Letters

Surprise, Not Surprised

I was somewhat despondent after reading the article “Retooling for China” [January/February, p. 19]. 

Ten years to get to 100 B-21s? When the P-51 of WWII was conceived in 1938, flew in 1940 and was upgraded to a Rolls-Royce engine in under a year. Of course, we were close to war, and then got into the war.

And China has satellites of unknown purpose in orbit now?

They can put up an observation satellite with a computer program that compares photos of areas over oceans and can detect and report aircraft. Goodbye stealth. Or use infrared detection at night. Goodbye surprise.

We seem to have forgotten the strategy of gaining the high ground. We should be having a monthly launch of repair satellites that can either refuel satellites that are out of fuel or be able to hook onto them and get them to de-orbit.

Where? In the ocean or on a target. When? As the military situation determines a target needs to be attacked. Use old satellites as bombs from space.

The author Alvin Toffler wrote a book called “Future Shock.” Things are changing rapidly. Those who anticipate changes will survive. Those who want to use the old tried and true will be obsolete. 

Maj. William J. Maki,
USAF (Ret.)
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Perfect Match

The editorial by Tobias Naegele, “Re-Optimize Now,” [January/February 2024, p. 3] identifies “organizational impediments to change.” He includes “institutional stovepipes, insufficient centralization and oversight over critical skill sets and areas of technology development, and also inadequate depth of talent and equipment.” 

In my humble opinion, I believe the most critical impediment to change is related to personnel, mainly inadequate professional experience and poor leadership. 

In my 20 years of Active duty and 24.5 years as a DAF civilian in the intelligence business, too often personnel with little or no experience as an intelligence analyst, staff officer and/or manager were placed in a  position of supervisor, chief, or director of an intelligence office or unit.  

The resulting lack of confidence led to indecisive actions and a breakdown of operations. No change of the organizational structure could fix poor personnel issues.

It all depends on promoting the right people and assigning the right personnel to the job. I would rather have a major with 13 years of intelligence in a colonel’s position than a full colonel with little or no experience in intelligence.

Lt. Col. Russell A. Noguchi,
USAF (Ret.)
Pearl City, Hawaii

Page Turner

Although I read the December 2023 issue of the magazine when I received it, I recently reread the article “Three Airmen Who Sought—But Never Won—the Presidency” [p. 42] by Daniel Haulman. The article was very informative and  interesting, and I enjoyed it immensely. 

Thanks, Daniel, for contributing such a superb article to an always excellent magazine. My tardiness in sending this compliment should not detract from the significance of my enjoyment.

Lt. Col. Gary L. Gilchrist,
USAF (Ret.)
Palm Harbor, Fla.

Team Win

With regard to “The Man Who Shot Down Yamamoto” article [March/April, p. 48], the extraordinary decadeslong struggle to assign credit for the downing of one airplane makes one question the entire concept of being an ace. I have long wondered how many bombers were lost over Germany because of an escort fighter’s continued pursuit of a damaged enemy fighter to ensure recording credit for the kill.  

As the character and frequency of aerial combat has changed dramatically since WWI, perhaps the title Ace should be retired to the history books. I am reminded of a quote from Harry S. Truman, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

Col. Michael R. Gallagher,
USAF (Ret.)
Eugene, Ore.

Honored To Serve

I really appreciated your article on medical disqualifications in the March/April issue [p. 37]. In the spring of 1966 I was DQ’d during my physical for entrance to the Advanced Corps of Air Force ROTC at my college. I then proceeded to go through the waiver process and still have the final rejection letter from the Air Force Surgeon General.

Having had a rather obscure illness between the ages of 11 and 15, I knew there might be a problem so I secured a letter from my doctor “clearing” me to serve and adding that there were no harmful residual effects nor was there a likelihood of its recurrence. Nonetheless the Air Force thought that there was still a slim possibility it could return and as the Surgeon General stated, “This, (the rejection), is not predicated on the fact that you may become incapacitated but rather early separation could deny the Air Force an officer who represented an extensive in-service training investment”. The rejection still stings for me as it does for thousands who also wanted to serve in various branches of the armed forces. 

I have always felt that I’d rather serve with someone who wants to be there than someone who has to be there. Needless to say, at 77 I am still here, no recurrence. I did serve as an enlisted man in the Army (Officer Candidate School out of the question) and went on to a demanding civil service career followed by 20-plus years as a construction manager. 

My dad, a WWII mechanic on P-38’s and P-51’s also believed in finding a slot for everyone. I remember to this day, his comment when Joe Namath, the New York Jets football star, received his 4-F classification for torn up knees, “The Army always needs typists!” Indeed, we should be trying and trying hard to find a slot for everyone who wants to serve his or her country regardless of disability. 

