Takhli 1968-69
I put this page together from a few different Air Force related pages I created over the years.
First, here is a quick history on me since leaving the Air Force.
After leaving the Air Force in 1970, my wife, son and I moved back to St. Louis. I worked three years for Honeywell Information Systems
on their big mainframe computers. Then three years for Raytheon Data Systems working on their mini computers and a few Honeywell
systems they had under contract. In 1976 I started my own computer maintenance company, working only on Honeywell mainframes and
peaked at about 35 systems in 12 states. They eventually became obsolete and in 1988 I moved to Las Vegas. There I worked in the
media, including an all-sports radio network, and the final14 years as a data analyst for the University of Nevada School of Medicine.
Retired in 2013 and in 2015 we moved to Lake Ozark, Mo, which is about 130 miles from St. Louis. Along the way, I'm on my 3rd (and
final, she says) wife...have two sons, one grandchild and several step-grandchildren. I'll turn 70 on the 27th of June and knock on wood,
outside of high blood pressure and cholesterol (and about 30-40 lbs overweight), I guess I am in decent shape for an old man, playing
golf twice a week and fishing (not exactly strenuous exercise) off of our dock. Cell phone number is 702-677-1341.
In 2004, I did a Google search and found Phil Ormes. He was retired and working at an Air Force base in Georgia.
Found out he had married the Thai girl he was with at Takhli. Her son at the time lived in the St. Louis area, where I am from.
Bill Sternberg lived about 20 miles from StL and J.D. Young about 80 miles from StL, so we arranged for a gathering in StL in 2004.
Hope you remember all these people!
J.D. Young and friend (Greeneville, IL)
2004 - Bill, J.D. Young (Greeneville, IL) and P.T. Ormes (Kentucky)
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Ormes and his Thai wife
Several years later, I tried to find Ormes again and found he had a heart attack in Kuwait.
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Part of our Doppler Shop and my upper bunkmate in the dorm - Bill Sternberg
2004 - Bill Sternberg (Granite City, IL) and me
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1968-69 Takhli, Thailand Doppler Shop - Bill Brown and P.T. Ormes (Kentucky)
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Baht Bugs
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F105 crash on takeoff, just outside our barracks
(Crash on Friday, July 18. He died on July 19)
Another U.S. Air Force F105 fighter-bomber crashed in Thailand Friday afternoon, the second this week,
and the pilot was seriously injured, U.S. officials announced Saturday.
The plane, loaded with ordinance and en route to a mission somewhere in Southeast Asia, crashed on
takeoff from Takhli AB, 100 miles north of Bangkok.
The pilot, Maj. Fred W. Shattuck Jr., of Hampton, Va. jettisoned his bombs and fuel before the crash,
but stayed in the plane.
He received second degree burns over a large portion of his body and was evacuated to a U.S. military
hospital at Camp Drake, Japan, where a special burn unit is maintained.
Officials said there were no civilian casualties or damage. The plane came to rest within the air base.
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The JE tail number means it was a Korat bird. I think this was when they were down at Takhli for a few weeks.
Although the statement below says Korat, this actually happened at Takhli in 1969, not 1968.
JE 093 is now on display at the Texas Air Museum
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Rick Forehand
Me and George Ulrich
JD Young, me and friends
I believe this is when they were cooking food for my 21st birthday party. I and a few other
ended up in the hospital with food poisoning.
Bo Johnson and Richard Burkhardt. Do I recall his wife (Vicki, I think) flirting with you in Wichita???
Seems like she was playing "footsie" with you while we were all seated at a table. Strange the things
that we remember. I was told Burkhardt committed suicide many years ago. My funny memory of him
was his girlfriend at Takhli gave him some disease three different times and he told her if it happened
again, he was going to stop seeing her. Her response was something like, "OK, but this time doesn't count!"
Sure enough, he got it again.
For my first few months at Takhli, I lived in a hootch before moving to the new barracks.
Heading home. That is Bo Johnson on the left (he wasn't leaving) and Warren Millar on the right.
Warren and I spent our last year together at Castle AFB in Merced, CA.
Oh yeah, fried spam.
Bill Sternberg
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Down at Utapao for the Bob Hope show after a night in Bangkok. Then on to Pattya Beach with
Ronnie Drake, George Ulrich and Warren Millar.
George Ulrich
George Ulrich
Warren Millar
My only pic of you. With Rick Forehand, Ronnie Drake and a very drunk Rob Pagel.
Me and Warren Millar when we still lived in a hootch near the base pool.
? Dennis (forgot his first name) and Ormes
Jim Kania and Bruce Wayland - Usually in trouble, usually Kania was the instigator. Both were busted once.
I remember Kania wanted to try some pot and told us to lock him in his bungalow room and not to let him out
no matter what he said. I guess he thought he was going to go crazy like in that old movie, Reefer Madness.
Actually traded emails for a few weeks with Kania several years back. Found him on Facebook.
He was living in the Philipines.
I think I paid $20 for a custom tailored suit. Couldn't go into the King's Palace without one at the time.
Me and Warren Millar. It is amazing I didn't have white socks on!
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Pattaya Beach
Warren, George, Me and Ronnie D.
Ronnie D., Warren and George in Pattaya Beach
Misc. Takhli and Thailand info
Sept. 1968-69