| Robert E. Deering |
| Last Updated: January 21, 2009 |
| Fort Polk, LA, June 1966 - August 1966. Basic Training, B-3-1. Enlisted for Field Radar Repair. Dropped enlisted option to attend Signal Corps OCS. PVT E-1.
Fort Ord, CA, September 1966 - November 1966. Advanced Individual Training (Infantry), E-3-2. Had to have a MOS before attending OCS, so I was sent to the west coast in preparation for my journey to Georgia. 11B10 PVT E-2. Fort Gordon, GA, November 1966 - June 1967. Signal Corp OCS, 1st OC Bn SESS. The Signal Corps OCS was closed in 1967. Several of us in the same predicament started talking about air traffic control. We visited Augusta, GA tower and decided to submit our request. However, before we could act our new orders came through and we moved on. 11B10 OC E-5 then PFC E-3. Fort Ord, CA, July 1967 - December 1967. Combat Developments Experimentation Command (CDEC), HHS Btry 5th Bn (Comp) 78th Arty. Assigned duties as a data collector for an artillery experiment at Hunter-Liggett Military Reservation, which is about 60 miles south of Fort Ord. Submitted request for ATC school, received orders for Germany, and went home on leave. While at home I received a call saying my request for ATC school had been approved and to wait on new orders. Wish I hadn’t sold my car. 11B20 SP4 E-4. Keesler AFB, MS, January 1968 - June 1968. USAF ATC Training, 3380th Tech Tng Sch. Marching to and from Cody Hall had some interesting moments. One day the USAF practice review stand had been relocated to the street we normally took and we quickly became surrounded by Airman formations. The brass had assembled on the review stand, so we lined up in review formation, marched through, eyes left, salute, and went on our way. We could clearly see the surprise on the USAF General’s face as a platoon of Army troops passed by. 93B20 SP4 E-4. Fort Stewart, GA, June 1968 - December 1968. Wright AAF Tower, Airfield Co. B, US Army Flight Training Center. I arrived one week after a dedication ceremony to open the new control tower and to rename Liberty AAF to Wright AAF. The new tower was 105 feet tall and, of course, all stairs. Wright AAF was used for fixed wing pilot training. There were about 80 T-41s that were used for primary training, and about 20 O-1s that were used for rotor wing pilot transition training. Itinerant aircraft including C-130s, C131s, S-2s, and C-9s were constantly coming through as well. Ramp space was limited and the larger aircraft had to park along the outer perimeter. Ran about 1,200 operations on weekdays. Completed my private pilot’s license through the Army Flying Club. I visited Wright Tower in 1998 and there were only two aircraft on the field. The mission has changed from flight training to support. It seemed as though the tower was taller than is was 30 years earlier. 93B20 SP4 E-4. Teague, Korea, JAN 1969 - AUG 1969. Idlewild AAF Tower (A805), 3rd Aviation Det (Kisa Flight), Eighth US Army Depot Command. When I arrived there were two other US Army controllers and one Korean civilian controller. After the first month, it was just Mr. Pae and myself. There was a new control tower between the old tower and the runway. The glass shipment for the new tower had arrived in many broken pieces, so more glass had been ordered. It arrived 4 months after I did and we set up shop in the new tower. The old tower was torn down shortly thereafter. About 80% of our traffic was fixed wing and there was a wide variety of aircraft that came through. The runway was short and we had no taxiways; just an American ramp on one side and a Korean ramp on the other. On busy days timing of arrivals, departures, and ground traffic became an art form. Did some flying with the Army Flying Club aircraft. Today this airfield is a heliport (H805) as the surrounding city continues to encroach with some tall buildings. 93H20 SP5 E-5. Post Script. I got a early out in 1969 to go back to the University of Oklahoma. Not long after starting classes I also put in my application in for the FAA, and I was hired in July 1970 at Fort Worth Center. I became a full performance Radar Controller in 1974, Supervisor in 1988, and Support Manager in 1991. Retired with 31 years of service in 2001 and went to work for American Airlines as an Air Traffic Systems Manager. I work with the FAA and representatives from other airlines and aviation interests on ATC traffic flow management issues, evolving technologies, and procedures. I am very grateful for my roots in Army ATC as they have served me well over the last 40+ years. Pictures of some of the aircraft I came across while working in Army ATC are posted on my web site www.daddybobphotos.com. |
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