Summer issue of the INVADER

Vol. 37 No. 2

Summer 2019

2019 Reunion Information

Nose art Issue

Summer 2019

Overseeing the change of command ceremony was the new 509th Wing Commander, fellow Reaper and former commander of the 13th Bomb Squadron, Colonel Jeffrey T. Schreiner, “Opie”. Many of you met “Opie” at the 2013 Reunion in Reno. I was surprised to learn that the wing commander’s position was now an O-6 instead of an O-7.

The B-2 is featured on the cover of the July/August Air Force magazine celebrating it’s 30th birthday with a nice centerfold spread about its history and continuing development, “getting better with age”, as they put it.

Another article in that issue about 5th and 6th generation aircraft buys makes the case for evaluating the costs of new aircraft on “costs per mission effects”, not simply airframe or flying hour costs which are commonly used, especially by critics. Think about the B-2’s 60,000 payload of precision guided weapons vs a B-17’s 8000 pounds or a Bob Koehne B-29’s 22, OAO pounds of gravity bombs, not to mention the low probability of intercept I want to apologize for the lateness of this issue of the that stealth provides.

INVADER. I had planned to pitch the Boise reunion one more time, but Don Henderson’s main computer A few weeks ago we crashed on him, and his backup could not handle the were at the Museum of INVADER layout. It took a while to bring everything Flight at Boeing field to up to speed. I will give you all the details of the celebrate the lunar landing, and there were quite a few new 767-200 based KC-46 tankers parked on the reunion in the next issue. ramp. I thought perhaps the Air Force had stopped Backing up a few months, a number of our association accepting them again because of some ongoing Reapers were, as usual, well received at the 13th problems, but I talked to a Boeing engineer on the Bomb Squadron change of command ceremony, May project and learned that the Air Force was accepting 31, 2019 at Whiteman AFB. Bob and Myrtle Parks, them in blocks of ten at a time. USAF pilots fly into Carl and Mary Renner, Don Seattle, join with Boeing pilots, and fly the ten aircraft Kasson and Carole and I 30 miles or so down to McChord AFB, where they watched as Lt. Col. Geoffrey are actually accepted. I also learned that there are M. Steeves, “Fletch”, handed two boomers on the KC-46 to facilitate simultaneous over the guidon to Lt. Col. boom and drogue refuelings. As a former ground Michal T. Polidor, “Ox”. Col school instructor on the 767, teaching auto landings, Polidor, already a Reaper, with automatic brakes, I got a kick out of one Air Force moved over from his position pilot saying the KC-46 was “very user friendly”. as the 509th IG. Also, you Enough from me, read on, and enjoy the rest of this might recall from the Spring issue that Don Henderson has done 2019 INVADER, that his wife, Lt. Col. Nicola Polidor, was featured as one another great job with. of six female pilots stationed at Whiteman. Fletch is now the senior Air Force fellow at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

President’s Corner

2

Summer 2019

Members of the 13th Bomb Squadron Association who attended the Change of Command ceremony for the 13th Bomb Squadron on May 31, 2019 at Whiteman AFB. In attendance representing the Association were Bob & Myrtle Parks, Carl & Mary Renner, Don Kasson and Carole & Bob Koehne. Also in attendance, but not pictured on this page, Mary & Carl Renner.

3

Summer 2019

Officers of the 13th Bomb Squadron Association Robert R. (Bob) Koehne 23332 SE 225th St. Maple Valley, WA 98038

1st Vice President/

Ron Silvia 20 Green Lane Assonet, MA 02702-1410

2nd Vice President

James R. (Bob) Parks 3219 Tavern Oaks St. San Antonio, TX, 78247

Secretary

Edward T. (Tighe) Carvey 6980 Olympic View Ct. Silverdale, WA 98383

Treasurer

Bill Hamann 2950 SE Ocean Blvd.

Apt 124-2 Stuart, FL 34996-3512

President

Member at Large WWII

Member at Large Vietnam

Locator Data Manager

Edward D. (Ed) Connor, Jr. 1217 Earnestine St. McLean, VA 22101-2646

Member at Large Korea

Member at Large GWOT

Dave Clark 19 Skona Lake Alpha, IL 61413-9137

4

Charlie Breitzke 8 Hobkirk Drive Bella Vista, AR 72715-3404

Ron Jarrett 10349 416th Avenue Britton, SD 57430-5005

Major Nicholas Anderson, “Wolf ” 13th Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO

Summer 2019

YOUNG GUNS

{A Salute to the Grim Reapers of the 13th Bomb Squadron} Was a century ago in the skies over France, Oscar was born!

War One was the scene - the SPAD was the machine Biddle, Stovall, and Spaatz, Young Guns all Showed little fear in those early days Fought to win a peace they hoped would stay.

The INVADER is the official newsletter of the 13th Bomb Squadron Association, a Non-profit organization. The INVADER is published three times yearly for the benefit of the Association members. Views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Association or of the Department of the Air Force.

But forty years later on a cool Sunday morn In a sneak attack the bombs began to fall And in a matter of minutes another war was born At a serene place called Pearl Harbor So America’s Young Guns answered the call They were lawyer, farmer, butcher and barber.

*Members of the 13th Bomb Squadron Association must maintain contact with the Association or “after two years of not communicating with the association, a member will no longer receive the INVADER or the Directory”.

