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The reunion planning continues. We look forward to seeing as many individuals as possible. Make you plans now. We're planning this year's reunion in Atlanta in hopes that Col Brewer will be able to attend (he is aware, and plans to attend, health allowing). Anyhow, I'm hoping we'll see a good APS presence to honor all he's done to get our reunion group together.
The following information was received from Doug Haggan: It is my sad duty to inform you that SMSgt Gary Lensink pasted away this afternoon. You will be missed Sargent, but you will not be forgotten, you gave all of us who came in contact with you some GREAT MEMORIES. Prayers to your family, Rest In Peace SMSgt Gary Lensink. Funeral service for (Ret.) SMSGT. Gary William Lensink, age 69 of Clarksville, will be Monday, Feb 01, 2016 at 10:00 am at the Sykes Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in the KY Veterans Cemetery West at 12:00 pm. The family will receive friends on Sunday, Jan 31, 2016 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 PM at Sykes Funeral Home. Gary passed away on Wednesday, Jan 27, 2016 at Gateway Medical Center. He was born on Dec 20, 1946 in Sheboygan, WI to Gerald Lensink and Jean Lensink. He was a retired veteran from the US Air Force. In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his son, Eric and 2 sisters, Susan and Wendy Lensink. He is survived by his Wife, Barbara Lensink of Clarksville; Son, Greg Lensink; Son, Kurt (Carrie) Lensink; Daughter, Michelle (Christopher) Bolton; Son, Kevin (Dezarae) Lensink; Grandchildren, Quentin & Gavin Lensink, Kaelin, Gabriel, Collin & Elijah Lensink, Eric & Zoe Bolton, Trinity, Chace, & Riley Lensink. Donations may be made to The Fisher House Foundation, www.fisherhouse.org Online condolences may be made at www.sykesfuneralhome.com
The following information is about the next planning meeting for the 2016 Reunion in Dayton, OH. Dial-in Number: (712) 770-4010 We'll hold our SECOND planning conference call for the 2016 reunion (which will be held in Dayton, OH, Sep 28 - Oct 2, 2016) on Saturday, Jan 23 at 8:00 am (PST) (10 am CST) using a site called Free Conference Call . We will work hard to keep this meeting to one hour only! There is something for everyone -- whether you can help out before the reunion, or only spare a little time during the reunion. Thanks, -- I hope 2016 is shaping up to be a great year! Cheers! Carole
From CMSgt Harold "Sparky" Sparks about his wife's recent heart surgery Some knew that my wife Juani had open heart surgery on the 25th of July to replace a defective Aortic valve. Got her home on the 30th, with home nursing care and P.T. to get her back into home routine. Harold/Sparky
The 435th APS Directory (June 2015) is now posted in the members area. Some shocking news from Fred Norton. Fred has been very instrumental in setting up some of our reunions and I'm sure lots of folks will be concerned for his recovery. Fred’s e-mail address is located below. I had a heart attack on 18 Oct. They put in two stents. I was in the hospital from Saturday 18 Oct to Wednesday evening 22 Oct. I had a chemical stress test last Friday. I went for the results yesterday. Now I am wearing a thing call Life Vest which is connected to a wearable defibrillator. Since yesterday afternoon when I got it I don't get as out of breath as I was getting. I go back in the hospital on 19 Nov to have another stent put in. That is supposed to be just overnight in the hospital.
The updated member directory is now posted in the members area. Don Brewer World Airways shut down on Thursday amid a failure to find financing, four months after its parent company blamed Pentagon budget cuts for a sharp squeeze in business and put the airline into bankruptcy. World Airways was founded in 1948 and transported U.S. troops starting in 1951, when the U.S. entered the Korean conflict. The charter airline flew its last flight on Wednesday, a day after its primary creditor declared the company in default and ended financing; World laid off 325 employees on Thursday. ”A lot of people have worked hard to try to save our airline,” Eric Bergesen, World Airways’ chief operating officer, said in a news release. “Despite this regrettable outcome, I sincerely thank each of our employees for their dedication and continued support as we attempted to build a future for the company.” World’s parent, Global Aviation Holdings, blamed the airline’s latest financial difficulties on the U.S. Air Mobility Command, the Air Force unit that transports military personnel and supplies, which canceled its 2014 contract with the company as the military adjusted to a tighter budget. That decision stripped World of $54 million in revenue, the company said in its November 2013 filing in Delaware—World’s second Chapter 11 filing within a year.
