TIMELINE of the 482nd
FIGHTER INTERCEPTOR SQUADRON
Nov 15, 1955: Squadron constituted and designated.
April 8, 1956: Squadron activated at Seymour Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC, under the 85th Air Division.
April 8, 1956: Lt. Colonel James M. Thomas assigned squadron commander.
May 3. 1957: Captain Jack Jeangerard, with Lt James C. Fletcher aboard, makes an emergency landing on rural "Grasshopper Road" in Wake County in a T-33 (TR-601) after experiencing instrument failure and running low on fuel. Both pilots escaped injury and the plane was undamaged. [At one point, the plane's wings had 18 inches of tree clearance and stopped just short of a bridge.]
May 7, 1957: Lt. Col. James M. Thomas, just after dawn and unannounced, safely takes off on a nearby paved rural road in TR-601 and returns the aircraft to Seymour Johnson.
May 20, 1957: The first three F-102s are flown in by Lt. Col. James Thomas, Major James Martin, and Captain Rexford Moore. They are accompanied by a TF-102 flown by two Eaglin AFB pilots.
Jan 31, 1958: Squadron assumed its alert responsibilities with two aircraft going on 24/7 5-minute alert.
Mar 31, 1958: Total manpower at 402. Aircraft total at: 19 F-102s, 3 T-33s, & 2 TF-102s.
Apr 30, 1958: Returned eight F-102s to Convair at Palmdale for MOD/Iran modification. These aircraft not reassigned to the 482nd.
May 31, 1958: Aircraft loss to Convair continues, total F-102s on hand now seven.
June 15, 1958: All 354 configuration F-102s now gone. Acquisition of 19 new F-102s of the 459 configuration in progress.
June 27, 1958: Squadron deployed all pilots and 150 men for a 30 day TDY to Tyndall AFB, FL. All aircraft except one TF-102 and one T-33 were taken on the move.
July 27, 1958: Squadron returns from Tyndall and is returned to immediate alert status. Due to runway extension at Seymour Johnson the squadron quickly deploys split detachments to Andrews AFB & Langley AFB. This was unworkable and a short time later the detachments united at Langley AFB.
Late August 1958: The scope of the runway repair increases to include resurfacing and the 482nd removes operations to Oceana Naval Air Station, Va. The Langley TDY detachment joins them there. The William Tell team trains at Oceana.
Oct 10, 1958: William Tell team deployed to Tyndall AFB from Oceana for 22 days TDY & Weapons Meet.
Nov 3, 1958: William Tell team rejoins squadron at Oceana NAS, VA.
Nov 15, 1958: 482nd is transferred from the 85th AD to the 32nd AD.
Nov 16, 1958: Captain Theodore Lemcke dies of a brain aneurism during an alert scramble at Oceana NAS. His wingman that day was Lt. Robert W. Stonestreet. Lemcke's F-102 rolled into a T-33, where the canopy was ejected and destroyed by crew chief ejection. Later, Lt. Col. Thomas flies the aircraft back to Seymour Johnson sans canopy, suffering thermal shock and requiring assistance to de-plane.
Dec 1958: Oceana TDY ends and the squadron is home just before Christmas. During this quarter the 35th Air Division (Defense) was redesignated the 32nd Air Division (Sage) with location remaining at Dobbins AFB.
Jan 1, 1959: Squadron detachment of 50+ officers and men deployed with six aircraft to Andrews AFB for 30 days TDY to test SAGE equipment.
Feb/Mar 1959: 100 officers and men moved to Cherry Point Marine Air Station with 12 aircraft due to continuing runway work at Seymour Johnson.
May 1959: Squadron returns to normal operations at Seymour Johnson. Major Edward F. Smith, Ops Officer, is promoted to Lt. Colonel. Squadron strength at 422 men with 21 F-102As, 1 TF-102, and 2 T-33s.
June 24, 1959: Captain Dafford Myers suffers a severe back injury in an emergency bail-out from 57-0857 which is destroyed.
Sept. 11, 1959: Squadron deployed to Tyndall for 25 days TDY.
Oct 6, 1959: William Tell team remained at Tyndall AFB for additional 21 days TDY & Weapons Meet. The rest of the Sept TDY returns to Seymour Johnson.
4th Quarter 1959 promotions to Captain: Frederick E. Conable, James C. Fletcher, Herman G. Hayes, Robert E. Joiner, James J. Mihalick, Robert W. Stonestreet, & Harold B. Van Daele.
4th Quarter 1959 transfers: Capt Charles M. Ferguson to Ismir, Turkey, Lt. Paul G. Tomlinson to a Bomarc assignment in Maine, and Lt. Robert H. Grice to 65th AD in Madrid, Spain.
Dec 1959: Lt. Col. Edward F. Smith relieves Lt. Col. James M. Thomas as squadron commander, who is transferred to a German command.
