Inside This Issue - New England Air Museum

The Newsletter of The New England Air Museum
Vol. 48, No. 3
September 2014
Reunion of the 58th Bomb Wing and 315th Bomb Wing Veterans
More than 140 58th veterans, family members, friends and Museum volunteers participated in
the banquet and program that was held at the Museum on May 16, 2014.
Inside This Issue
2014 Annual Meeting ..................................................................................3
Name That Mystery Aircraft ........................................................................4
Capital Improvements ..................................................................................5
Exhibit News ..................................................................................................5
Welcome Aboard! ........................................................................................6
Amenities Provided by the Museum ............................................................6
58th Bomb Wing News ................................................................................7
NEAM Docents: In Transition ........................................................................8
Civil Air Patrol Exhibit Update....................................................................10
Bonds - by Axel Ian Ostling ........................................................................11
Cartoon by Bob Grzech ..............................................................................13
Around the Museum ..............................................................................14-17
Meet Karen Giroux......................................................................................18
Gone West ..................................................................................................19
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NEAM news
C. A. H. A.
The Connecticut Aeronautical Historical
Association, Inc. is incorporated under the
laws of the State of Connecticut as a nonprofit, educational institution. All contributions to C.A.H.A. are tax-deductible for
Federal Income Tax purposes.
C.A.H.A. owns and operates the New
England Air Museum which is located at
Bradley International Airport, 36
Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT
06096. Corporate headquarters for the
organization is located at the Museum
and can be reached by phone at (860)
623-3305 during business hours. Visit our
Web Site at www.neam.org.
Membership in C.A.H.A. is open to
anyone with an interest in aviation.
Benefits include free admission to the
Museum during regular hours of operation, discounts on gift shop purchases and
on fees for special events and programs,
receipt of the NEAM news and bi-monthly Bulletin and voting privileges at organizational meetings. Members are also eligible for the Volunteer Program.
Contributions of original articles, news
items and/or photographs, in addition to
suggestions for the improvement of NEAM
news are solicited and welcome. Contact
Michael P. Speciale at the Museum. Design
and layout of NEAM news is provided by
member Thomas J. Bittel.
Our Mission
The New England Air Museum is committed to
presenting the story of aviation,
the human genius that made it possible,
and the profound effects that is has had on the way
in which we live..
We achieve this by
preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft
and related artifacts
engaging our visitors through high-quality exhibits
that help them understand aviation technology, history,
and the stories of the men and women
who built, flew, and made history with these famous machines
inspiring students through our innovative and hands-on
education programs that allow them to discover
and reflect on aviation history and its ties to
social studies, science, geography, and technological advancements
Please direct membership problems
which might include errors or changes of
address to Debbie Reed, Asst. Executive
Director at the Museum.
Hours for the NEAM’s Research Library
are: Every Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some
special appointments may be requested
and there may be some occasional closings
due to vacation schedules.
Officers
President: Scott E. Ashton
Vice-President: Stephen Perez
Secretary: Jeffrey J. White
Treasurer: Michael J. Morneau
Directors
Maintenance Supervisor ......................................................Daniel J. La Croix
Lee Boulanger
Samuel S. Bergami, Jr.
William H. Costen
Alfred V. Covello
Aaron L. Daniels
Thomas E. Desmond
Robert M. Garneau
William P. Gonet
Gregory J. Hayes
Kim A. Jones
Paul A. Lange
Sean Lee
William J. McGurk
Roy C. Normen
Cornelius O’Leary
Leon J. Oliver
M. Jodi Rell
Thomas S. Sargis
Karen C. Tripp
Lincoln S. Young
IT Coordinator ................................................................Robert B. Stanwood
Directors Emeritus
Coordinator, 58 Bomb Wing Memorial ..............................Patrick J. Sidley
Lawrence R. Churchill
Igor I. Sikorsky, Jr.
Joseph G. Lynch
William A. O’Neill
Nelson A. Sly, Jr.
NEAM Staff
Executive Director ............................................................Michael P. Speciale
Asst. Executive Director ........................................................Deborah J. Reed
Director of Educational Programs ..............................Caroline B. d’Otreppe
Controller and Grants Officer................................................Karen F. Giroux
Director of Visitor Services ..........................................Gina Maria Alimberti
Assistant Gift Shop Manager ..............................................Janyce Wininger
Assistant Gift Shop Manager ....................................................Diane Locario
Restoration Coordinator ......................................................Rory W. Koehler
th
Research Librarian ..............................................................Carlton A. Stidsen
Webmaster................................................................................Gary Gudinkas
September 2014
Page 3
2014 Annual Meeting
t the Museum’s Annual Meeting
which was held in April, a proposed slate of Officers and Directors was
presented to the membership for their
consideration. The slate was unanimously approved by those present.
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Elected for terms of one year were:
• Scott E. Ashton, President
• Stephen R. Perez, Vice President
• Jeffrey J. White, Secretary
• Michael J. Morneau, Treasurer
The following were elected as
Directors for two-year terms:
• Lee Boulanger
• Cornelius P. O’Leary
• William H. Costen
• Gov. M. Jodi Rell
• Robert M. Garneau
• Thomas S. Sargis
• Gregory J. Hayes
• Karen C. Tripp
• Sean E. Lee
Honored for their outstanding service to the Board and the Museum
were the three directors who have
stepped down:
Alton (Al) Hudson, Roger F. Joyce
and Robert Mulé.
