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stevetuba.co.uk
Stories I
and How I became a legend in my own mind. A work in progress.
Introduction In the great scheme of things, I am "a nobody", but in my own mind...a veritable...dare I say it...Legend. S. Tuba 1944-
I grew up in Seattle, Washington USA, having arrived there in 1952. The intervening years were spent in Germany (Pocking, Amberg, Wartenburg, Munchen). I currently live in Velence, Hungary via Berrylands, Surbiton, Surrey, UK near the Hogsmill River. [As of 2007...living in Velence HU.]
Note added 9 November 2006: I carry a birthmark that my father had for those that are interested in such matters. It's just below the lowest right rib. I've just recieved the results of my Y-DNA analysis. I am of the Haplogroup R1a1 (M17). It would be interesting to know if any other R1a1 types have such a birthmark. [Effective Oct. 2009 R1a1 was redesignated R1a1a.] Note added 7 August 2008: Blood type A+.
Note added 16 November 2006: These "stories" pages were/are mostly written in the order that they came to me. All the stories are true. None were borrowed or stolen or made up...they actually happened...They are mine...unless credited otherwise. I can be accused of one thing though...that of omission. For example: In one of the stories I mention...in passing...that for a year I was Corporate Vice President of Kromatic System Inc. True...I was. Cool...huh? I fail to mention that it was a three person operation...The President...his wife and myself...four later. AND in the beginning my title was to have been Vice President of Manufacturing. The Board (share holders) insisted otherwise.
Note added 17 November 2006: Most of the stories pages...1-8 were written in 2003. As new information became available...I've tacked it onto the story...sadly without dating it...as I have here...but will do so from now on. Stories pages 9-11 were written in 2004...though only 9 and 10 were recently published...11 is pending...waiting for photographs...and some editing. Yesterday...I scanned a number of negatives...and I will add them to the appropriate pages. Interestingly...I've come across a number of negatives that I didn't know I had...and are highly relevant to some of my stories. The Photo Gallery pages 1 and 2 were also done in 2003...with the equipment that I had at the time. I'm now using...what for me is...second and third generation photographic equipment ...a Nikon D-70 and D-200...along with better lenses. Some of the new photos appear on gallery page 3...with page 4 and more than likely 5...in the pipeline. Today I will be searching further through my collection of negatives for appropriate images.
A bit of background and history.
Mr. Petite was a great teacher. He could have let common prejudice influence him regarding "jocks". But he had the wisdom to look beyond a letterman's jacket. Oh! Did I mention that I earned A's? *Note added June 8, 2006; I now have first hand information re "The Thrill is Gone" and will relate it in a future Stories chapter. Note added 7 August 2008: Sad to report that Mr. Petite had died in 2004.
Flash! Bill informs me that he was with the 18th FMS (Field Maintenance Squadron).
Dateline: Korat Air Base, Thailand. August-October 1965
Anyway, Fredericks, the other guy, was already there by the time I arrived at Korat AB. Everyone wanted to know (they were pissed) what had taken me so long to get there...like I had any say in the matter. It did mean that Fredericks had to work "my" shift (on call 24hrs) too. As it turned out, we would be the only radio techs there. He was not familiar with the my gear...hence we were short handed to say the least. We were working 12hrs. on, 12hrs. off (on call). One night, about half way into the tour, I get a call.
Footnote: 19 October 1967 Airman grades, titles and terms of address were revised to make the following changes and to restore NCO (Non Commisioned Officer) status to (pay) grade E-4: Airman Basic (no stripe), Airman (one stripe), Airman First Class (two stripes), Sergeant (three stripes), Staff Sergeant, through Chief Master Sergeant, and First Sergeants, no change. (1) The change of title for pay grade E-4 from Airman First Class to Sergeant restored the NCO status lost to this grade in 1952 when the Air Force adopted new titles. The elevation of E-4 to NCO status also aligned Air Force grades with the other services, and recognition of the level of qualification and performance required of airmen in grade E-4. Airmen could not be permoted to E-4 until qualified at the 5-skill level, exacly the qualification required for promotion to Staff Sergeant. As a benifit, (I love this part) the prestige gained from restoring NCO status and privileges to E-4 grade came at a time when airmen were approching their first reenlistment point. At the time the Air Force was experiencing drastic losses as many did not reenlist. It was thought that achieving NCO status at the end of the first enlistment would aid in retention. (You got that right!) (2) (1) Regulation, Air Force Regulation 39-36, "Enlisted Personnel Airman Grades, Titles, and Terms of Address", 19 Oct 1967, on file at Air University library, MAFB, AL. (2) History, History of Directorate of Personnel Planning Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel, 1 Jul-31 Dec 1967, Vol II, Ppgs. 89-90 K141.01 AFHRA, MAFB, AL. None of these future (a year out) events were known to me as my 4 year enlistment came to an end. I can say, with some candor, that I did think about reenlisting...going so far as to think that I'd like to be closer to the action...1st Mobile perhaps...if they'd have me. I guess my time at Korat showed a different side of military life.