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Gerald Pato. His son Gerald sent me an email advising that his father passed away on July 20, 2013. More information will follow. Don Brewer
I was saddened to hear of the passing of Mac Waddell. Link for the Mac Waddell obituary... Don Brewer
Doug Haggan is the administrator for a new 435th APS site on Facebook. Please visit the site and leave Doug a note. Don Brewer
It was wonderful to hear from Carole and to learn of her positive medical news. Don From: Carole Lail After two months of chemo, I had my surgery on Aug 5, during which they removed 1' of my colon, 50% of my liver, and my gall bladder. Surgery went well and the docs got all four tumors, which had very clear margins (which apparently is a good indication that they had not metastasized any further) and both my surgeon and my oncologist have declared that I am cancer free (woohoo!!). My surgeon has encouraged me to play the Lotto, as he considers me the luckiest person he knows -- he definitely didn't anticipate such a positive outcome in my case. After a week in the hospital, I went home (well, I went to my daughter's home and let her care for me) and then on to my own home a week later. The first month was pretty rough -- a lot of pain, but I've definitely started feeling much better in the last week or two. My biggest challenge right now is extreme fatigue. I expect that I'll probably be off work another 3-4 weeks, and I'll start a final four months of chemo sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'll just be so grateful when this is all over, and I can get back to my life. One of the happier side effects of my treatment (other than the 40 lbs I've lost and hope never to find again!) is that I'm much more conscious of the need to stop procrastinating, especially opportunities to travel and get together with friends. I have so many things that I want to do with DJ before he grows up, too -so I need to get busy!
Connie Roddy, wife of CMS(r) Jack Roddy, passed away 1 July, 2013 due to a sudden heart condition called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (swelling of the left ventricle). During the process of reducing the swelling through sedation, she had a cerebral hemorrhage where she never recovered. Words cannot express our deepest sympathies to Jack and his family. Your are in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. Obituary Information>>click here Don
Was saddened to hear of the passing of Howard Jasper. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. More information may be found in the Taps area. Don
I received the note from Carole the other day and know you would want to know and keep her in your prayes for a speedy recovery. Carole's diagnosis: March 7, 2013 Subject: I'm Still Here! Well, there's just no way to break bad news except to just jump in and get it over with. Two weeks ago I had a colonoscopy, and the doctor found a lesion he thought was cancerous. That was confirmed via biopsy the following Monday. On Tuesday, I went for a pre-surgery CT scan in preparation for my pre-surgery consult on Thursday. I went to that appt thinking I would get a surgery date, they'd cut that part of my colon out and we'd be done. However, the surgeon came in and started to explain about the three tumors that popped up in the CT scan, and that now in addition to surgery to remove 1' of my colon and 40% of my liver, I'm going to have chemo as well. Needless to say, I was (and probably still am) in shock and frankly terrified, but beyond that, I'm hanging on to my natural optimism and belief that the doctors will take good care of me and I'll beat this. So, I start chemo next week, and will do one day in clinic every other week, followed by two days on a perfusion pump, lasting 8 weeks. They'll give me a month to recuperate from that, and then do the surgery. A month after that, I'll do one additional month of chemo, and hopefully, then we're done. I'm going to try to keep on working through the chemo, as I'm sure I'll need all my leave after the surgery is done -- but I'm trying to leave myself room to reconsider that if it turns out to be too difficult. It's been tough to tell my kids about this, especially DJ, who at 13, believes that everyone he loves is going to die. Our hospital chief of staff has recommended taking DJ to a counselor to help him get through this, which seems like a good idea. Beyond that, my daughters have been wonderful, and I know they'll be a big help through all of this. My friends at work have also been great -- willing to help however needed, including donating leave to cover if I run out. So, all in all, I'm in a pretty good place. I called Randy today to let him know -- he went through hell when his ex died of pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago, so I wanted to hear me sounding fairly normal and confident. Like so many people, he will keep me in his prayers, which I'm so happy to know. So -- if I'm out of touch (more than lately) for the next few months, that will be why. I'm going to start a blog, as it's getting exhausting to answer all the emails I'm getting, and will send you the link so you can check if you're curious. I guess it sounds funny after this downer email, but I hope this finds you and Jean doing well :) Carole
October 29, 2012 I am saddened to announce that Rick Wagoner, died on November 29, 2012, with his family by his side in Zephyrhills, Florida. More information may be found in the Taps area. Don October 29, 2012 (note: the full message with member names and phone numbers can be found in the password protected members area - Don) Don Brewer I received the following email from Frank Whigham concerning the upcoming reunion in Branson, MO., on tap for 8 - 12 November. We need some quick feedback from those of you who plan to attend. There may be those who plan to attend but haven't let us know. Time is getting very short so we need to know if you are planning to attend. All who plan to be there please advise Frank at (email in members section @yahoo.com or call him at 417 number in members section with the following information: When will you arrive? Don Brewer Don, Responses have been lean - so at this point I'll just put forward what I have for a schedule. Also included is a list of people who have stated they'll be coming - mostly arriving on Friday with some Sat Morning. As far as everyone coming out to our house for the group meeting - when you send out your mass email - ask if that's okay with everyone. Feedback (limited) so far has been positive. Ask for phone numbers from everyone so we can contact everyone if there's changes after they arrive in Branson.