President Scott Ashton announced
that the Board of Directors awarded
Director Emeritus status to two former
Directors: the late Lawrence R.
Churchill, who served as President for
several terms and the late Governor
William A. O’Neill, the Museum’s former Vice President. Their names have
been added to a new bronze plaque
that has been placed in the lobby.
Volunteer service awards were presented to:
• John Craggs
• William Mellow
• George Diemer
• David Paqua
• Donald Durner
• Richard Pereira
• Douglas Davis
A number of Museum volunteers were presented with outstanding
service awards at the April Annual Meeting. Left to right are Museum
Director, Mike Speciale; Dave Pacqua, Doug Davis; Ian Soares;
Rich Pereria; Bob Rosenberg; Bill Mellow; George Diemer and President
Scott Ashton. Missing are Don Durner, John Lawrence and Carol Shuteran.
Volunteer O’Neill Langley was
presented with a special award.
To recognize his tenure as the
Museum’s longest serving volunteer, the driveway to the
Restoration and Storage Hangar
has been named in his honor.
• Robert Rosenberg
• O’Neil Langley
• Carol Shuteran
• John Lawrence
• Ian Soares
John Craggs is part of the Blimp
Car Restoration crew and also is
parade coordinator for the Museum’s
Outgoing Board members
Al Hudson, left, and Roger Joyce,
right, were honored for their
years of outstanding services to
the Museum and the Board
of Directors.
membership contingent in the State’s
Veterans Day Parade; George Diemer
is also a member of the Blimp Car
Restoration crew; Don Durner and
Doug Davis are part of the
Tuesday/Thursday restoration crew
that has worked on numerous aircraft
including the DC-3, the MiG-15, the
Continued next page
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NEAM news
Annual Meeting 2014
Continued from page 3
Burnelli, the F-104 and more; O’Neil
Langley works with the Saturday crew
that sorts through and organizes the
engines and artifacts that are in storage; John Lawrence is a Scout merit
badge instructor; Bill Mellow is our
in-house Santa Claus who visits the
day after Thanksgiving every year;
Dave Pacqua fabricates parts that are
needed for various aircraft restoration
project; Rich Pereria is part of the
DC-3 restoration crew and helps to
staff all of our special events; Bob
Rosenberg served as our Project
Manager for the recent 10,000 sq. ft.
addition onto our Storage Hangar;
Carol Shuteran is part of the DC-3
restoration crew and has assisted with
a number of other projects including
the Doman helicopter; Ian Soares has
been a weekend “flight instructor” on
the Flight Sim Spot.
Also honored was Robert (Brad)
Bradway, owner and operator of Light
Rigging Company of Middletown,
Conn. His company has helped to
move aircraft and equipment on
behalf of the Museum. This includes
his help with the annual Veterans Day
Parade when he hauls our Bell-47
helicopter on a trailer to be present at
the parade. (
Museum volunteer John Craggs was recognized for his service in
coordinating the Museum’s participation in Hartford’s annual Veterans
Day Parade. Robert (Brad) Bradway, owner and operator of Light
Rigging Company of Middletown was honored for his
transportation services to the Museum.
Pictured by the new Directors Emeritus bronze plaque in the lobby are
Nelson (Skip) Sly, Jr., Igor I. Sikorsky, Jr., - both Directors Emeritus –
Lois Churchill, widow of Lawrence Churchill who was recently elected
as a Director Emeritus and President Scott Ashton.
Name That
Mystery Aircraft
Can you identify this issue’s Mystery Aircraft?
See the answer on page 19!
September 2014
Page 5
Capital Improvements
arlier this year, the Museum’s
Board of Directors authorized an
expenditure of up to $140,000 to pay
for a variety of capital improvements
and repairs to the Museum’s physical
plant. Working with Board member
Tom Sargis who serves as chairman of
the Building Committee, I was asked
to oversee this program. Here is a
report on what we have accomplished.
I hope that you notice the changes the
next time you visit.
When you pull into our parking
lot, you will see the main hangar has
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Exhibit News
hanks to a matching grant from
the Greater Hartford Arts
Council, the Museum has completed
the construction of a stage which is
being used to support our new
“Aviation Alive” program. Under the
direction of Caroline d’Otreppe,
Director of Education Programs, three
short plays have been written to portray the lives of three Connecticut
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been re-painted. Inside the lobby, you
will notice new carpeting, including
the Wings ‘N Things Gift shop. The
lobby and offices have been painted
and new carpets have been installed.
The main lobby bathrooms have
new low-flow toilets and also have
been painted; and in the conference
center we have new chairs.
In the B-29 hangar, you might not
be aware that there are offices and a
classroom. These areas have new carpet and have been painted.
The Museum has been working
with Connecticut D.O.T. to update
the signs on I-91 north and south, Rt.