When my discharge papers arrived, two years later, I was surprised at my stated rank (at time of discharge)...as...'SGT'! An observation or two: The U.S. Air Force has a problem in that most of the job descriptions for airmen are of a technical nature...as opposed to carrying a gun...and 'taking a hill'. In the later case leadership and discipline are important...as are tactics. The system is based on a command structure. You can't 'command' someone to repair a piece of complicated electronics equipment if they don't know how to. It's not a matter of inspiring or cajoling or threatening an individual to 'get up'...'get moving'...etc. It's more like everyone knowing their job(s)...and simply getting on with it. It's not a matter of learning to march, working as a tight knit unit, taking (and giving) orders 'blindly' (necessary under fire), but technical know how. As such, the rank structure is out of sync with 'that' reality...in my opinion. When I looked upon a fellow Airman of higher rank, I saw him as one that was simply ahead of me in experience...having met a minimum technical proficiency...but not one of command. On the other hand I knew individuals that were constantly being 'busted'. A1C one day...A2C the next. Theoretically their technical knowledge was the same...but since they were not commanding anyone under either rank...the only difference it made was in their pay checks. The idea that the Air Force rank structure should match the other services is a bit missguided...again...in my opinion. Though(!)...Here is one example that illustrates an interesting situation: Here we were...those of us that had gone to tech school...40 weeks (1440 hrs)...and promoted to A2C...to then find yourself literally under the 'command' of a relatively untrained A3C...cook's helper...much less...trained in the 'art of command'...was a bit much! He was just given command...and would show no respect to those that 'out ranked' him. So much for Rank. Another case has to do with the promotion to A2C after completing tech school. How is it that one AFSC would require say...30 weeks (1080 hrs) of tech school, while another required 40(!)...and both would be promoted upon completion of the course. What about 'time in grade'? Were the ones getting promoted after 30 weeks some how 'better' than those that were taking a course lasting 40 weeks? For those not steeped in military regulations...The concept of 'time in grade' has to do with the requirement of having a minimum of so many months 'in grade' (rank) before being considered for promotion. Hence if you were promoted before someone else...all things being equal...you'd be eligible before that other person...leading to an earlier 'date of rank'...not to mention getting more pay...sooner. The scene in the film 'ZULU' illustrates this point...in the context of command. I've been rambling a bit...but here is the killer: 19 March 1991 General McPeak, Chief of Staff of the Air Force announced the termination of the E-4 NCO (Sergeant) status, effective 2 May 1991. In place since October 1967, the removal of NCO status for E-4 was due to a number of reasons. Officials cited that with fewer enlisted accession (due to the mandated drawdown of personnel ordered by U. S. Congress) ratio between NCOs and Airmen was off balance. Seventy-seven percent of enlisted force were NCOs, with the E-4 Sergeants accounting for 28 percent of the NCO corps. There you have it...an attempt to balance the concept of 'command' with the concept of 'technical' compitence. Is this a case of 'Too many chiefs......'? Read on.... Yet less than half of them were in positions of responsibility. Brilliant! By dropping NCO status of E-4s, General McPeak believed the Air Force would have a better ratio of NCOs to Airmen. Those in the rank of E-4 Sergeant would continue in that capacity until promoted to Staff Sergeant or separated from the Air Force. (3) This action brought Staff Sergeants back as the first level NCO grade as it had between 1952 through 1967. In addition, a reduction of E-4 Sergeants would reduce the NCO strength of the enlisted force to 52 percent. The reduced Air Force budget also had a share in the demise of the appointment ceremony for E-4 Senior Airman to E-4 Segregant. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Gary Pfingston cited the cost savings by eliminating the monthly NCO status appointment program. (4) (3) Message, HQ AFMPC to et al, "Interim Message Change 82-1 to AFR 35-10, 18 Jul 80," 25 Feb 82; Message, HQ AFMPC to et al, "Interim Message Change 82-1 to AFR 35-10, 18 Jul 80"," 6 Aug 82, on file at the Air University Library, MAFB, AL. (4) Message, CMSAF Washingto DC to ALMAJCOM, "Termination of the E-4 NCO Status Appointment Program," 19 Mar 1991, On file AFHRA MAFB, AL. By the time you made Staff Sergeant or Tech the reality was that your job was mostly...'administration'...though technical knowledge was a requirement. Oh! Then there was the case that by the time I started school...the course was the combination of two...previously separate courses. The Air Force combined Light and Heavy Ground Radio Maintenance into one...hence the 40 weeks. Now...those that had received one or the other were caught short in the field if they were assigned to a duty station that required the other training. Question...Was I, being technically more qualified than a Staff Sergeant who had not taken the 'other' course, entitled to some deference? Did he 'out rank' me? What about Staff Sergeants that had cross-trained into Radio Maintenance from some unrelated field...i.e...no experience...just training. Why should he out rank me? Anyway...there's probably no simple answer to any of this...so I'll stop...for now...and continue the rest of the story... Back on Okinawa...Swanny tells me that my promotion had pissed off ol' SSgt. Nosel! I guess he hoped to have a promotion he controlled, hanging over me. This also meant that my promotion was based solely on my time at Cut Bank AFS, Montana! Gads! Anyway...I spent the rest of my time in self-imposed exile...at the receiver site. I'd let it be known that no one was to "F***" with "my" receivers so that if they had a problem, they were to patch it over, and/or call me. SSgt. Nosel didn't seem to care...I was out of his hair...and "receivers" was a hell hole in comparison to the F/F building which was air-conditioned. Anyway...one day there was an IG (Inspector General) inspection. These were never announced. A bird Colonel and a Captain just showed up...at my receiver site out of nowhere...unanounced. SSgt. Nosel had sent A1C Horne along...for god knows what reason. The Colonel asked me a number of questions...and then asked which radio we could pull off-line...to test. I told him which ever one he liked.