People I have attending: Full list of members attending in member section Frank
October 1, 2012 A Note From Fred Norton on the 2012 Reunion Here is a website link that lists all or most of the resorts on Indian Point Road. You could try them. There may be one problem. Silver Dollar City, a theme park, is on Indian Point Road as soon as you turn off of Hwy 76 so the motels/resorts closest to Hwy 76 are more likely to be busy. But just give them a try. http://www.indianpoint-mo.gov/businesses.htm Also there is a town called Branson West which is on Hwy 76 just a couple of miles or so passed Indian Point Road. I'm pretty sure there is a Best Western and Super 8 there besides some other lodging places. So unless you really want to be right in the town of Branson itself with all the crowds and traffic there are some other possibilities. I hope you do come to the reunion. If you do and you stay out west of Branson somewhere there are roads to bypass a lot of the traffic in Branson. It can be very busy on the main drag (Hwy 76) when shows are getting out and usually a lot of the shows get out at the same time. If you attend and stay west of town, let me know what direction you'll be coming from and I can tell you how to avoid a lot of the traffic to get to where you'll be staying. When first arriving you'll probably just want to get to your lodging destination after traveling and you'll want to avoid the traffic. Then later when doing things you'll have to get in the traffic but if you take the Red Route or Blue Route or Yellow Route you can bypass some of the traffic to get to wherever you are going. Fred Norton
August 8, 2012 Updated information and links:Link: >> PDF Flyer Link: >> Web Page Hope to see you at this years reunion! Don
9 July 2012 The July 2012 edition of the Reunion Group Directory is now posted in the "Members Area". Have a fun and safe summer and we hope to see you at this years reunion! Don
May 23rd 2012 Hi Don: Angie and I just got back to Dover last night, after a 2 week Germany trip. We used the Cat B “Patriot Express” out of BWI and it actually worked well for us. 100 plus open seats in many cases out of BWI. However, I wanted to tell you that at Ramstein, I decided to call Bob Altee, unfortunately on our last night. Although he sounded the same, positive and upbeat, he is clearly in bad shape. Legs are barely working and he said he can only walk a few steps, finding it difficult to even drive to Landstuhl to see his Doctor. I guess Elly is not much better, having just undergone some heart work. Angie and I promised to pray for them, and I thought you might also want to let the list know. You can forward this if you like. Wouldn’t it be neat if someone over there could take them under their wing for a while. Just a thought. Jerry Emerson
Rhein Main on AFN February 14, 2012 I was sent the following YouTube link. It's a product of AFN Europe. Thirty minutes and pretty well covers the history of Rhein Main. I enjoyed watching and think others would also. Link: >> YouTube Don
Jean Brewer Update: December 5, 2011 Jean Brewer wife of Col Don Brewer had a mild stroke in Dec. She is in the hospital and could use our prayers. Update (4 December) from Col Brewer: Spoke to Jean this morning and she's bright and cheerful, determined she's going to beat this stroke problem. Looks like she's beginning to regain a little control over her right side, and she works hard at regaining control of her eye movement. She still can't stand and still has problems focusing her eyes, but it seems some of the double vision problem is going away. As I understand the plan right now they will keep her in the hospital until Monday, working with her to try to prevent a further episode. On Monday she will be sent to rehab for two weeks of therapy, then will come home. We appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Will continue to update you if there are significant changes. Don Don, please pass on to Jean that the 435 APS group is thinking of her and will include her in our prayers. Ron Ferranti Guestbook Spam Report: November 29, 2011 Some of you have probably noticed the thousands of spam entries in our Guestbook over the past several weeks. Hopefully, by adding a user name and password before entering the guestbook, we have halted this attack. If not we will add additional steps. You will notice on the password completion field the User Name (435aps) and Password (435aps) are shown. Simply type 435aps in the appropriate fields and gain access to the guestbook. Season's Greetings. Don Brewer
