CHAPTER Eight: 1970 -1971
Assignment to Panama City – Florida that is
After all the fun of Okinawa, Suwon and Osan Korea, it was back to the USA with what I have to say was a bit of a plum assignment, Tyndall Air Force Base, in Panama City, Florida.
If you liked beaches, boating and college parties, spring breaks and the like, it Just didn't get any better as a military assignment. After the events in Korea, this assignment would be a great break for what I can only call the many things that had happened there.
Was I ever about to be proved wrong yet again and so the story continues.
Once again, I had been a bit unsucessful in getting my job and career field changed to radio and TV with Armed Forces Radio and Television, but I wasn't about to stop trying. Public Affairs Office assignments are the norm when one is assigned statesideere. They areusually about a year, most places. It turned out that this tour would actually provide the best opportunity yet to finally make the break I had wanted for years. At least make a serious case for that I guess would be more accurate.
I was assigned to the fightline squadron that did the maintenence on the F-102 Delta Daggers, but by now the rumors were rife that at least at bases in the USA, this airplane, wouldn't be around much longer.
As faithful a servant as it was it was just a bit too old for it's time. Newer, faster, technology driven planes were just around the corner. This fighter was headed for museums and pedestals in front of a few command headquarters, again having served faithfully for even longer than it was supposed to.
I had always found a way to break up a tour, well at least for a week or two by competing in the USAF Talent Show held annually known at the international level as Tops in Blue.
You started by competing at the local base level, basically an activity show put on by people on the same base. You had to win your category to advance to what was then the numbered Air Force level which were usually a one night show oftentimes with some real competition especially among male and female vocalists. There were twelve to as many as fourteen categories of competition and one person could enter in two categories. I entered as a Master of Ceremonies the master of ceremonies job was to keep the audiencde interested and entertained between each competitor and to keep the show running smoothly.
Most of the time at the local base level, having competition was fairly rare.
If you did, you split the show into two equal parts sometimes with eight to ten acts to manage each. Competiton was much more frequent at the numbered Air Force level.
Win there and you advanced to the command level meaning all the bases of the same command participated. Shows could run at least two and sometimes as many as four nights so many bases participated in the same command. It was tough enough for many of the acts a6t the second level of competitionj but at level three the command is was where the rubber really hit the road.
If you survived that then it was off to the Air Force level. Herethe entire Air Force, ten different commands and ten different show nights were in play.
Competition here was in a word brutal and the closest thing I can compare it to are the finals of American Idol, obviously not as big but certainly as intense. To this point I had entered three times and had advanced to the Command level three times. Tyndall was entry four and the year summer of 1971. I had won at Command level in a tough competition and was to compete at the Air Force Finals at March Air Force Base in California. When the ten shows were done, two finalists, sometimes from ten to thirty persons in a category were announced for the world competition. I was announced as a finalist as Master Of Ceremonies for one of the final two shows.
The Air Force pulled out all the stops. The judges for these finals in 1971were B.B. King, Elmer Bernstein, yes the writer conductor, and one other Hollywood producer director whose name escapes me after nearly 50 years now. Both shows went off without a hitch and what I am sure was a extremely close call, I was announced as the Air Force world champion. What a night for an essential nobody, of that you can be sure.
Returning to Tyndall to finish the tour whenever that would be, the celebrity status faded fairly quickly and honestly, that was a good thing. Things were going to happen that I would never imagine were possible. Somehow I found myself right in the middle of it all.
I was the local announcer at the NCO Club for Bingo which produced a little extra income. I acquired a new girlfriend named Marianne and finally was permanently assigned to the Public Affairs office on the base because all but one of the F-102 aircraft we had assigned there had now departed for who knows where. I continued to work at the club, spent a fair amout of time, usually week-ends on Panama City Beach. Life was pretty good.
Thanks to the big win in the Air Force talent contest, the NCO club managern, Trivie and I became good friends.
He arranged a contract with a company that featured stage shows at military bases and venues in Florida, to Louisiana and then to Texas. He was put on the circuit.
He asked me to be the MC for the shows. So on averagfe of twice a month, one would show up on base with one performance at the Officers Club and one at the NCO Club. First up was George Gobel, then a group called the Golddiggers who were famous for a time on their TV show and then a country artist, miss Harper Valley PTA herself, Jeannie C. Riley. She was delayed a bit arriving for her shows at Tyndall, as her bus broke down just about a mile outside the main gate. Instead of what usually happened the artist and staff getting off the coach and going into Trivie's office for a light supper and a drink or two, Miss Riley's manager, a Frenchman, was the only one to get off. He wanted to know who would be introducing Ms. Riley. Trivie introduced me to him and he produced a 5 x 7 card with the exact introduction he wanted to bring her on stage.
Trivie said that that would be up to me not him as that was what we had done for a number of shows. He became very insistent . We hadn't met Ms. Riley yet and so far this was not going well at all. Then her agent manager said, by the way, Ms. Riley was NOT going to sing her huge hit single, (the only one at this point) until she received a first curtain call so it was not a part of the original show. I could see Trivie was not very happy with this rather pompous whatever and what he said next was, Well, why don't you take your ___ out of my office get back on your bus and get out of here.
That finally got his attention, he decided he'd better do it our way and the show went off fairly well. The second song of her set was her one hit. She did NOT get standing ovation but a polite although measured applause by the audience.
The next show was one I will never forget. As lt turned out the last in this series. Naturally it occurred on my birthday and as it happened became quite special.
The show was singer Diana Trask and commedian Morey Amsterdam, the very same from the later years show called the King of Queens.
Ms. Trask did a very nice professional job but had contracted a very bad cold or flu some days before. I don't think the audience even was aware she felt as bad as she did at all.
