September, 2017

Volume 26, Number 2

September, 2017

Historical Mural Unveiled

Farnsworth Aerospace magnet school, on the east side of St. Paul, hosted public unveiling of an Air Force
historical mural in May. The event was a tribute to Colonel Kenneth Wofford, a Tuskegee airman, who was the
focus and inspiration for the mural. Master of ceremonies was Bill Hudson of WCCO television, the local CBS
affiliate.

The mural had
previously hung on a
wall at Ft. Snelling’s
934th Officers’ Club. It
was taken from the wall,
folded and stored after
the club was forced to
close by the Air Force a
couple years ago. A
search was conducted to
find a new site to display
the mural.

Farnsworth had the space available in it’s main auditorium. It’s aerospace theme for educating youth
meshed well with the WWII Air Force theme of the painting. It is actually signed by Dick Cole, the last of the
original Doolittle Raiders. Dick penned his signature near the B-25 depicted in the mural launching from an
aircraft carrier on left.

Farnsworth elementary school is pleased to have the mural on its wall. It filled the hall with students, bands
and local dignitaries to host the official unveiling. Colonel Anthony Polashek, Commander of 934th Air Wing
commented how pleased he was the school was able to host the mural in such a prominent, public space where
many people will be able to see it.

Luncheons are Wednesday, 11:15 AM
K of C Hall, Bloomington, MN.
See our website: www.8thmn.org

Eighth Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota Officers
& Directors as of January 1, 2017

President Vice President Treasurer John Ahaus
Steve Marks Dick Hill (179th FS) Gary Birchem 10548 Penn Ave., S
5121 Gorgas Ave. 934 Woody Lane 28790 Ivywood TRL Bloomington, MN 55431
Edina, MN 55424 Coon Rapids, MN 55448 Chisago City, MN 55013 (612) 720-8307
(952) 926-0148 (763) 755-3559 (651) 257-1550 [email protected]
(952)-797-2783 [email protected] almostaranch02@
[email protected] frontier.com Vince Parker
38 Moonlight Bay
Marv Jansma Dick Kaminski Gene Kretchmer Stillwater, MN 55082
14721 Denmark Ct 6633 Xerxes Ave S 11206 Virginia Rd. (651) 439-8679
Apple Valley, MN 55124 Minneapolis, MN 55423 Bloomington, MN 55438
(952) 423-1260 (612) 869-5978 (952) 943-3988

James Rasmussen Lawrence Sagstetter
18273 Fillmore St., NE 1696 E. Third St.
Cedar, MN 55011 St. Paul, MN 55106
(763)-434-3654 [email protected]

Frank Frison (447th BG) Past Presidents Ed Kueppers (AM)
William Herbert (96th BG) Earl B. Joswick (95th BG)

James Keefe (95th BG) Richard Postier (96th BG) Harold Rutka (34th BG) Dave Dahlberg (487th BG)

Don Zupan (379th BG) Don Bruns (379th BG) Larry Bachman (392nd BG) Don Kent (401st BG)

Clyde Thompson (490th Dick Kaminski (457th BG) Robert Clemens (15thAF) Al Anderson (ARDC)
BG)

Newsletter prepared and edited by Lawrence Sagstetter, 1696 E. Third St., St. Paul, MN 55106,
Phone: 651-776-7434, Email: [email protected].

“Deterrence through strength, global strike on demand.”

2

8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017


President’s Report

By Steve Marks

Steve is working through some colon related
health issues. But he was able to join Don
Patton’s tour of European battlefields end of
May. Mid- July, he gave a presentation of his
trip to an 8th luncheon.

Steve said it was one of the great trips he has
ever been on. The focus this year was on the
Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Battlefields/cemeteries visited included
Operation Market Garden, Battle of Arnhem,
Fort Evan Emael, Waterloo, Battle of the
Bulge and Hurtgen Forest. A 16-day guided
tour. Sounds like quite a trip.