A1C Walter Ide at "transmitters" located in the Flight Facilities Bldg. Kadena AB, Okinawa. Transmitters (under SSgt. Nosel's direct control...same building.) had gotten beat up as I later found out...I never did hear the sad details though. I guess that SSgt. Nosel had sent A1C Horne up to receivers to spy on me...reporting back the hoped for good, bad news...I'd like to have seen SSgt. Nosel's face. I guess in all fairness, A1C Horne could just have been an escort. Oh! Almost forgot...I got a medal* for my time at Korat...it was considered a combat zone. Additionally, in recognition of this, when I'd returned to CONUS, the State of Washington gave me $50...and yeah...I didn't spend it all in one place...either! A related note of interest: About ten years ago I read Yeager's book. In it he tells of his career as a test pilot and then later, seeking some command time...ends up as the overall commander of fighter squadrons throughout the area including Thailand...hence the fighters at Korat (105s and F4s). (I guess I should have mentioned that Korat AB was a fighter/bomber base). The Army was there too, MPs. Captain (at the time) Chuck Yeager was the pilot that broke the sound barrier twenty years before. He would then be the first to fly at twice the speed of sound. He was portrayed in the film "The Right Stuff" in which he also played a role. He retired a General. Another note: Our presence in Thailand was not to be talked about. A secret. Our mail was censored and hence I didn't write at all during my TDY tour. I did as I was told...and didn't talk...hell...no one asked. THEN after my separation (back in the states) but with the war still in progress I read in NEWSWEEK magazine ALL about our bases in Thailand etc...along with a nice map! I thought it funny. On the other hand we were mentioned, by name, on Hanoi Radio by Hanoi Hanna...so the world knew all about us...but us. Note added 26, March 2009: It was TIMA magazine...not Newsweek. Dated February 15, 1971. Gen. Creighton Abrams on the cover...for whom the Army would later name a tank. *My Vietnam Service Medal is not shown above. The BX at Kadena was out of them...and I just never followed up. Postdated 28 Nov. 2009: Left to right my medals were the Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the (not showing) Vietnam Service Medal.
Ok fine...he'd (Swanny) bought a Nikon F also...at my urging...but he showed very little real interest in the fine points of photography and was not fully equipped, lacking a wide angle lens or a strobe. And, it was not something that I flashed around, and it was not because I foresaw a situation like this that I had taken and completed an Air Force Extension course called "Still Photographer" while still at Cut Bank AFS Montana, my previous duty station...and that was in my records. Then a strange thing happened. Commander's Call was a once a month event...and as I recall...Swanny got the "job" just after one. But before the next CC...he got TDY'd to some island west of Okinawa! This was a bit strange...Why would SSgt. Nosel send him TDY just after approving him as Group Photog? My photographic talents were known to the powers that be...by virtue of 16x20 prints that covered the walls of my room. Archie, my room mate had commented that during an inspection, the Captain spent all his time looking at the prints. At a later date the Captain asked if I was the one with the large photos on the wall. So...the next thing I know...I became the Comm Group photographer. I don't remember how I got the word...nor who it was that asked. The logic of which still escapes me...anyway...this was a pretty good deal. I could/would be pulled out of "work" to shoot the Colonel doing Colonel stuff...and the CCs of course. I'd get the "word"...a twix...from Lt. Smith, the PIO...Public Information Officer. His office was just across the hall from ours at the F/F Bldg. 2nd. Lt. William D. Smith drove a red, second hand, Astin Martin ragtop and he'd get us where we needed to be. The car sounded "Bad"...but leaked like a sieve. Anyway... I still managed to take care of my receivers. As it would turn out, the 1962nd Communications Group's Semiannual History was in the process of being compiled. I was sent all over the place taking photographs of all the things the Group did. I even went up in a chopper, twice. And get this...I went by boat to Ie Shima...the very place they'd sent ol' Swanny...to photograph the Comm Group facilities on the island. Once printed, I turned in all the photographs I thought the best, along with all the color slides. What happened with them I don't know, but then one day I got an official request. My photographs were noted in Tokyo...and I was asked to provide the negatives. They would print them and the results were to be used in the greater Pacific Communications Area History which would end up at the Air University for permanent retention. I got a "Letter of Appreciation" from Tokyo...co-signed by the Group Commander, Colonel Cecil Miller. Follow up! Dateline London: May 16, 2004 Another pleasant surprise, this time I've heard from my old buddy, Swanny! Having exchanged a few Emails, I asked him about his next duty station...the one after leaving Okinawa. In one, he hinted at training for a secret mission into Laos. Asking for more details...he replied, in part...quote: "Re: secret mission... 