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THE ORIGIN OF "COTTONPICKERS" (1) |
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In June 1951, the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photo Jet) was flying off the hot, dusty PSP strip at K-2, Korea. When the North Koreans invaded, the squadron had been the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (TRS) at Itazuke, Japan and commanded by Lt. Col. Jake Dixon. The 8th TRS began flying missions the first day of the invasion and had moved up and down the Korean peninsula as the war progressed. The 8th has been officially credited with originating the motto "Every Man A Tiger", and the motto was carried over to the 15th TRS. The 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) was subsequently formed, and the 8th TRS was re-designated as the 15th TRS. The other squadrons in the wing were the 45th TRS with RF-51s and the 12th TRS with RB-26s. The wing was commanded by the renowned Col. Karl "Pop" Polifka who had gained well-deserved recognition in WW II as commander of recon units in the SWPA, African and European theaters. Col. Dixon was the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group commander at K-2 airfield in Taegu. The 15th TRS was equipped with about 24 old RF-80’s. The tail numbers all began with "45" which gives you a clue as to how old they were. The old engine put out about 3500 pounds thrust which had to be augmented with a water/alcohol tank for take-off. The birds were so old that they had a manual starting system, a manual canopy, and a hard seat - no ejection, just climb over the side. In early June ‘51, two young junior captains reported to the squadron on the same day - Capt. Harry Morris, an Air National Guard (ANG) pilot from Birmingham who had volunteered for active duty to do his part (Harry was one of the finest pilots and best officers I have ever known. He volunteered for active duty, came to Korea, flew his 100 missions, went home and reverted to ANG status). I had spent the last 11 months shuffling papers in the personnel shop of 13th AF Headquarters at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, and volunteering for every flying assignment in Korea that came through. On a TDY to Korea, I told "Pop" Polifka my tale of woe, and he got me released from 13th AF. The squadron was commanded by Major Clyde B. East who had become an ace in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) while flying RF-51’s in the Second World War. Clyde had so many Air Medals that the Air Force had authorized him to wear two ribbons since he couldn’t get all his clusters on one ribbon. He shot down 11 aircraft and had been threatened with court martial if he shot down another German while flying a recce mission. He had to wait to claim his last two victories until the AF commander rotated to avoid court martial. Capt. Exum F. Bullard was squadron Operations Officer. When Harry Morris and I joined the squadron, the pilots included some of the original cadre from Japan and about half new replacements; mostly young Lts. Lt. Bryce Poe had flown a tour with the 15th TRS, and he ended up as a four-star and commander of Air Logistics Command. Harry and I were surprised that the squadron was sorely lacking in lots of amenities such as intelligence and briefing boards and no pilot facilities - not even a coffeepot in Operations. We decided to do something about it. We quickly learned that a T-33 ride over the front lines could open lots of supply lines. After giving the Company Commander and Operations Officer of a nearby Army Engineering Company a T-33 ride, we soon had a 6x6 unloading a load of plywood and 2x4s at the squadron area. All the pilots pitched in constructing a pilot’s lounge adjacent to operations. The Photo Joes found out they could cut a double miter joint with a hand saw to build a frame for a GI tent. With some parachute silk for the ceiling, woven grass mats for wall covering, and other innovations, the old CI tent took on a classy look. Squadron "Scroungers" found ways to open up supply lines for beer and cokes, and we soon had a pilot’s lounge equipped with dart boards, poker and card tables, a bar and other amenities. |
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