20 west and the directional signs
along Rt. 75 north. The signs will list
New England Air Museum with the
logo in blue. The signs have been
delivered to D.O.T. and we hope they
will be posted soon.
aviation pioneers – Charles Hamilton,
Igor I. Sikorsky and Mary Goodrich
Jenson, Connecticut’s first licensed
woman pilot. Re - enactors will be
engaged to deliver the performances
the first of which was delivered on
July 7 with Ellie Toy portraying Mary
Goodrich Jenson.
The stage will also be used by the
Museum’s educators as they deliver
their various presentations on a variety of historic and scientific topics.
Thanks to: Jason Archer, of our
Education Department for designing
the stage and for arranging for and
installing the necessary A/V equipment; Caroline d’Otreppe for organizing the Aviation Alive program; our
volunteer craftsmen who built the
stage – John Grybko, Stu Latsha and
Dick Lydon; Carol Shuteran who made
the draping; and to Dave Southworth
and John Ventura who helped with the
power requirements. (
Respectively Submitted,
Deborah Reed
Assistant Executive Director
Re-enactor Ellie Toy seen portraying Mary Goodrich Jenson, Connecticut’s first licensed female pilot.
Page 6
Welcome
Aboard!
amuel S. Bergami, Jr., President &
CEO of Alinabal Holdings
Corporation based in Milford, Conn.
was elected to the Museum’s Board of
Directors in June. Alinabal Holdings
is the parent company of Alinabal,
Inc. (comprising of two SBU’s; the
Motion Transfer Device Group and
the Engineered Products Group),
Practical Automation, Inc. Daco
Instrument Company and Sterling
Screw Machine Company.
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NEAM news
Over the past 40 years Sam has
been involved in numerous community organizations and activities and
has received many awards for his
contributions.
He is a trustee of The Milford Bank,
past Chairman of the Board of
Directors of the University of New
Haven, Director and Chair of Milford
Hospital, Chairman and co-founder of
The Milford Columbus Committee,
member of Milford Progress Inc., Vice
Chair of the Milford Police
Commission, a member of the international Catholic Mission Relief Fund,
past president and member of Milford
Kiwanis, past president and member
of the Milford Chamber of Commerce,
past president of The Milford United
Way, and the 2009 Chairman of the
Board of The Connecticut Business
and Industry Association (CBIA). In
2011 Mr. Bergami was inducted in to
the Milford Republican Hall of Fame.
Sam has been a member of the Air
Museum for a number of years and a
supporter of the Museum through his
participation in the Museum’s Society
of Friends. He helped with the
restoration of our Sikorsky VS-44
Flying Boat by supplying and fabricating needed parts. (
A memorial program was held at the Museum to
honor restoration volunteer Lou Rell who passed
away in March. Here we see Dick Bray of Lou’s
Naval Aviation reunion group presenting a plaque
in Lou’s honor to his wife, Gov. M. Jodi Rell. The
plaque is displayed in the Museum’s lobby.
Amenities Provided by the Museum
he Museum is open to the public 7 days a week from
10 – 5 and we’re only closed 3 days of the year. You
may not be aware that we also provide rental space for
meetings and functions. Since the first of the year, we have
hosted 8 evening events in the Military Hangar and over
20 daytime events in our conference room and a two day
Flight Simulator Conference. Many companies host meetings, retirement parties, birthday parties, team building
programs or just a dinner for their staff and/or customers.
Museum staff and volunteers will entertain the guests with
tours, open cockpits or time on the Flight Sim Spot. We
have great feedback from companies and we find that
many local residents have never been here. If your company is interested, visit our website for more information.
For Museum members, we offer trips to various destinations. Last year members took daytrips to the home of
FDR in Hyde Park, NY; a trip to Long Island, NY to visit
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the Cradle of Aviation Museum; this past May we ran a
four-day bus trip to Washington DC; and in September
we will take a trip to the Collings Foundation in Stow,
MA to see a private collection of aircraft, cars and - new
this year - military vehicles. In the past our week long
trips have been to Tucson, AZ; Newfoundland; and many
other locations. This October, the Museum will host a
trip to Normandy, France. Next year we are considering a
trip to Pensacola, FL to visit the Naval Aviation Museum
and onto New Orleans for the WWII Museum. Visit our
website for information about our upcoming trip. We will
be happy to take suggestion for upcoming trips.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deborah Reed
Assistant Executive Director
September 2014
Page 7
58th Bomb Wing News
he Museum is home to the 58th
Bomb Wing Memorial. The 58th
was the first outfit to fly B-29’s in
WWII. On behalf of the 58th, we
maintain their archive, publish a
newsletter – the Superfort – twice a
year, maintain an on-line veterans
database, maintain an exhibit hangar
with our B-29 “Jack’s Hack” as the
centerpiece with numerous displays
and exhibits, and coordinate annual
reunions for the veterans, their family
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members and friends.
In May, the Museum’s Assistant
Director Debbie Reed ran their three
day annual reunion here in Windsor
Locks with members of the 315th
Bomb Wing invited as well. Pictured
on the front cover of his issue of the
NEAMNews are those veterans who
participated.