Editor: Don Henderson 254 Freeport Road New Kensington, PA 15068-5421 Tel: (412) 417-6667 e-mail: Don@HendersonGDI.com Henderson Graphic Design & Illustration www.HendersonGDI.com

They left home and family to do their share As they had done years ago in a place called France To fight for freedom and show the world we care They served the world over and took great chance, This generation of America’s Young Guns.

The INVADER masthead displays the principal combat aircraft of the 13th Squadron since its initial activation in 1917. ©13th Bomb Squadron Association 2015

From Savannah to Australia and on to Japan, There was great bitterness toward that land.

Strafing, bombing, kickin’ butt and being bold Many brave young Reapers gave their all To win a peace they all prayed would hold.

Please Note: To report the passing of a member of the Squadron Association, please e-mail:

info@13thbombsquadron.net

This will ensure that your friend or loved one will be listed and honored on our Memomiam page.

We are always looking for articles for the INVADER, especially articles with photos. If you are able to scan photos, to ensure good quality reproduction, they must be scanned at high resolution, 300 dpi or better. They can be burned to CD, DVD, or put onto a thumb drive.

If you can’t scan your photos and you want to have me scan them, you can mail them to me and I’ll scan them.

Please be sure to include your return address and pack them safely so they don’t get damaged in transit. Also, include captions for the photos and where they need to be inserted in the article. If you can type the article in Microsoft Word, that would be great, if not, send typed copies of your manuscript and we will retype it. I can’t guarantee that every article will make it into the next issue, but I will try and do my best to get them in.

Four years later the fighting would cease And the warriors could finally go home To their families and their loved ones And pass the mantle of their deeds To the next generation of Young Guns.

But time again would tell the world As long as man lives and is still in the game That peace is fragile and seldom ever won So four years later and Korea is aflame And Oscar leads the charge of our Young Guns.

Then after Korea they’re off to Nam A few years later we’re faced with Saddam And after all this we know we’re not done So there will always be a need for Cover photo: The most famous piece of nose art in the whole Our Brave Young Guns.

13th Bomb Squadron, “Old Able/Versitile Lady” at Kunsan Air Base (K-8), South Korea. This nose art was based on an Al Moore pin-up from Esquire Magazine. (Editor’s Note: The cover photo was retouched/censored for this issue.)

The putterin’ poet, Joseph Stroud, 0418 {Reaper, 1946-1950} 5

Summer 2019

Nose Art, Pin-Ups & the Grim Reapers

One of the things that led Charley Hinton to my old website “Bikes, Trains, Planes & Dames” was pinup and aircraft nose art. I had been a fan of the genre since I was a kid and had been educated about the art form by my dad’s oldest brother, Floyd “Hink” Henderson. Uncle Hink had served in WWII on a B-17 in the 457th Bomb Group out of Glatton in the UK. He was a Waist Gunner on a B-17 called the “Wild Hare” that featured nose art of Bugs Bunny with a 500 pound bomb under his arm.

Uncle Hink said that they weren’t the first crew to

Years ago when Charley Hinton first contacted me about doing some artwork for the 13th Bomb Squadron Association, the first thing he asked me to do was to recreate in vector art, the WWI insignia of “Oscar”. It wasn’t too long after that when Charley

Recreation of Lt. Earl Richard’s design of the WWI “Oscar” painted on Capt.

Charles Biddle’s SPAD XIII.

introduced me to “Old Able” and a slew of other well rendered pin-up girls that magically appeared on the nose of the B-26 Invaders when some of the aircraft came back from the repair depot at Miho, Japan. Charley told me that some of the nose art was the work of a Japanese artist that worked at Miho. This unnamed Japanese artist painted nose art on not just 13th aircraft, but on other squadron’s aircraft as well. When Charley started showing me the different nose art photos of 13th and 8th Bomb Squadron B-26 Invaders, there was something familiar about them.

The most famous piece of nose art in the whole 13th Bomb Squadron, “Old Able/ Versitile Lady” at Kunsan Air Base (K-8), South Korea. This nose art was based on an Al Moore pin-up from Esquire Magazine. This is the un-retouched version of the photo that appears on the cover of this issue.

B-17G, the “Wild Hare” and crew at Glatton Air Base in the UK. My uncle, Hink Henderson, is third from the left with the cigarette. Photo courtesy of Del Schawb, who is pictured standing on the far right.

fly the “Wild Hare”, but they were the crew that named her based on the popular Warner Brothers’ short cartoon film of the same name. My uncle not only got me interested in nose art and pin-up art, but in photography as well. So when Charley Hinton approached me about doing artwork for the 13th Bomb Squadron Association, I was already indoctrinated and a fan of nose art, but strangely I had no knowledge of the 13th Bomb Squadron.

That was all about to change.

I was soon to find out that the 13th had a long and prolific history as a Fighter, Attack and Bomb Squadron, and that each phase of the squadron’s history brought with it a unique and colorful visual history. That visual history really peaked when it served during the Korean War flying the B-26 Invader. Nose art on American aircraft during the Korean War was the norm and the air and ground crews developed a strong camaraderie and esprit de corps with their aircraft because of it.

6

cont. on page 7

Summer 2019

Nose art was a carry over from the Second World War and many of the aircraft in the Korean War had nose art left over from WWII, especially on B-29 Bombers serving in Korea. However the B-26 Invader, or as it was known at the end of WWII, the A-26 Invader, didn’t have much history with nose art. That was all about to change, and in a big way, during the Korean War. In WWII, the 13th Attack Squadron had many named aircraft, but little or no pin-up based nose art. You were more likely to see aircraft with a clever tongue-in-cheek name,

Force flying almost daily missions out of Italy found time to get nose art painted on their aircraft.