5/14/04 6:06:03 PM GMT Daylight Time My secret mission to Laos, as I recall it, goes something like this: On my return from Okinawa I was as assigned to Joplin, MO bomb plot, a SAC bomb scoring squadron, and re-trained to operate an 'I' band IFF radar system. It was my job to "Lock up" aircraft requesting simulated bombing runs when they arrived on the range. At 50K yards I locked on to the aircraft, mostly B-52s, and their run against the targeted objectives. At a certain distance, I don't remember exactly, I informed the computer board operator to record the ground tract, by putting the pen down on the tracking paper. The aircraft would then emit a signal and the board would be "armed". When the signal stopped the bomb was considered dropped and the pen would lift automatically from the paper. We then calculated how close the bomb would have hit based on the ground speed, direction, altitude, and bomb characteristics. In the spring of 1967 the air force intended to use our squadron(s) to direct bomb attacks against North Vietnam from Laos using our equipment to guide the aircraft to the target. We spent 45 days on Matagorda island, off the Texas coast, practicing with dummy bombs while Lockheed prepared a facility to be airlifted into Laos. In the Fall of 1967 we spent 30-50 days constructing this facility in the research area of Texas A&M university. Our mission, later known as 'LIMA SITE 85', was very classified for many years, but has since had books and information posted on the Internet describing it, and was initialized in late Fall 1967. We were given documents identifying us as Lockheed aircraft employees, with passports and civilian clothes, etc. I was part of a team of 25- 30 people assigned to the project and prepared to depart the US in October(?) 1967 - I was pretty hacked off since I was told I would not return overseas after my Okinawa assignment and the fact that I only had 8 months left!! This was a 6 month assignment. I was on the plane leaving, I believe Austin's Air Force base when the plane, a C-141 was recalled to base ops and a very large master Noncom shouted out "Listen up, if I call your name - get your gear and get your ass off this plane" My name was called in the group of 5 and I departed without ever receiving a reason as to why. Still, don't know why to this day. In March of 1968, 'Lima Site 85' was overrun by the enemy and most of the personnel were killed. The air force officially did not have any people in Laos and bombed the site after the attack to destroy evidence and then reported the men missing in action. I think I am very, very lucky to have gotten off that plane!!! If you are interested in further information, search on "Lima Site 85". Swanny"
Now for some really strange stuff. Who do you think I went to that island with? Well it was none other than SSgt. Flitterman. Now this was the same Flitterman that I remember from tech school...A1C at the time...two and a half years earlier...The only reason I...and most of us would ever remember this guy was because this was the same Flitterman that had this real knockout wife, also in the Air Force. We'd see her while on breaks between classes. What he did at Keesler...I don't know...but it was a tech school and he was at the school building(s)...hence perhaps admin or an instructor. I remember seeing him in Class A...blues. As a side note...it was not unheard of to take an entire class and simply turn them into instructors. I can't imagine enlisting in the Air Force as a tech school instructor...but possible...I guess. So...here we are heading out into open water...swells running high...the sea washing over the lower decks. While I'm busy taking a few shots...he is hanging over the rail...sick as the proverbial dog. The main story (incident) took place on Christmas Eve of '65, I won't related it...just yet. Months pass...and...Some new information has surfaced. I was looking for something else in the dozen or so issues of Kadena AB and Air Force newspapers I had, wherein I had credited photographes. There on one page was a story about the 1962nd Comm. Group. Gads...I saw for the first time the authors name. Well now...it looks like SSgt. Flitterman was working in the Public Information Office. Interesting! I hadn't known, at the time, why he was going with me. Fast forward...a few months. So who is being ceremoniously mustered out of the USAF...and into the US Army?...None other than this same Flitterman, but now an Army WO (Warrant Officer)...and get this...as a would be helicopter pilot. I still can't imagine this guy bouncing around the sky in a chopper given his experience on the boat. Before the ceremony he'd asked me to take some "extra" shots and provide prints of the ceremony for which he'd pay me...I did...he didn't. Typical! I'd be curious to know what ever happened to this guy. The island was Ie Shima, where Ernie Pyle the writer...bought it...during the final days of WWII. There is a memorial there to honor him which reads: "At this spot, the 77th Infantry Division lost a Buddy, Ernie Pyle, 18 April 1945."
Speaking of money...A1C (at the time) Fredericks...you owe me $500.00 plus interest! Let's see...that was back in 1966. The KC-135 was built by Boeing as I said...and it was to become the 707 as I also knew. You lost the bet! And there were witnesses as I recall. An old Arab insult; "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits".