In other news, Museum volunteer
John Sterne who served as the 58th
Bomb Wing Curator has stepped
down after several years of service
now that he has moved a distance
away from the Museum. Volunteer Pat
Sidley offered to fill John’s shoes and
his offer was gladly accepted! Pat’s
father-in-law happens to be a 58th
veteran. Pat has been a volunteer at
the Museum for a number of years
where he serves as a docent, helps to
staff special events and evening functions and delivers VIP Tours. (
More than 140 58th veterans, family members, friends and Museum volunteers participated
in the banquet and program that was held at the Museum.
Three generations of Klocks
inside the cockpit of our B-29.
Richard (far left) is a veteran of
the 58th Bomb Wing, 462nd
Bomb Group.
Page 8
NEAM news
NEAM Docents: In Transition
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Museum volunteer and docent Richard (Rich) Jensen. He joined the Museum
shortly after his retirement from Aetna in early 2012. He is a graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the
University of Connecticut where he earned his M.B.A.
Your NEAM docents provide a
“face” for our Museum. In fact, we
provide about 30 faces – that’s our
current active count of docent volunteers. We are the primary contact for
Museum visitors. We provide guided
tours, answer questions, direct them
to displays and facilities. Our “Red
Coats” have transitioned into less formal “Red Shirts” and we are changing
the way we are doing things to
become more professional in our visitor interactions and help them have
more favorable Museum experiences.
We believe we can contribute more to
the success of NEAM and plan to take
a more positive and active role in
Museum operations and directions.
During this transition we will be guided by the Director of Visitor Services,
Gina Maria Alimberti.
Any day you visit NEAM you will
find docents on the hangar floors for
your assistance – trying to make your
visit more enjoyable and informative.
In general, visitor comments via social
media or direct comments have been
very favorable – but we can always do
better. Here are some samples (and
typical) testimonials that we have
received!
“Our Guide was Phenomenal,
Engaging, Knowledgeable and
Personable”
“We ended up having two docents
escort us (one was training but he
was also very knowledgeable) and
they were wonderful. They shared
lots of information and happily
fielded all the questions we asked.
We never felt rushed and our experience felt very personal”
“Place is great, and the docents
were very knowledgeable and
engaging!”
Docent coverage is well supported
on weekdays and efforts are being
made to improve coverage on weekends. Based on a study of docent submitted time reports, docents provide
about 4,500 hours of volunteer time
during an average year. Due to scheduling and availability, most time is
provided on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
approximately 90% of these hours are
contributed on weekdays with about
10% on weekends. Like most organizations relying on volunteer help,
hours are not submitted evenly across
out volunteer crew. In fact, about 5
individuals contributed a little more
that 40% of the overall time during a
May thru September time reporting
analysis period. To better line up our
time commitments to customer volume, Gina has asked active docents,
in addition to their regular weekday
schedule (usually one, but sometimes
two days per week), to provide coverage on one weekend day every two
months. This will provide more onsite coverage on weekends and allow
docents unable to work during the
workweek to contribute support on
weekends.
Just a brief word about what
docents contribute to the Museum. In
addition to providing visitor guidance
and answering questions, you can also
find docents guiding tours (both regular and VIP) supporting birthday parties, helping with Education programs,
supporting Restoration activities, setting up tables and chairs,
developing/setting up model displays.
Additionally, we support Museum special events and assist with youth birthday celebrations. You name it and you
can probably find a docent involved in
doing it.
We do this activity because we like
to work with people and to share our
knowledge of aviation - and because
we have a commitment to the
Museum. Several steps have been
taken recently to help us improve in
these areas. In 2013, two of our crew
attended a four day “Certified
Interpretive Guide” training session at
the Springfield Armory National
Historic Site. Based on feedback from
that course, the course instructor was
brought on site to provide an abbreviated, one day course for NEAM
docents. Focusing on customer contact and visitor interactions, this session was a good introduction to how
to become a more effective “interpretive guides” (i.e., docents).
Other steps currently in progress to
improve our ability to deal with visitors and enhance their NEAM experience include education gained from
topics added to our monthly docent
meetings. Some examples of this
include:
• Tours of nearby aviation related
facilities and Museums (e.g., tours
of Bombardier and Air/Army Guard
repair facilities, tours of the
Springfield Armory and Submarine
Service Museums, etc.);
• Docent presentations about
Museums they have visited both in
the United State and overseas (e.g.,
Glenn Curtiss Museum; Swiss Air
Force Museum; several air Museums
in Australia; etc.);
• Docent presentations about aviation topics of special interest (e.g.,
Nine Day Wonders – training WW2 glider pilots; Historic Engine society meeting in Great Britain; ADSB future air traffic surveillance, etc.)
We are suggesting that other
Museum departments visit us during
our monthly docent meetings to share
information they may have on the
status of restorations, changing education programs, library activities, etc.
For instance, it would be very helpful
September 2014
Page 9
NEAM docents visited the Connecticut Army National Guard’s Aviation Overhaul and Repair Facility in Groton.
to us if we could be provided with
presentations describing a new aircraft coming out of the restoration
shop which are ready for display. This
would insure we are prepared to discuss the new/restored aircraft with
visitors and give other Museum members a chance to share their expertise
and experience.
