July 63 - April 66:
Assigned to Randolph Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, HQ Air Training
Command (ATC). How can one do better than Randolph for a CONUS
assignment? Worked as a Staff Weenie for the whole
time at the HQ
true 8 to 5 job. Working
with the Flying/Technical Training folks to ensure we had all the
hardware in place at the right time in the right numbers. Good Boss, fine
people, medium level TDY. Here we were blessed with a double goody;
first, our son Scott in March 66, coupled with a follow on assignment
back to Europe and HQ USAFE (United States Air Forces, Europe),
Wiesbaden Germany! Randolph was great but our hearts were still in Europe.
May 66-July 69: HQ. USAFE/DCS/Material.
I was Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Command
Equipment Management Team among other duties. I had a team of NCO (Non Commissioned
Officer) Super Stars from the: Aircraft Maintenance, Communications,
Transportation, Special Purpose Vehicles, Support Services, and
Munitions fields. The job was to validate unit equipment needs and wants.
Since this team was drawn from NCO's who had been in
the trenches, they leaned over backwards to give the units we visited
what their unit leadership felt they needed. As a result the usual "We're
here to help you -- We're glad to see you" in-briefing
pronouncements were most often heartfelt by both sides. With a team of
pros like I had, my job was a cakewalk. We were still on the road from
Norway to Turkey and beyond about 18 days a month. Interesting job, new experiences, and places. It is great to be in a
Tactical Command again and FABGORD have always had a love affair with
Europe. During this tour we were blessed with having 'Frau Korte' who if you could design a 'Gross Mutti' it would be Korte. This
permitted FABGORD to travel to those "non family" places in Europe -- We also did our share of
family travel TDY schedule
permitting. (THE
KIDS THRIVED HERE IN WIESBADEN. BOTH FLORENCE’S
AND MY MOTHER HAD PASSED ON
AND FRAU KORTE WAS THE IDEAL GRANDMOTHER SUBSTITUTE FOR THE
KIDS—THIS LADY RAN THE HOUSEHOLD. OUR KELLEY WAS ONE OF ONLY TWO
AMERICAN CHILDREN WHO ATTENDED ST.KIILIAN’S
GERMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL. KELLEY WAS OUR GERMAN INTERPRETER AT AGE
FIVE!) I was called in
early 1969 for job interviews at the Air Force Academy (AFA) and the Air
Staff. I was sure I didn't want them, and after the interviews I am
pretty sure they didn't want me. In any event Air Staff and AFA
assignments went by the boards when I went on the Gold Standard with
my promotion and a class assignment to the Armed Forces Staff College
(AFSC) in the late summer of 1969. Along with leaving Germany
It was a heart breaker for FABGORD and the kids to say 'Auf Wiedersehen'
to 'Oma' Korte -- Had her life not been dedicated to her adult Son she would
have gone to the States with us and become a permanent member of the Brymer Clan...We were fortunate enough to be reunited with 'Oma' some
years later..." July 1969 -- After a visit with our families in Canada, the Brymer Clan
arrives Norfolk / AFSC -- Base Housing is provided right on campus a block
from the School House so the move is a snap -- I am one lucky guy. What a great school. Sure it was the
gentleman's party school, no tests etc., but in each seminar we had 5
Officers from each service with all line, combat, and supporting arms
experience covered, plus an allied officer, Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA) Weenie (no not Phillip BF) our very own Marine! Never,
ever could one ever learn and prepare better for a joint and combined
staff job in a Schoolhouse situation than AFSC. Our Field trips were to
the United Nations in New York; The annual Brass Strike Firepower
Demonstration at Fort Bragg; (put on for the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
their guests and the Intermediate Senior Service School classes) Marine
Brigade strength landing at Camp Lejeune; Out to the Forrestal underway
off the East Coast to observe launch and recovery operations; show and
tell on SSN "Ray" (Nuke Attack Boat) and on and on, the time
literally flew by. Not much was left uncovered in the Joint
Service Combined Arms /Unified Command operations area.
