Ed's e-mail address is: thompson@ldd.net
1965 - 1968 - 6922nd Security Wing.
Dodged the draft in Sep 63, tech school at Sheppard, Wichita Falls until
Aug 64. Went to Langley AFB, VA until May 65 then went to the PI in
June.
After the PI went to Darmstadt, Germany in Jan 69 until May of 71. Got
out then because I hated Germany and declined to extend for the move to
Augsburg.
Tried to get back in but the deal wasn't great, so I decided to tough it
out as a civilian.
Went to work in Kansas City (repairing teletypes, what else), met my
wife, got married. Also went to school and graduated from Rockhurst
College with a degree in accounting. Moved back to KY (it was home)
with a wife and two daughters (wanted to raise them in a small town) in
1978. Went to work for American Greetings selling greeting cards (what
else would you do with an accounting degree?), been doing it ever since.
One daughter is working for Walt Disney World in Orlando, she's married
a little over a year, no kids.
One daughter a junior-senior at Univ of Ky, married six months, no kids.
Broke my heart when the volcano blew.
Spent 3 1/2 great years in the PI. Was actually in the Support Group (Tty Maint. 363x0). Mostly worked the Day Shift, but did some time on Dawg Flight. Hung around the dirty dozen for awhile,
then Remy's Place became HQ. It was right outside the main gate and you
could practically crawl to the Rabbit Station. But frequented almost
every other bar including the Little Brown Jug, Rabbit, Virgie's and
other forgotten ones.
Best friend in the PI was Rawley Burns, a clerk typist in the Support
Group. We still correspond once in a while. He owns a tack and feed
store (big) in Boring, Or. We shared a house in New Balibago for about
a year.
A lot of good friends are long forgotten, but I remember John-john, Jim
Delaney, Oz Cartwright, Sgts. Linehan, Allen, Gilmore.
I was on the Cobra Den board of directors in 1966, or maybe 67. It was just after it
moved. When I got there the Den was located in what became the TV
room. What became the Den was a transient barracks, all new arrivals
went there pending flight assignments. You couldn't get a town pass for
a week, and at the time there was a curfew. The curfew was lifted
shortly after I got there, probably within a month or two, but you had
to sign out to Manila or Baguio if you weren't planning on getting back.
I had a 305 Yamaha there. Rawley Burns had a Suzuki X-6 Hustler and Oz
Cartwright had a 175 Bridgestone. Most everyone else had a 90 or 250
Honda.
Old habits die hard, I now have a Honda V-65 Magna with an 883 Harley
due to arrive in April.
Been reading the Margarita Ville web page, and it's a whole 'nother
world there now. Still sounds like it might be fun for a TDY.