From Missile Capsules to Titan IV Launch Controller - An Original Volunteer Story: W.V. Ep 40

This week Rob and Scott sit down with a founding volunteer, Reece Stephenson and talk about his career in Missile Silo's, Cape Canaveral Titan launches and being a founding volunteer of the museum.

#warbirds #museum #flying  #podcast  #planes  #history #aviation  #family #nationalmuseumofwwiiaviation #titan #capecanaveral 

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Guest Travis Arnold: Travis.Arnold@worldwariiaviation.org

Rob Gale: Mewe@robertgale.69

Scott Klaers: @scottklaers Insta/Facebook

William Stephenson: lilboots_2of4 Insta

National Museum of WWII Aviation on Facebook

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Hello everyone, and welcome to Winged Victory with Rob and Scott, a podcast by the National Museum of World War II Aviation here in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

SPEAKER_02 1:30

Well, hello and welcome to another episode. I'm Scott Clares, and joining us once again is my co-host Rob Gill off gallivanting around the world on many vacations.

SPEAKER_03 1:40

Yeah, well, he he I guess has not decided to replace me yet. No, not yet.

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Got close last episode. But uh we're back. Yeah, I'm glad you're back, big guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:51

I'm glad I'm back.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

Very happy. So today we got an amazing guest. He's uh actually an original volunteer of the museum. Um so he's really been here through the entire evolution, and he's got quite the history um serving in the armed services, and we're happy to have him. Reese Stevenson.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Happy to be here.

SPEAKER_02 2:11

And if you do recognize that last name, yes, he is the father of our producer William.

SPEAKER_03 2:16

Yeah, he's donated several children to the museum, and his second born is key to this one.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yeah. Yeah, the whole family has been uh has been part of this over the years and uh for in various places, various things, but we're uh we absolutely love being part of this family.

SPEAKER_02 2:33

Yeah. So I guess since we're already talking about that, let's just jump into that. How did you get involved with the museum?

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I mean So it it it goes to get it back to the military that the unit that I was attached to at the time, uh the 26th Space Aggressor Squadron, uh very historical unit, and that uh the unit in various forms has actually been around since World War I. Uh the unit's first commander uh was actually Renault Bowling. And if you're familiar with Bowling Air Force Base, uh that was the first commander of the unit that I ended up attached to. And we were looking for a place to have a reunion. Uh, I believe it was our 90-year reunion we were looking for. And I knew somebody who knew somebody and said, hey, let's go after this place that's being built. Be a great backdrop for the kind of thing that we're supposed to do, uh we're trying to do, and came out, and what is now Westpac was under construction. And um Bill Claire's, Scott, your dad. Um, I met him about a third of the way into what was ultimately going to be Westpac. We talked a little bit, hey, what's this going to be? And turned out not to be the best place because the construction was not going to be done in time. But that was really kind of my first introduction. And then through other military events, um, ultimately the standing up of the 380 Space Control Squadron, uh, did it in front of the B-25. I ended up in a conversation with Bill Dude. I said, dude, this is amazing. What is this place? Hey, can I come push a broom? And he said, Don't come push a broom, come drink beer. Um, I don't know. So I was like, all right, so Thursday, I started coming over on Thursdays, uh, five o'clock. You know, all the work comes doing in, the refrigerator's open, and the workbench becomes a bar, and uh we sat around and have a beer and just kind of got to know people. And I remember the day when your dad walked in and said, We're gonna start a museum. And we all looked at each other, we have no idea what that means. And um, here we are now so many years later, with um the congressional decree and the a flying uh the flying collection that we have and the amazing story uh that this museum tells. So you just find a place to pick up and do this, and what is that, and help build this, and and I said, ten years later, look at this place.

SPEAKER_03 4:55

Well, and speaking of storytelling, you picked this backdrop.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:01

And over and beyond, okay, we haven't had these airplanes on before. Why?

SPEAKER_01 5:10

The transition that this represents sitting where we are, the growth in aviation that occurred with the airplane you have sitting here, certainly the amazing lineage that this is a Lindbergh plane. Um, but the technology that is in this plane versus the transition that occurred when we went into this aircraft, to me it's representative.

SPEAKER_03 5:31

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

It's representative of where we are as a museum and how we have grown and we are growing. As I already said, you know, we had a couple hangars across the ramp. Then Slattery decides to move his collection here. We have to grow. We use some of the Westpac space while we're still using some now. The pavilion is built, and now we're building the additional 40,000 square feet so we can grow the collection even more. The museum is in transition. The museum is growing. We're we're becoming so much more than the amazing museum that we already are.

SPEAKER_02 6:02

Well, kind of it's kind of like the war, you know, it never stopped. Like, you know, the progression from like 39 to 45 was when that's kind of like we were going through it, it never stops here. The growth never stops. There's always more programs, there's always more things to to to work on.

SPEAKER_03 6:18

So I like to think we're a little bit past biplane and shooting through the props. Sure. But it does it does represent the leap in technology and the leap in progress here. And your family has contributed from the beginning. Right. Well, I I don't know if you contributed to the beer call or not, but I but you oh he contributed to it.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

I contributed. I I certainly made some of it go away, and I uh actually have a glass. I there was a particular beer that they don't make anymore that I would bring over. And Lefty, who was here at the time, and he went to the actually the brewery where that beer was made, and he bought me a glass with that particular brand on it.

SPEAKER_03 6:56

So uh that's a signal honor.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Yeah, yeah. So I I definitely participated in the beer part.

SPEAKER_03 7:01

Your your brides and your children, and so talk about that a little bit. How did you rope your wife into this?

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Well, you don't rope my wife into anything. Let's be clear about that. That's uh it again, she's she and I both have an appreciation for history. Um I'll I'll answer it a little get there in a little different way, but we're not going linear here. We met it when I was stationed at Cape Canaveral. Okay. So I was I was uh Air Force launch controller in the Titan IV program. Uh we were actually set up as a blind date. Uh we were uh met married in six months, uh just absolutely fell head over heels in love with one another. And one of the things that we met that was we had in common was our love of space history, the space race. And how we got into uh how we got to you into where we are today. And so when it when it came to the museum, and again, she saw the same thing I did. And there was a need for somebody to walk around to talk about what has ultimate ultimately become the docent program.

