While at Elizabeth City Airstation after performing some maintenance on a visiting HU16E from CGAD Arlington VA,the Commanding Officer of the detachment requested my presence and told me I had been recommended to go to Arlington and asked me if I was interested and I immediately replied in the affermitive.(the men at Arlington were all hand picked and some degree of honor was indicated by that.I couldn't reply in the negative.)
So here I am In Washington DC.Living in Arlington only five
blocks from the main gate at Fort Myer and 12 blocks from
Arlington National Cemetary and across the bridge our nations
capital.I don't think that in my four years at Arlington there
isn't a point of intrest I didn't hit at least once.It was a
great place to be at that point in time and a great education for
my children.
Well I get to learn about two more aircraft this was the RM1Z
A short while after I arrived we picked up a new aircraft the Gruman Gulfstream.Another new toy a really good aircraft.Compared to the C130 it was small, so I nicknamed it The Hummingbird.
Our main function was to transport Treasury Department and Coast Guard personnel on administrativre flights the crews were assigned to individuals for the sake of continuity and mine were the Commandant and the Assistant Secretary Of The Treasury.
We also flew other people we weren't just for them.If the Martin was to go,one of the Martin crews went and if the Gulfstream went one of the Gulfstream crews went.
For a time our airplanes were in the same hangar as the presidents, until they went across to Andrews AF BaseWe operated out of Washington National Airport.
Something new I learned to do was drive (we call it taxi) our planes around the airport it was a kick to hop in a plane and be able to navigate all over the airport on your own.(especially when your doing it in a $$$$$$$$$ aircraft!!!!!!)
We also maintained an Hu16 for proficiency of the aviators assigned to Headquarters.We all took turns being crew for them
A couple of things I can remember that bear telling is The
Saga Of The Aircrew Wings.
When I arrived at Arlington I was informed that I could not wear my aircrew wings since a headquarters unit does not perform SAR missions.
This befuddled me as I earned the wings.Submariners don't lose their dolphins when they are landlocked,paratroopers don't lose their wings when on other duties and when discussing this with a pair of pilots during a profiency flight they concured with my feelings.(they still wore their wings and could not understand the logic either.)
I had a set of NON SAR AIRCREW WINGS drawn up,and another person who published the CG AIR Bulletin had it put in the bulletin to see how others felt.(before I go too much further I am certain that the person who made the rule had no malicious intent,but probably didn't consider how proud many aircrewmen of earning their wings.)
The wings said non sar aircrew and the wings themself looked like the regular aircrew wings until you look in the center where (I put these in as I assumed some people thought we were a country club) there was a booze bottle with a snake wraped around it and some golf clubs etc.
With the help of the aforementioned pilots, it wasn't too much
later that we were informed we may wear our wings.
The day JFK was assassinated we were doing some maintenance on the Martin with the radio playing on the check stand.When the announcement came on, all work halted as we listened for more information.It was a black day.The days to follow were even darker with rampant rumors of conspiracies and more to come.Sadness and fear walked hand in hand for several weeks in the nations capital.
After the crowds had dissipated some friends and I went to the grave,and paid our personal respects.He was fellow serviceman who served proudly in WW2,our Commander In Chief.We knew it would be a long time before another motivator like him came along.(I am still waiting)
JFK did more to jump start the US in his short time, than most of the career politicians together since.(one mans opinion)
Off the soap box. I will have a soapbox page before this web site is finished but now,back to CG Air.
While stationed at Arlington I got to see many of the
famous,near famous and infamous.This isn't a brag As I keep
saying I just happened to be there.(circumstances).
One person I had the displeasure of seeing was Lincoln Rockwell.Him and his SS Troopers lived a few blocks from me aqnd I would see him and them on their porch with their Nazi Flag hanging there.I went to the DC Mall once and he was doing one of his harangues and all I could think of was two KKK rallies that I had seen.It was the KKK in kacki.(only in America!!!)If you want to learn more about this person look him up. Its really not worth the trouble.
I am not going to go through people I saw and met I am not trying to impress anyone If I hadn't been there some one else would of.As and avid football fan I would like to say that I met and talked to the on and only Otto Graham.He became athletic director and football coach for the Coast Guard Academy and took them to one of the smaller bowl games one year.As a stalwart Redskins fan we joked about the Browns and my poor Redskins and he talked about other great players of his era.He was a very pleasant person and very good natured.A real Hall Of Famer.If you are a football fan go HERE to get a brief thumbnail of Otto Graham
I had been a Redskin since I could remember and while in DC I never missed A home game unless I was away for some reason.I went to all the Senators baseball games also.Do you know the Senators folded and moved away twice?What teams are they now?
One of the nicest things I remember was a Merry Christmas message from ADM.Roland it was more of a well done but I know we all appreciated it.
It was in additon to a memorandum from Douglas Dillon, Secretary Of The Treasury.
In essance they both commended our unit for having flown 3,513 flight hours and 1,486,362 passenger miles in an 18 month period with only four aircraft,four flight officers and 24 crewman. in all types of weather without accident or delay.The Commandant also reinterated that we were selected for our abilities so it wasn't unexpected.You can't buy anything with messages like this .I just consider it acknowledgement from the people I served. Some times things like that are more important.