NASA Gemini VIII (Gemini 8) Photo by Steve Tuba. Left is the full 35mm frame. Right is the cropped shot on the front page of the Morning Star. Back to the Morning Star chapter. So there we were, Bill and I...when we hear that the just launched Gemini 8 spacecraft was being brought down...early...in the South China sea. A day later, we hear that the astronauts were to make land fall aboard the U.S.S. Leonard F. Mason (DD-852), at the port of Naha...the Capital of Okinawa...we were stationed at Kadena Air Base. Okinawa was designated a secondary recovery area. Naha was about twenty miles south of Kadena. The Morning Star was sending its staff photogs down to Naha...but we got the go-ahead too. Well, all this meant was that we'd be paid for any photos they'd use and that was about it...photo credit being understood. Bill and I thought we'd stand a better chance of getting something interesting if we had press passes...right? So...down to the Star. Climbing the long narrow stairs, a sound wafted down to greet us. Tap tap...tappity...tappity tap...the distant sound of a typewriter. Just at the top of the stairs is this skinny kid...typing like mad...using only two fingers. The editor is just there also...and a minute later we are introduced to...wait for it...Peter Arnett...AP (at the time) journalist pulled out of Nam to cover the Gemini recovery. Peter went on to a Pulitzer Prize...for his coverage of the war, and of course gained notoriety, over twenty years later, in Baghdad during Gulf War I for CNN. He'd overheard our conversation with the editor about getting press passes...and as we shook hands...said..."all photographer are alike". Later he asked what they called the sea out at the recover area. Well...we never got them...the passes! The day before I think it was...or was it that morning?...I asked to be relieved of duty to "shoot" the astronauts...I tell my new supervisor SSgt. Tillman, that "I'll make the front page". I was on good terms with the CO...so without hassle he said ok. Keep in mind that this was not an official Comm Group mission. Bill had bought a brand new red S600 Honda Coupe a few months earlier...that red lined at 9,500rpm! We were off to Naha on the coast road. I had both Nikons...a 400mm telephoto lens on one and a 300mm on the other...I didn't think we'd get close. Sure as hell...the best we were able to do was to shoot from a hill overlooking the port...it was a good location...but a long shot.
Note added 18 November 2006: I seemed to imply that I only had the two Nikon F bodies and the two long lenses. This is not true. I've just come across some negatives that show otherwise. I must have taken the gadget bag...and the more I think about it...why would I not have done so? Anyway...the negatives show three images taken from the hill mentioned above...of which one seems to have been shot with the 28mm (cropped below)...and the second one with the 50mm. The third one with probably the 400mm.
Now the interesting part. The close up with the 400mm(?) (cropped below) shows enough detail to see not only the Marine helicopter...but the six guards and what look to be two crew members...getting ready to fly out...just waiting for the astronauts.
Had Bill and I stayed...we sure as hell would have gotten some interesting photographs.
I took a number frames of the USS Mason...not really knowing if you'd see an astronaut on deck or not. Moored, the astronauts got off the ship...I guess. I was not sure if I got anything worth the trouble...much less the front page! Bill felt the same I'm sure. Done deal... Back to the car...radio on..."The astronauts are about to leave for Kadena"...via Marine chopper! Jeez! Bill and I look at each other in stunned silence. We could have stayed at Kadena! There was not time for the "say Bill...do you think we stand a chance in hell of getting back to Kadena...in time...?" Bill had already hit the gas...and the race had started. We sped along, listening for the latest news. Things were looking better and better the farther we got from Naha, north along the coast road. Well...back on base at Kadena, just as we pass Flight Facilities(!)...from where I'd started(!), we drive up to the entrance to Base Ops. We can hear, and then see the choppers...park car. Run like hell to the front door...through Ops...out the back...chopper is landing...stop...take in the scene...hoist the 400mm...4 frames...I don't know what Bill is doing...I move closer...see AP (Air Police) coming at me...get threatened with night stick in stomach...good idea to stop...4 more frames. This is where the damn press passes would have helped...maybe. Done deal...8 frames...of astronauts walking from chopper, talking to other astronauts...boarding plane. DONE DEAL! Wait for it...we were the only photogs there! No one from the Morning Star...no one! Off to base photo...develope...print 8x10's...then to the Star. Next day. Front page...there is my shot! Now the funny part. I'd had other shots in the papers...with credits...right? So here was the "big" one...as it were. They credited it to the STAR. You've got to be kidding...I mean we didn't get passes...we were freelance no? Anyway...no credit...so that when I report for work...it took a bit of explaining that the front page WAS in fact my shot! Oh...the two astronauts were Armstrong and Scott. Neil A. Armstrong...would go on to be the first man to land on the moon in Apollo 11. David R. Scott went around the moon on Apollo 9. Then on Apollo 15, landed on the moon and was the first to use the Lunar Rover. All things are connected...no? NO?...David retired from the Air Force in 1975 as a Colonel and now resides (subject to bio data) in London, England! Thirty seven years ago I took his photograph on the tarmac at Kadena Air Base, half-way around the world...and now we're neighbors. Bill's version of the Gemini VIII story. Note that my story predated Bill's...hence corrects some of my "facts". Bill states that he saw no other photographs taken at Naha Port that day. But there was a photo taken by Tony Morton...credited to the "Stars and Stripes"...that also appered on the cover of "This Week on Okinawa" magaizine.
According to one source, the U.S.S. Leonard F. Mason (DD-852) was laid down 2 May 1945, one day short of being one year younger than myself. What the cosmic significance of that is, I'm not sure...but I didn't want anybody to think I'd missed it. The Mason spent most of its time in the Pacific, during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. It was pulled out of Nam for the Gemini VIII recovery. Our paths would cross once more in 1972 when she visited Seattle WA. Then...28 years to the day (2 May 1973) the Mason was struck on the port side by the U.S.S. Horne (DLG-30). I don't think, but can't be sure, that this "Horne" is related to the A1C Horne I'd mentioned before. Anyway...The Horne's first CO was...wait for it...Captain Stansfield Turner. He would go on to make Admiral...and then CIA director 1977-1981. On 2 November 1976, the Mason would be decommissioned in...Seattle!