SPEAKER_02 8:06

Oh yeah. And she was in the early days, we had nobody it was like we so it was all family run, you know. Yeah, their family, our family. It was just everybody. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 8:17

The docent standards may have slipped a bit at times.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Uh but so um, you know, we had the opportunity while we were at the Cape. Uh, we were there when Liberty Bell, when Gus Grissom's capsule came through after it was recovered. Uh we were four people in line ahead of Walt Cunningham as he came through to actually see it. So in the Mercury 7, um, I gave history tours uh when different dignitaries would come in. Um so history was something that we had always uh been interested in. Uh, you know, she might have fibbed a little bit when she was coming over to for a launch, and I told her the launch was scrubbed, and she said, I'm already over halfway coming over, so I'll just drive over anyway. Um so when it came to the museum and needing assistance, it was I'll I'll do that. That sounds like fun.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

Well, there's a lot of people who do that around here, and we appreciate that that kind of spirit.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah, the nursing school came in and then time wasn't available, and we moved on to other things. So she checked in with that, and then I ended up taking on the the role of the lead sound guy for the for the museum and uh ebbed and floated.

SPEAKER_02 9:24

So all the events that we have online, everything that you see other than the podcast, is all sounds all done by you guys.

SPEAKER_01 9:30

Yeah, yeah, the the what has in in unintentionally become the Stevenson sound team, but yeah, it can certainly be more than the Stevenson sound team. And I'm I'd haul the kids along. Hey, you know, we're going to the museum, got something going on, Jerry's got a study or got something. Why don't you go with me? And over time, well, what carry that bag, move that thing, run that cable. Um, they got a little bit more involved and a little bit more involved. And so you got obviously William working the podcast, doing the production, uh, all the stuff that he does. Like when you came and asked me about a podcast, you saw what I did. No, you need to talk to William. And then obviously Sarah has been very active with the sound team, and then Henry, uh, my uh my youngest son, um, that he has gotten so involved. He's decided he wants to be an AP certified aircraft mechanic.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Great.

SPEAKER_01 10:21

So he's been coming in on Saturdays.

SPEAKER_02 10:23

Yeah, been beating him up on Saturdays.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Yeah, and he comes home covered in grease and smiling ear to ear, loves every minute of it. But but I also I want to mention that my oldest daughter, Amanda. Amanda was one of the youngest volunteer, uh volunteers to start with the museum. She was 14. We'd bring her down here and we'd sign all the again in the very, very early days, not a lot of paperwork involved at the time, but she loved being down here and putting her hands on, and she worked with uh with Harry over in uh you know building stuff and doing those things over there. And um, matter of fact, she Amanda was the first person to get in the link trainer uh that Vern put back together because she was the one that could climb up there and fit in it. So the first time that thing actually moved, yeah, Amanda was the one driving it. So we're sick. We've it's just it's just been so much fun. It's just been so much fun to be part of, as I say, it's the the family that is this museum. We've just loved being here.

SPEAKER_02 11:20

Yeah, well it's just an entire collective of just amazing people. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 11:27

Well, and and that's been the fodder for so much of this podcast.

SPEAKER_04 11:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:33

That all of you, all of you folks who've put so much time and passion into this place, we want to share you with whoever wants to watch. And fortunately, people seem to want to watch.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Yeah. Well, so the the the takeaway of all of the there's always room for somebody else. There's always we are none of us are the same. And by none of us being the same, collectively, we are a much stronger team and what we can provide to tell the amazing story that lives in this building and will ultimately live in uh the building next door.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

So uh I was just looking at a new list of uh prospective uh volunteers last night, actually, and going, that would be good. Yeah, that would be good.

SPEAKER_03 12:18

So well, I'm glad you you looked at that. I haven't even opened it yet, but I need to do that. Well, I I have looked at it.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Actually, I was kind of ooh, that might be a good podcast. Yeah, it's they might have an interesting story.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

I've been very fortunate over my military career. Um, I did 20 years in the Air Force and I more kind of sort of a contractor. I have 10 years now with the Navy.

SPEAKER_03 12:43

Um but so an upgrade.

SPEAKER_01 12:45

It we can talk about that stuff to all my Air Force brethren out there. Um I've had a good time working with I've had a very good time working with the Navy.

SPEAKER_03 12:55

But you're up on me then.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Yeah. Well, again, my very first unit. My very first unit was the the 12th Missile Squadron out of Moundstrom Air Force Base. And that unit in and of itself is a historical unit. It was a bombardment squadron in World War II.

SPEAKER_03 13:08

Well, and I was gonna say you started out in Air Force artillery.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Um fortunately, it's a job I never ever did. Yes, we're happy that we're very happy that that that never had to take place. But I might have had an alert or two where I didn't sleep a whole lot. And um, you know, it's a mission where you're, you know, there's a lot of sleep and a lot of eating and then like five percent of of uh of panic when uh when certain alarms go off. Yeah, sheer terror. Um brought the first amounts to Air Force Base, uh the current weapon system that's employed, um the capsules underground. Um I brought the first capsule up onto ICBMs um after we did the transition. Um so um 22 hours of an awful lot of checklists and did we do it right, and then realized that might have made some things that need to be done different.

SPEAKER_03 13:55

And doing it right is vital.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

Yeah, yeah. And uh it was it's a it's a it's a really great job to say you have done it's kind of thing that uh what those what what kept the peace. Yeah, what the missile combat crew uh members are doing is uh is is integral. But um I did want to I did want to talk about that unit, that mission a little bit to to get the word out because uh those of us that have worked in that ICBM world, whether it be um uh the guys that go out, guys and gals that go underground, the maintainers, the cops, um we're suffering a lot from cancer.

