. "Bud" Morss, the 82SRS/CC (now a retired colonel in northern California), Maj. Bill Gross, 6990/DO, Capt. Paul Martin, 82SRS/DOT (now a Brig. Gen. selectee, he would be aircraft commander of the second Combat Apple mission), Capt. Jim Hill, 6990/ADO (now retired in Nacogdoches, TX), Capt. Ed Smith, 6990/LE (now a businessman in Vacaville, CA), Capt. Jerry McKenna, 6990/DA (now a Lt. Col. and ESC/CCE), Lt. Bob Cope, 6990/DO (also now a Lt. Col. and commanding the 6916th), SMS Tom Tennant, 6990/DO (now ESC's most senior CMS and 6949/DO, and Sgt. Tony Hinojosa, 6990/DA (presently MSgt. and 6910/DA).
3. That first mission was only partly successful. The inflight refueling doors failed to open due to a faulty electrical circuit, and we had to land four hours early. We diverted into U-Tapao, Thailand, to refuel before returning to Kadena. While we were taxiing up the hardstands at U-Tapao, the B-52 crews stood there scratching their heads at the sight of that strange looking C-135, wondering where it came from. And to top it off, base Ops sent a 5-passenger station wagon out to pick us the crew. The motor pool driver must have been reminded of a circus act-like the hundred clowns emerging from a Volkswagen routine-as 24 crew member piled off that aircraft.
4. Almost overshadowed by the unfortunate abort was the fact that both the SAC and USAFSS crews performed very well. Mission performance was high despite the short time in the target area and the USAFSS crew unanimously agreed that the capability of Combat Apple was impressive.
5. Now, 15 years later-after one war and thousands of similar missions-I see the same teamwork at the '90th and a continuance of that tradition of professionalism established by those Combat Apple troopers of long ago. Who knows ... one of these years, things may ease up! Keep chargin'!