Ok...we're off and running...first check point. I look at the odometer reading...and think it's a bit off...the more I look the more I'm convinced that it's off the mark...I mean very little. OK...we go with my corrected reading. Thereafter, I never miss a location...I think there were about twenty to so. Bingo bango bongo. Cross the finish line. Take odometer reading...plus or minus the first check point error...submit totals etc...wait for results. Time drags...waiting for the last car to finish...we'd started at the begining of the queue. There were a number of car that passed right by us while I confirmed the exact mileage of some locations...by stopping our car! It never occurred to them that we were standing by a location. We'd then pass them coming back. Great laugh. Last car is in. Wait. Announcement...blah blah the winner...by the smallest of margins over the next car...us. Well... right now I'm not sure which way it would have gone...had I not made the correction. As it was...I'm sure there was some rumbling...and it would have really hit the fan had we won. The funny part came a few days later. In the base paper...there it was...the headline...
Well...except for the fact that the car was not mine...and I was "just" the navigator...it's about the way it happened. I threw the cup away a number of years ago...it wasn't much of a cup...but now that I think about it...it was the second of only two cups I ever received...and the only one actually engraved with my name. The other one was a first place for badminton in junior high...but not engraved at all...much less my name. Maybe I should have kept it...not. [It turns out that I did...keep it after all.]
Kadena is down...
Unbeknownst to me was the fact that this scenario was a major...big deal. Everybody that was anybody would be informed that Kadena was down! All the way to the White House*...is not a stretch. Anyway...I didn't know this at the time. I took a quick look at the situation...and...wait for it...walked out of the observation deck and down the stairs.
l to r: SMSgt. Ferdinand J. Cain and CMSgt. Thomas F. Silk Now it becomes interesting. Ahead of us was SMSgt. Cain...he'd not been there when we first arrived. The ones behind us were the Base Commander and his entourage. Just as I was "nailing" the problem...they reached the top. SMSgt. Cain arrived just ahead of me as I said...and was not aware that I'd been there before. The base commander, a bird Colonel, asks SMSgt Cain...what's happening. I overhear him say something to the effect, based on what he saw, that "It's fixed...he...(meaning me), went right to it!" I can't assume that the Base Commander knew who it was ahead of him on the stairs. Well...it had been just too much for the breaker. The controllers had the voltage set high so that they could see the lights in bright daylight. You can't have it both ways. I left the Rock before the new tower went into operation. Just goes to show...Life is Rashomonesque. *White House; There were incidents of sabotage on the Island and to have Kadena Tower knocked out would have jeopardized all air ops. CMSgt. Silk must have been passing through or visiting (officially perhaps) Kadena the day I took the above photo. From 7 Dec 73 to 29 Aug 75 he was "Senior Airman Advisor". He retired in 1979.
Mt. Rainier as seen from Seattle. Both are telephoto. Right: Digital IR (Infrared filter by Tuba) from the Dose House.
Now the interesting part of this story is...that...while on Okinawa, I passed up the chance to see first hand a then "state of the art" satellite earth station. Right there...a virtual stones throw...from my receiver site was this domed building. Right next to it was this antenna. A spiral thing (I'd later discover it to be a right-hand-circular-polarized-multi-turn-helical, on an az-el mount) used to receive the satellite signal. It would track the satellite as it passed overhead. I really wish I'd gone up there...just to see it. Never did. Though I did take a photograph (see photo at top of story) of it! Many years later I came across a 1962 issue of Electronics magazine. On a full page ad...was a description of that very system on Okinawa. The ad stated...in effect...that you could have your own system for only $30,000. Counting the cost of my computer at the time...I did it for about $3K...a tenth the cost...ok...twenty years later. Dateline: The Elmbridge House, Surrey, England 1998-2007
The garage is large...but a real mess. The concrete floor is uneven and cracked etc. Then...after over a year of monitoring, the insurance company determined that the garage...is in fact...breaking in two and sinking (subsidence)...and agrees to fix the problem. Well now! Everything will need to be removed from said garage...but not all of it will need to go back in...right? Ok...to make a short story longer...the day finally arrives...this having taken over three months...twice the estimated time...and it's done. I had by this time planned to take over the back third. I guess I should mention that the garage was not being used to park my new '98 Chrysler Cirrus LXi (I'd shipped it over). It has a big window with a great view of the Hogsmill (river). It took an extra week to add the walls, door and paint. I'd run new power for lights and outlets etc. The "lab"...I mean garage...was done.
Note added 18 November 2006: Just adding a later photo of the Lab.
I was now able to consolidate my "stuff". I did need to build a proper antenna (a turnstile and yes...right-hand-circular-polarized) for the reception of polar orbiting satellite signals. I found some software that would convert the signal to a image on the computer. This is an over simplification, but you get the picture...pardon the pun. Anyway...sometime later...I'm pulling an image that would include parts of the Mediterranean. There it was! Sicily...and Mt. Etna...with a long dark plume of ash extending south out over the sea...all the way to northern Africa. I went inside and there on the news was the story about Etna erupting...I had a "live" shot from 400nm in space.
Postdated note 28 Nov. 2009: Velence is visible but not identifiable just above the white band of clouds...roughly to the north. Had the wind been from the south...the plume could have reached it.