Guess which one (in Mufti) in the Seminar picture is the Brit who was a
Two Button at the time of the Falklands and very much engaged in that
action effort. Funny story on Mike. When I got to Berlin in later years he called me
from London and wanted me to send him a couple of watches for his kids
-- No problem. To beat Her Majesty’s Customs Officers I pack up the
watches address the package to Mike with his rank etc., and Whitehall
Ministry of Defense address. Game plan was for my Pan American 727
Driver Buddy who flew out of Berlin to either drop the package off at
the Ministry of Defense and meet Mike, or drop it in the post at
Heathrow simple right? Well my buddy Henry Poppa (Naval Academy Grad and
in the Active Air Force Reserve), overnights in London and the next
morning goes down to breakfast at his hotel in Knightsbridge with the
package which he intends to deliver to Mike at Whitehall. Henry is in
the Cab at Whitehall when he realizes he left the package in the Hotel
Dining Room. This is at a time of heavy IRA activity in London. Hank
arrives back at the Hotel, which has been evacuated. Hank finally gets
to the head Bobby who along with the Bomb Squad was elated to hear his
story! You see in addition to the watches I included a slew of chocolate
bars in the package and you can image what they saw on the portable
x-ray device!!! Graduation and Viet Nam was rapidly approaching -- Talk about cooperate and graduate A Naval Aviator classmate got a
cross country flight and flew me down to the Alamo City where I got a house
outside the Gate at Randolph for the family to set
up housekeeping for the separation period -- Our class at AFSC was literally still having our
farewell parties when the moving trucks were puling out the front gate
as we all lived on the AFSC School House grounds and we really made some
fast and lasting friendships. I rate the AFSC experience as a high point
of my career.
February 70 - March 71:
Assigned HQ Military Assistance Command, Viet Nam (MAC-V) (J42).
About 70% of my AFSC class ended up on the MAC-V Joint Staff. With the
exception of the Arc Light (B52 Strikes) HQ MAC-V pretty much dealt with
ground force actions, leaving Air and Naval/Marine actions pretty much
to the respective Headquarters at 7th Air Force, Commander, Naval
Forces, Vietnam (COMNAVFORV), 3rd MAF (3rd Marine Amphibious Force) and
their respective Advisory Units. As you all well know the Situation Room
of the White House and the McNamara Whiz Kids were the source of all
strategic/tactical wisdom!! Had the communications in the form of a Dick
Tracey Wrist Radio had been available to that bunch they probably would
have controlled squad level actions in the field direct! Shortly after
the arrival of AFSC Class 46 hit Fort Fumbles The HQ MACV Joint Staff
Warlords could not believe how smooth the staff actions were moving
through the Fort all of a sudden--(Little did they realize the newly
arrived crowd of Action Officer's had been partying together for six
months!) I hasten to add here that the COMUSMAC-V, (Commander United
States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. General Creighton Abrams
was a WAR TWO Warrior. The General proved his metal as a Lt.
Colonel in WAR TWO as Commanding Officer of Patton’s spearhead/
lead Armor Battalion (37th Armored) in Third Army’s dash
across Europe and the relief of the 101st Airborne at
Bastogne. I was privy to General Abrams conversion to Catholicism during
my tour. The General had been an Agnostic all his life to that point —
With
the crowd in Washington running the war for him I guess any man in his
position would turn to religion!
