"We Were Crewdogs VII - The B-52 Factor"

Released in April 2016.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth - and CINCSAC. And CINCSAC said, “Thanks. You’re dismissed. I’ll take it from here.”

As powerful as he was, eventually the Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command (CICSAC) went away, as did the Strategic Air Command (SAC) itself. But not so the mighty B-52 Stratofortress. The giant eight-engine bomber, first flown in 1955 and revered backbone of our national defense during the Cold War, still remains a viable weapon system in today’s United States Air Force’s inventory. It shall be for years to come. But the aircraft itself is useless without the men who built, guarded, maintained, and flew the plane affectionately known as the Big Ugly Fat Fellow (BUFF) by many. Okay, maybe the final “F” really stands for something else for all those who really know her, but you get the point. 

This book is the seventh volume of stories primarily about the aircrews who flew the plane but is dedicated to all those who ever came in contact with one. Despite a half-dozen efforts to recruit someone to take lead on a book about the maintainers of the aircraft, no one has been willing to come forward and take on the task, so I will continue to publish stories about the aircrews. I was never a maintenance officer; I was a flyer. I only really know and can vouch for things affecting the lives and events of the aircrew (Crewdogs) who flew her. There are a few story exceptions in this volume, but those stories included help add to the understanding of what we did, and deserve to be heard.

Over 40 new stories by 25 contributors.

$10.00 each +  postage.

Cover Artwork by

Col. Rock Roszak, USAF (Ret.)

Stories by Authors

Peter Bellone

Landing with a (Major) Hanger

Pat Branch

Chrome Dome - Christmas Eve 1966

The SAC Guy

Mike Brinkman

BUFFs Over Korea

Odds-n-Ends

Stupid Alert Tricks

Chris Buckley

The Butchers of Mosul

Kenneth Charpie, Jr.

Destined to Be a Crewdog

Bob Davis

Flying with a Dysfunctional Arc Light Crew

Greg Davis

Busting the CORI

Derek Detjen

Turner AFB Reprise

The Year Bomb Comp Wasn't!

Russell Duffner

Was It The Triangle?

Scott Freeman

Into the Lion’s Den…Again!

Russell Greer

One Long Day

Mike Jones

Sworn in over North Vietnam

Roland R. LaFrance, Sr.

The Reason for Our Existence

Jay Lacklen

A Son’s Salute

Alert Scramble - Loring, Maine, 1975

Near-Death Takeoff

First Bomb Run

Putting Out the Arc Light

Ted Lesher

How I Got to be a Crewdog

Arc Light A to Z

Crewdog Stories

Mike Loughran

Harpoons on the BUFF

Joe Mathis

B-52H C’est La Vie

Fred Miranda

The Infamous Linebacker II Routes

Paul Paris

The BUFF Goes on Holiday

George H. Schryer

My First Solo Flight

Tommy Towery

Introduction

We Knew It Could Be a One-Way Mission

The Career Ending “Promotable Three”

Sleeping Around on Guam

Patching History

Steve Winkle

Delivering a “British” BUFF

Randy Wooten

Goin’ to School While Goin’ to War

It Was Broken Before We Took Off

Jim Wuensch

Saving Lives – Why We Train

John York

Busted-Again