My wife and I recently counseled a young man who had asthma as a child. An outstanding student, peer leader and star athlete, he applied to West Point, his life’s dream. The mere history of the asthma, which never recurred, not only DQ’d him from the Point but for enlistment in any of the services. Needless to say he is heartbroken, as heartbroken as I was some 58 years ago. This being a hot button topic for me I have met scores of young people in my life who have had this experience, all physically able yet rejected for some old malady.

I am happy to see that Sen. Elizabeth Warren is examining this issue. Hopefully she will be able to bring about some changes. I can well remember the “old” military before 1975 when pregnancy ended your military career, I also remember numerous stories over the past two decades of badly wounded Soldiers and Airmen being allowed to continue their careers, something that never would have happened in the Vietnam years. The time for a change in policy is now.

Dennis Trynosky,
USA (Ret.)
Fair Lawn, N.J.

Dollars and Sense

I read with keen interest both Tobias Naegele’s “Editorial” [March/April 2024, p. 2] and “Verbatim” [p. 7] comments from USAF Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin and from Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, which beg the question: “Why are both USAF and USSF forced to continually operate under a “compromised” budget which sees the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO but annotated as “non-Blue”) taking almost 20 percent off the top resulting in a “net” gain year over year of a paltry 1 percent? It’s especially insulting when none of the other service branches are forced to operate under such budgetary restrictions. 

Naegele had it right in his editorial.  How is USAF and USSF expected to modernize and achieve current mission objectives when this President and Congress, year after year,  do not support them when it comes to funding (where the rubber meets the road)? 

As long as USAF/USSF budgets are continually “penalized” and “compromised” … year after year—as this administration continues spending taxpayer $$ like a drunken Sailor on everything but national defense—you can expect with certainty that our near-peer adversaries will continue to take every opportunity to challenge the U.S.

MSgt. Randolph E. Whitmire,
USAF (Ret.)
Immediate Past President
Air & Space Forces Assn., Michigan
East China, Mich.

Strength In Numbers

Regarding [“Extending Endurance for Pacific Conflict,” January/February, p. 40], I hope Maj. James C. Miller’s letter in the March/April issue on the need to use predictive modeling of fatigue’s effects on aircrew is being acted on.

While on the Air Staff in the early 1980s. I proposed increasing the crew ratios for squadrons (more pilots than normal) when they were deployed into combat in order to allow the squadron to fly high sortie rates while minimizing the need for each pilot to fly frequently and experience the degradation of performance caused by aircrew fatigue.  

This approach also had the advantage of allowing the squadron’s aircraft that were not deployed initially to be used to replace aircraft that were damaged and lost in combat. I wrote several point papers on the subject and even corresponded with the Air Force’s Surgeon General, but failed to find any interest at all within the Air Staff regarding the importance of addressing the impact of human factors in war on either our personnel or the enemy’s.   

Besides this proposal, I also recommended preparing all personnel to defend their air base. I had been stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Vietnam during the 1968 Tet Offensive and felt helpless because we turned in our weapons after each flight.  My suggestion was for all air and ground personnel to be trained and given access to weapons as well as assigned positions to defend during an attack.  

When our general worried about the high cost of doing this, my colonel recognized the general’s lack of interest and told me to forget it.  I am hopeful that this lack of interest in air base defense is now ancient history.

Lt. Col. Price T. Bingham,
USAF (Ret.)
Melbourne, Fla.

Outer Space

Your “Verbatim” quote “Space has been overclassified for years” [“De-Sapping Space,” March/April 2024, p. 7] reminded me of my experiences as an Air Force observer/coach for U.S. Army Warfighter Exercises.  Invariably, at some point during the Warfighter, the various Warfighting Function representatives would huddle with the battle captain in the Division TOC (Tactical Operations Center) to discuss and develop a plan for some newly tasked operation.  

Observing patiently, I would wait until the appropriate time, then toss out my little nugget, “Has anyone talked to the space guy?” Always the same response.  Blank looks for a few seconds, followed by (from the battle captain): “Uh, lieutenant,  go get the space guy.”

Actually, like everyone else, I was not cleared to know anything about what the space guy could do. I just knew that he might be important, but seldom did anyone remember that he even existed!

Lt. Col. Dale Hanner,
USAF (Ret.)
Loveland, Colo.

Damaging

I am just taken aback that the USAF will not repair the damaged B-2 that crashed at Whiteman AFB, Mo., [in 2022] due to cost and is not sure what to do with the aircraft as of yet. But it’s okay to spend over $4 billion to rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., and repair Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., as well? 

How does this make any sense? We need to address the recruiting issues as if we had to go to war; [if not] we are going to be in trouble. We cut the force after the Gulf War and continued that we are at WWI strength. … We really need to tell Congress who they work for—the taxpayer.  

The Air Force leadership needs to take care of the Air Force instead of worrying about changing Air Force Instructions for so many things that are just ridiculous. What is happening to the Air Force I joined and retired from?

SSgt. Dean R. Martinez,
USAF  (Ret.)
Medical Lake, Wash.