We Travelled!

First I need to explain our situation in the USAF Headquarters Band. THE GOODTIMMERS were part of "The USAF Band". Our company was made up of about 300 members (100 of them were staff people who handled the day to day operations of the outfit). The rest of us were the performers which included the USAF Marching and Concert Band, the USAF Strolling Strings Orchestra, The Airmen of Note (Jazz Band), Singing Sergeants (choir), and THE GOODTIMERS. Most of the musicians in this company were highly talented. Many were graduates of Julliard and Eastman Schools of Music. All of them were fulfilling their "military obligation". All the performers were college graduates, but could not be officers so they gave us high non-commissioned ranks. We were immediately E-5s (Staff Sergeants/4 stripes) and after one year we were promoted to E-6 (Tech Sergeants/5 stripes). What this actually meant was that we had salaries equal to airman that have spent their life in the Airforce. ("Lifers") The fact that we were young and had advanced rank would prove to be a problem when we were forced to perform "in Uniform". Remember this was 1969 through 1972; Not a happy time to be promoting the military. (The Viet Nam War)

From a logistics point of view, we were really easy to book.  Consequently, we were well travelled.  Our job was public relations for the USAF.   In addition to doing many shows in the Washington DC area,  we would often drive to Andrews AFB and fly all over the USA.  We were constantly waiting for pilots who wanted to get their "air miles" logged by flying us to Ohio via Florida or to Oklahoma City via Chicago.  Sometimes we were in the DC3's which were very slow airplanes and other times in executive jets.  In most of the airplanes we were the only passengers and the planes were cargo planes with only crew seats not airline seats.  We often took a football and frisbee to throw around while we flew.

One trip that I remember was the time (January 1970) when we were scheduled to do a weeks tour of Alaska.  We drove our air force van to Andrews AFB and loaded the C130 aircraft with are equipment.  We waited for a pilot to take us to Alaska.   He finally showed up, but he told us he had to make a stop in Colorado Springs, CO.  (not quite a straight route to Alaska)  He was a Lt. Colonel and we could not change his mind.  It was a very long flight, but we finally landed in Colorado Springs.  After spending the night in officers quarters, we were at the airport early in the morning waiting for our pilots.  They finally arrived and we took off for Alaska.  All of a sudden the plane jerked.  We looked out the window and one of the engines was on fire.  The pilots immediately turned us around to go back to the airport and as we turned back another engine caught fire.  Now the crew chief on the plane ran back to us and said.  "When this plane lands, you follow me out that door!"  In the meantime all the hydraulics went out of the aircraft, so the crew chief had to hand crank the landing gear down. He did.  The airplane landed going very fast and fire trucks were following behind us.  I can remember leaving the airplane running backwards taking pictures as I ran thinking the plane was going to explode.  It did not.  One of the pilots told us that it was the closest he had ever come to crashing.  We got another plane to fly us to Alaska a day later.

We had a good time in Alaska; however, it was dark the whole time we were there.  We did several high school assemblies and shows at the airman's club (Elmandorf AFB).  We were supposed to visit five dew line radar stations, but the weather was so bad at the top of the mountains, that we only performed at one radar station.  The flight to the radar station was uneventful, but the trip up the mountain was scary.  They put us and our equipment (PA system and guitars, organ etc.) into a tank-like vehicle and transported us up the mountain.  There was no road to the station.  As we drove up, there was a man waiting for us.  It was the head cheerleader at McMurry from last year, Lonnie Barbary.  We freaked out!  What a small world.

There was another incident in Alaska that I remember vividly.  Our last night we were booked (a paying gig) in the officers club at Elmandorf AFB.  First let me give you a layout of the stage area of the club.  The room was long and narrow.  The stage was high (4' higher than the dance floor).  The dance floor was about 30' in front of the stage.  So when the spot lights came on, you could not see the audience.  For this show our outfits were white buck shoes, white pants and very bright colored shirts.  Jerrel's was red. Pat's was yellow. Mine was bright green.  We started the show and the audience was very subdued.  We could only hear them, but they were "quiet".  As we started our second song, a waiter came toward us across the dance floor which was empty.  He pointed to me and said, "your fly is down".  I immediately looked down and part of my bright green shirt was sticking out of the zipper.  I could not stop and fix it because Jerrel was singing and I was accompanying him, so Pat walked over in front of me and he zipped up my pants.  Oh my, the ad libs were great after that and the show was really funny.

More stories to come.