My bosses were a Naval Aviator, Captain John Schute, United States
Navy (USN), and Major General Raymond Conroy, United States Army. Both
real gems to serve under. They referred to each other as "Colonel
and Admiral". My actions were Herbicides (not to be confused with
Herbal Potions!) Agents Orange, Blue, White, Captured Crew Served
Weapons, J42 MAC-V Log Liaison Officer to Korean Capital and Whitehorse
Divisions, Blue Dragon / Dove Marine and Engineer Brigades, Aussie/Kiwi
Field Force. Essentially I was tasked to sort out any
knots that came up in the logistics support tail / pipeline to these
allied forces -- and whatever other SLJ duties the "Skipper May
Direct". Got lots of field time which as always reinforces ones
respect for the grunts, God Bless
Them. As a Rear Echelon Mother ------ (REMF), I did
get to go along as an "Observer" on bomb runs with the RAAF's
2 Squadron Canberra’s . IT TOOK A LITTLE TIME FOR IT TO, HIT
ME THAT ONLY PILOT & NAV/BOMB DROPPER HAD EJECTION SEATS. EXCEPT ON THE BOMB RUN WHEN THE NAV/BOMB
DROPPER LEFT HIS TANDEM SEAT TO PICKLE THE BOMB LOAD OFF ON HIS BELLY IN
THE NOSE OF THE BIRD — OLE GORDO WAS QUICK TO JUMP IN AND KEEP HIS
EJECTION SEAT WARM TILL THE RUNS WERE OVER. Compared
to it’s population Australia made a sizeable contribution in Vietnam
having 8,000 plus troops in country at all times. Their Field Force (Royal Australian
Regiment) protected the eastern approaches to Saigon
in Phuoc Tuy Province, consisting of Artillery, Armor, Infantry, Intra
Country Tactical Airlift both fixed wing and helo along with Spruce Class Destroyers on the Gun Line. The Aussies faced up to the no win
direction of the war and withdrew their forces before we did — I
hasten to point
out the Aussies / Kiwis / Brits were responsible for the big win
in Malaya over the communists — They knew how to fight the Vietnam War—take
territory, make the civilian populace safe and free of corruption, by
holding the ground and denying rice to the enemy—Some Aussies said to
me "If Charles doth not eat, Charles doth not defecate and if
Charles cannot defecate — Charles dies!" As you know, if you didn’t
laugh in Vietnam, you would surely cry if one dwelled on the criminal
waste of the flowers of American youth who really won the battles, while
Capitol City caused us to lose the War… What was the final count 58,000
plus… not much when those War Directors in Washington who were experts
on Oceans they never crossed, firefights they never saw, missions they
never flew, and bandages/body bags they never had to touch --- spoke the
KIA, MIA, WIA, Other numbers so fast….
1971-74: Good by Nam, Hello Hickam, Pacific
Air Force (PACAF), HQ, DCS/Material. Spent
about 2 years in the HQ were I couldn't hold a job, even got a little
experience as a fill in executive officer and of course TDY time back in
South East Asia (SEA). To keep peace in the family The Log Boss (To
save my six from two O6's, Col.’s Frick & Frack who did not like
to hear their subordinates tell it like they, the subordinates, believed
it to be) sent me down to the real world at the Wing for a year
while waiting for my War College Class which was part and parcel of my
going on the silver standard with my promotion in Feb 71. Only time an Aires
like me could have gotten a promotion like this was in a job where the
rubber met the road and being PC was not viewed as a necessary
prerequisite / plus in judging a persons net worth -- It was a big surprise
since I was already four grades —
well, maybe three,
higher than I ever
thought I would be! An interesting experience came during my last
year at Hickam. PACAF took over the executive agent role for Wake Island
from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) since
commercial aircraft, and indeed Military Airlift Command (MAC) had gone
pure jet in the main and were over flying Wonderful Wake. However, Wake
Island was sure a welcome sight for MAC and Commercial drivers with a
mechanical problem. The Daddy Rabbit for Wake, Johnston
Island etc. is the Department of the Interior. My job on the extended
TDY (while the flesh peddlers (Personnel Center came up with a
replacement) was Island
Administrator and Commander Island
Administrator and Commander (under
the Federal Wake Island Code). Aside from presiding over the transfer of Wake to PACAF, from the FAA we provided
support services when the Air Force Systems Command put in an Athena
Missile Launch Site on Wake to shoot into the Army Range at Kwajalien
doing Ballistic Reentry work for the Army Missile Command at Huntsville,
Ala. The FAA flew FAB and the kids
down to Wake for a month while schools out in Hawaii. We have a great time exploring the Island and treasure
hunting. During the construction we uncovered lots of WW II bad guy
remains
which got reported to the Government of Japan (GOJ) which naturally held
up the project while the GOJ went through their elaborate War Dead
remains recovery ceremony/process. Bad News event of this
tour was that my bride fell victim to a stomach cancer. Good, No
Great news was after loosing 75% of her stomach and a host of other
procedures she came through like the stellar champ she is! Thanks to
FAB’S true grit and determination to see her kids grow up, coupled
with the hand of the Lord and the consummate skill of the Army's Tripler
General Hospital’s
Chief Resident Surgeon Ken Mylander, plus the great support team of
nurses / medics at Tripler -- they were truly the "A" team to
whom the Brymer family will be eternally grateful -- At the time the
survival rate for the big Casino of the stomach was less than 5%. It's time to leave the land of
'Aloha' which is another tearful good bye to friends and Warlords
who did so much for FABGORD -- the end of another
super adventure in the Brymers memory book -- a fond 'Aloha'.