To more actively participate in
Museum decision making, we have
suggested a small team of knowledgeable docents who could make recommendations regarding aircraft placement and arrangement. We believe we
can translate our hangar floor experiences and technical background into
more effective arrangements of aircraft and display materials leading to a
better visitor experience. Things in
this area that come to mind include
changing the sequence of 1930’s rac-
ing planes and the re-arranging the
display of WW-1 aircraft. We would
also bring to these display decisions
comments from Museum visitors and
information about the popularity of
certain display aircraft.
You might think that our docent
core is a static group – same people,
same days of the week? Well … that is
untrue. We are a constantly changing
group with new members coming on
board and older members departing.
Although in the past, the “onboarding” of a new docent volunteer was a
rather informal process, it is likely you
will see that change in the future.
More formal education will likely be
offered to new arrivals both in terms
of the Museum and aircraft, but also
in terms of procedures and processes
to follow and Museum departments
and responsibilities.
Like other Museum members and
participants, docents participate
because they like to and feel they can
contribute. Both we and the Museum
benefit from this participation. Our
transition plans will guide us to help
new personnel come on board and
insure current personnel grow professionally and technically. We look forward to working with you throughout
this process and hope you will contribute to our efforts to make NEAM
docents more professional (in a
relaxed sort of a way) and visits to
NEAM more enjoyable and educational. We look forward to working
more closely with all NEAM participants and departments going forward.
Things are changing and we will
too. Watch us – see how we change!
And, please, don’t hesitate to offer
your suggestions. (
Page 10
NEAM news
Civil Air Patrol Exhibit: An Update
ivil Air Patrol’s WW II volunteers
will soon receive Congressional
Gold Medals. The story behind this
honor is one of commitment, sacrifice
and drama. During WW II, CAP’s
civilian volunteers patrolled the
Atlantic and Gulf Coasts hunting
down German U-Boats in tiny, bombladen, civilian airplanes. They flew
vital materials, documents, and people
from air base to air base and from
depots to factories. They flew patrols
along the Mexican border and
searched for forest fires. In their little
single-engine planes, they searched
for missing bombers and fighter
planes. They towed targets to help
train fighter pilots, anti-aircraft gunners and radar operators. Over 60 of
them gave their lives for our country.
Today, the Civil Air Patrol’s unpaid
volunteers conduct over 90 percent of
the air search and rescue missions in
the United States. They also fly disaster relief missions — photographing
oil spills and hurricane damage, and
flying government experts to assess
post-disaster damage. They help train
our Air Force pilots to intercept hostile aircraft and simulate “drones” for
the ground-bound military.
The new expanded Civil Air Patrol
exhibit will tell this story. The
Museum’s CAP aircraft — a Sikorsky
C
S-39 and a Stinson 10-A — are WW
II era aircraft, so the primary focus of
the new exhibit is CAP’s wartime missions, especially the antisubmarine
Coastal Patrol.
The Museum’s skilled volunteer
craftsmen have completed much of
the cabinetry for the exhibit’s display
panels. Several display panels are
completed. Tom Bittel, graphic
designer of NEAM news, is producing
the final artwork for the panels. Two
uniform cabinets have also been constructed. One houses the uniform
jacket of Lieutenant Andy Maye, who
died flying with the Courier Service,
and the other the flight suit of
Colonel Fred Herbert, former commander of CAP’s Connecticut Wing.
A number of video presentations are
planned. One will honor the CAP
members who died in the line of duty
during the war. Others will present the
people of CAP, the 9/11 “Ground
Zero” recon flight by a CAP aircraft,
and modern- day Civil Air Patrol.
Most of the research for the exhibit is
done and we anticipate that the
remainder of the exhibit will be completed over the next months.
Not all of the CAP stories are grand
in scale, or heroic, or have the drama
of sinking a U-boat. Some are small,
human stories. “Bonds,” a story of
Before & After
n August, 1996, nine-year-old Danny
O’Coin of Vernon, Conn. was officially recognized as the Museum’s millionth visitor. He was greeted by the
Museum staff and Patty Rowland, then
the “First Lady” of the State of
Connecticut. We see him sitting in the
cockpit of one of our aircraft.
In January, 2014 he happened to
visit the Museum when his employer
held their holiday party here. Here we
see him sitting inside another cockpit
18 years after his first visit! (
I
Already on display in the C.A.P.
exhibit is the uniform jacket
of Lt. Andy Maye.
teenage CAP cadets in the 1950s, is
one of these little stories. This tale is
told in this issue of NEAM news. (
Axel Ian Ostling
NEAM educator and volunteer
Region Historian, Northeast Region,
Civil Air Patrol
September 2014
Page 11
BONDS
By Axel Ian Ostling
Fort Hamilton
Brooklyn, New York
April 1955, Easter Week
tanding on the hard surface of the parking lot, the sun
warmed our faces. The brims of our fatigue caps shielded
our eyes from its glare. Standing at attention, our muscles
were taut, but we were at ease.
Cadet Lieutenant Larry Garcia, our Assistant
Drillmaster and honcho this day, commanded, “Right,
FACE! Forward, MARCH!”
At the command Forward March, 33 left feet snapped forward — simultaneously and exactly 30 inches. We’d begun
our routine: our performance. We entered a sort of trance.