SPEAKER_03 14:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

Um I'm happy to say I'm not one of them. Um I have my own things that I deal with, but um it's uh it is it is a thankless job, it's a very important job. Um but the uh there's a web page out, it's an organization, the torchlight initiative. Um torchlight um.org, I believe it is. We'll probably uh put the link up on the on the page. But um to those that have done the mission all the way back into uh the Titan the Atlas days, um, the chemicals, the hazardous things that were in the capsule, um, we're finding that uh they are not serving us well over the long term. So um I take every opportunity I can to to share that um that if anybody out there that is suffering that uh whether it be uh cancer or non-Hodgkins lymphoma, Hodgkins, um uh very look up the webpage.

SPEAKER_03 15:31

Well, we want to kick the podium on that one. Yeah, absolutely, and uh your son here will be sure that we get the right uh link and we'll absolutely want to do that because again, you all were a crucial part of um keeping the peace.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Yeah. Yeah. And I have my first crew partner, he's been gone for 25 years. Um we we can all the we just did our we do a muster every year. Um actually out at the Veteran Cemetery here locally, do it on the uh 12th of May, and we come out and the the guy that is uh leading up leading the charge on the initiative, um he reads the names of those that we've lost. And this year we read over 70 names that have been lost to cancer. Holy smoke. That's definitely gotta be some there's a lot of smoke there. And and those those are the ones that have passed away that have uh have paid the ultimate. Um sorry. Yeah, it's actually right. So um but the the there's hundreds upon hundreds of other people that are sick. Um and we are that initiative is trying to draw attention to it and get the VA and the government to pay closer attention to, hey guys, uh you know, polyclobiphenols, the horrible things, the stuff that's in the we we gotta take care of these people. Yeah, so you have to. And again, I'm very fortunate. I I have issues, but I'm not I'm far from the worst of them.

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Well, and and and rather than just kick the podium, we might slap the table on that one a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 16:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 16:59

So thanks for uh for bringing that up.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

They're making some progress, absolutely. If you go to the webpage, um uh if you look up um Torch Light Initiative, there's a lot of information on there. And if people are looking for, I need help, how do I go to, um, how do I justify my VA claim? There's a lot of great information on that webpage and a lot of contacts, a lot of people that they can talk to. Um there's a particular group of Malmstrom of the unfortunate period of time that I was at Malmstrom that there's uh there's a large number, it's a very huge concentration, and we can't link it to anything specifically, but the idea is support needs to be provided, regardless of where it's coming from. Right. It needs to be recognized that this is a result. Um disability needs to be offered, um, and care needs to be provided.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

Well, and it's uh yeah, the service connected part that that doesn't seem to be much of a stretch. Yeah. You know, here's a group of people, here's what they did, here's what's going on with them, connect the dots.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

Yeah, cancer at a way too young of an age, obviously.

SPEAKER_01 18:04

The rate at which our folks are coming down with non-Hotchin lymphoma is is far above the national standard given the age that's happening. Well, there's obviously something there.

SPEAKER_03 18:12

Not to jump too far ahead, but those missiles, uh, while they were designed to carry weapons, wound up carrying people, and you got to do some of that, didn't you?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Well, I uh I well no. Okay. I was in the unmanned, so you're talking about as far as my time at Cape Canaveral. Yeah, I was part of the 5th and uh third uh Space Launch Squadron at Cape Canaveral and worked solely on the unmanned side.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Uh the constellation that, as we all realize that you know, each day goes by, you get a little older, they're finally retiring the constellation uh that I helped uh I participate and put up. But uh I was part of the launch team uh again for uh a spacecraft controller. So uh one of the satellites that uh I did all the mission planning for, did the integration onto the the rocket, and then ultimately due to a uh an upper stage failure, it did not achieve the orbit that it was supposed to, and then moved on to the next one. But um it was uh uh uh absolutely amazing to drive into Cape Carnaveral, and there's four lanes, there's two in, two out. And most every morning you drive it, I don't know, you know, a mile or two or three before you actually get to the industrial complex. And in my mind, I was always racing the astronauts driving in in the morning. Because they're going, if there was ever a place where they got in the Corvettes and they drove like like madmen, this was the strip where you did it on.

SPEAKER_02 19:42

Um we may have to ever win.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Um in my mind, I won every day. That depended on if the van was out with the with the security officer sitting in the in the back of the van with the gun, yeah, running to make sure that you weren't using it as the speedway.

SPEAKER_03 19:58

That yeah, we we may have to chat offline. If you were if you were punching satellites up, you likely worked on some stuff my dad put up.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_03 20:08

Yeah, so we'll we won't get off quite that deep into the rabbit hole.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Yeah, it was an amazing time. Um I uh as the air as an Air Force launch controller for uh Mill Star Flight 4, I had the opportunity to one of the things that you got to do is you get to create the mission patch. And so my mission was B-41, and had it launched on time, it actually would have been 41 years since the first uh Mercury Redstone launch. Uh Gus Grissom was the first Air Force astronaut. So I actually named the patch for Gus, uh, designed it all around various aspects of uh Gus's career, uh, the number of satellites that we had, launches that we had, and I had the opportunity. Uh I I can still see myself sitting at my desk going, who's coming out soon? Miss Grissom is coming out? Oh, Miss Grissom is coming out, because every year she would come out on the anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:12

And got together with some friends and said, What if could we give the first patch to Miss Grissom? Maybe we could go out to the event and um good friend uh Michelle Tate, she actually did the graphic design, she hand drew um a picture of the three astronauts uh that were killed in the fire on the pad, uh clouds in the background, had the Titan 4 on it. And we had the opportunity, uh myself and and several other uh uh squadron members, that uh uh it's probably still online somewhere where we presented the the original drawing, the first patch, uh with the wing patch all framed, and we were to present that to Miss Grissom at that event. So it was uh I get it. It's just we we sit around the last couple of years as a family. And talk about the things that we had the opportunity to do as a military family within my career as a military family. And of course, Jerry's there with me when all this happened. And it's just, it's kind of crazy.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

Well, I was going to ask you that. I mean, just to elaborate, I mean, young Reese Stevenson growing up when all this race is really going on, right? And I mean, just to see it, and now you're a you're not just seeing it, but you're a part of it.