Some additional sad news to report: October 15, 2011 E. Wayne McLamb He was born on January 12, 1932 in Newton Grove, NC. He graduated from East Carolina University in 1954 and later earned a Master Degree in Human Services. He entered the US Air Force as a pilot 1955. He married Martha Derl Lee on August 14, 1954 in Erwin, NC. During his military career he became a Command Pilot. He served in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star for outstanding service in armed conflicts with opposing armed forces. He served as the Director of Personnel for the Military Airlift Command. He was also Base Commander of Scott AFB near St. Louis, IL, and later at Rhein-Main AB in Frankfurt, Germany. During his tenure as Base Commander at Rhein-Main AB, in January 1981, he assisted with the return of the Iranian hostages back to the USA. After his retirement from the military he resided in Summerville, SC.
September 27, 2011 The 6 September 2011 member directory is now posted in the member's area. Please check your information to make sure it is correct. If you know of anyone not listed, please have them contact me. Regards, Don Brewer
September 5, 2011 I took a quick survey of preferences for the 2012 reunion. The choices were: Branson, Nashville, Memphis, or Dayton. Branson was chosen as the location for 2012. Carole Lail and Fred Norton have volunteered to assist Frank. My thanks to Frank, Carole and Fred for stepping up and taking on the task. Frank will be passing developing information on for posting at the website. Regards, Don Brewer August 20, 2011
The 435OMS Enroute folks are having a couple events in October, and have invited From: Stanley Miller Hello, On 1 Oct, Warner Robins (Robins AFB) Air Museum is having a C-141 Reunion Picnic. On 4 Oct, the 2011 Enroute Reunion will be held at Dover AFB, DE. Any and all aerial port folks who would like to attend either of these events contact Stanley Miller at Regards, Don Brewer August 20, 2011 Some additional sad news to report about Margaret Gift: To: Don Brewer
March 1, 2011 Some sad news to report: Wanted to let you know that Randy's ex-wife Lori passed away from cancer on Friday, Feb. 18. He is still very close to her daughters, and has taken it pretty hard, and might welcome the support of friends. Carole We send our sincere condolences to his family. And the second sad news note: Fellow Transporters:
Chuck Ulmer
Don Brewer January 21, 2011 I received word that Lt. Col Joachim "Joe" Giger, 79, of O’Fallon, IL, died Saturday, January 15, 2011. More information on Joe can be found in the Taps area. http://435aps.com/taps/taps.htm We send our sincere condolences to his family. Don Brewer
January 14, 2011 I received word that Howard "Larry" Barrs, 67, of Dillsburg passed away Monday, December 27 after a courageous battle with cancer. Larry worked in the TMO section for several years. More information on Larry can be found in the Taps area. http://435aps.com/taps/taps.htm We send our sincere condolences to his family. Don Brewer
July 6, 2010 The date for the 435th APS reunion is getting VERY close. I'm forwarding Ray Poole's e-mail to each of you as a final reminder that you need to get your reservations in and touch base with Ray if you plan to attend the reunion. More information is available at the website, www.435aps.com or by contacting Ray. We will be updating the directory at the website very soon. Take a look after a few days to make sure we've captured your directory listing as you want it. Let us know if we need to make changes or updates. Would also appreciate it if you'd take a look at those members with no e-mail listed. If you are in contact with them, please ask them to contact us with needed information. Best Wishes to All, Don Brewer ----- Forwarded Message ----
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