WWII is considered the “Golden Age of Nose Art & Pin-Up Art” and we owe a debt of gratitude to these guys who painted nose art on the aircraft. I personally believe it was one of the factors that helped win the war. One of the artists was a friend of mine, Lt. John A. Johns, a pilot with 22nd Bomb Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group of the 14th Air Force, the famed “Flying Tigers”. The 22nd Bomb Squadron, like the 13th, also flew B-25 Mitchells, but over some of the most dangerous air space on the planet, the “CBI” (China, Burma, India Theater of Operations). Known as “Flying the Hump”, these brave air crews flew out of crude airstrips in India and up over the Himalayas into China to bomb the Japanese. In civilian life, John Johns was a famous commercial artist known for his caricatures of stars on the cover of TV Graphics Magazine. He was president of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh when I was a student there in the mid1970’s. I got to know him personally years later after I saw him looking at some of my illustrations of 13th Bomb Squadron aircraft and nose art at an alumni show at the Art Institute gallery. We got to talking and he told me that he had flown just about every aircraft in the US arsenal during WWII. After getting to know him and learning about his exploits in WWII, I wanted to do an illustration of him for a future alumni show. I contacted David Haywood, editor of the 22nd Bomb Squadron’s newsletter, and asked him about John Johns and if there was any aircraft that were associated with him. He told

B-26 “Eight Ball Esquire” is typical of the kind of the type of nose art you were likely to see on 13th Bomb Squadron aircraft of WWII.

or a name that referred to the pilot or reflected the personality of the crew, or even the war-weary condition of the aircraft. There were a lot of factors that dictated the nose art that was painted on the aircraft. Factors like the command, demand and frequency of missions as well as the availability of someone in the squadron actually having the ability to paint nose art. I recall Bill Ricketts once saying to me when talking about 13th Bomb Squadron nose art, that “some people had no business picking up a paintbrush, let alone painting nose art”.

During WWII, some squadrons were lucky enough to have an artist in the squadron. That person was always in demand. Some of these guys were in such great demand that they were farmed out to other squadrons, often working for beer or whiskey.

Some, like Corporal Tony Starcer of the 91st Bomb Group, were quite prolific. Starcer painted nose art on over 100 aircraft including the famed “Memphis Belle”. Squadrons serving in the ETO out of the UK had a lot of downtime due to the lousy weather and a lot of planes got painted with nose art during that downtime, while some even arrived with nose art already painted on them by artists from Disney and Warner Brothers Studios. Even the very busy squadrons of General Spaatz’s 15th Air

Ann Sheridan (center), posing with two other USO performers in front of her namesake, the B-25 “Sheridan Express” painted by Lt. John Johns, a pilot with the 22nd Bomb Squadron in India during WWII.

7

cont. on page 8

Summer 2019

me about one such aircraft, a B-25 that Johns had painted nose art on to coincide with the visit of a USO show. Ann Sheridan was the star of the show that was to perform at the air base. Johns being an artist as well as being a pilot, was ordered to design and paint nose art on a B-25 that became known as “Sheridan Express”. Ann Sheridan was a fairly well known actress and performer, but John Johns had never seen her in person, only in B&W movies and pictures. Armed with a B&W photo of her, he proceeded to work up a design in a very short amount of time. It was a rush job on a somewhat epic scale that pitted the newspaper illustrator from Pittsburgh against an unrealistic deadline. Johns took to his task and worked all night to have the nose art ready for the following day when the USO show came to the base. The paint was still wet when Ann Sheridan posed with her namesake aircraft.

When I went about creating my illustration of John Johns with his nose art creation “Sheridan Express”, I too only had B&W photos to work from and since I was rendering my illustration in color, I asked David Haywood about the color of the hair on the caricature of Ann Sheridan. Haywood had flown with Johns and related a funny story about this war time rush job. Johns, only having B&W reference photos of Ann, wrongfully assumed that she had red hair based on the tone of her hair in the photos. Early B&W film often rendered colors differently, and coupled with some misinformation he was given, the nose art ended up with flaming red hair. As it turned out, much to John’s shock, Ann Sheridan was a dishwater blonde! No one was the wiser in the B&W publicity photos, but as in the lyrics to the country song “In Color” by Jamey Johnson - in reference to WWII, “you should have seen it in color”.

Sadly, John Johns passed away a few years after we had became friends, but some interesting things developed out of our friendship. The illustration I did of John was a big hit at the next Alumni Show at the Art Institute. To go with the illustration, my friend, TSgt. Dan Vargas with the 509th Bomb

Wing, arranged to have some sample Military Challenge Coins made to give to John Johns. The Art Institute of Pittsburgh liked the illustration so much, they purchased it for their Hall of Fame! I had the honor of presenting the “John Johns” coin to John at a ceremony at the Art Institute. He was brought to tears and I was told later by his son that he carried that coin until the day he died and that it was buried with him.

1st Lt. John A. Johns, Pilot, Artist and American Hero. My illustration shows John Johns seated on a 500 General Purpose bomb in front of the B-25 “Sheridan Express”. Johns painted the nose art in honor of actress Ann Sheridan who was visiting the CBI with her USO show.