SPEAKER_04 22:24

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:24

And you're and you're seeing the people that were originally a part of it and meeting all these people. And so what is that? I mean, in the moment, are you no are you like are you just like pinching yourself constantly? 100%.

SPEAKER_01 22:36

100%. As I said, when uh when they pulled Liberty, when they pulled Gus Christmas capsule up and uh Liberty Bell 7, and they did all the refurb on it, and it was making its its U.S. tour, it came through Cape Canaveral. And uh Jerry and I had the opportunity to go over to uh Kennedy Space Center and stand in line and be part of seeing that and just the the I mean literally going There it is. That's Gus's capsule. That's Gus's capsule. They said they'd never get that, you know, it was gone forever. And here it is sitting there.

SPEAKER_03 23:04

It's pretty deep.

SPEAKER_01 23:04

Yeah, it was pretty deep. And then you're standing in line and you look behind you, and you realize you're four people ahead of Walt Cunningham, and they go that's like right there. Yeah. So no, it it was it was it was it was absolute in the presence of oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Not only that, but weren't you once in the presence of somebody else in one of your one of your tours?

SPEAKER_01 23:27

Yeah, yeah, we were um one of the things that we did at Cape Cornell is we were all responsible. A tour would come through, and you had to get on the bus and hey guys, welcome to Cape Cornell. We're really glad you're here. And the tour that I happened to pick up was General Shrever and the old timers crew.

SPEAKER_03 23:43

Shrever.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Shrever.

SPEAKER_03 23:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:45

So I'd get on the bus, and here's General Shrever. And uh For those at home that don't know who General Shrever is, he's the namesake for General for Shrever Space now Space Force Base, and basically giving credit for the modern rocket program that we have today.

SPEAKER_04 24:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

And he sat four rows back, he sat on the window, kind of leaned up against the window the whole time that I gave the tour. And I'm thinking, why am I giving this tour? I mean, it's General Shrever, right? What do I what am I gonna do? He's not learning anything from me. Uh again, I don't know what the background of the people are that are on the bus. But uh just amazing to again, the the the people that I have crossed paths with as a as a an ROTC cadet. Yeah as an ROTC cadet, we went to Tuskegee and stood next to Chief Anderson, the guy that's responsible for the whole Tuskegee program. And the sad thing was I had no idea who he was. I think years later I realized who this was I was talking to and was part of, but I was oblivious to history at the time standing there. But it was wasted on the um yeah, unfortunately, but but nonetheless, I can still see him standing there going, that's the guy.

SPEAKER_03 25:04

It's also um the fact that most of these guys were modest, self-effacing. Yeah. Oh, I didn't do a whole lot. Oh, excuse me. Beg to difference. Yeah. Um yeah. Yes, yes, sir, yes, ma'am, you did.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

But very few of these people are like, yeah, look at me. Yeah. And that's yet another great quality that tends to run through this whole endeavor.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

Yeah. Yeah, I you know, it goes full circle in a way that as I was transitioning out of the Air Force, uh had a little difficulty finding work initially. Uh, and I had the opportunity to come down to the museum and be a part of a funeral flight for our B-25 Tuskegee. I apologize, his name is is not coming to me. Um but I I I come down and it's like, well, how about you fly Firewatch? So I end up in the back of the B-25, and it's your dad and Ian up front. And I have never wanted to land anymore in my life. Because I can I take the plug out so we can get a little bit of air back here. So I take that amount and I'm seat belted in my seat. And it was a rather windy day. But you know, it happened to be the day that the funeral was happening, and somewhere in the many, many pictures I have of when I've had the opportunity to be in the BB in the B-25, I have a picture out of the portal, and it's not clouds, it's a roof. Because when Ian put it up on the end and made the turn to loop back around, and the only thing that kept me in my seat that day was my seatbelt. There was air between me and the seat, and and we land and and and uh you know, Bill and Ian get out, and your dad looks at me, he laughs, he says, Yeah, at one point I did look over at Ian and go, what Reese's doing in the back.

SPEAKER_03 27:09

Yeah, because somehow it it feels different in the back.

SPEAKER_02 27:12

I'm glad I wasn't out there for that. I'm glad I wasn't part of that story.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

I'm really I'm glad I'm gonna get on Ian. Totally trusted, you know, your your your dad and Ian, and I mean tremendous pilots. Oh, yeah. But this going, oh, please just land.

SPEAKER_02 27:28

That's all you get there.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

You know, hey, I got the fly in the in the in the B-25. I mean, you know, I'm I'm I'm happy to be there. Um, but but I they in my mind I'm going, okay, so was it it can't even remotely be the same. But in my mind, I'm connecting. Was this what it was like? You know, when you're in this thing and they're on a bomb run and there's flak everywhere, and they can't turn around. They can't go home. They have to fly through this mess.

SPEAKER_02 28:01

Can you imagine being in a waist gunner back there? And you're just holding on for dear life as the guy in front's trying to evade, and you don't know what's about to happen. You know, he's not hey, I'm gonna make a left turn now. Hey, I'm gonna make a right turn now. It's just pink and big.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Or in that in that tail position. Yeah. I mean, I think that'd be the worst.

SPEAKER_01 28:20

I again any anytime that one of these airplanes get in the air, whether you're in it or not, it is it is it's it deserves a hundred pictures, all the videos that can be taken, certainly the opportunity to be in one, and now to be able to kind of look back and laugh at that. But to you know, it was an honor to be in the air for to know that you're flying for the to for his funeral after learning. Because, you know, obviously a lot of the stuff that you see in in media is the the red tails and all of what they did, but you don't hear about. There was an entire B-25 program as well. And they they just haven't got the note around. And this he was he was a B-25 guy. Well, and there's really neat.