Continued: Stories II
Copyright © Steve Tuba 2003-2010. Photography Copyright © Steve Tuba 1999-2010. |
War
stories
Tuba
is a Hungarian (Magyar) name. Hungarian in the sense that my parents
are Hungarian though its true origins are not known. Through the
recent efforts of my cousin and other members of family in Hungary, I
have just seen a very rough draft of our family tree. The first entry
so far dates to 1720, the work continues. As I understand it, on my
mothers (Jarfas) side, the dates go back even farther. I was the
first born of three (brother (John) , sister (Eva)) to a
Catholic mother and a Presbyterian father in the historic city of
Szekesfehervar, Hungary, located 45 miles southwest of Budapest. I
was christened Tuba Istvan, 3 May 1944. Istvan being the Hungarian
name for Stephen, after the first King of Hungary...St. Stephen! He
was canonized after his geath. 
Dateline: Seattle, WA USA 1952-1998
My
formal training in photography started in 1962 the year I graduated
from Franklin High School, Seattle, Washington, USA. Professor Dale
E. Petite was the teacher, and also taught chemistry. Tom Oakley and
I were the teachers assistants. Tom will play a role later in my
career as a photographer. Ten years or so later, I ran into Mr.
Petite by virtue of a lady friend and fellow photographer, Linda, who
happened to have moved next door to him. It was Linda who
told me that, Mr. Petite, as we knew him, was the composer of
*"The Thrill is Gone", a blues piece. B.B. King among
others have recorded it. I wish I knew for sure that it was in
fact "this" Dale Petite. A Google search does show the name. 
The
last year and a half of my four years (1963-1967) in the U.S. Air
Force was on the island of Okinawa (Japan). It was there that, after
buying my first of what would be two Nikon Fs, I began my
photographic odyssey. Frequenting the base photo lab, I was
approached one day by a fellow (airman) photographer whom I'd seen
before. He asked me what I was doing...I had been running an
experiment with different contrast grades of papers...and had the
whole bunch in hand. I told him. He went on to explain that
"he" needed a photographer. To make a short story longer,
we "hooked up" as the saying went. His wife worked part
time for the "biggest English language newspaper" in the
far east, the Morning Star. She worked in the advertising department.
Mostly through her contacts I assume, he was taking photos for a
number of clients. I was to help out...in as much as we would both be
doing our normal air force duties, he a jet engine mechanic and I as
a (30454 Ground Radio Maintenance) flight facilities (tactical) radio
maintenance tech. I guess that his schedule was a bit of an unknown
having to work whatever hour since this was during the Vietnam War
and the planes had to be kept flying. I remember falling asleep with
the roar of distant jet engines being tested. I was with the 1962nd
Comm Group. I never did know his outfit...or I just can't
remember...probably the latter.
My
immediate supervisor (SSgt. Nosel, NCOIC of Radio Maintenance at
Flight Facilities (F/F)) and I hadn't hit it off too well. Frankly, a
surprise. So...I'm guessing...he put me in for a TDY (temporary duty)
assignment. It was to a place called Korat, Thailand. Off I went on
what was to be a 60 day tour to Det 1 of the 1965th Comm Group. There
was another guy, from NonTac Radio, going there too. Well...I passed
through Saigon Viet Nam the day after the terminal was bombed...the
dust was still settling. Then to Don Muang Air Base (Bangkok).
The tension was high. There were no flights available to take
me up country for 5 days or there were flights but no room...so I
just hung out. I watched "How the West was Won"...five
times...I know it by heart. One day I received orders to appear
at the flight line. I remember this amazon of a civilian blonde that
was strutting back and forth on the tarmac. A jeep would drive up,
she'd talk to an Army type and then go back to walking back and
forth. White blouse, tight beige mid thigh skirt, black heels. Taller
than "Hot lips"(MASH the series). She seemed to have a
reason for being there but I never did figure it out...it was just
something to watch.
Since
we supported flight ops, we had a phone in our hootch in case
something came up, like firing up the generator for the portable
control tower (which contained our gear) when a mission was on. So as
I said...I get this call, it's Sass. A2C Ronald H. Sass had been my
roommate back on Okinawa. The last person I expected to hear from, is
telling me that we...we(!)...had been promoted. Apparently not long
after I left the Rock for Korat, he left for Udorn, Thailand...or was
it Ubon...one or the other...TDY also. He was ATC (air traffic
control). Anyway we were both on the promotion list to A1C (Airman
First Class). How he found me I never did find out. When I got back
to Okinawa...his stuff was gone as one would expect. I never heard
from...or of him again...just that call in the night.
Arrived
at Korat as an A2C (Airman 2nd class and without the
mustache)...leave as a buck sergeant...(Airman 1st Class, (E4 at the time)).
I
was formally asked to reenlist via a letter wherein it stated that I
was ' found (you) qualified' to do so. Anyway...I didn't.
I
had systematically gone through all 26 radios...all tubes checked,
complete re-alignments a number of times since I "took
over". I kept a log of the work I'd done on each radio including
the sensitivity...so I knew they'd be in good shape. I had devised a
method to check/set the local oscillators (LO) to the exact frequency
as opposed to just peaking them. There was no way to set the HP-608
to the exact frequency (and keeping it there) of the receiver under
test, so I used the frequency meter as a signal source, varying the
signal level by the amount that I'd unthread the connection at the
antenna input terminal. Partly as a result, my radios had
sensitivities better than specs, in some cases by a factor of two. 