Charley continued to share more and more 13th Bomb Squadron nose art photos with me! Honestly, I was like a kid in a candy store. Every photo had

A special thanks to Dave Hayward of the 22nd Bomb Squadron Association for all the reference and information on John Johns and the B-25 Sheridan Express.

8

cont. on page 9

Summer 2019

a story to tell. I got to know some of the stories behind the nose art and the names of some of young men in the photos, but thinking back now, I really wished I had asked more questions. I realize now that I have so little information on some of the art that graced the noses of the 13th Bomb Squadron’s B-26 Invaders in Korea.

Here are a few of the nose art photos Charley shared with me that various members of the squadron took during the Korean War. Again, I really wish I had asked more questions of Charley, but I continue to research the Esquire/13th Bomb Squadron/ Japanese artist from Miho connection.

9

cont. on page 10

Summer 2019

Much of the nose art was based on pin-ups from Esquire Magazine. Esquire had a long history with pin-up art. Names like George Petty and Alberto Vargas became household names due to their popular pin-ups in Esquire. There were at least a dozen 13th and 8th Bomb Squadron B-26 Invaders sporting nose art based on Esquire pin-ups from

Al Moore pin-up from Esquire Magazine, August 1951 that was the inspiration for the nose art on “Old Able/Versatile Lady”.

the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. With everything going on around me, this story was bound to have a few twists, turns and of course curves. I mentioned TSgt. Dan Vargas earlier in the article. My first encounter with Dan was via e-mail when he was with Air Force Protocol with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB. The timeline is a little fuzzy to me, but it had to be somewhere around 2002-2003 when Dan contacted me about creating pin-up style nose art for each of the 21 B-2 Stealth Bombers at Whiteman. The idea was to enhance the esprit de corps between the ground and air crews. The first B-2 pin-up I did was the “Spirit of Missouri”.

I went with a Lewis & Clarke theme. Part of coming up with these designs was that they not be offensive, but of course anytime you talk pin-up art you are bound to cause some offense, so I tried to instead focus on history, state symbols, flags and state slogans. I did my best not to offend anybody, but the few issues that came up were easily fixed.

The designs were used on a variety of items, including Military Challenge Coins, coffee mugs, T-Shirts and stickers. The whole series took me about 10 years to complete and as mentioned, there were a few curves along the way. The oddest twist was the 13th Bomb Squadron being reactivated at Whiteman. Who would have thought that would happen? ORB at work again behind the scenes?

So here I was, part way through this epic B-2 pin-up project and somehow all the planets align! Well, except for Dan Vargas taking a job with Air Force Recruiting and transferring to San Antonio, TX where he became deeply involved with all aspects of recruitment, including the Air Force Racing Team and the building of the Air Force chopper by Orange County Choppers! In the process, I got to do the original concepts for the chopper and I even got to do a couple NASCAR paint schemes for the Air Force Racing Team!

Back at Whiteman, the 325th Bomb Squadron became the new 13th Bomb Squadron. The first pinup I did, the “Spirit of Missouri” became the first flagship of the 13th Bomb Squadron. The “Spirit of Missouri” was flown by Tom “Bra” Bussiere and Paul “Nuke” Tibbets! I had met Paul’s grandfather, also Paul Tibbets, after doing work for the MidAtlantic Air Museum in the 1980’s. There have been times when I’ve questioned who was writing this script, but here I was working for Charley Hinton and the 13th Bomb Squadron Association, the Squadron at Whiteman and I was still doing artwork for Dan Vargas at Air Force Recruiting!

All the while holding down a full time design job in Pittsburgh. This went on for a few years. I got more of the B-2 pinups done, then Dan Vargas retired from the Air Force and started working with wounded veterans and got me involved with that noble cause. A few twists and turns later, losing my job in Pittsburgh, starting a graphic design business with my son and then having the honor of being the editor of this fine magazine! What a wild ride with nose art, pin-ups and the Grim Reapers!

-Don Henderson

10

Summer 2019

MM & the Grim Reapers

To say that Marilyn Monroe was a cultural icon would be an understatement. The curvy, platinum blonde beauty was everywhere, including a recruitment poster for the United States Air Force with the slogan “On the Way Up” showing Marilyn climbing into the cockpit of an F-86.

(You’ll note that this issue’s centerfold is a slight variation on that.) So it’s no surprise that she made a shocking impression on the 13th Bomb Squadron!

Charley Hinton and I had become friends because of our appreciation for pin-up and aircraft nose art.

Pin-up art is not high art, but illustrators like George Petty and Alberto Vargas became famous because of it. The “Golden Age of Nose Art” was from WWII to the Korean War. Much of the pin-up style nose art came directly from the pages of Esquire Magazine, but the artists almost always took some artistic license when painting their nose art. Often it was whatever they could get away with, but at times they crossed the line and that line was crossed, of course, by the Grim Reapers during the Korean War. But with every line crossed, there were exceptions, especially while Rob Fortney was Commander of the 13th. I have often referred to him as the “PinUp CO”. His aircraft, the 6th and 7th Chadwicks, sported red noses and nude pin-ups! Who is going to argue with the CO? Maybe the chaplain?

squadron tested in WWII, #43-22343, but there was also a second “Point”, #44-35590, and this aircraft really made a point! #44-35590 featured a seated completely nude Marilyn Monroe! That got the chaplain’s attention and saw the nose art censored, but not removed. The Reapers had crossed the line again. The following photos show the progression.