SPEAKER_03 29:00

There is a great display.

SPEAKER_01 29:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:02

Uh we've we've got his uniform, we got all kinds of great stuff.

SPEAKER_04 29:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

That again, if if you can come in, yeah, we got all these cool airplanes, but we got a lot of stuff besides. Gene always calls it the story through artifacts.

SPEAKER_01 29:20

Absolutely. The story that's told in here, it's again that I will always give your dad credit for it. I don't know who all contributed to it, but I will always give Bill credit for for you know the idea of how do we walk through the beginning and the home front and how we grew in the technology, and will we go in with this and go, well, not quite what we need. And you know, and ultimately, although at the end of it we come out with the Tiger Cat, the F-7, the F-8, you know, the various airplanes, and it we grew amazing immensely as a nation and what we learned, and we got our butt handed to us. Uh, we're yeah, ooh, that didn't work. What do we let's take that home and make that better? We send that back in. And you know, the displays that we have to show the ranges of the aircraft at the beginning of the war versus as we progressed into the war. Um, I'm I'm assuming that that that graphic is still in here somewhere. That was the absolutely um we to you know the the youth today. I'm I'm very fortunate. I really consider myself fortunate having stumbled into what's happening here because you know, I'll I'll talk about Sarah for a second, that she's in high school, and some conversation, I don't know what the topic was, but some conversation, something comes up about World War II and the teacher, blah blah blah blah, this and that and this and that's Sarah. That's not that's not right. You know, she didn't have the story accurate. But because of William, Amanda, uh, Sarah, Henry, all of them being part of this, World War II isn't lost on them. Yeah, the sacrifice that was made for us to be as a to be the nation that we are and how we grew. And and I want that for so many, for so many. When I when we see the you know, the the education program that Mark talked about recently, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

The the youth of today have to appreciate, they have to appreciate what was done over those years for us to be the nation that we are, and we can't we just been some debate I've I've heard anyways that you know is World War II going to be lost on future generations? And and I think the general consensus is it it won't because it was probably one of the most historically significant acts in the in the entire known world, you know, that we've ever had in history. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:41

Well, and it it won't be lost because it can't be lost. We and the the folks coming up, I mean, you're now a grandfather.

SPEAKER_01 31:51

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 31:52

Um we won't let it be lost.

SPEAKER_01 31:55

Right.

SPEAKER_03 31:56

And it's so good. I gotta I gotta brag a little bit. My uh my first fly day, um, you know, Sarah came up and wired me up, and uh when she took the microphone away, she said, that was really good. Oh yeah. Like, wow. Okay. That's a compliment from you know, someone who's not here just to be a you know, an old guy telling stories. That was huge for me.

SPEAKER_01 32:25

Oh, good, good, good. Yeah, yeah, we we we choke, we joke a little bit because the origin of the podcast, and you know, the thought was let's do an audio podcast. And and and Sarah, Sarah, I mean, if you want to tell that part, it's I I will.

SPEAKER_03 32:39

In fact, I'm not sure if it's on the first episode or not. She said, No, no, no, no, no. You can't go audio only. You have to go video. And then I thought, oh, God almighty, how are we gonna do this?

SPEAKER_01 32:51

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:54

Here we are.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

And that perspective of we look at it at the age that we're at and the life we've lived, and the uh well, who would want to watch anybody talk?

SPEAKER_03 33:03

Everybody, everybody, apparently apparently, yeah, apparently, yeah. I mean, we need some eye candy, yeah. Whatever. That's what Nicole is all about, right?

SPEAKER_02 33:12

Bring in Nicole.

SPEAKER_01 33:13

Well, yeah, uh, and and you know, you had I'll I'll use the term to separate the two, little Ian, even though he's not so little Ian anymore. Uh, you know, he's got a son now, and and he was he was young, you know, a non-driver when he started here with with Ian. And you know, I talk about Amanda being 14 when she started, and now my grandson, Ben, has been born. And you know, we were in for the Christmas party and you know, chatting with Ian a little bit to go, the next generation. You know, we're we're because yeah, Ben's absolutely going to grow up in the museum. And I assume um that Ian's son will uh will similarly grow up around the museum and you know to perpetuate, you know, with you know, Ian just getting checked out in the TBM, you know, that again that growth of, well, it was his dad, you know, and and as he works his way through the aircraft and you know, we keep the history alive. You know, yeah, I said that you know you look at these airplanes. I mean, I I I I although obviously it has moved on to a new home, I can remember the day when Alan took me in the back and I saw the Razorback for the first time, and I saw White 33, and when Jandina III was here, and I'm standing in the room, and my jaw is on the floor going, these aren't just these aren't just these these are war heroes. Yeah, they're right. They're not just surplus airplanes, right? They're not just extra. I mean, these airplanes, these are veterans that fought and won the war, and they're right here. Yeah, and and Scott, I think you're the one that maybe that has brought, you know, we move the uh we move the razor back, you know, bumps and all that, and it's the challenge that it is to move, but what falls out of it? Everything everything falls out, but it's it's it's dirt and material. This is this is World War II. Yeah, you can literally touch it that it live so that the airplanes don't come here just to collect dust. They come here to fly and get dirty and to be used and to show and look at the technology, look at the way, like I said, with the difference between these two aircraft, look at how we grew. Um and how the again to circle it back around to the youth, you know, they can stand and live and wow, we used to fly that. Yeah, and that was technologically advanced. Yeah, that was that. And and I when when uh White 33 is as the the many years of restoration that went through, and talking to your dad, going, uh you know, sitting around doing the Thursday beer, and I go, gosh, if these airplanes could just talk. And your dad looked at me and he says, They talk every day. Yeah. Because you crawl up in them and there's a thing. There's a that's not that's you know, you guys have all the blueprints, you flip through and go, well, that's not the blueprints anywhere. But some mechanic, somebody went, but if you'll do this, this will be better. You know, and the the display that we have over here of the the words that people would write. Um, you've got Lucille that that signed her name at some point when they were working or building the airplane, where they go, if you want the airplane to talk, go look at that.