I
was hoping that he would want to test one of my R-361s. I mean there
were 24 of them! It was not to be. While the Captain and I did the
deed on one of two R-278s (GRC-27), the Colonel snooped
around...opening drawers, looking at my log book etc. Done
deal...they leave...30 seconds later the Captain returns...and tells
me that the Colonel was very pleased. At the time I don't know if
they had already inspected "transmitters" or not. None the less...
Swanny...Schwanhausser...Bill
(his name was too long to fit the standard issue name tags so they
had dropped a letter) and Chet Karas were my best buddies on
the Rock. Both were into photography. Well now...the Comm Group had
its own photographer (as I would later find out), I guess the Group
was large enough to need one of their own as opposed to relying on
Base Photo. The photographer had been a Staff Sergeant (SSgt.) as I recall.
Then,
one day...Swanny informs me that he...HE...is to be the new Group
photog! I'm stunned! Swanny...the Group photog? How the hell could
that EVER happen? Who came up with his name anyway? I mean, was he
appointed? By whom? As I think about it now...it would have taken
SSgt. Nosel's concurrence... and since it was a bit of a cushy
assignment...maybe he didn't want me to have it...assuming that my
name came up at all...I jest. Anyway...
Bill,
as I said, had this sports car...and was a member of the Okinawa
Sports Car Club. There was to be a rally...a photo rally. You'd
be given a stack photographs...and you were to drive from one
photographed location to the next...in order...noting the mileage at
each point...with a total at the end. You can see that if you missed
a location...by driving right by...you'd have to go back...take the
mileage...recalculate your total mileage correcting for the gained
mileage. Well...this was Bill's idea...hence he drove the
route...took the photos...and printed up enough sets for the teams.
This also meant that he could...for obvious reasons...not drive in
the rally. That left his wife (at the time) Sylvia, to drive...and I
was to act as navigator. To ensure an accurate total miles
traveled...the odometer had to be calibrated...right?...This Bill had
done by virtue of being the same car he used to run the course in the
first place. The mileage to the first check point was given so that
navigators could double check their cars...right?
The
air traffic control tower at Kadena was old and rusting. The
equipment was old. Some of it was wired by Japanese labor after WWII.
We'd been getting trouble calls left and right. Most were traced to
the wiring at the base of the tower. One day I came up with a plan to
re-wire it. I don't remember how it came to pass that two of the
"guys"...(I shall not name them) volunteered to help on
this unauthorized mission. It was to take place under the cover of
night, less air traffic. What had been wired point to point with all
brown...or was it all black wire...it was too dark to tell...would
now be new and color coded. Anyway...about halfway through...ol'
SSgt. Tillman shows up. I hadn't told him about this...so someone
must have...no big deal...he said nothing as the three of us called
out the next color code...matched it at the other end...and hooked it
up...discarding the old brittle wiring. The funny part was...that a
few months later a brand new tower was under construction.
I
was working day shift on a weekend. I don't remember who was with me,
though it could have been Swanny. A call came in...the tower was
down! We drove to the tower base and started the long climb up the
stairs. Once at the top and inside, the problem was explained to
me...sure enough...all the panel lights were out...and god knows what
else. This meant that the air traffic controllers were blind as to
switch positions...the radio channel indicators were not indicating...etc.
I
didn't have the foggiest idea what the solution was. The last time I
actually trained on one was back at tech school three years earlier
and had not seen one since. This was the first time I'd actually work
on a "real" ATC console. So back to Flight Facilities...to
look for and find the manuals. Flip flip flip...pages flying back and
forth. Ok...find what I'm looking for...grab the manual...and head
back to the tower. It was only a 4 minute drive. Start up the stairs.
We notice that there are people above us heading up...and a bit
later...an Air Force Staff car drove up below. Later we see people
following us up the stairs. It would turn out that everybody was
showing up. Everybody! I was still ignorant of the magnitude of the
situation. I entered the glass enclosed control deck...and looked
around trying to locate the one panel door, that I'd identified from
the manual, beneath the control panels that would contain the power
supplies and their circuit breakers. Spotted it in two seconds...walk
directly across to it...and open it. In the next two seconds I locate
a single tripped breaker...what have I got to lose? (It could have
been a spare.) And flipped it...everything lights up. Done deal.
On
May the 18th, 1980, Mt. St. Helens, in the southern part of
Washington State, USA...blew its top. At the time I was working at
the tallest building in Everett, a city north of Seattle. We could
see the volcanic plume about 250 miles to the south. It was a big
deal. The newspapers would have weather satellite images of the
expanding plume of ash. Seattle was not in great danger...but had the
prevailing winds been different...we could have been in a real mess.
I thought it would be a good thing to have access to my own satellite
images...so I could see for myself. Well...it was too late for St.
Helen. But there was serious talk that Mt. Rainier (14,000+ ft.)
might be the next one in the chain of mountains to go active and it
was only 60 miles from Seattle as opposed to about 200 miles for St. Helen.
That
would be a really big deal for Seattle. So, a year later, I built a
weather satellite earth station.
More
to the story. Time passes. I now live in the UK (Inside the M-25,
near Kingston-upon-Thames). There is very little usable space for me
to set up any kind of real "shack"...on the other hand...