#44-35590, “The Point” before the chaplain saw her, with nude Marilyn Monroe.

#44-35590, “The Point” now with white bra & panties.

I used to jokingly say to Charley that the toughest job in the United States Air Force had to be the chaplain for the Devil’s Own Grim Reapers.

In a previous article, Johnathan Clayborn made mention of a B-26 known as “The Point”. She was one of the original four WWII A-26 Invaders that the

#44-35590, “The Point” as the “Garden State Express” censored. Photos from the Deihl Pickett collection, 13th Bomb Squadron archives.

11

Summer 2019

12

Summer 2019

13

Summer 2019

New 509th Bomb Wing Commander

GOLONEL JEFFREY T. SGHREINER

Col. Jeffrey T. Schreiner is a full time Battle Watch Commander in the Global Operations Center of U.S. Strategic Command. ln this role he coordinates NC3 situation monitoring, decision making, force direction, force management, and planning to ensure the Commander is prepared and informed in both peace time and crisis. After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1996, Colonel Schreiner attended pilot training at Laughlin AFB, Texas. Upon graduation, Colonel Schreiner remained at Laughlin as an Instructor Pilot in the T-38 until being selected to attend B-2 training at Whiteman AFB, MO, Colonel Schreiner was an Instructor and Evaluator in both the T- 38 and B-2. He was selected to attend the United States Air Force Weapons School where he graduated with the Flying Award and was later named the 8th Air Force Weapons Officer of the Year. After departing Whiteman, Colonel Schreiner served as the Air Officer Commanding of Cadet Squadron Twenty Five, the “Rock Hard Redeyes”. He returned to Whiteman AFB in 2011 to be the Wing Chief of Safety, followed by command of the 13th Bomb Squadron, “The Grim Reapers”. Following command he spent a year as a National Defense Fellow at the prestigious Stimson Center in Washington D.C. Prior to his current assignment, the colonel spent one year as the Vice Commander of the “Grand Slam Wing,” 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

EDUCATION 1996 - Bachelor of Science, Political Science, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.

2002 - Master of Business Administration, Webster University, Mo. 2002 - Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., by correspondence 2003 - Squadron Officer’s School, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2004 - United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 2006 - Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2009 - Master of Leadership and Counseling, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs 2012 - Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2015 - National Defense Fellow, Stimson Center, Washington, D.C.

ASSIGNMENTS 1 . August 1996 - September 1997, student, Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training, Laughlin AFB, Texas 2. September 1997 - February 1998, student, Pilot Instructor Training, Randolph AFB, Texas 3. February 1998 - May 2000, T-38 Instructor Pilot, 87th Flight Training Squadron, Laughlin AFB, TX 4. May 2000 - November 2001, T-38 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot and B-2A upgrade student, 394th Combat Training Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO. 5. November 2001- July 2004, T-38 and B-2 Instructor/Evaluator Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 393d Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo. 6. July 2004 - December 2004, student, United States Air Force Weapons School, Nellis AFB, Nev. 7. December 2004 - July 2006, Chief of Weapons and Tactics and Assistant Director of Operations, 393d Bomb Squadron, Whiteman AFB, MO. 8. July 2006 - October 2007, Assistant Director of Operations, 325th Weapons Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo. 9. October 2007 - May 2008, Assistant Director of Operations/Chief of Mission Planning Cell, 509th Operations Support Squadron, Whiteman AFB, Mo. 10. May 2008 - May 2009,student, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Colo.

11. May 2009 - June 201 1, Air Officer Commanding, Cadet Squadron 25, USAF Academy, Colo.

12. June 2011 - June 2012, Chief of Safety, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, Mo. 13. June 2012- June 2014, Commander, 13th Bomb Squadron,Whiteman AFB, Mo. 14. June 2014 -June 2015, National Defense Fellow, Stimson Center, Washington, D.C. 14

Summer 2019

15. June 2015 - June 2016, Branch Chief, Air Delivered Capabilities, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. 16. June 2016 - June 2017, Division Chief, Conventional Global Strike, Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. 17. June 2017 - July 2018, Vice Wing Commander, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, AI Udeid Air Base, Qatar 18. July 2018 - Present, Battle Watch Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1 . June 2015 - June 2016, Branch Chief J834, Air Delivered Capabilities, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. 2. June 2016 - June 2017, Division Chief JF35, Conventional Global Strike, Joint Functional Component Command for Global Strike, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb. 3. July 2018 - Present, Battle Watch Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt AFB, Neb FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Command Pilot Flight hours: more than 3,700 and 208 combat hours Aircraft flown: B-2A, B-52H, T-38A, T-52A, and T-37

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Legion of Merit Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Air Medal Aerial Achievement Medal Air Force Commendation Medal Joint Service Achievement Medal Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster Combat Readiness Medal with two oak leaf clusters EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant - May 29, 1996 First Lieutenant - May 29,1998 Captain - May 29, 2000 Major - April 1, 2006 Lieutenant Colonel - Dec. 1, 2010 Colonel - March 1, 2017 (Current as of Mar 2019)

15

Summer 2019

New 13th Bomb Squadron Commander

LIEUTENANT COLONEL MICHAL P. POLIDOR Lt. Col. Michal P. Polidor is the 509th Bomb Wing Inspector General. Lt. Col. Polidor plans, directs, conducts and manages all Wing IG Programs to include the 509th Bomb Wing Commander’s Inspection Program. In addition, he also serves as the Commander’s principal advisor for the Air Force’s Complaints Resolution and Fraud Waste and Abuse programs.

