Newspaper Page Text
To Far-a-way
Places With
The GANG
Note to the Editors:
We’re including this story
on the Georgia Air
National Guard for your
use. We felt that since
every community has
representatives in one
branch of the Guard or
another, that the story is
pertinent for use in any
area of the state.
By Joyce Odom
“Old Shaky” is first of all
old and shaky. She’s big and
slow and loud and dirty and
hot and cold, uncomfortable
and unbeautiful.
But, blow in her ear and
she’ll fly you anywhere.
CANOOCHEE ELECTRIC
MEMBERSHIP CORP.
Will Hold Its
ANNUAL
MEETING
On WSLjSJ
TUESDAY
OCTOBER 14
2:00 P. M.
Tattnall Camp Ground
Near Manassas, Georgia
Music Will Be Furnished By
Dale Anderson
Free Gifts For Each Member
< Jy Plus Door Prizes
n
। * i
*\ ( Free Refreshments
W*' j
“Old Shaky” is an airplane
in the service of the Georgia
Air National Guard (GANG)
listed on the fact sheet as a
Douglas C-124C Globemaster.
Her cargo capacity is 50,000
pounds or 200 troops or 127
litter patients with 16
attendants. Her minimum
crew includes a pilot, co-pilot,
two flight engineers, one or
more load-masters and one or
more navigators. She has four
engines (loud) is 130 feet and
one inch in length, 48 feet
seven inches in height, and has
a span of 174 feet two inches.
1 returned Sunday in a state
of numb tired happiness from
a trip aboard her to Labrador,
Germany, Greece, Spain and
the Azores. She had been my
home and haven for a week
and I had learned to love and
respect her. I had been invited
on the trip for the purpose of
“documenting activities of the
Georgia ANG, background on
the unit and crew members
involved in the flight, and
ANG support of Air Force
operations.”
“Shaky’s” crew works
incredibly long hours, enjoys
in a hurry and rests fast. They
have to. Their job is to get a
cargo to certain U.S. Air Force
bases in foreign countries on
time and intact. They fly
worldwide cargo missions for
the Military Airlift Command,
an arm of the U.S. Air Force.
Their flights take the task of
flying needed cargo to U.S.
bases off the Air Force,
thereby relieving them from
that tedious duty for more
vital missions. The cargo can
be anything, from buckets of
paint to elaborate
communications systems.
They fly as long as 13 hours
without a stop. Then often
disembark for less than 24
hours to learn a little about
the country where they are,
see its sights and learn its
people. And rest. For the next
long leg. And eat. And sleep in
a bed.
The crew’s amazing
efficiency is even more so
when you realize that, this is a
thing they do in their spare
time, on vacations, military
leave and weekends. In “real
life”, they’re bankers and
farmers and students and
business executives. Each said
to me, in word or deed,
sometime during the long trip
that he loved to fly and also
that he felt the work
rewarding to him and a service
to his country.
The aircraft commander
and pilot on our trip was Lt.
Col. Thomas N. Saffold, an
Atlanta Southern Bell
executive, called
affectionately by his crew
“Tom Terrific”. And he’s that.
Terrific. An almost courtly,
cosmopolitan man, Col.
Saffold is always in a hurry.
He admonishes his crew (and
any sundry passengers who
may be tagging along) to be on
time, to “show” two hours
before the aircraft is scheduled
to take off. He leaves and
lands within minutes of the
schedule assigned him, and
any delays cause him heartfelt
consternation.
The strict military regimen
isn’t always practiced among
National Guard outfits. The
understanding and
camaraderie among the crew
members make the issuing of'
orders almost unnecessary. In
fact, I rarely heard Col.
Saffold give one. His crew
seemed to know what had to
be done, what he wanted
done, and went quickly and
with little fanfare about the
business of doing it.