1st quarter 1960: Three new officer additions: Major George W. Wegman as Admin Officer (temp); Capt Orrin H. Ohlinger, pilot; & 2nd Lt, Oliver J. Zink Jr., armament systems officer.
Mar 7, 1960: Assigned 35 men TDY to Tyndall AFB for 5 days to test deployment of aircraft and support same.
Mar 15, 1960: 10 Officers & NCOs TDY for 4 days to Charleston AFB for an ADC Conference.
Apr 14, 1960: Squadron begins 120 days TDY at Myrtle Beach AFB, SC.
May 1960: Captain Dafford Myers, 1st Lts. Howard H. McWhorter, Carroll E. Pealer, & Jimmy P. Rhodes were assigned to the northlands, while Capt. Fred Conable went to Japan. Arriving were Capt. Paul Miller as Admin. Officer and Lt. Richard L. Brooks, assigned to A Flight.
July 1, 1960: 482nd squadron strength was at 47 officers and 390 airmen.
August 1960: Lt. John H. Baker, pilot, is assigned to Hahn, Germany. New arrivals: Capt. Lawrence W. Conklin, assigned to take over A Flight, Major Douglas C. Fletcher, maintenance officer; and Capt. Robert H. Halgrim, supply officer.
Oct 1, 1960: Squadron strength had increased to 46 officers plus 3 attached, and 475 airmen. All pilots have been equiped with new helmets and pressure suits.
Nov. 1960: Nuclear missile capability to arrive. The new Aircraft Calibration building constructed - 5,000 square feet. This new building is included in the area cordoned off by Air Police and electronic eyes.
Jan 1, 1961: Squadron strength reaches 557; 47 officers, 507 airmen, 3 civilians.
Apr 1, 1961: [This quarterly report is missing from official records.]
June 1961: Lt Col. Edw. E. Smith is moved to NORAD Hq and Major George W. Wegman becomes temporary squadron commander. New pilot arrivals in the quarter were 1st Lts. Leslie C. Conwell, Thomas L. Gerken, Robert A. Pilcher, William C. Powell, and 2nd Lt. Jack Hawkins.
July 1, 1961: 482nd is transferred from the 32nd Air Division to the 26th Air Division. Squadron's alert commitment transferred to Homestead AFB because of the Cuban threat.
Aug 7, 1961: Lt. Col. Carl T. Weaver relieves Major Wegman as squadron commander.
Sept 1961: Five pilots left for European assignments in the 3rd (annual) quarter; 1st Lts. David C. Connett, Jose E. Stuntz, and James Smiley to Bitburg, Germany; and Nathan Pessah & Edwin Hubbard to Soesterberg Air Base, Holland.
Oct-Dec 1961: Alert Detachment #1 to Homestead AFB is confirmed as permanent. The new detachment, commanded by Major D. L. Weatherwax, will have nearly 60 permanently assigned support personnel. Six aircrew members to be rotated semi-monthly.
Dec 13, 1961: 40 officers & airmen sent TDY to Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, for 7 days to support six 482nd F-102s to be used for President Kennedy's escort to & from Columbia.
Dec 14, 1961: The six 482nd F-102s meet Air Force 1 & 2, incoming from Andrews AFB, 300 miles out and escort the President to Ramey AFB. Dec 15th: Flight to Columbia over the Caribbean sea. Dec 18th: Escorted the President's planes from Columbia to Ramey AFB, delaying only long enough to turn around, and then on to West Palm Beach, Florida.
Dec 31, 1961; Captain Robert H. Halgrim is promoted to Major.
Jan 1962: Detachment #1 moved from their temporary facilities at Miami International Airport to their new permanent facilities at Homestead AFB, Florida. The personnel roster for Detachment #1 is two officers and 48 airmen.
Feb 23, 1962: 56-1353 crashes and is destroyed. [NOTE: one of two 1962 crashes charged to the 482nd that are not verified. GCW]
March 1962: Major D. L. Weatherwax, commander of Detachment #1, is promoted to Lt. Colonel and also receives the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Sept 30, 1962: New pilots acquired in the previous 3rd quarter were Capt. Carl M. Engstrom, Capt. Peter D. O'Neill, Capt. George Goodwin, Capt. Don Wiedman (2nd tour), Capt. Richard Smith, 1Lt. Dallas R. Hanna, 1Lt. Daniel J. Sherlock, and 1Lt. Edward Britzius.
Oct 10, 1962: 57-0850 crashes and is destroyed. [NOTE: two of two 1962 crashes charged to the 482nd that are not verified...however, 850 was a 482nd bird. GCW]
Oct 18, 1962: Cuban Missile Crisis begins, some 482nd planes move to Florida.