Lt. Col. Polidor received his commission as a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy in 2004. Following graduation, he served in a variety of operational assignments to include duties as an F-15E and B-2A Instructor Pilot. In 2015, he was selected as an Olmsted Scholar to Kaohsiung, Taiwan where he earned a Master of Social Sciences degree in China and Asia Pacific Studies. Lt. Col. Polidor is a senior pilot with more than 1,900 flying hours, including 420 combat hours.

EDUCATION 2004 - Bachelor of Science Degree in Astronautical Engineering, United States Air Force Academy, CO 2010 - Graduate of Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL 2011 - Master of Arts Degree in Aeronautical Science, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, FL 2013 - Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL (in correspondence) 2018 - Master of Social Science Degree in China and Asia Pacific Studies, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan ASSIGNMENTS 1. August 2004 – December 2004, DA-20 student, Introductory Flight Training, USAFA, CO 2. December 2004 – January 2006, T-37 & T-38 student, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Vance AFB, OK 3. January 2006 – April 2006, T-38 student, Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals, Moody AFB, GA 4. April 2006 – July 2010, F-15E Instructor Pilot, Chief of Scheduling, 335th Fighter Squadron, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC 5. July 2010 – July 2011, T-38 Pilot, Chief of Command Post, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO 6. July 2011 – June 2015, B-2 Instructor Pilot, Wing Executive Officer, Whiteman AFB, MO 7. June 2015 – August 2018, Olmsted Scholar, Washington DC and Kaohsiung, Taiwan 8. August 2018 – Present, Inspector General, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman AFB, MO FLIGHT INFORMATION Rating: Senior Pilot Flight Hours: More than 1900 Aircraft Flown: B-2A, F-15E, T-38A/C, T-37B MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Distinguished Flying Cross Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal with 4 oak leaf clusters Air Force Commendation Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster Air Force Achievement Medal Combat Readiness Medal Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS 2004 - Distinguished Graduate, United States Air Force Academy 2006 - Academic Excellence Award, Undergraduate Pilot Training 2011 - Col. James Jabara Award EFFECTIVE DATES OF PROMOTION Second Lieutenant - 2 June 2004 First Lieutenant - 2 June 2006 Captain - 2 June 2008 Major - 1 May 2014 Lieutenant Colonel - 1 November 2017 (Current as of November 2018)

Summer 2019

Northrop Grumman, Air Force Plan Future of B-2 Fleet as Spirit Turns 30

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman commemorated the B-2’s 30th birthday on Aug. 20 in Palmdale, Calif. Staff photo by Brian Everstine.

PALMDALE, Calif.—The Air Force and Northrop Grumman officially marked the 30th birthday of the B-2 on Aug. 20, celebrating a bomber that has revolutionized US nuclear deterrence at a time when they are overhauling the aircraft’s defensive systems and laying the groundwork for its successor.

The B-2 will hold the line as the Air Force’s lowobservable bomber until Northrop’s B-21 bomber becomes available.

“We have deterred our adversaries,” Janis Pamiljans, the president of Northrop’s aerospace systems sector, said during a ceremony here. “We know this business, we know how to bring stealth and (low observable technology).”

In July 1989, the first B-2 rolled out onto the same Palmdale flight line where the ceremony was held. Since then, it has flown in major US conflicts from Kosovo to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, while evolving with new technology, weapons carriages, and maintenance techniques.

“Sustainment and modernization remain an important aspect of the B-2,” Eighth Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. James Dawkins said during the ceremony. “We will continue to engage with Northrop Grumman to have this airplane in the future.”

The aircraft currently has a mission capable rate of about 61 percent—a high-water mark for a fleet that, at any given time, has 10 percent of its overall airframes in depot maintenance in Palmdale, according to Northrop.

Northrop’s main focus for the B-2 fleet is evolving its programmed depot maintenance and coupling that indepth, year-long sustainment work with new platform upgrades. For example, one B-2—dubbed the “Spirit of Pennsylvania”—will be the first Spirit outfitted with the Defensive Management System while it is currently undergoing regular maintenance in Palmdale. DMS is the aircraft’s first major modernization in the past 30 years, Pamiljans said.

The upgrade includes a digital system to detect threats based on their electronic signatures, new antennas, modern display units that find enemy threat radars, and 17

Summer 2019

associated software components aimed at improving B-2 survivability, according to the Pentagon’s Department of Operational Test and Evaluation. Dawkins said the program is fully funded and that the Air Force is monitoring its overall progress.

Inside Defense reported in June the service was rebaselining the $3 billion DMS effort as it tries to overhaul its software development approach. The program’s delivery is expected to slip by six to eight months because Northrop is shifting to agile development.

next test aircraft for Edwards AFB, Calif., where it will fly for nine years.

Northrop is working to speed up heavy maintenance by shaving days off certain processes that can amount to larger time and cost savings. The company accelerated its low-observable repairs, during which the B-2’s stealth coating is completely repainted. Northrop removes parts from each aircraft that comes in for evaluation and repair, and some components are “cannibalized” for other aircraft that are preparing to leave the depot so the planes can move through faster.