SPEAKER_02 36:11

Well, speaking of Larry or Lefty, remember that it wrote in there a Pitl and Bill Porter. Yeah. And so Lefty made a uh Porter beer beer. He actually brewed a beer and named it Pitlin Beer. Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_01 36:24

It's uh it's obviously no good at this point because my bottle of Piddle and Bill beer is sitting on the shelf at home. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:30

That's well, that's that's history too.

SPEAKER_01 36:32

Yeah, and it's and and it that that it's just such a unique opportunity. You know, you and I I like how Bill talks about there's no ropes around the airplanes here. You know, there's there's please don't touch Lindbergh's plane because they're you know, skin oils and all the reasons why you can't do that. But but people can walk right up to the plane, yeah, they can get close personal with it. The fly days, the fact that these airplanes that at cost to the museum and all the support is so absolutely thank you for all the support that people provide, but that the propellers turn.

SPEAKER_02 37:07

Oh, yeah, and that's the thing. I mean, you know, you you get into a museum and it's awesome seeing airplanes. I mean, I just went to a couple museums on vacation. They're great. Yeah, I mean, it's really neat to look at them. But man, it is something different when they get out there and they start coming to life. You know, we just talked to Travis on our one of our previous podcasts, and he had a school group coming through, and they're all enthralled, obviously. Airplanes, airplanes, but we had the P40 out there. Okay, and they they were walking across the ramp to go do something else, and it started and they all just stopped. And he said I couldn't get them off that ramp if I wanted to. Well, and why was that's just running? That's not even flying. Absolutely. I mean, it's just a different experience. Like you've experienced it, you've been up in the B-25. Oh, yeah. It's a different experience when it they're in their element. Yes, that's where they're meant to be. Yeah, absolutely. And that's where the story is told. So it is amazing. Yeah, I mean, we're it, you know, we're very fortunate that we're all a part of it. Yeah, yep. And I think everybody here thinks they're lucky stars every day that they have to be here and be a part of it. Yeah, it's a good thing. I certainly do.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

And it's it's it takes a lot, and you know, we can't say it enough, and you know, no people don't want to talk about money, but the museum doesn't run for free. And and the any any support, if there were ever a place where somebody could contribute and see the result of that contribution. Um, you know, you just you just talk to Mark with the with the TBM and all the stuff that that his that his dad did and the display that's gonna be there. But uh it's again these lines.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

And we're not taxed, you know, you know, we don't take taxes. There's no take government money. Yeah. So, you know, it's not like anybody's forced to put their money in here, but you know, it's a great place to put some money in.

SPEAKER_03 38:57

But I had I had a dad uh just well Thursday uh on the N3N. He pulled out a 20 and I said, it's only five. That's as much as the fuel for the M3N costs.

SPEAKER_04 39:11

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:12

He said, Oh no. You know, that little that little rounding up, that little here and there, all that's just vital to uh uh to to keep these engines turning.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 39:27

And I mean, Scott can appreciate and and talk about more what it does take. I mean, I go back to that cutaway of the radial, and I'm I'm still trying to understand how all this stuff works together. Uh I mean these are incredibly complex machines that take a lot of skill and a lot of time and money to to keep moving. And and we're not just I mean, I I love museums too. I'm I'm an absolute museum junkie, and I've been to some great ones. Um but I think I think we sense that these airplanes are alive.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

Oh yeah, yeah. Well, and seeing, and you you've I've had the opportunity while in my time with the museum to and and and potentially you guys as well. I mean, certainly we talk about when Dick Cole came through and nobody actually said that he was here and until his daughter walked up and went, oh by the way. You know, and uh we had a little uh gentleman come through that was he was from southern Colorado and he was a lieutenant in World War II and he flew B-25s. And uh we're specifically getting video of him from inside. I have to be the one videoing from outside through the window when for the first time since he left World War II as a 21-year-old. Um 21 or 19, I apologize, I forget what, but I mean he didn't he came back, hadn't finished school, all that kind of stuff when he got home. But you watched this this gentleman crawl over in the seats and do everything he can to move his body and to sit in the seat, and then you see the guy that sat in the seat, you see them transform, you see it in their eyes that they remember what it was like to be sitting in that seat.

SPEAKER_03 41:16

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

And and Lieutenant Pool, he uh he he looked at uh somebody in the conversation says, Are you sure this this feels a lot smaller than the B-25 I flew? Well, no, sir, this is a this is the B-25, it's probably just you're not quite as flexible as you used to be. Yeah, but and he talks about bringing a bomb home in the wing. And the the the fact that had his gear, he had to belly land because his his gear wouldn't come down. We found out the reason why was the the timing got off as far as and the aircraft that was overhead dropped on top of him. And and there was a bomb in his wing that was keeping the gear, and had the gear gone down, it might have hurt, it would have it most likely would have triggered it, and he wouldn't have been here.

SPEAKER_04 42:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:00

So to hear the stories of of the veterans of the few of them that are left when they're able to come through the door.

SPEAKER_02 42:07

Very few. And and again, it's um well, like you said, uh, you know, I I've definitely met a lot of people in my lifetime, but yeah, uh I was really young for a lot of it, and you just didn't appreciate it or didn't have the the stones to go up and and ask the questions or give the conversation that you know you wish you would have. And of course you always wish you had, you know, a video camera. Like, hey, can we talk? Yeah, you know, or even we're trying to do what we can here, so yeah, even uh even an audio, I uh I swore I was gonna sit my uh stepmom's dad down with a pot of coffee and a jug of ice cream and yeah and just record it and didn't do it and lost the opportunity.

SPEAKER_03 42:57

And so when we can, and well again, Mark's here because of his dad, you know. Um so we are the inheritors and the custodians of this history, and then it's gonna get passed down past us, and it's absolutely important. Um I know you I think you took uh William with you when you went TAD out to Pearl. Did you guys get to the Ford Island Museum?