His co-pilot is a young
banker trainee named Robert
F. Dozier. He’s so good at his
job he seems almost an
extension of Col. Saffold. He’s
serious minded, competent
and ambitious. Stenciled on
the pilot’s controls is
“THINK” and on the
co pilot’s, “DON’T HURRY”.
(I was allowed on the flight
deck, and thoughtfully called
there when we flew over an
especially breath-taking sight
like London which seems to
cover England or Madrid
which looks like a carnival at
night from the sky.)
The navigator who is
super-efficient, so the pilots
say, is soft-spoken,
slow-smiling Lt. Warren E.
Van Buren. He’s a Tech
graduate, formerly with
Lockheed and now a farmer in
Pineview, Ga. His charts and
instruments and maps and
radars are too complicated to
even question. I only
understood that he headed us
in the right direction and kept
us there.
Lt. Anne Tufts was the
flight nurse aboard. She is an
instructor in the St. Joseph’s
Infirmary School of Nursing in
Atlanta and instructed me in
the use of seat belts, life
jackets, oxygen masks, ear
unstopping and in the use of
the rather primitive bathroom
facilities on “Old Shaky”.
The flight engineers are a
couple of stanch and seasoned
sergeants named Gerald E.
Moon and 0.8. Poteet. It’s
impossible to worry with
those two aboard. The
airplane’s intricate panels and
throttles are as familiar to
them as their own backyards.
Their confidence in their own
ability is reassuring to
everybody about them.
“Don’t worry about a thing”,
they told me. “This old
airplane can fly just as good
on three engines as it can on
four, maybe better, if one
should go out.”
The loadmasters are in
charge of seeing that the cargo
is on the airplane, properly
secured and “off-loaded” at its
specified destination. They are
Sgt. Glenn S. Perry of
Dunwoody and Sgt. Raymond
G. Pawlik of Atlanta. As
different as night and day,
together they make a team
and a half. Sgt. Perry is a
printer and an almost-pro
fessional photographer. He’s
slim and quiet, unflappable,
and goes about his job on the
plane with a minimum of
movement. Sgt. Pawlik, husky
and outgoing, finds it hard to
be still and feels the
excitement of take-offs and
landings.
An extra crew member on
our journey was Sgt. Buddy
Gordon of Atlanta. As a
technician in the air control
office at Dobbins Air Force
Base in Marietta from where
we took off, he was along to
observe air control operations
in U.S. bases in other
countries. He didn’t have
specific duties aboard the
aircraft so, being the natural
born comedian he is, provided
entertainment for passengers
and resting crew. I almost had
to have oxygen, I laughed so
hard at a story he told after
our visit to Athens about a
Greek taxi driver. And he said,
“I came all this way to Madrid
then when lunchtime came I
found a Woolworth’s and
ordered a bacon, lettuce and
tomato sandwich and a Cok£
for lunch.” At 37, he’s been in
the Guard for more than 20
years, which is some kind of
record.
That was the crew. And
they were confined aboard an
aircraft for hours on end with
me and an Atlanta Journal
associate editor, John Crown,
also along to write the story of'
the GANG, for eight days.
And to attest to their good
humor and patience with
dumb civilians, they were as
pleasant to us at the end as at
the beginning.
The crew speaks of “Old
Shaky” with loving derision,
as though she were an old
professional past her prime
but holding her own, and call
her a “good airplane.”
As for me, if I were given a
choice between riding on a
plush commercial jet airliner
and “Old Shaky”, I’d choose
the old girl every time. She’s
got style and courage and a
certain flair.
And all the champagne
flights in ’the world, with
movies and plush facilities and
four course dinners, can’t hold
a candle to her charm.
Girl Scout
Training Days
Attended
An out-of-doors training day
for leaders of Girl Scouts was
held Tuesday in Hinesville at
the Scout Hut there.
Demonstrations in knottieing,
proper use of a knife, fire
building and new games and
songs were presented to coastal
area leaders to assist them in
their scouting activities with
their respective troups.