Our minds were empty of all but here, now, this moment. It
no longer took any conscious thought to execute the movements. “Muscle memory,” I’ve heard it called. But it feels like
more than that. It feels like a thing bigger than any one of us.
It feels like a spirit, a shared spirit, a bond. We were 33, but
we moved like one and felt like one. We were the Bronx
Group Drill Team.
Have you ever seen a drill team? I mean a real drill team
— not a gaggle of cute girls prancing about in front of the
school band. I mean a military drill team. Choreo-graphing
the movements of the drill manual and some invented ones.
Creating a show set to the rhythms of marching feet, rather
than that of drums or brass horns. That was us.
We were high school kids, teenage Civil Air Patrol
Cadets, but we were in a class with the best. We knew that.
From a distance, you might mistake us for an Army or Marine Corps platoon. In line, we formed in three ranks of 11.
Our olive-drab Army fatigue uniforms were form-fitted,
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The cadets of Civil Air Patrol’s Bronx Group Drill Team
march between turn-of-the-century brick barracks at
Fort Slocum, on an island in Long Island Sound.
The year was 1955.
The Bronx Group Drill Team stands in formation in front
of a WW II “temporary” wooden barrack at Mitchell Air
Force Base, Garden City, Long Island, N.Y. The cadets
were training for the 1956 state competition.
starched and ironed to perfection. Our black jump boots —
paratrooper boots — were “spit-shined” to a mirror finish.
Our fatigue caps were squared on our close-cropped heads,
brims tilted, masking our eyes.
I read somewhere that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to
become expert at a thing. The Beatles got theirs in the dingy
clubs of Hamburg. Tiger Woods got his on the golf greens of
his father’s Army posts. We didn’t know about the 10,000
hours, but we knew we had to practice to be very good.
Once a week, after school, we practiced basic drill at our
CAP Squadron meetings. Every Sunday during the school
year, from early in the morning until far into the afternoon,
we marched on the four-acre drill floor of the castle-like
Kingsbridge Armory in The Bronx: perfecting basic drill,
practicing our “trick drill” showpiece maneuvers or learning
new ones — creating our routine.
For most kids, school holidays were days off: little vacations. For us, school holi-days created long weekends or
weeklong breaks when we were off to a nearby military
base, working toward the transforming 10,000 hours. While
we made a show of bitching about them, we loved our
encampments. We lived in turn-of-the-century red brick
barracks or wooden “temporary” barracks thrown up hastily
during World War II. We ate mess hall food in stamped,
compartmented stainless steel trays and timeworn, coffeestained Melmac mugs.
Ours was a world most kids our age hadn’t even a way to
imagine. We had this singular experience, binding us
together and separating us from our supposed peers.
Back then, in the 1950s, there were many Army posts and
Air Force bases in or near the City. Often we went to Fort
Slocum, an old Army Post on David’s Island in Long Island
Sound. Just a short ferry ride off New Rochelle, Slocum
dated back to the Civil War. Sometimes, it was Mitchell Air
Force Base, near Garden City, Long Island, constructed in
World War I. This Easter Week, it was Fort Hamilton in
Brooklyn. Established in 1825 to defend New York’s harbor,
the fort’s old artillery casemates still faced the water.
Continued next page
Page 12
NEAM news
Bonds
Continued from page 11
We found a quiet corner of the fort to practice — an
empty parking lot on the pe-riphery of the post. There were
long unused wooden buildings on two sides, relics of the
days when thousands of soldiers shipped out from the fort,
crossing the Atlantic to fight the Germans in Europe. A
post road bordered another side. On the fourth side, beyond
a six- or seven-foot-high wire fence, was a many-storied
Veteran’s Administration hospital filled with former soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines: men that had served
together and fought together. There were still young ones
from the Korean War, gray-heads from the SpanishAmerican War and veterans of the two World Wars.
We began our routine with “Contact.” At Garcia’s command, the center squad of 11, in two beats, halted. The
squads to the left and right continued marching, angling to
the left and right to form a huge “Y” or, as we thought of it, a
three-bladed propeller — symbol of the Civil Air Patrol.
When the “Y” was fully formed, the squads halted. Click,
click. A beat later, the first men in the left and right arms of
the “Y” executed Left Face. Snapping 90 degrees to the left,
they pivoted on their left heels and the balls of their right
feet. Bam! Their right feet slammed down next to their left.
A blink of an eye later, the next man in each squad executed Left Face. Blink by blink, man by man, the movement
rippled down the squads, meeting where they joined the
center squad, then flowing down toward the foot of the “Y.”
Drill movements — Parade Rest, Present Arms, Dress
Right and some of those in-vented ones — flowed up and
down the “Y” for several minutes. Wrapping up, the arms of
the “Y” faced in and marched back to form up with the center squad, reforming the team.
After “Contact,” we performed the maneuvers “Form the
Square,” “Wagon Wheels,” and “Double Complete
Confusion.” We finished with “Column Left Step.”
Garcia halted us and commanded, “Left, FACE!” turning
The Bronx Group Drill Team “presents arms” (salutes)
on the parade ground at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn,
N.Y. in 1955. In the foreground, are the team’s
Civil Air Patrol adult leaders.