SPEAKER_01 43:34

We did. I um I I drug him, I drug him all over Ford Island.

SPEAKER_03 43:39

Oh, I bet it was dragging.

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Um yeah, yeah. We had a chance to go to the uh the museum over there and see the aircraft that are on display. And uh again, it it tells a great story. Um appreciate what they're doing over there. Uh but when you when I'm able to take him down to what is currently the Pacific Warfare. Or center.

SPEAKER_03 44:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:01

And you can walk across the parking lot and I say, Wayne, do you see the the pop marks that are in the ground? Bullets. And well, there's there's bullets. You're right. And but in the I sp many, many, many years ago, went in the museum in the museum over there, and I spent two, two and a half hours with one of the docents. And he talked all the nooks and crannies that are all over the Fort Island. And you go to one particular spot, and it is a bomb crater from where what I was told was where the first bomb landed on Fort Island on the day the attack happened. And you can see the blast pattern. And then yeah, you can walk the waterfront and you can see the strafing runs of where the aircraft were coming over and and and firing. And what's crazy is the the the meetings at this PWC performance uh sorry Pacific Warfare Center, the parking lot is covered with cars, but where they're parked was where the hangar was.

SPEAKER_04 44:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

Where these were on December 7th. And because the ramp to go down to the water is still there.

SPEAKER_03 45:04

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:04

And all the the wing tie-down points are still in the ground, but they knocked the building down. Um and it's it uh I I I I become the guy when I'm over there and we have a team overdoing what we do. Uh hey, can you take so-and-so over to Ford Island? And I had one of one of the couple comments. One of them was, well, why don't they make this you know historical? When they put a historical marker here. And I looked at him and I said, This island is a historical marker. Yeah, you the whole thing, everywhere you look, there's a there's a piece of history.

SPEAKER_03 45:37

Yep. Um one of the things that uh that I really liked about the the Ford Island Museum is they have the B-17 swamp ghost there.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:47

At least they did when I was still there. Um and she's just like they just pulled her up. Right. They've decided not to not to restore her. And that's that that'll make you think. That's a that's an amazing artifact.

SPEAKER_01 46:05

Yeah. Well, and and and and the point I with everybody that I I mean, we I said we drive all over. We we go to the business side on Fort Island, where you can look across and see where Arizona uh it currently rests. And but we go to the other side of the island. And I make the point, always take them over to Utah. Yeah. Because while you don't have the same number of lost lives between Utah and Arizona, but there are lives, there are sailors in turn on Utah that were lost that day.

SPEAKER_00 46:34

Sure are.

SPEAKER_01 46:35

Um, then you know ultimately they they had to make the decision to scrap Utah and and and and leave it where it is. Yeah. Um, but again, there's so much out there. And the one of the very first times I ever uh drove uh on Fort Island, and you're taking the main drag right down the middle, it it hit me of the grass is too tall at this point, but you could still see some of the lines from where that was the runway. Where you're literally driving down the runway, depending on where you choose to turn. Um, but then you turn by the the uh the control tower uh that they first fortunately were able to refurb, and now you can actually do tours of it. And um so uh I again I've I've I've had the opportunity, and certainly this museum has furthered my appreciation of of what happened. We my my grand my dad's dad was a corpsman uh in World War II, uh took soldiers in from Anzio. I mean, uh, you know, he he the unit he was attached to was was very well known. Um but then my other three grandparents, my uh Jerry's uh grandparents as well as uh my mom's dad, they were home front. And that's why I love when I first walked through here and we talked about the home front. Oh, yeah. There were a lot of things happening at home where Jerry's granddads were butchers, they couldn't go because they had to provide for food for what was going on back here.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

It was an complete effort.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

Yeah. My my granddad was the the original civil service that he helped build ships, um, both Norfolk and San Diego shipyards. So it's a great connection of we collectively as a nation have to appreciate that not only did we send soldier, sailor, marine uh all over overseas to do what they do, you know, obviously to fly the airplanes that are represented here, but there is a tremendous support of what was going on and how we tell them.

SPEAKER_02 48:28

We wouldn't have the airplanes over there if we didn't do it here.

SPEAKER_01 48:31

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

Yeah, they wouldn't have the supplies, they wouldn't have the food, they wouldn't have the clothing. It was all it's a monumental effort. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

And I think I think people now are calling for, now that we are starting to resupply ourselves, yeah, calling for almost that level of effort.

SPEAKER_04 48:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:48

Uh I was on a forum the other day and somebody said, Where's Henry Kaiser when we need him?

SPEAKER_01 48:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 48:56

Uh when I do docent tours, you know, we we use 3,000 ships just to haul stuff.

SPEAKER_01 49:05

Right.

SPEAKER_03 49:06

And that's ten times more s ships than the Navy has. Right. I mean, the scale of things, but also, you know, the innovation and the let's get this done.

SPEAKER_04 49:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:20

Um we we still need that. And and the home front was absolutely vital.

SPEAKER_01 49:26

Very, very and you you look at the pictures of Kingman, Arizona, where they put the B-17s after the war.

SPEAKER_04 49:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:33

And the rows upon rows upon rows of B-17s, then, you know, hey, they became a Buick. We didn't have cars, we didn't have tires, you know, we had to rebuild the nation. But the look at the number of aircraft that we built to support the effort that that that went forward. And yes, the the the fleet that we had, the number of ships that we had underway, and we we just we've um with fewer admirals.

SPEAKER_03 49:58

We might need to get back to that too.

SPEAKER_01 50:00

That's a that's a discussion nothing.

SPEAKER_02 50:02

We'll cut this off before we get into that. So yeah, anyway, well, thanks, Reese. I really appreciate you sitting down with us. Appreciate that. Um, I really you know, obviously having you and your family be a part of this museum from its inception. I mean, this is just as much as you guys as anybody else. So you know, we we love having everybody here and we hope to continue for many, many decades.

SPEAKER_01 50:25

Yeah, we do too.

