The People at Bitburg

Maintenance and Support
The Mace B people

Jim Larimer - GSC

Al "Robbie" Robinson - GSC

Jim Larimer and Bill Krebs - GSC

Ted Jarvi - GSC

Bob Bailey - TEMS

Leonard Estrada - Flight Controls

Ray Sacramone - AGE

Ed Peck - AGE

Hank Akers, GSC

In the movies, it was always poker. In real life, it was pinochle!
From left, Larry Emerson, Dave Snider, Jim Larimer, Dennis Robbins and Willy Willems. (We drank Fundador Spanish brandy. It was like $1.29 a gallon at the class 6 store back then. Try it now!)

A page from the Mindling's infamous coloring book, circa 1963.

Ira (Denny) Young - AGE (ira@irayoung.com)

Jean Davis - GSC

The only person I ever met that recovered his own stolen car. He beat the thief rather soundly and got a pat on the back from the German Police!

Carnel Mickey, 585th Support Squadron.

Anyone who had one of his omelettes at the MSA chow hall in Oberweis knew they were in the best Open Mess in the USAF.

Ted Jarvi, GSC, models the baby blue, naugahyde fake leather, non-issue but none-the-less-mandatory ball caps of Detachment 3, 38th Missile Maintenace Squadron.

Barracks life! Ted Jarvi (GSC), Jean Davis (GSC), George Mindling (F/C), Gerry King (MEMS)

Tom Edwards and Dennis Robbins, both MEMS

John Sgro, AGE

Jim Garrett and Garland Stevens, both GSC

Cookout at MSA - Pinkerton (TEMS), Hank Akers, (GSC), Carnel Mickey (585th SS)

Al Breckinridge, GSC

Jean Davis, GSC

George Grant in front of Jean Davis's Opel

Jerry Brenner, GSC

From left to right: Nieson DeAngelo, Edwin Davis, Dave Cameron, Gerry King, all MEMS/TEMS, and an unidentified Martin Company Tech Rep.

Photo courtesy of Mike Wilczynski (mjwilczynski@wideopenwest.com)

Oscar McNeese, Bob Bailey & Larry Telles. All from TEMS. 1964

Photo coutesy of Bob Bailey (bob33510@yahoo.com)

"Well, just how many cylinders does a Simca Aronde have, anyway?" Bill Krebs and Len Calkins, both GSC

MEMS/TEMS - 1963
From left:  Clifford Lewis, ?, Al Breckinridge, Jim Hawkins, Elbert Regtuyt, Tom Edwards,
Robert Daughenbaugh, Robert Storms, Glenn (Dutch) Jones

Photo courtesy of Jim Hawkins (jayjhawk@swbell.net)

Roger Jones, left, and Garland Stevens, standing, with Ken Kinkel seated in the foreground, all GSC

Ray Sacramone (AGE) in the Christmas spirit, 1963

Continuing Education from the Field Training Detachment.

From Left: Instructor William Inverso, Mike Wylczynski, Jim Fitzgerald, and Don Hunter.
Photo coutesy of Mike Wilczynski (mjwilczynski@wideopenwest.com)

A2C Vic Shoepe displays the M-1 carbine most of the Mace B guys got to know real well. M-1 racks were in each work section during the Cuban Missile Crisis as all personnel were also used as Outside Security Alert Teams. The maintenance personnel even trained on BARs, though never at the firing range, and even had a .30 calibre Johnson Machine gun manned during Alerts!

The combat helmets used by GSC and Flight Controls were painted the oddest color ever put on a military helmet. The helmets were in sad shape when received from storage, so Lt. Arcieri gave the task of painting the helmets to Jim Larimer, GSC. At that time, Olive Drab was not found on US Air Bases, so Larimer concocted a color from greys, greens and black. When shown the freshly painted helmets, Lt. Arcieri said flatly, "They're too shiny! Make them less shiny!" Being resourceful, and perhaps fed up. Larimer took the all the coffee grounds out of the 40 cup percolator and added them to the paint. Not that they came out great, but they were different.

Photo by Vic Shoepe (jgshoepe@cs.com)

George Mindling, FC, and Hank Akers, GSC, after returning from marching in the Patton Remembrance Day Parade, Ettelbruck, Luxemburg, 1963

Len Calkins - GSC
"So this is the Rhein?"

Octoberfest at the NCO Club.

From Left:  Vic Shoepe, GSC; Jim Morrison, Flight Controls; Chris Sappington, Flight Controls; Chuck Kennedy, GSC;
Kneeling: The future Mrs. King and Elliot Eisman. The finger belongs to R.E. Long

Tom Campbell - GSC at Shutdown, 30 April 1969

Launch