Guestbook

I'm sorry to report my good friend Robert L. Genovese, passed away November 14, 2019. Bob, known by many as Geno, was stationed at Sembach , 38th Tactical Missile Wing, from 1961 to 1965 and worked in Finance. He also served in Vietnam and was medically retired after contracting Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He is survived by his wife, Rosemarie (Nickweiler), who he met and married while at Sembach. To learn more about Geno and his life after Sembach go to https://www.mycitizensnews.net/obituaries/obituary-robert-l-genovese/

Harry Anderson. Saw your post. I was assigned to GSC same time you were in GEMS. Drop me an email at V8Logsserv@cs.com when you get a change and I'll dig out some old files to refresh my memory on shop personnel.

Arrived at Kadena Air Base assigned to the 498TMG in January 1965 with the Mace B. (the Mace A was in Bitberg Germany, where I really wanted to go!!) Stayed 18 months leaving June 1966. I was a young second lieutenant as the Launch Control Officer on a 7 man crew.. My training out of OTS was at Lowry AFB and Orlando AFB. How was that for training sites.
Lived in a Quonset Hut with two fellow officers, Dave Parker and Chuck Prince. Came across this site looking for a model of the Mace Missile to hang in my room along site the Minuteman Missile, which was my next assignment.
I need it quick before I leave this earth and then I can leave it to my daughters who will probably throw it away.
I have a few pictures to post. How do you do that?

Assigned to 498th MMS from 9/1961 to 6/1965. I was assigned to the GEMS Shop,responsile for setting up the test modules and checking out the guidance system boxes. Some of those working for me were Armand Roux, Richard Sully, Jim Jackson,Terry Acree. After checking out the boxes, we sent them to the GSC Section, withDon Moody in charge. Some oh the people working out there were Henry P. La Montagne, Gil Lomax Mac McKay,George Bennet. They would install the black boxes into the nose cone and assembled the missile. Flight Controls, run by Pete Samples would do their thing and then to the silos. Floyd Clark was also one of group that was there. We all trained at Lowery AFB, then went to Orlando AFB and on to Okinawa as a group. Most staled on until 65 or 66 before before returning to the states. These were some of the best times in my USAF Career. I went to McCoy AFB Fla as a radar tech with the 966th AEW&C until I retired in 1973. Would enjoy hearing from anyone having like memories

Thanks to our new President Guy for his article about his early days in the "MACE" family. Much of what he relates to was a later version of my experiences before deploying. Although I was Nuclear Weapons Specialist on the early TM-76A Mace 1956-1962 assigned to Sembach AFB Germany my basic training , and Missile school in Denver was similar.

Thanks
Ed

Found this on internet tonight. Chuck was at Bitburg for at least two tours once with Matadore (?) or Mace A(?) and with Mace B - Job Control.

Charles Rondall Sisson
Copperhill, Tennessee
Aug 18, 1936 – Aug 30, 2019
Atkins Funeral Home - Blue Ridge - Blue Ridge Obituary
Charles was born on August 18, 1936 and passed away on Friday, August 30, 2019. Mr. Sisson retired from the United States Air Force after nearly twenty-three years. A private interment followed at the Sisson Family Cemetery with military honors provided by the United States Air Force Honor Guard. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge, 907 East Main Street, Blue Ridge, GA 30513 or The Gideons International.

I was honored to volunteer to be the president of the association for the next period. Hats off to Max and Jerry for all they do. I had a great time at the reunion, the fourth one I have attended. I don't (didn't) know too many of you as I was not married and only 18 when I went on the Mace B. Did not socialize too much other than with my fellow Guidance techs, none of which are part of the association as far as I can notice. I will try and capture my thoughts on the Mace and what it did for me in later entries. Suffice it to say it got me started off on the right foot for a 35 year Air Force career.

My TM71A career began at Lowry during 1961-62 where I met and married my present wife. Then on to Orlando 1962 and Hahn 1962-66. I spent my entire time in Germany as a Maintenance Mech 1 (TM76A ATRAN guidance) at Hahn Site IV (Wuscheim). We lived a few miles from Site IV in a little village named Reckershausen. The town folks took us right in and we became part of their community (no one spoke English so we learned German)! We wouldn’t trade these experiences for the world! Left USAF in 1966 and went to work for Telco companies as a datecomm/telcomm engineer for 39 years. Retired in 2005. We sure have a lot of great memories of the folks we met in the USAF!

I received a recent call from the daughter of Jim and Marge Harrison asking that I give Marge a call. Marge told me that Jim Harrison, Hahn site VI weapons tech. 1964-1966, had passed away.
Jim Marge and their young daughters lived in Kirchberg and would always invite a few of us; me, Jim Schmaltz, John Ray and others, to their apartment for Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday dinner and sometimes Sunday meals. We last saw Jim at the Denver reunion. Both Jim and Marge were both special people, making the holidays so much better for some young, single airmen! Bless you both !

Lance Moorman Nuclear Weapons Launch Technician at Sembach & 887th TMS Grünstadt passed away earlier this week. The link to his obituary is:

https://www.armeshuntfuneralhome.com/notices/Lance-Moorman

I was stationed at Bitburg, from January 1968 until it closed in 1969. I was a tech 4 can't remember the team #
I do remember some of the other team members. I may spell their name wrong but here goes.
CCC Cpt. Al Myers
CCC Wilber Holt(s)
Tech 1 Battin(spelled that wrong)
Smith
Harris
Al Glosser
and myself Pat Vetter
Great people to serve with after Bitburg I went to Wheelus AFB in Libya. and then to England (Bentwaters)

To Joe Heeter, reading over old entries I ran across your 3/28/17 entry mentioned Agent Orange usage on Okinawa Missile sites and connection with Prostrate Cancer. Curious, I worked site #1 as a Mech 1, crew 5 from Sept '61 to March of '63. I suffered the consequences of Prostrate Cancer, surgery, radiation, etc. and have survived over 20 years since.
FYI