Will Roper, the Air Force’s assistant secretary for acquisition, technology, and logistics, told Congress in March that the service is spending $1.5 billion within five years to make sure the bomber “can continue to counter sophisticated air defense networks.” The Air Force has added capabilities since the program initially began, making it “better because of the criticality of the platform,” Roper said.

Two B-2s are undergoing PDM in the Palmdale facility at any given time, staggered so one comes and leaves every six months. Northrop wants to keep this schedule running on time, because just two B-2s is still 10 percent of the overall B-2 fleet.

Richard Sullivan, the vice president and B-2 program manager at Northrop Grumman, said DMS involves the most software and hardware changes since the program went through its major engineering development phase.

While the B-2 is celebrating its 30th anniversary, the fleet still has a lot of life left. On average, each aircraft has about 6,000 to 7,000 remaining flight hours, well short of the overall projected 30,000-hour lifespan.

Northrop is currently contracted to install DMS on three airplanes, but Sullivan said there isn’t a set date by which the company needs to reach initial operational capability because a full production contract is still in the works.

Still, the Air Force plans to retire the fleet starting in the late 2020s as it brings on the next-generation B-21. The Air Force expects some overlap in the operational life of the B-2 and B-21 during a “transition phase,” Dawkins said, but the service has no plans to keep the B-2 around past the 2030s. ​ —Brian Everstine

The “Spirit of Pennsylvania” will return to the Air Force with the DMS capability in three weeks. The plane is the

Spending 10 years maintaining 20 aircraft isn’t fast enough for the Air Force, Sullivan said.

18

Summer 2019

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James revealed the first rendering of the Long Range Strike Bomber, designated the B-21, at the Air Force Association’s Air Warfare Symposium Feb. 26 in Orlando, Fla., and announced the Air Force will be taking suggestions from Airmen to help decide the name of the bomber.

“The platforms and systems that made us great over the last 50 years will not make us great over the next 50,” Welsh said during his testimony on Capitol Hill Feb. 10. “There are many other systems we need to either upgrade or recapitalize to ensure viability against current and emerging threats… the only way to do that is to divest old capability to build the new.”

“This aircraft represents the future for our Airmen, and (their) voice is important to this process,” James said.

“The Airman who submits the selected name will help me announce it at the (Air Force Association) conference this fall.”

James said the B-21 will allow the Air Force to operate in tomorrow’s high end threat environment, and give the Air Force the flexibility and the capability to launch from the continental United States and deliver airstrikes on any location in the world.

While there are no existing prototypes of the aircraft, the artist rendering is based on the initial design concept. The designation B-21 recognizes the LRS-B as the first bomber of the 21st century.

James also explained why the B-21 shares some resemblance to the B-2.

The reveal comes just weeks after both James and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III delivered the fiscal year 2017 posture statement before the Senate Appropriations Committee, making it clear modernization is a top priority for the Air Force.

“The B-21 has been designed from the beginning based on a set of requirements that allows the use of existing and mature technology,” James said.

The program recently entered into the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase and the Air Force plans to field the initial capability of the aircraft in the mid-2020s.

19

Photo: USAF

Summer 2019

This is America’s bestknown secret weapon.

The B-2 Spirit is easily the most recognizable aircraft in the Air Force inventory, its sleek, black, improbable shape blending science fiction with reality even now, 30 years after its first flight. When America goes to war, the B-2 is usually the opening act.

Flying imperceptibly through enemy air defenses, its opening night missions destroy enemy air defenses so follow-on forces can destroy the enemy’s ability and will to fight. The B-2 doesn’t just kick open doors; it opens the skies. Only 21 B-2s were built, and just 20 remain. They comprise a tailor-made fleet of handcrafted aircraft, each ever-so-slightly different from the next, each able to carry a flexible arsenal of firepower in a two-man aircraft capable of flying unnoticed halfway around the world. One B-2 can strike 43 percent more long-range targets than an entire Arleigh Burke-class Navy destroyer. Today’s B-2s are not the same airplanes that first attracted attention in the 1990s. These jets feature enhanced targeting and threat-identification systems, precision weapons, improved stealth, and the capacity to deliver the biggest bombs in the US arsenal. The Air Force’s Bomber Vector calls for retiring the B-2 fleet by 2032, well before its successor, the B-21, is fully

on line. The B-21, which is still in development, will be similar in shape and design to the B-2, but only about two-thirds the size. B-21 deliveries are targeted to start in the mid-2020s, and under current plans, B-2s would be retired as those new aircraft join the operational fleet. But plans change. Within months after the Bomber Vector was released, the Air Force unveiled “The Air Force We Need,” a plan to grow the force from 312 to 386 operational squadrons. Now, Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein is leaving the door open to extend the B-2’s operational career. “It’s still in the works in terms of how we look at the force,” Goldfein said June 26. The 386 squadron plan is built to deter and, if necessary, fight and win against a nuclear peer, he said. The B-2 delivers value to that equation. “Whether we retire the B-2 in the time frame with the B-21, all of that has to be nested” in the build-out of that 386-squadron force, where the greatest growth is in long-range bombers and tankers. “That should not be surprising or lost on anyone,” he said. “Because as we see the advancing threat, and the missions the Air Force provides, having that in-creased range to execute our missions becomes even more essential in the future.”

—Tobias Naegele, Air Force Magazine

20

Summer 2019

Reprinted from Air Force Magazine • Copyright 2019 by Air Force Association

21

Summer 2019

Locator’s Radar Are you on our Radar?