The Bronx Group Drill Team, in fatigue uniforms and
paratrooper boots, practices its routine by the Fort
Hamilton perimeter fence. It was Easter Week, 1955.
us toward the fence. He ordered, “AT EASE!” Our left feet
moved 12 inches to the left. Hands clasped behind, right
over left. Relax, but don’t talk.
Pop, pop, pop. I heard the sound of someone clapping in
the distance. Other hands joined in. The applause grew and
spread. I looked up. Window beside window, story above
story of the VA Hospital opposite the fence, men — two or
three to a window — stood applauding.
Garcia commanded, “Team!” We jerked to parade rest,
hands at the smalls of our backs, bodies rigid. “A-TENHUT!” We snapped to attention. He ordered, “Present,
ARMS!” Thirty-three teenage right hands, fingers extended
and joined, palms flat, snapped up from our sides, coming to
rest at the brims of our caps in the Hand Salute.
Garcia executed About Face, turning to face the hospital,
and raised his right hand in a salute.
The applause died away.
Breaking discipline, I tipped my head back and looked up
at the VA Hospital. At each window, I saw the hospitalrobed veterans, old and young, their right hands raised to
their brows, returning our salute. (
Copyright © 2014 Axel Ian Ostling
The Bronx Group Drill Team cadets perform the
showpiece maneuver “Contact,” overlooked by the
Veteran’s Administration hospital just outside the
Fort Hamilton fence, 1955.
September 2014
Page 13
Cartoon by
Bob Grzech
And a good time was
had by all! Here we see
some of the participants in April’s Junior
Girl Scout sleepover.
Page 14
NEAM news
A variety of hands-on activities were provided during the
February and April school vacation weeks
Pictured here are many of the
vintage motorcycles that were
on hand for the Museum’s firstever motorcycle show that was
held in April.
September 2014
Page 15
With the help of a crane and lots of manpower, the Goodyear Blimp Car has been placed on its new cradle.
Here we see the Museum members who participated in the four day trip to Washington D.C. The photo
was taken in front of the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Page 16
NEAM news
OLD TIMERS
No, we are not referring to their chronological age! Both Stu Latsha, left and Bill Harmon
began to volunteer at the Museum shortly after the arrival of Museum Executive Director Mike
Speciale more than 29 years ago. They are both retired engineers from Hamilton Standard.
Stu served as an A&E mechanic during WWII and was based in England for several years. Bill
served in the U.S. Navy from 1943-1954. He was honorably discharged as a naval aviator, LTJG.
The Easter Bunny now visits the Museum each year and has presents for all the youngsters
September 2014
The Annual Space Expo held in
March was a huge success, attracting over 1,600 visitors!
Page 17
Page 18
NEAM news
Meet Karen Giroux,
NEAM’s Controller and
Grants Officer
I was raised in Pittsfield,
Massachusetts where I attended
Berkshire Community College. Upon
graduation I moved to Waltham,
Massachusetts to complete my
accounting degree at Bentley
University. My husband and I lived in
the Worcester area for five years
where he was employed by UPS and I
was the plant accountant for a division of Allied Chemical, in Hudson,
MA. In 1985 we moved to the Dallas
area where our first son was born. We
quickly realized that we would never
adjust to 110 degree weather, no snow
and the lack of fall foliage. We were
true New Englanders and our next
home was Cape Cod. Life on the cape
was wonderful and by then we had
three sons and couldn’t imagine living
any where else. However, in 1990 we
moved one last time to Ellington, CT.
My husband partnered with Saint
Francis Hospital and founded
Connecticut Occupational Medicine
Partners. I continued working as a
part time accountant and volunteering in the local school systems. Our
family enjoyed golfing together and
vacationing in Vermont which included skiing and snowmobiling.
Ellington has been my home for 23
years. It is a great community and I
love living among the beautiful farms
and countryside. I came to the
Museum in 2006 in response to an
advertisement for a part time book-
keeping position. History has always
been one of my favorite subjects and
the opportunity to work for a museum verses the corporate world was
intriguing. I was truly impressed with
our Museum’s mission to preserve
history with such a vast collection of
artifacts and airplanes. Over the
next seven years the bookkeeping
position expanded to include all
aspects of the Museum’s finances
and financial reporting.
Additionally, I was drawn to the
Museum because of the wonderful
educational programs provided to
area students. I deeply value education and am very proud of our SOAR
for Science program. SOAR brings
area students to the Museum where
they spend the day immersed in the
science and history of aviation. Hands
on experiments help students make
the connection between the scientific
concepts being taught in the classroom and real life applications.
Students are exposed to the local aviation and aerospace industry and the
many career opportunities available
in the STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) fields.
