Current AF Rank

Seville Tiene Una Cosa – Courtesy of Jimmie Christian

AF FORM 49 INCIDENT REPORT

This was saved from the AF FORM 49 Incident Report filed on the below incident:

"At approximately 0200 hours, 5 December 1964, I, A1C Jachelski, Larry J. AF-00000000, was performing duty as Access Controller on the gate at the entrance to Alert Area #2. Suddenly I was viciously attacked by a beastly little creature commonly known as a fly. Without warning or any apparent aspiration, he began to buzz savagely around my head and shoulders. At various intervals he would light upon my head or neck and menacingly walk around. After several attempts with my hand to alleviate the present problem, the obnoxious pest, I decided such a method or retaliation was terribly inadequate. “My tactics must improve”, I told himself. I remember a saying which I’ve been told is of philosophical origin. “Patients is Golden”. I waited for minutes, which seemed like hours, for the fly to land upon a solid object. The time passed slowly and frustration began to creep into this agonizing wait. Finally the fly landed upon the window. With the cunning of a fox and the movements line those of a cat, I slowly moved towards my adversary. My desire to destroy this creature was sublimate into the subtle movement of my hand. At last, my hand was in the position for the most advantageous strike. With the force of a raging river and the speed of Mercury, I delivered my disastrous blow. Surely, fate makes games at time because the life of the fly was spared and I the “executioner” shattered the window."

Larry J Jackelski A1C AF-00000000 3973RD CDS

Little Known Story

This is a story sent by email by Otto Kosa in 2013. Interesting story  -

GUYS,  I don't know how many of u know or remember this tale, true story. The air police, cds, at moron had a black staff sgt, married to a Spanish gal. She reportedly was a former lady of the evening, and the SSgt reportedly liked a little more sampling and stepped out frequently. The mrs final got fed up with it, so she took action, waited for him to come home, slit his tires on his American car, cut the telly lines, waited for him to go to sleep, went into the kitchen and boiled a large pot of olive oil and poured it all over his body. They took him to san pablo, then Madrid, then west Germany, then to the af burn center at scott afb, il, needless to say it took about 6 mo for him to die, she was eventually executed by Spanish officials. Little known story.

 

The Flightline of Morón fifty years ago...

The Moron flight line of 50 years ago was a very interesting place. Mechanics hanging on, standing on the wing, outside the cockpit while someone was doing a high-speed taxi in an F-86 on the runway. One of the old German tri-motors was taxiing out to the runway when part of the tail fell off. The plane stopped, a crew member jumped out, picked up part of the vertical stabilizer & put it in the plane before it took off...

Fred Madden

F-86 Machine Gun Out of Control

From David Kerr:

"I was in the barracks when Alex Furmanski came in white as a sheet and shaking. I of course asked him what in the world happened. He replied that he, along with other Air Police Security, was guarding the B47's at the Hot Alert area when one of the Spanish mechanics accidentally triggered the 50 caliber machine gun on one of the Spanish F86's, hangered along with and near our F102's. Alex said bullets were wildly spraying the ramp where the B47's were on hot alert, fully loaded with bombs. I don't remember how many rounds went off, but it was enough to where all the crews had to go over the aircraft with a fine tooth comb for damage. Alex said he and the other Security Airmen were eating the asphalt, praying they weren't going to be hit. All I can say is that God was surely with them and it took Alex hours to calm down, and I sure couldn't blame him. This would have happened sometime in 1964, I think."

Bread in Morón

Contributed by Gene Lake who was assigned to Morón in 1957 and again in 1967:

"Although Spanish pan (bread) was very good and most Americans loved it, they still missed sliced bread for toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, etc.  American-style sliced bread was not available in Spain in the 1950’s. In 1957, La Modelo bakery in Alcala de Guadaira got the contract to make American-style sliced bread for the dining halls, commissary, and cafeterias.  For some reason, despite all efforts, this bread was not satisfactory; it became stale very quickly and also tore when something was being spread on it.  In 1958, when the Operation Reflex B-47 aircraft began to arrive for their tour of duty, it was decided that their empty bomb bays could be utilized coming over from the United States.  These aircraft brought bomb bays full of American sliced bread.  This was an unofficial operation.  A revolving fund was established.  Anyone who worked on the flight line was authorized 2 loaves of bread per week.  Other base personnel could buy a loaf a week if sufficient supplies were available.  (It was rumored that the B-47 aircraft also could carry 3 (or 6?) Austin-Healy Sprite sports cars in the bomb bays on the return trip to the United States.  One story was that one of the aircraft had an in-flight emergency and had to jettison the cars that were in the bomb bay.)  Operation Reflex ended in 1965.  By 1966, the bread problem had a solution.  The bakery at San Pablo Air Base made excellent bread and sold it to the mess halls, commissaries, and exchanges throughout Spain. In 1968, it was decided that the US Air Force shouldn’t be in a commercial type endeavor and the bread baking was discontinued.  The commissaries at Moron and San Pablo Air Bases then began stocking frozen Wonder® bread.  It was in high demand; even the personnel from Rota Naval Station came to buy the bread.  After the 1970 Moron Air Base phase-down, the frozen bread was no longer carried.  By that time American-style sliced bread was becoming available on the Spanish economy."

Adamuz Station

Contributed by Gene Lake

Detachment 3 (Adamuz) of the pipeline squadron was a remote duty site (1 year unaccompanied tour). It was a pump station and authorized 10 enlisted men plus several local nationals who prepared the food. Site personnel were responsible for all maintenance, painting, grass cutting, cleaning, etc.
The site existed from 1957 to 1971. It was a boring assignment. The town of Adamuz was small and several miles from the site. Cordoba was twenty -plus miles away. This was before the advent of video cassette recorders/players. Personnel stationed there did not speak much (if any) Spanish. Although local television was available starting in the early 1960’s, site personnel were not interested in viewing it. They did a lot of reading. The small dayroom was covered from floor to ceiling with book shelves full of paperback novels. In the mid-1960’s, a request was submitted to higher headquarters requesting a swimming pool. It was denied. The next year a request was submitted for an emergency fire-fighting reservoir. It was approved. Mission accomplished. The guys had a place to swim.

65th Air Division

Submitted by Gene Lake

The 65th Air Division activated 8 April 1957 at Madrid. Captain Newell H. Beaty assumed command supported by Staff Sergeant Maurice T. Houlihan. On 15 May 1957, Colonel Clay Tice Jr assumed command. Can you imagine the stories Captain Beatty and Sgt Houlihan could tell? “When I was a captain, I commanded an air division.” “When I was a staff sergeant, I was an air division sergeant major.” Captain Beatty and SSgt Houlihan were later assigned to the 872 AC&W Squadron at Constantina Air Station.

2 Comments

  1. Reference the story on the bread. The food services officer at San Pablo AB at that time was a captain and she has to be applauded for her initiative in providing what the military community needed. I do not know her name because I returned to the Moron AB/Seville area in August 1967. (As a side lite: I left Seville in August 1961( (as an E-4)) and returned in August 1967 (as an O-3)).

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