Richmond Hill scout leaders
attending were Mrs. R o t h e 11
Wasson, Mrs. E. C. Robinson,
Mrs. Michael Hamilton, and
Mrs. Roy L. Williams.
Leaders enjoyed a picnic
lunch on the grounds.
Mrs. E. C. Robinson and Mrs.
Michael Hamilton attended the
Introduction and Orientation to
Scouting for new leaders train
ing session held Thursday at
Grace Methodist Church in Sa
yannah.
THE PEMBROKE JOURNAL, Thursday, October 9, 1969—1
FNMMin
r if - I
ATHOS MENABONI (left) shows one of the his famed bird
paintings to Domer F. Ridings, Jr., director of Education at
Callaway Gardens. The ones which he has created especially for
ihe Festival have not yet been shown to the public. (PRN)
TOUR
GEORGIA
PiNE MOUNTAIN, GA.
(PRN) — It will seem like all
roads are leading to this spot
when the charm of Rome and
all of Italy is reproduced at
Callaway Gardens during a
gala Italian Festival on
October 13 and 14.
The many unique phases of
southern European culture
will all be there — cuisine,
fashions, music, art and
horticulture. Bringing these
chapters of Italian life to the
Gardens will be many
personalities well-acquainted
with the country, including
Dr. Bartolomeo Attolico,
counselor at the Italian
Embassy in Washington, D.C.,
who will speak at the closing
banquet. Each will contribute
to a program that will give
observers the true picture of
this land of romance.
An Italian Buffet Luncheon
in the Holiday Inn of Callaway
Gardens will feature the
popular dishes of the country 7 ,
followed by an exotic fashion
show of Italy-inspired styles.
Athos Menaboni of Atlanta
will open a special art
exhibition which he has
prepared especially for the
Festival. Known the world
over as a painter of birds,
Menaboni specializes in
murals, and his works decorate
many famous buildings. He
was educated at Italian art
schools in Livorno and
Florence.
Monday night
entertainment will include a
movie and narration by travel
photographer Thayer Soule on
“Venice and the Italian
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QUEEN CROWNED - Miss Tobacco. Laurie Rowe of Tifton,
was named Georgia’s Agricultural Queen at Southeastern Fair
ceremonies in Atlanta this past week. Miss Rowe, who
competed as Georgia's tobacco queen, was crowned by
Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin and Kerry Bode of
Columbus, who won the state title as Miss Pimento Pepper last
year. (PRN)
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THE PEMBROKE JOURNAL
. • Liked By Many
• Cussed By Some
* Ksud Bv rhem ,A.i
Lakes.”
“Fountains of Rome” will
be the subject on Tuesday
morning when Dr. Libero
Ajello presents a lecture
accompanied by slides of the
monuments in the city.
His show will be followed
by two movies, “Colors of
Italy” and “Sinfonia Italiana,”
which illustrate the beauty of
the countryside.
Lunch will be a special salad
bar buffet of cheeses, meats,
hors d’oeuvres and fruits,
served while guests enjoy a
poolside fashion show.
Music will be the emphasis
in the afternoon and evening.
An organ concert of Italian
melodies at the Ida Cason
Callaway Memorial Chapel will
be presented at 3 p.m. by Dr.
William Lemonds of Atlanta,
chairman of the Department
of Music at Emory University.
He will play selections written
by Italian composers during
the 16th, 17 th and 18th
centuries.
Italian arias sung by Mrs.
Peter Norris of Atlanta in an
after-dinner concert will
follow a grand Italian Banquet
Tuesday night. A dramatic
soprano, Mrs. Norris studied
music in Italy under Luigi
Ricci and Riccardo Picozzi,
and her professional debut was
made in the title role of
Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly”
under the auspices of the
Rome Opera Company.
For additional information,
write Tourist Division,
Department of Industry and
Trade - P.O. Box 38097
Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
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