Morey was unbelieveably funny. When the show was done and Ms. Trask, Mr. Amsterdam, Trivie, my girlfriend Marianne and I were in his office Morey Amsterdam said, hey, why don't we all go to our hotel, which was the Holiday Inn in Panama City that evening and have a drink or two. Besides, I heard it's your birthday and I'd like to by you a drink. Diana Trask said well, happy birrthday but listen I am really feeling bad so congratulations but if you don't mind I am going to just go to the room and try to fall asleep.
Off we went. The lounge had the decor of an old pirate ship and all of us got a table pretty close to the middle of the room and certainly near the bar. We were there about forty minutes and suddenly in comes a waiter with a cupcake with a candle in it and everybody at the table starts singing Happy Birthday. At the conclusion Morey says, may you live as long as you want to, and want to as long as you live.
Then my girlfriend at the time Marianne says, hell, he never wants to. I didn't see it coming but it surely did.I will never forget that it did.
Well, they were off for a show at Eglin AFB, in the morning, about 70 miles west of Panama City and I was back at work in the Public Affairs office. My direct boss was a young lieutenant names Bill and the boss of the office was Hank, an easy going, extremely knowledgeable civilian whom ‚m sure was known and respected by everyone on the base and in town as well.
The local TV station had called and wanted the Ðublic Affairs Office to do a five minute segment, once a week with the news from the base and the Air Force worthy of review or a story, Tyndall was a very big part of the community what with active duty and I'd guess thousands of retirees in the vicinity, so it all made sense. Hank called the lieutenant and I into his office, basically told us what a great idea he thought that was and wanted both of us to share the duties.
Our dress blue uniforms would be the attire and make sure of course he saw the copy prior to our going down there to present it on TV.
Some of the studio staff thought it was a great time to pull the off camera TV pranks pretty common in those days to these novices. Tying our laced shoes to each other was a favorite target but without going into more detail, it didn't end there by a long shot. I was a bit used to it but the lieutenant was not. I must say however that except on one occassion he handled it well surviving the torment rather nicely.
Unknown to us at the time, things were about to take a turn for the worse just a few short weeks later.
There was a storage room of sorts that held ample supplies of everything you'd expect to find in a stationery store for the offices that needed any supplies. It was also the place where we had to go to make copies of whatever to have or to send elsewhere.
One morning on a trip back there I saw a sign on the partially opened door that said, please pardon the inconvenience while we remodel and make a few minor repairs. The copy machine was turned at an odd angle, one wall had most all of the insulation stripped off but we never gave it much thought.
This went on for weeks it seemed. We never saw any workmen as I recall Again thought since all of us went to this room only occassionally w never really gave that any thought. Then, one afternoon about four PM weeks later the lieutenantt, myself, the office senior NCO who was in charge of the base paper, one other sargent, Hank and his secretary were called into his office for a meeting.
He had a very somber expression on his face, when we all took our places, walked over and closed the door. OK, he said. What I am about to tell you carries a secret clearance and must NOT leave this room or be discussed with anyone, is that crystal clear?
Something was surely coming, it would not be good, we didn't know what and would never have guessed.
You all I am sure, have been to the supply room closet and seen the little mess it was in over the last few weeks. There was a reason. He began to explain and when he finished we were all just shell shocked with disbelief. He said some of you know Master Sargeant (Blank) from the intellegence office next door to us.
This is about to all come to a head in the morning and you will all have specific assignments that must be carried out to the letter.
That little equiptment and supply room has been under video survelience for weeks now.
The FBI and the on base (what amounted to the CIA) has been photographing and filming that room, and all of you. Then in a lighter touch, he said, I hope you didn't do anything embarrasing because the do have photos of all of you. Then he turned serious again. That is the reason why the room has been in the condition it was. Now you folks are clear but there is this master sargeant I spoke of that will be arrested in the morning at the Panama City Airport. The base paper sargeant would be in civilian clothes at the airport like anyone else that would be waiting for the arriving flight.
Bob and Bill he said, you will be in the office at 0700 and get ready for the deluge of calls from anywhere and everywhere once this story breaks. Local stations will only be notified after it all happens. Marylin, who was his civilian secretary had a sample question and answer sheet of how we should answer questions from the press, TV, radio whomever from wherever. He said obviously we can't envision everything but this guide will help, so review it carefully and keep it under your absolute control at all times.
Hank said, turns out this master sargeant had been under surveilance for some time. I won't tell you how but you will hear about it from me tomorrow morning when I get back to the office from the airport myself.
Morning comes, we are all in our assigned positions just waiting. The plane came in at the airport, off loaded passengers and then boarded those going out. The flight was going to New Orleans. The master sargeant was there as well and then boarded with the others. The plane taxied to the end of the runway and started a take-off run but aborted it almost immediateky.
We heard that the pilots told passengers on board they had to return to the gate for just a few seconds to get a VIP passenger that had arrived seconds late but the delay would be very short. When the plane reached the gate, the stairs were rolled up and the FBI boarded and arrested the master sargeant. I later learned that it was done this way to absolutely prove that the sargeant was actually on the plane and was definately going to make his planned trip. In his briefcase they found secret documents, a ticket that had a connecting flight to Mexico, a note detailing who he was to meet and where. He was taken into custody.
We all were in a bit of disbelief. From the very office next door we had just caught a spy. These it seemed were things you read about in mystery novels, it never happens in real life, or so most would believe.
He had over 19 years in the Air Force at the time. His wife was asian and they had several children. A very sad story to be sure and once again, here I was right ibn the middle of it
I am thinking, what coiuld possibly be next. I would soon find out.