SPEAKER_02 50:26

And and you know, once again, you know, if anybody out there wants to so help support his unit and everything, you know, obviously we'll have that link, so make sure that you you go check it out and and and throw some weight behind it.

SPEAKER_01 50:41

Yeah, the toy again, the uh torchlight initiative. Um take a look at it, read it, um, get the word out. Yeah, because people need to know that we're work that it's being worked on. Um I'm a recipient of their efforts. I'm not one that's for that's actually participating in it. Um, but it's worth getting the word out to as many people as possible.

SPEAKER_03 51:00

I I didn't know about it. Um I'm gonna have to go home and get online.

SPEAKER_01 51:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 51:06

All right, Reese. Well, thank you very much, Reese. Thanks, Reese. Yeah, thanks for everything. Absolutely. Well, um, once again, no telling where the conversation's gonna go.

SPEAKER_02 51:17

Yeah, it definitely wasn't linear. We kind of started at the at the end and kind of what made our way to the beginning. Yep.

SPEAKER_03 51:24

And kind of skipped around in the between. So uh, but the the Stevenson family have are one more one more of the clans gathering here.

SPEAKER_02 51:35

Yeah, they're just you know, there's a couple of uh blocks in this entire wall of people, you know, that have really helped build this place. And it, you know, that's the thing about a wall, you take a couple of the blocks out and the thing crumbles. So everybody's super important in the roles that they do. Excuse me. So it, you know, you you're just thankful to have that absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 52:10

Yeah, I think and build that. The the continuity is is a key that you mentioned of oh, I remember when we were gonna do this and it didn't quite work out, and we tried this other thing. It you you're perpetuating the institutional memory, yeah, in some cases. 100%. But um we've got a lot of cool stuff coming up.

SPEAKER_02 52:34

Yeah, and you know, um, I think we still have the June 20th fly day, we'll be right after this. Um, like I said, we're not flying the hell diver, we're actually flying the Tiger Cat. Yep. So that's gonna be exciting. Tiger Cat's always exciting, always exciting. That's a crowd. I'm telling you, that's like one of my favorite airplanes. So anytime we can get that thing going, I'm super excited. Tuna tuna will be out here flying that Charlie Hain line.

SPEAKER_03 53:01

Always good to see him. Yeah, yeah. I uh I owe him a toddy or two, I think. But um the uh yeah, the top John Lynch, who always uh does a great talk, is what Reese was mentioning about the design progression of these aircraft and the amazing technological leaps that we made during the war.

SPEAKER_02 53:28

Um you go from this thing right behind us here in to the jet age in a matter of five or six years. Yeah. You know, that's that's just amazing progress. And our country as a whole continued with that. Sure did. Up until today, and now now look what we got.

SPEAKER_03 53:48

Well, actually though, you were uh you were telling me we've uh we may have a new uh addition to the air show.

SPEAKER_02 53:56

Yeah, we're pretty excited. We uh we verified and we have the F-18 Rhino demo team.

SPEAKER_03 54:04

So they're kind of the West Coast demo team for F-18s, and yeah, and that's they're I mean that's a that's just a combat outfit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:14

Yeah, and they uh, you know, the reason it took so long is because we found out that these units, the growlers, the rhinos, they do this on their own time. Yeah, you know, they're not a demo team like the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds, that that's their job for the two years. You know, this is they're they're a regular wedge outfit team, and then they decide, hey, we want to go fly air shows, so we'll we'll do this on our own time. Yeah, so it's it's really special to have them out. Um it's gonna be exciting. I mean, it's a full aerobatic F-18 demo. I mean, that along with the F-35 and then everything else that we got, which is a lot. We actually have a lot of uh World War II airplanes that are coming in from out of state. So it's gonna be a pretty jam-packed uh we actually just sat down and kind of finalized the schedule yesterday. So I'm excited.

SPEAKER_03 55:04

Well, that's to see it. That's great. And I gotta say, the F-18 is one jet I love listening to. Um I'm I prefer propellers and pistons, but uh uh an F-18, that's that's special.

SPEAKER_02 55:19

So the point is you're gonna want to go to the PPRShow.org and uh get a get yourself some tickets for that. They're going pretty fast. I know that the VIPs are sold out on Saturday. They're basically almost sold out on Sunday.

SPEAKER_03 55:32

I think there's a few for Sunday.

SPEAKER_02 55:33

There's preferred seating, there's GA, there's all kinds of different packages. I think they still have um, if you're into taking photographs, they have the sunrise uh photograph deal where you can get in before any crowds will have the hot ramp open, and uh as the sun's just coming up, you can get all the shots that you want with the airplanes on the ramp. And I could tell you from past experience, I'll actually maybe we'll post one or two that I took. Yeah, I mean, just with my stupid little camera, my my my cell phone last year, and it was they were pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_03 56:05

So I've got I've got a couple myself, um, and so obviously you and I are gonna have very early days. Yeah. Um but yeah, sky raiders in the sunset or in the sunrise, and and uh just it's it's special light.

SPEAKER_02 56:24

Yeah, it's it's amazing. And then the last thing I'm gonna talk about is the 4th of July. Um yeah, come out and celebrate your nation's 250th anniversary of being a nation. And uh we we're gonna have a lot of uh activities going on out here. We're gonna be flying some airplanes, we're gonna have airplanes out where you can stand up, get on the wings, and look into the cockpit. Even some of them probably have you where you can get in the cockpit.

SPEAKER_03 56:47

Yep. Have have in the past.

SPEAKER_02 56:49

And it's all just a matter, it's just the same price as a mission on a normal day. So come on out. It's gonna be this see what the museum's about if you haven't been out here. If you have been out here, come out and enjoy us some more because it's uh it's the place to be.

SPEAKER_03 57:02

It is it is a celebratory day, and this is a great place to do it.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Well, partner, it's good to have you back. Uh I'm glad you're back. So, on behalf of our guest Reese Stevenson, his son William Stevenson behind the camera, my partner Rob Gale, and myself, Scott Clares, stay safe out there. Please do.