From: Marilyn Mong [mailto:mammong@msn.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 9:40 PM

My husbands pic is the middle bottom line on page 136.
Lee Mong & I will have been married 49 years in September.
We have 3 living children, we lost our oldest son, we have 6 grandsons 1 grandaughter and 1 great grandaughter. We live on a small farm 100 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA.

I am Marilyn (nee Overett) and I get to go home a couple times a year. I just brought a grand son over in March for his graduation. He loved the castles.

We never kept in touch with many people, as quite a few didn’t stay together.
I remember a Frank Wester also Johnny Krutter.
I do like walking down memory lane.

 

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From: Wharton, Thomas W Civ USAF AFMC OO-ALC/XPO [mailto:Thomas.Wharton@HILL.af.mil]
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 5:16 PM

Greetings All,

                I was a member of the 78th from January 1977 to June 1979, I was a Crew Chief (SSgt. Tom Wharton) on F4’s and was also part of the conversion to the A-10. Later in that same assignment (after the conversion),  I then volunteered to be assigned to Maintenance Control as a “board controller”, just wanted a change for awhile and the Command and Control experience for future increases in grade  within the USAF, that too was quite the learning experience for me.

I loved the UK, had three (3) assignments there over my twenty six (26) year USAF career, after Vietnam, I was assigned to RAF Lakenheath (72 – 75) then RAF Bentwaters (77 – 80) and my final UK assignment, RAF Lakenheath 1991 – 1995 – all wonderful but hard times but worth every minute of it.  I only had one scary moment which occurred during a NATO Exercise (Elephant Walk, I know you remember those events) sure got my attention at the time but it worked out alright, my old (then) buddy SSgt Roger Tingley (who was a USAFE Tennis Champion for years, he too was a Crew Chief) was also part of this event, we were both cited and awarded Commendation Medals for this event (see image)– crazy times for sure.

I retired from RAF Lakenheath in Nov 1995 (Maintenance Superintendent of the 492nd FS) but by far, some of the best experiences and fun times I ever encountered took place at RAF Lakenheath, RAF Bentwaters and RAF Woodbridge bases during the 1970’s.

I ran into Billy – G – McCoy on several occasions over my USAF career, last time I saw him (before his retirement) he was a Major General. Back when I was at Bentwaters (77 – 80) , he was my commander (78th), I feel there are not too many like him around anymore, he is a great man and Air Force leader.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and say “Hello” to all folks that were lucky enough to have been assigned to this great location and base during their hitch in the USAF – thanks for the wonderful memories but from the USAF and the United Kingdom.

Take care all…..

Thomas W. Wharton
Foreign Disclosure Officer
Capabilities & Programs Branch
OO-ALC, XPO-FDO
Bldg 1102, Room 205
DSN 586-1387
Fax 801-777-7265
Hill AFB, Ogden, Utah 84056