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(#41)
Ralph McGrew
rmcgrew9041@msn.com
Mon Oct 08 01:06:44 2001
Great Web site King.
I was assigned to the 24th to be on Rivet Amber, but because modification took so long, and I was on a short tour, I flew the other recon birds at Eielson. Capt Ray was my replacement. I was also the EW ops officer at the Rock in 1974 to 1975.
(#42)
Tim Loose
n8vcal@earthlink.net
Sat Oct 13 21:12:07 2001
On 13 Jan, 1969 I was about be assigned to the weather station at King Salmon. Then Ball ran off the end off the runway. Shemya only had Weather Bureau observers and the Air Force gave blame to their observing priorities. So my assignment was changed to Shemya. For the next year I was the sole AWS observer at Shemya. I was part of the team that supoorted the Det 1 mission. As part of them, I lived in the SAC hanger and was required to be on duty whenever the mission was in the air. The night before Amber was lost we had phone calls back to the states. One of the T/SGTs from the backend crew gave me his phone time because "I'm going to be with my wife in Omaha tomorrow". It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. I will try to find and send some pics I have from Sheyma. I also have a copy of the "Snoopy in the 6th Strat Wing" comic.
Sgt Tim Loose
OL12, 11th Wea SQ (MAC)
(#43)
Bob Armentrout
email address deleted
Sat Oct 20 03:41:36 2001
King, it was not until I recently received an email from a visitor to your site did I realize I had not made an entry in the guestbook. This is a great site! But, having worked with you, that comes as no real surprise. I do not think I can possibly express how I feel when I revisit this site to see what sort of update you have made. Each time I log in I seem to tap into a different memory. Often it will be one that I haven't thought of in years. For the vistors, I was the Team Commander of Team 2 on the night of 13 Jan 1969. I cried when the full impact of what we had lost that snowy night hit home, but that was after the pure elation I think we all felt from survivng certain death. Each man on Team 2 could write a book about the aircraft, the mission, or the crew. Although I consider the Ball's mission the best I had in the Air Force, if I were to write a book, it would focus on the members of Team 2. It was truly an unique group. It was comprised of men who had many, many strengths and few if any weaknesses. My title was Team Commander, but that was hogwash, because it was a TEAM in the truest sense of the word. Each of us was trained for specific duties on the airplane, and we did them extremely well, and anyone on the team could have done my job.
Then there was Amber. There has never been two more unusual aircraft in one place at the same time. Each aircraft had the same basic mission, but each aircraft used a completely different technology to do the same job. Amber had a lot fine men on her when she disappeared. Losing them was a great loss, to familes, friends, the Air Force and the Nation. I remember all too well the many hours of staring out the side windows of a KC-135 tanker aircraft flying search and rescue, low level over the Bering Sea, hoping against all hope of seeing a raft with the crew in it - but finding nothing, and each mission was sadder than the last. I am certain it was the same feeling the rescue workers feel looking for survivors in New York City.
Although Amber has never been found, there is still interest in her because it remains such a great mystery. One reason for the mystery is that the search effort put forth to find Amber was the largest and longest search and rescue effort ever mounted up to that time, and something of the aircraft should have been found.
I retired from the Air Force a number of years ago, then retired from Raytheon several years after that, consulted a few years, and am now teaching middle school science full time - and raising cashmere goats - and restoring an old house - which keeps me out of trouble.
Keep up the good work King. Note, I may tap into your experience to help me build a similar site on the USAFE Tactics School - in my spare time?
PS: For anyone who ever got a haircut in the hanger barber shop. If you have a copy of the barbershop rules, would you send them to King.
(#44)
Virginia Mitzner
VMitzner@prodigy.net
Fri Nov 09 23:34:25 2001
What great pictures! This was especially interesting to me. Tom Dodds is my Uncle.
(#45)
Dorothy Gray
dotgray@att.net
Sat Nov 10 00:23:34 2001
How wonderful, Tom Dodds is my brother. The,two other brothers and me, were all in ww2. This website thrilled me. I am eighty one and really enjoy the web sites.
(#46)
Russell Dodds, Alamosa, Colorado
clutterbug@amigo.net
Mon Nov 19 23:49:45 2001
I am another brother,of tommy dodds. I am the youngest,will be 61, the 25th of november, I got two kids in the service right now.monday nov 19th 2001.
(#47)
Ellen Dodds, Alamosa, Colo.
clutterbug@amigo.net
Tue Nov 20 22:11:59 2001
Tom Dodds is my brother-in-law, we don't get to see him as often as we would like.
2002
(#48)
SSgt Clayton M. "Matt" Dodds, USAF
claydodds@yahoo.com
Jan 26, 2002, 6:10am (CST+6)
This is a great website. Thanks for the great pictures and lots of info.
(#49)
Tony Villari
mvillari@wavefront.com
Tue Jan 29 08:39:05 2002
I'm a former EWO member of the 55th. I spent a couple months on Shemya with a crew of RB-47E people and managed to wangle a ride on Lisa Ann with Regis Urschler when he was an A/C. The only crew member I knew on the missing flight was Michaud. Mitch was a great guy and always fun to be around. This is a nice memorial to those crew members. Thanks for bringing back some memories.
(#50)
Jeff Sanders
jsanders@eclipse.sigint.com
Sun Feb 3 18:42:46 2002
Nicely done. Enjoyed reading thru the history. Have long been associated with Cobra Ball and heard the stories of Rivet Ball and the loss of Rivet Amber but your site puts it all together. Hope to meet you at the Big Safari Reunion in Reno 12-15 June.
Best Regards,
Jeff Sanders
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