HOWARD’S DAILY CHRONICLE
NUMBER 17 VOL 8
MARCH 17TH 2008
WEATHER; WARM, MED HUMIDITY, 43/74
GAS; $3.07-$3.23 TEXAS
ANSWER TO POP QUIZ; HE HAD “40 CONFIRMED KILLS.”
POP QUIZ; IN WHAT THEATER OF THE WAR DID RICHARD BONG PARTICIPATE? EUROPEAN, PACIFIC, CHINA BURMA!
THE PHONE REPAIR MAN GOT HERE THIS MORNING AND DID SOMETHING TO THE PHONE DOWN AT KELLY AND GLENDAS AND HERE AT OUR PLACE AND NOW IT’S WORKING HE TOLD MOM IT WAS “LOCKED OUT” OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WE REALLY DON’T KNOW AND DON’T CARE AS LONG AS IT WORKS!
I CALLED THE VA IN DALLAS AND TOLD THEM WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH THE INCISION ON MY LEFT WRIST AND THEY SUGGESTED I GO TO BONHAM VA, THEY CALLED AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT SO I’D GET TRAVEL PAY! WHEN I GOT THERE AND INTO THE EXAMINATION ROOM THEY LOOKED AT THE THING COMING OUT OF MY WRIST, THE RN TOOK A PAIR OF TWEEZERS AND PULLED A STITCH ABOUT ¼ OF AN INCH LONG OUT! HE SAID IT WAS A SMART THING TO DO, COMING IN FOR THEM TO TAKE CARE OF IT INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DO IT MY SELF! WE LEFT BONHAM AND HEADED FOR SEARS IN SHERMAN TO GET THE TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED ON WARRANTY THEN HEADED FOR HOME! THE R&B SURE MADE A DIFFERENCE, NO VIBRATION AT 70 MPH! GLENDA DIDN’T GO TO WORK TODAY SO WE DIDN’T HAVE TO PICK UP HALEY JO!
SHANNON AND KAITLIN CAME OUT AND KAITLIN GOT ON GLENDAS COMPUTER TRYING TO FIND A JOB! WHERE SHE’S WORKING KEEPS CUTTING HER HOURS! SHE’S DOWN TO SOMETIMES 8 IN A WEEK! SHE’S TRYING TO GET ON AT “STAR OR WEBER AIRCRAFT”! TIM USED TO WORK AT STAR MAKING AIRCRAFT SEATS CUSHIONS, WEBER MAKES THE SEAT FRAMES AND INSTALLS THE CUSHIONS ON THEM AND SHIPS THE COMPLETED SEAT TO THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER/AIRLINES! IT WOULD BE A GOOD JOB IF SHE CAN GET IT!
I WAS GOING TO TELL KAITLIN TO GO AND PUT AN APPLICATION IN AT “TEREX” WHERE MIKE AND KELLY WORK BUT I FIGURED I’D BETTER TALK TO MIKE FIRST! KAITLIN DOESN’T REALLY HAVE ANY JOB EXPERIENCE OTHER THAN THE “SONIC” DRIVE IN, IN DENISON THAT I KNOW OF!
BACK IN 1950-51 MY DAD MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR TONY LAVIER, HERMAN “FISH” SALMON AND “KELLY” JOHNSON TO COME TO HOLLYWOOD AMERICAN LEGION POST 48 AND PUT ON A SHOW FOR THE LEGIONAIRS SHOWING A HIGH ALTITUDE FLIGHT SUIT THAT HAD JUST COME OFF THE “TOP SECRET” LIST! THEY ALSO BROUGHT SOME FLIGHT TEST FILM ABOUT A NEW WEAPON THAT WAS BEING INSTALLED IN THE F-94 STARFIRE! IT WAS THE 61 CALIBER VULCAN 8 BARRELL MACHINE GUN THAT FIRED 6,000 ROUNDS PER MINUTE THE BARRELLS ROTATED SO THE ONES THAT HAD FIRED COULD COOL DOWN FOR THE NEXT SHOT THE VULCAN HAD BEEN MODIFIED BY LOCKHEED FROM BELT FEED TO CLIP FEED, THE BELF KEPT JAMMING WHICH WAS NO GOOD IN A FIGHTER! AT THE TIME I LIVED ABOUT ONE MILE FROM THE LOCKHEED GUN REVETMENT WHERE THEY TEST FIRED THE GUNS! WHILE SETTING IN MY LIVING ROOM BY THE OPEN WINDOW I HEARD THE NORMAL CHATTER OF THE 50s AND THE 20/37MM CANNON BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEARD BUZZZZZZIP! I CALLED MY DAD WHO WORKED AT B-6 FLIGHT TEST AND ASKED HIM WHAT I HAD HEARD AND HE TOLD ME WHEN IT CAME OFF THE “TOP SECRET” LIST HE’D TAKE ME IN AND SHOW IT TO ME WHICH HE DID ABOUT 6 MONTH LATER! THEY HAD THE SIDE OF THE F-94 STARFIRE OPENED UP AND YOU OULD SEE THE WHOLE GUN, IT STUCK OUT THE NOSE ABOUT 3 FEET AND BACK BEHIND THE PILOT, THE BREECH WAS RIGHT UNDER THE PILOT AND THE EXPENDED SHELLS AND CLIPE COLLECTED IN A POD THAT HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE, OF COURSE THIS WASN’T THE PRODUCTION MODEL IT WAS JUST THE MOCK UP! THE FILM SHOWED THE F-94 WITH TONY LAVIER AT THE CONTROLS MAKING A PASS AT A DRONE B-17 BOMBER WITH 4- 50 CALIBER MACHING GUNS FIRING A SALVO THAT WERE MOUNTED AROUND THE VULCAN IN THE NOSE! HE GOT PROBABLY 20-30 HITS ON THE B-17 THEN HE CAME AROUND AND MADE A PASS WITH THE VULCAN, STARTING AT THE TAIL HE LITERALLY SAWED THE B-17 IN HALF IN ABOUT 30 SECONDS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN 3,000 ROUNDS! THIS ALL TOOK PLACE OUT OVER THE GULF OF MEXACO!
THEY ALSO BROUGHT AN EXACT SCALE MODEL OF EVERY AIRPLANE LOCKHEED HAD BUILT UP TO AND INCLUDING THE F-94 STARFIRE! THEY HAD THESE SPACED ACROSS THE STAGE FRONT! TONY LAVIER AND “KELLY” JOHNSON TALKED IT OVER AND DECIDED TO RAFFEL OFF ONE OF THEM TO BE CHOSEN BY THE WINNER! THESE MODELS WERE VALUED FROM $15.000 TO $35,000 AND WHOEVER WON WOULD HAVE THEY’RE CHOICE! I DON’T REMEMBER WHO WON OR WHICH MODEL HE CHOSE BUT I SURE DID ENVY HIM! I UNDERSTAND WHEN HE DIED THE MODEL WAS DONATED BACK TO THE POST 48 TROPHY ROOM AND IS STILL THERE!
MY DAD HAD A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PEOPLE HE WORKED WITH AT LOCKHEED AND WHEN HE DIED THEY WERE WELL REPRESENTED AT HIS FUNERAL! I KNOW TONY LAVIER AND “KELLY” JOHNSON WERE THERE BECAUSE I TALKED TO BOTH OF THEM OUTSIDE SAINT CHARLES CHURCH BEFORE WE WENT TO THE CEMETERY!
THAT’S “30”FOR THIS ISSUE
HOWARD
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