In order to provide this program at no
cost to the schools or students, the
Museum seeks grants from individuals, foundations and businesses. In
2013 the Museum needed someone to
take over as the Grant Officer. I was
happy to take on this challenge and
now work full time; spending half of
my time as the Controller and half of
my time as the Grants Officer. For the
past year and a half, I have been
working with our education department and our sponsors to bring as
many students as possible to the
Museum to participate in the SOAR
for Science program. Last year was
very successful with over 3,300 students participating. The feedback
from teachers, administrators and students has been overwhelmingly positive. Each year teachers comment on
how many of their students would
never have the opportunity to visit a
Museum, if not for this program. My
goal is to continue to secure funding
and continue to grow and expand the
SOAR for Science program, bringing
more students to the Museum and
inspiring them to explore solutions to
the many scientific challenges facing
society today. (
Annual Fund Drive Update
ontributed income accounts for a
significant portion of the
Museum’s operating budget. Many
gifts that we solicit are for designated
programs and projects such as SOAR
for Science sponsorships, restoration
projects for particular aircraft, or in
support of special events such as
Women Take Flight.
However, we can’t overlook the
C
need for unrestricted donations to
support such mundane items as insurance, electricity, janitorial services,
etc. This is where you – the Museum’s
members – fit in. Each year’s Annual
Fund Drive is directed at the
Museum’s members to support our
general operations.
We began the 2014 Annual Fund
Drive in June and it will run until the
end of the year. Our goal is $230,000
and to date we have raised $160,000.
Please consider making a contribution
if you have not already done so. You
can make your contribution online if
you wish at our website www.neam.org.
We will send out another reminder in
the Fall. Thanks to all of you who have
already given! (
September 2014
William E. Dion
William E. Dion, 90, of Wilbraham,
Mass. died on February 20, 2014. A
native of Palmer, Mass. he graduated
from Springfield Technical High
School. Bill was a WWII Marine
Corps veteran serving as Crew Chief
on the F4U Corsairs of the 313th
Fighter Squadron at Leyte, the
Philippines. He had a 36 year career
as an equipment engineer for New
England Telephone. He was an Air
Museum member and volunteer and
was especially helpful in the creation
of the Museum’s Lafayette Escadrille
exhibit. Bill’s WWI aviation collection was one of the most extensive
private collections in the country. He
is survived by his three daughters and
their families.
Martin H. Mard
Martin H. Mard, 89, of Nantucket,
Mass. passed away on March 11,
2014. He was raised in Bridgeport,
Conn. and went on to graduate from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with
Mystery Aircraft
Answer from page 4
he Douglas XB-43 Jetmaster was
an American jet-powered prototype bomber aircraft. The XB-43 was
a development of the XB-42, replacing the piston engines of the XB-42
with two General Electric J35 jet
engines. Despite being the first
T
a degree in engineering. Marty was a
WWII veteran serving with the Navy
as a PBY4 Catalina pilot. He lived
most of his life in Windsor working in
the family business, Superior Spring &
Manufacturing Company. He was a
lifetime member of the Air Museum
and a dedicated Director serving on
the Museum’s Board for many years.
He is survived by his wife Gloria and
his two children and their families.
Allen E. Reed, Jr.
Allen E. Reed, Jr. passed away on
March 31, 2014. Born in Boston,
Mass., Al was salutatorian of his high
school class at Bordentown Military
Institute. He was a 1956 graduate of
the United States Naval Academy
and was a member of the Academy’s
1954 undefeated national championship lacrosse team. Al served four
years as a Naval Aviator and sixteen
more years in the U.S. Naval Air
Reserve retiring as a Lt. Commander.
Al served as an Air Museum volunteer for 8 years working in the Ramsay
Research Library. His is survived by
American jet bomber to fly, it suffered stability issues and the design
did not enter production.
America’s first turbojet bomber first
flew from Muroc Army Air Base on
May 17, 1946 in an eight minute flight.
It eventually achieved a top speed of
503 mph and a range of 2,500 miles.
Two prototypes were built with the first
Page 19
his wife Ellen and three children and
their families.
Herbert E. Torberg
Herbert E. Torberg, 93, of
Easthampton, Mass. died on June 19,
2014. A native of Worcester, Mass. he
graduated from Curtis-Wright
Technical Institute of Glendale,
California and later earned a degree in
engineering from Brown University.
During WWII he served in the U.S.
Army Air Corps in the European
Theater with the U.S. Strategic
Bombing Survey. He worked for a
number of companies including
Sikorsky Aircraft where he worked on
the VS -44 Flying Boats, the sole
remaining one of which is on display
at the Museum. He retired from the
Kollmorgen Corporation as President
of the Electro-Optical Division. Herb
was a long time volunteer at the
Museum where he worked in the
Ramsay Research Library. He is survived by his son, two daughters and
their families. (
eventually being cannibalized after an
accident in 1951 to keep the second
prototype flying. The second prototype
was designated YB-43 and used as an
engine testbed until its retirement in
late 1953. It is in storage awaiting
restoration in the Restoration Hangar
at the National Museum of the United
States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. (
Page 20
NEAM news
Top photo: The DC-3 airliner being carefully removed from the Civilian Aviation Hangar to prepare it for
paint stripping. Above: A major milestone in the restoration of our DC-3 airliner was reached with the complete paint stripping of the exterior. Thanks to the John. G. Martin Foundation which sponsored the work.
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Bequests to NEAM
If you have included the New England Air Museum in
your will, thank you! We’d like to keep a record of your
generous action. Kindly send a copy to:
New England Air Museum
Attn: Michael P. Speciale
Executive Director
36 Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT 06096