If you didn’t get in on this year’s battlefield
excursion, another is scheduled for end of
May 2018. Don Patton is planning on going to
Berlin, Potsdam, Danzig, Wolf’s Lair,
Warsaw, Cracow, Auschwitz and Budapest.

Information on these trips can be found on
Harold Deutsch World War II History Round
Table website.

As Steve would write, MAY GOD BLESS ALL
OF YOU AND GOD BLESS THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA!

3

1

8 th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017


Chaplain’s Message

An Airman Grace

Lord of thunderhead and sky .
Who place in man the will to fly
Who taught his hand speed, skill and grace Dick Cole Falls:
To soar beyond man's dwelling place
You shared with him the Eagle's view Retired Lt. Colonel Dick Cole was to have made
The right to soar, as Eagles do an appearance at Air Expo in Eden Prairie in
The right to call the clouds his home July. He was unable to travel, though, due to a
And grateful, through your heavens roam fall in which he broke his shoulder and elbow.
May all assembled here tonight Dick is the last remaining of the famed Doolittle
And all who love the thrill of flight Raiders.

Recall with twofold gratitude The weekend of July 2, President Trump called
Your gift of Wings, Your gift of Food. Dick, who resides near San Antonio, TX.

"The Lord is my crew chief, I shall not be “The president congratulated Lt. Col. Cole on his
broken." courage, thanked him for his service, and wished
him a full recovery in advance of his upcoming
- Chaplain (Brig. Gen.) Cecil Richardson 102nd birthday,” the White House said of the
Sunday phone call.
“A day will come when there will be no
battlefields, but markets opening to In April, Dick was able to make it to
commerce and minds opening to ideas.” Fredericksburg, TX for a celebration of the 75th
anniversary of the Doolittle Raid over Tokyo.
- Victor Hugo
Lt. Col. Cole said, "It's kind of lonely because
I'm the last one." When pressed about what the
75th anniversary of the attack means to him,
Cole, with a twinkle in his eye, said, "It means
I'm getting to be an old man." Later, Cole said on
the anniversary, "You think about the whole
group."

4

2

8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017

Norden Bombsight
Cole said his secret to living past 101. He simply
said, "Keep moving." He said he would like to be Also at the Wings of the North table at Air Expo
remembered along "with the rest of the people was an actual Norden bombsight in two pieces.
that had an impact on winning the war." Asked if
he felt he was a hero. A quick response. "No. But
people like to keep celebrating the raid. So I go
along with it."

Other Air Expo News:

Though Dick Cole was unable to make it to Air
Expo, his signature did. A metal panel from P-51
D Mustang fighter plane Sierra Sue was signed
by Dick in Texas and transported to Air Expo.
The plane, itself, sits on display at Wings of the
North vintage aircraft museum at Flying Cloud
Airport. Sierra Sue was restored some time ago
in northern Minnesota.

5

8 th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017
As tronaut Story Musgrave was at Air Expo
signing photos. Story had been on six space
shuttle missions in various roles. He has quite a Dick Kaminski with daughter Mary
personal history. Never graduated high school.
But eventually got into college after serving in
the Marine Corps. Earned several degrees.
Became a medical doctor. Went into the Air
Force. Then applied for astronaut training. And
NASA accepted him. Ended up flying six
shuttle missions, including performing a space
walk – tethered to the shuttle while helping
repair the Hubble telescope in wide-open space.

Amazing man; amazing story. It was a real treat
to meet Story. He said he is not a risk taker. He
meticulously plans everything out. Said the
rocket launches were very violent, shaking him
to his core. Shaking everything. He couldn’t
even see the instrument board in front of him
during launches everything shook so much. He
just hoped to make it through the launch still
alive for the mission ahead.

6

8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017



Steve Marks & Dick Hill Pilot to Shah of Iran and then some: Lou!

Lou Martin – Pilot Extraordinaire! Jack Christopher

7

8 th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017



Larry Taylor & Ray

Peterson celebrated
birthdays at 8th

luncheons. Cake with
ice cream is
the custom.