August 74 - June 75:
After seven days temporary lodging at the Kahala Hilton, and a great
Aloha send off by our friends and War Lords comes a cross country via
San Francisco, Carmel, Disneyland, The Sands in Vegas, Grand Canyon,
Durango Colorado, Texas. Even
exposed Scott to the Air Force Academy which didn’t have the desired
impression on his future career decision.
I reported to the Air War College and took
my seat. We had a number of ex POWs
in the class, some with Air Force household names and the soon to be
Chief of Staff of the Israeli Air Force. Needless to say the War stories
were riveting! Our class produced its fair share of General
and Flag Officers. People like Major General Norm Campbell (Deceased) and
real Warrior who was an Air Force Academy Grad, O6 at the 12 year point
but lousy tennis partner and player. The only General I know who went
public very early on (WBM). That’s "Way Before Monica"
during a Dining In at Soesterberg AB, in Holland. Norm left no doubt as
to his views on the character/integrity of his Commander In Chief with
which turned out to be right on the money! Needless to say Norm was
encouraged to retire at a very early age and fined $7,000. Both of which
Norm was prepared for. Our Commandant was Major
General Jim Hartinger (ex enlisted Airman before West Point) (The Grrr!), exactly my size, from Golf Shoes to
hat and alas, also an Aries and doubles tennis partner. The General was
destined to wear four stars, and he made me an offer which in retrospect
I should not have failed to take him up on. But I figured my chances of
promotion by going alone were reasonable. Some guys like me are given the book
and they eat the cover…
It was at the War College that it was proven to me beyond a
reasonable doubt that the promotion system was indeed a joke. If you
recall, sometime during 1974, all 05’s received the new OER
open/closed report—that was except for the 159 or so Lt. Col.’s
currently in the Air War College etc. Bear in mind that the party line
was that to get to Senior Service School you had to be among the top 5%
of the "Hot Body" 05s in the Air Force which seemed to be born
out by the number of BTZ (Below The Zone) in the class. December 74,
just before Christmas the promotion list is released. In my seminar of
13 people we figure our four classmates who are in the primary promotion
zone will take care of the seminar Christmas party! Wrong, all four are
passed over! Plus, another nine or so classmates in other seminars meet
the same fate! The class is stunned, to say nothing of the shock to our
Army, Navy, Marine Corps classmate — such a thing just could never
happen in their service unless one of their kind stole the class milk
and happy hour money…and talk about timing for release of the list,
just before Christmas. The
next couple of months see all the heavyweights in the Air Force, from
the Secretary on down come down to assure us such a thing will never
happen again!!! They go so far as to tell us: Should an 05 who will be
in the primary zone while in School, receives a CRO (change of reporting
official ) effectiveness report that is considered "non
competitive", after the officer has departed his last duty station
that officer will literally be turned around at the Schoolhouse gate and
put in a limbo assignment — if he is selected for promotion he would be
entered in the succeeding class! Problem solved…Two pals of mine are
selected for the next class entering the Fall 0f 75’. Both were BTZ 05’s
Fighter (F-4) Squadron Commanders—Pal one gets a "3" CRO
which means he goes to a limbo assignment pending promotion board
results. Pal two gets a "1" CRO and enters school feeling he
should go right down to the BX and buy his eagles. Promotion list
comes out, Pal one makes the list, Pal two gets passed over with ten or
twelve other classmates at Maxwell!! Right then and there no one will
ever convince me the promotion bit is anything more that a crap shoot!
