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The
Authorized
Rege
Cordic,
Cordic
& Co.
and
Olde Frothingslosh
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Retired
Martians invade the 171st
Senior
Master Sgt. Judi McGrath and 1st Lt. Michele Papakie
You
are all probably familiar with Marvin the Martian from the Looney
Tunes, but did you know that the Looney Tunes of the 171st have
their own Martian? His name is Omicron.
On Saturday, December 9, 1995, two retired members of our unit, Lt.
Cot. Don Johnson and Chief Master Sgt. Bill Schemp, returned to the
unit and presented Lt. Col. Eric Johnson, 147th Air Refueling
Squadron Commander, with a replica of an historic 147th Fighter
Interceptor Squadron insignia for posterity.
The insignia is a mischievous Martian, named Omicron, hunkered in a
jet. The l47th FIS adopted the insignia around 1955. Omicron was a
regular in the skits of a local radio show hosted by Rege Cordic.
Rege was a KDKA radio personality and Guard member at the time. He
transposed his alien from an aural to a visual character to be used
as the squadron insignia.
Chief Master Sgt. Schemp then regaled us with tales of unit history
that should persevere. Did you know the F-84 static display on
Mustang Drive was the winner of the Ricks Trophy in 1957? The
competition was a cross country race for F-54s and RF-84s from
Fresno, Calif., to Washington, D.C. The competition was designed to
focus national attention on the high level of proficiency attained
by the Air National Guard.
This was also the beginning of the accident-free flying hours
program, which has accumulated 120,000 hours to date. He also spoke
of the unit's glory days of 1961 when we flew transport missions
with the C-I 19 and in 1963 when we were assigned C-121s. One
monumental mission assigned to the C-121s was Operation Christmas
Star. We delivered everything from cookies to priority warm
materials to the fighting troops in Vietnam in 1965. According to
the
Thirty-Five Year History Book, these missions were the first in
history in which citizen-airmen, though not mobilized, served in a
combat zone during time off from their civilian jobs. Our reliable
performance dispelled the myth of us being useful only as
"weekend warriors." It was the beginning of a long history
of our significant role in national defense.
Lt. Col. Don Johnson, who commanded the 147th FIS way back when,
then spoke of the importance of passing on historical experiences.
The veteran of Burma and World War II stressed that the pride of a
unit can be deepened by a strong, historical identity, developed
through awareness. Lt. Col. Johnson was with the unit when it
received federal recognition in 1949.
As the retirees spoke, deja vu filled the air Personnel at
Pittsburgh were apprehensive about switching from fighter to
"heavy" aircraft in 1990, just as they were in 1961.
Channel missions were flown in 1995, just as they were in 1963.
Flying safety is our number one concern in 1996, and it has been
since 1958. Events that we sometimes perceive as change are merely
history repeating itself!
Omicron now hangs proudly in the halls of the operations building.
We are fortunate that these former Guard members have such a
lifelong loyalty to our unit. May we continue the tradition of
excellence and dedication and pass it on to our successors, just as
they have done for us.
Mission
Aircraft Assigned to Pittsburgh:
F-47N Thunderbolt - 1949-51
F-S1H Mustang - 1951-54
F84F Thunderstreak - 1954-57
F86A / L Sabre Jet - 1957-60
F-1O2A Delta Dagger - 1960-75
C-119J Boxcar - 1961-63
C121G Constellation - 1963-72
KC-97L Stratocruiser - 1972-77
A7DCorsairII - 1975-91
KC-135 A/E Stratotanker - 1977-present
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