8

8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017
7

Giving honor where honor is duel…
Liz Betty Wall Strohfus field named at
Faribault Airport.

(Paraphrased C M Swanson article from Minnesota
Flyer – July issue.)

Saturday, June 24, Faribault Airport officially
commemorated the Liz Wall Strohfus Field.
Pat Rice and Kathy Larson of the American
Association of University Women presided
over the ceremony, which opened with the
Posting of the Colors by the Color Guard and
Honor Guard.

A plaque carved and donated by renowned
wood carver Ivan Whillock was unveiled,
much to the delight of all. Outside, a 1959
North American SNJ-6 Trainer graced the
tarmac; just one of the many aircraft Strohfus
flew.

In an interview with the Minnesota Flyer,
granddaughter Amy Strohfus said one of the
most important impacts her grandmother had
on the world was giving little girls an
opportunity to believe in themselves and
accomplish things that are not always readily
available for women.

Kimberly Strohfus, another granddaughter also
commented.

"I think the main thing about Grandma Liz is
that she was physically such a small lady but
nothing else about her was small. She had the
biggest smile, the biggest heart, the most
compassion for people and aviation I've ever
seen."

True to the spirit of the day was an often
quoted phrase, "Everybody loved Liz."

8 th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017



WWII Radar Developed at MIT

In April, your editor visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, aka MIT, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
I was there to meet with professors running an Invent/Team program, which assists high school teachers to have
their students conceptualize and build original ideas in the classroom. They showed me their workshops and
labs in corridors underground. We took an elevator to exit the basement. Lo and behold, that Frank Gehry
designed engineering building had a display on lobby floor showing how radar had been conceived, developed
and built there for the government under contract during WWII.

In June of 1940, Vannevar Bush, the Scientific Advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt, along with Karl
Compton, President of MIT, and James Conant, President of Harvard, presented to President Roosevelt a plan
for a National Defense Research Council to oversee scientific research directed toward the impending war
effort, an idea that Roosevelt quickly approved. Compton headed up the section of the Council overseeing
technologies for detection of aircraft and ships, capabilities that were sorely lacking at the time.

Figure 1: Building 20 at MIT, home of Radar Lab '43-'45. Figure 2: Techs work in rooftop lab, building 4, 1941

During the next five years, the Radiation Laboratory made stunning contributions to the development of
microwave radar technology in support of the war effort. Inventions included airborne bombing radars,
shipboard search radars, harbor and coastal defense radars, gun-laying radars, ground-controlled approach
radars for aircraft blind landing, interrogate-friend-or-foe beacon systems, and the long-range navigation
(LORAN) system. Some of the most critical contributions of the Radiation Laboratory were the microwave
early-warning (MEW) radars, which effectively nullified the V-1 threat to London.

Air-to-surface vessel (ASV) radars, which were fitted onto B-24’s, turned the tide on the U-
boat threat to Allied shipping. In November 1942, U-boats claimed 117 Allied ships. Less
than a year later, in the two-month period of September to October 1943, only 9 Allied
ships were sunk, while a total of 25 U-boats were destroyed by B-24’s equipped with ASV
radars.

The radar development effort at MIT closed down in December, 1945. Assets, staff and scientists ultimately
formed the foundation for famed Lincoln Laboratory.

8

8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota September, 2017



8th Air Force Historical Society of Minnesota Membership

Name____________________________________________________________________________

First Name Middle Initial Last Name

Address___________________________________________________________________________

Street Apt. No. City State

___________________________________________________________________________

Zip Code Tel. No. 8th AF unit or other service?

I want to subscribe for: 1 Year, $20.00_____ 2 Years, $40.00_____ 3 Years, $60.00_____ Other____

E-mail address____________________________________________________________________

Please send this form (or a copy) with your check or money order for $20.00 per year to:

8th Air Force Historical Society of MN
Gary Birchem, Treasurer
28790 Ivywood TRL
Chisago City, MN 55013

Figure 3: Briefing Room Figure 2: B-24 Cockpit

7

.