Well, I was going to take this opportunity to ask anyone who saw Charlie Breitzke, Locator something wrong with the 2019 association directory to let me know.

Although that’s still a request, I already have a few pen-and-ink corrections. Basically, this was a bad time to have a name beginning with “O”. All the following are correct in the alpha listing but wrong in the “by states” section. So, without further ado – Roy Olivier lives in Richardson, TX (not Grand Forks).

Norris Olson lives in Grand Forks, ND (not Lakewood). Allen Odom lives in Greensboro, NC (not Richardson). William O’Neill lives in Lakewood, CO (not Greensboro).

Never wanting to miss an opportunity to plead for updates when something changes for you, I might also add that publication of the directory

brought in notice of (so far) three members who had passed away (as long as three years ago). When this Invader hits the streets, you can be sure I’ll get some more of those and quite a few returned because of a (now) invalid address. I realize I’m not at the top of anyone’s priority list, but please try to let me know if you move (and that someone close is prepared to tell me when you make your “final move”).

Although the above may not look like it, I’m starting to get more comfortable working with the association database. I thought I’d occasionally pass on fun facts here. On the one end, there are (drum roll, please) currently 7025 entries, dating back to 1917.

This obviously includes mostly folks assigned to the 13th, but we also have Associate, Honorary, Friend and Survivor designations.

3626 of these have passed on. I can’t do ages, conflict, type of aircraft, or location (and probably some others) per se, but “years with the 13th” can be extrapolated for some.

If you’ve a real itch for specific association information, let me know.

Please contact Charlie Breitzke at info@13thbombsquadron.net

Deaths Not Previously Reported As of Spring 2019

Jack U. Goodhart December 22, 2018 Pilot, 1951-52 Ronald J. Rodda March 15, 2016 Pilot, 1954-56

Rest In Peace

Richard S. Heaton July 30, 2012 Nav/Bomb, 1965-66 Thomas B. Kempster June 4, 2019 Pilot, 1972 22

Gerry J. Thune November 16, 2018 Crew Chief, 1954-55 Vincent J. Allenson August 16, 2017 Navigator, 1953

Summer 2019

The Hot SEAT Editor’s Comments

The heat of summer has been burning its impression on us with more than just hot days.

Here in Pittsburgh, we have had our fair share of dog days, with temps reaching near 100º, coupled with some 90% humidity. They always say it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, but we have been toughing it out and keeping busy. We’ve been going to a lot of Jeep festivals starting with the Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam, then the famed Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival in Butler, Pennsylvania and the Great Smoky Mountains Jeep Invasion.

kind of like what Sturgess is for motorcyclists, only for Jeeps, and without all the drunken debauchery associated with Sturgess.

Bantam is more of a family event where people celebrate the birthplace of the Jeep, show theirs off and just have a muddy Don Henderson, Editor good time! During the Jeep Invasion, the Butler County Historical Society proudly displays one of the rare BRC-40 production models.

The original prototype is at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh.

Butler, PA is where the Jeep was born.

Throughout the rest of American Bantam the weekend, Jeepers Car Company built can camp out at the the prototype Jeep campgrounds and visit and the first 2,700 hundreds of vendor Jeeps for the military, tents and displays but the demand was that sell all sorts of so great that the Jeep parts. Just about government gave anything to customise Bantam’s design to your Jeep into an offWillys and Ford, who road warrior capable retooled the Bantam of getting down and BRC design and dirty in the mud, made it their own. climbing rocks or Bantam was left with Your humble editor seated in one of the original Jeeps built by American Bantam Car just “mall crawling”. the contract to build Company in Butler Pennsylvania. This is a 1941 American Bantam BRC-40 S/N 1728 There is something for Owned By The Butler County Historical Society. This Jeep was on display at the Bantam trailers. Although Jeep Heritage Festival during the Jeep Invasion of Butler, PA, the birthplace of the Jeep! everybody! Jeepers these trailers are can test their Jeep’s prized by collectors, building trailers was not capabilities on a challenging obstacle course or enough to sustain the company and Bantam mud bog, or take to the trails and go off-roading eventually folded in 1956. on one of the many trails cut through the woods around Moraine State Park.

Every June, thousands of Jeeps from all over the U.S. converge on the town of Butler for 3 days of The little 1/4 ton, 4-wheel drive “General fun that starts on Friday with off-roading during Purpose” or “GP” was the mainstay of military the day and the “Jeep Invasion” on the streets transportation. The Jeep could be called on to do of Butler in the evening! The city closes down pretty much anything, a true “Versatile Lady” Main Street and many of the side streets for a that would make “Old Able” proud. I don’t think huge celebration! Jeepers display everything anybody could have foreseen the popularity of the from military Jeeps to civilian Jeeps of every year Jeep, but one thing is for sure, it was a heck of a and configuration. You’ll see everything from military machine and one that Eisenhower completely stock to highly customized Jeeps even credited with helping win WWII! worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Bantam is Feel free to share your Jeep Story!

23

13th Bomb Squadron Association

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID West Press 85726

Charlie Breitzke 8 Hobkirk Drive Bella Vista, AR 72715-3404 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

B-2 Spirit of Mississippi Members of the 13th Bomb Squadron Association in attendance at the Change of Command at Whiteman AFB, MO. Left to Right, Carl & Mary Renner, Don Kasson, Bob & Myrtle Parks and Carol & Bob Koehne