315th Airlift Wing Alumni Association
Newsletter Bulletin - August 2012
Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina
http//www.315awaalumniassoc.com/
Final Fly-Bye
CMSgt (ret) Robert C. “Bob” Cutrell passed away on April 27, 2012 at the age of
64. He had massive heart attack. Bob and his wife of 39 years, Mary Catherine,
lived in Warner-Robbins, GA.
The majority of us knew Bob personally. He was the 315th AW Chief of Wing
Administration. He was always there when you needed him, and never too busy
to talk. He was very active in all of the 315th Wing functions and he enjoyed
many of the social activities. Bob stayed in close touch with us right up to the
time of his passing. Bob and Mary Catherine are from Charleston, but his funeral
arrangements were made in Georgia. He had a full military funeral with honors
by the Air Force Honor Guard. Bob’s family had been living in Georgia for a very
long time and they’ve bonded very closely with the community.
Bob’s memory will forever be treasured by his loving wife Mary Catherine and his
family. Members of the 943rd / 315th community will never forget.
MSgt (ret) Phillip “Humpy” Hiller, 62, passed away on April 24, 2012, at the Dorn
VA Medical Center. He was a former loadmaster in the 707th AS and the 76th AS.
He was living in Newberry, SC.
Recent Illness
MSgt (ret) Clarence F. Thornburg had quad-triple bypass heart surgery at Trident
Hospital. I called him upon his release from the hospital and he’s doing fine with
his heart rehab therapy. Clarence was a loadmaster in the 707th Airlift Squadron.
He lives in Summerville on Bacons Bridge Road.
Staying Connected
As the age process sets in, reunions start to become more important to us,
whether it’s our high school, college, family or military. We make more effort to
stay connected and interact. That’s what we have been doing in the 315th Alumni
Association. Over 80 of our Alumni members are active on Facebook, and there
are a number of us that stay connected on a regular basis on other websites and
Facebook web pages. Social networking has worked well for us.
Websites of Interest:
701st Airlift Squadron is on Facebook. You can read messages and you can leave
a message for others to read. There are many of us on there that were not in the
701st, as this is an open group. There are lots of good stories, history, videos, and
photos. The webmaster is Tommy Peters, former 701st flight engineer.
C-141 Starlifter on Facebook, or you can get it on the regular website under “C141 Haven.” The webmaster is Mike Novack, former C-141 pilot, from Tucson,
Arizona. We’ve known Mike for a very long time. He has spent many years
building this great looking website. He has the inventory, tail numbers, squadron
insignias, news, art, accidents, training manuals, the bone yard, and you can
contact him. If you’re a C-141 buff, you’ll want to check this out.
USAF Retired: This website is on Facebook, and it’s for active duty Air Force and
Air Force Reserve. Some of our Alumni members have made postings on here.
Reunions:
The 701st Airlift Squadron, known as the “Turtles,” held a tremendously
successful reunion at Short Stay near Monks Corner, SC, and everyone had a great
time. Some of those attending were: Tommy Peters, the reunion
planner/coordinator, assisted by Lewis “Louie” Blackwell, Bruce Atkins, John R.
Taylor, Lenny LaBranche, Connie Danbury, Loraine Sapp, Mike Smith and Ralph
LeCroy. Board members from the 315th Alumni present were Dick Fuller, Debbi
Cole, Roy Griffin and myself. Lucia Greer was unable to attend as she was TDY in
Germany. I’ve made a copy of Tommy’s attendance list and I can send you a copy.
If you’re thinking of hosting a reunion for your squadron, please let us know and
we will publish it in the newsletter. Former members of the 300th Airlift
Squadron have expressed a strong interest in organizing a reunion. The 300th
held a reunion May 25, 1996 in North Charleston. That reunion was hosted by
Jim Millsap. Many from other squadrons were in attendance.
31st / 315th AES 40 plus 1 Reunion will be 22 September 2012 in North
Charleston, SC. It will be held at Cypress Hall, Wannamaker Park, 8888 University
Blvd. A block of rooms have been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at
2435 Elms Center Road, North Charleston, SC 29406. Point of contact is Lt Col
(ret) Eileen Smith Hadbavny, at hadbavny@usit.net (corrected) Contact Eileen to
obtain a reunion registration form online. You may call Eileen at (843) 556-6504.
315th Alumni Last Bag Drag Golf Tournament and Reunion will be held 6, 7, 8
Sept 2012 : The registration form and a schedule of all the activities will be sent
to you separately from this news bulletin. You may also get this from our Alumni
website at: http://www.315awaalumniassoc.com/ Then click on “events”
This is a major annual event and we have enjoyed a great attendance over the
years. This will be a time for fun, fellowship, and seeing many old friends again.
ALUMNI BOARD SCHEDULED MEETINGS/HERITAGE TRUST SPONSORED
LUNCHEON DATES FOR THE REMAINDER OF YEAR 2012 – PLEASE MARK YOUR
CALENDARS AND PLAN TO ATTEND:
4 Aug, Sat, 0930 hrs Board Mtg, Bldg 59 Maintenance Conference Room
6 Sep, Thur, 0930 hrs Board Mtg – 11:00 hrs, Luncheon at the Charleston Club
13 Oct, Sat, 0930 hrs Board Mtg, Bldg 59, Maintenance Conference Room
3 Nov, Sat, 0930 hrs Board Mtg, Bldg 59, Maintenance Conference Room
7 Dec, Fri, 0930 hrs Board Mtg, -- 11:00 hrs, Luncheon & Christmas Social at the
Charleston Club
MSgt (ret) Del Oxford, Newsletter Editor