If you doubt the facts of this story, I invite you to check it out…
July 75 - August 76:
I talk like a Dutch Uncle to keep from going to the Air Staff/JCS for
"Broadening" after AWC. I finally wear my career guy down — a
year at Tinker with ought :Broadening" then Europe — But he told me
I would regret not opting for a D.C. assignment — he was right.
Schools
out and it’s off to the Directorate of Distribution, Oklahoma Air
Logistics Center for a year where I will be working for an old
friend Colonel Joe Andrus, smartest loggy I ever knew. A highlight of that tour was riding the
"Thud" (F-105) courtesy of the 507th Fighter Group Commander,
Rog Scheer and working the Fort Sill Ranges--Plunging from 15K feet with a 500 foot pull out and gun/bomb run
gets ones juices flowing. I would have given anything to have gone to
pilot training at the outset of my service, but then again, I would have
missed 58B! But as a non-rated weenie I managed to wangle my way into
flying in a number of military flying machines, both foreign and
domestic during my career. It was always my firm belief that supporters
and maintainers should go the extra steps to ensure they know as much as
possible about the aircraft and aviators needs and/or other missions
they were supporting. I always agreed with the old sign outside the
Chiefs Office reading "The Mission Of The Air Force Is To Fly And
Fight -- And Don't ever Forget It!" I for one was proud to be a
linebacker and would go nose to nose with any rated puke who felt it was
his within his province to talk down to non rated types, me! (GOOD
NATURED NEEDLING BETWEEN OPERATORS / MAINTAINERS / SUPPORTERS I COULD TAKE
AS WELL AS I COULD GIVE—HOWEVER I RECALL ONE EPISODE IN THE CHELVESTON
"O" CLUB WHEN A RATED MAJOR HAD A BAD, MEAN SPIRITED CASE OF
DIARRHEA OF THE MOUTH ABOUT HOW OUR WRENCH TURNERS / MAINTAINERS WERE
DOGGING IT. I WAS O1 AT THE TIME AND WHEN HE LOOKED AT ME FOR A RESPONSE
I SAID WORDS TO THIS EFFECT — "MAJOR, WE BOTH KNOW THAT NO ONE
PUTS THE BALL OVER THE LINE WITHOUT THE WHOLE TEAM BEHIND HIM —
WHAT I HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT IS HOW, WHEN THE AIR FORCE
PUTS A HARD HAT ON SOME PEOPLES HEAD, A G-SUIT ON THEIR HIPS, A BIG
WATCH ON THEIR WRIST, THEIR BRAINS RUN OUT THEIR ANUS? ) Over the years
I got into every aircraft possible: Gooney bird (who didn't), T-6, C-45,
C-54, C-74 (how bout that one), T-33, C-118, CF-100, C-5, C-124, R6D,
U3A, C-130, L-20, RAF Meteor MarkIX, B-57, UH1, Sea King/Jolly Green
Hellos, LOCH, 01, O2, OV-10, P3, C-9, T-29, C-131, F-105F, RAF VC-10,
B-29, RAAF Wallaby C-7 (Caribou), U-21, T-39, C-141 and some others
which I don't remember the designators. Boy, does banging out these
numbers bring back the memories. But again, I digress. On the occasion of
my birthday the gals of one of my units present me with a "Ram
Plaque" which was like looking in the mirror FAB
was at the presentation and confirmed the accuracy of the written word.
FABGORD loved the Oklahoma folks who we found to be great & warm friends once they looked you over pretty well. The kids kept up with their
English saddle here
with some truly great instruction. Except for the people and my Warlord
and old Air Force friends in the area, Oklahoma was not that hard to
leave.