Oct 20, 1962: A TDY is verbally ordered to Homestead AFB to support Project Southern Tip. [Data from the AF re the Cuban Missile Crisis is still classified and unavailable...the 482nd's history for this period is removed from the archival microfilm. However, 169 officers and airmen were awarded Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals.]
Nov 20, 1962: 57-0853 crashes and is destroyed. The pilot, Lt. Robert Zembraski, bails out safely after guiding the aircraft into the isolated area in the Cliffs of the Neuse State Park near Goldsboro. There were no ground casualties.
Dec 1962: 482nd's Homestead alert commitment terminated.
Jan 1963: Captains Carroll Hicks and Earl King are assigned to Perrin AFB, Texas.
Jan 8/10, 1963: Short but interesting TDY deployment to Loring AFB, Maine, of 60 men and 23 officers and 21 planes to support Operation Shock Wave. See photo.
Feb 14, 1963: 482nd re-assigned to Homestead AFB alert commitment. T/Sgt Dale F. Griffin was the maintenance NCOIC.
March 31, 1963: Eleven new pilots were assigned in the 1st quarter. They were Capt. William Morrison, Capt. Paul Davis, Capt. Kenneth Gero, Capt. Edward Fetherlin, Capt. Richard Schaumberg, Capt. Roger Wilson, 1Lt. Thomas Gibson, 1Lt. Joseph Bloyder, 1Lt. Girard Rose, 1Lt. Charles Simpson, and 1Lt Lamar Ulrey.
May 1, 1963: The reactivated Detachment #1 permanently ends at Homestead AFB after 75 days TDY.
June 13, 1963: 482nd's south Florida alert commitment was reborn and transferred to Key West Naval Air Station. Detachment #2 operates on the same two week rotation of pilots in three flights as used at Homestead.
June 30, 1963: Flight line "treehouse" built to house Maint. Control was determined to be "unsightly" and razed by a crew headed by T/Sgt Griffin. Squadron now has 56 officers, 480 enlisted, 26 F-102As, 3 T-33s, and 1 TF-102A.
July 1963: The treehouse was replaced by a flight line house trailer providing space for the Line Chief, NADAR, and the Pilot's Debriefing Section.
Sept 7, 1963: Lt. Col. Weaver is promoted to ADC HQ as Chief of the Interceptor Division. He is relieved as squadron commander by Lt. Col. George R. Halliwell.
Sept 1963: Major Rexford L. "Curly" Moore, late of the 482nd, was killed when his F-102 crashed immediately after takeoff at Goose Bay.
Nov 20, 1963: F-102 57-0816 landing at Key West NAS has drag chute problems, or pilot error, and rolls through the barriers into the water. Pilot ok. By the time equipment can be brought on site from Miami to remove the aircraft from the water, the salt has done irreparable damage and the aircraft is subsequently scrapped.
Jan 10, 1964: The 482nd detachment at Naval Air Station, Key West, became a PCS detachment. Major Herbert L. Sherrill is Detachment Commander, Capt. Oscar P. Dockery is the Maint. Officer, and M/Sgt James A. Jackson is the First Sgt. and maintenance NCOIC. The detachment has 60 PCS personnel.
Mar 31, 1964: Squadron has 57 officers, 512 airmen. 25 F-102As, 3 T-33s, and 1 TF-102A. New officers arriving in the previous 90 days were Major John L. Crown, and Captains Warren L. Crawford, James C. Doster, and James W. Dove. 1Lt. Dwight D. Miles was assigned to Elmendorf AFB, Alaska.
June 30, 1964: Squadron strength was at 643...56 officers and 586 airmen. 25 F-102As, 3 T-33s, and 1 TF-102A. Major Jack W. Ragsdale, Operations Officer, retired on the last day of the quarter after 20 years service; he was replaced by Major John L. Crown. In the quarter: Captain Richard T. Sims arrived; transferred were Capt. Robert Baker to Goose Bay, Capt. Samuel L. Ray to Stewart AFB, 1Lt. Thomas Flynn to Goose Bay, 1Lt. Daniel J. Sherlock to Clark AFB, and 1Lt. Robert F. Zembraski to Yakota AB. The maintenance TDY to Detachment 2 ended, all maintenance personnel at Key West now on PCS.
Sept 1964, Key Personnel:
Commander Lt. Col. George R. Halliwell
Operations Officer, Major John L. Crown
Chief of Maintenance, Major Auty O. Blanton
Training Officer, Capt. Kent H. Eckhart
"A" Flight Commander, Capt. Robert L. Cain
"B" Flight Commander, Capt. Carl M. Engstrom
"C" Flight Commander, Capt. Harry W. Ehmann
1964 Fall Quarter: After being nominated four years in a row, CMSgt Sam T. Webster was picked as the Air Defense Command's Outstanding Airman of the Year.
Feb 6, 1965: Captain Girard J. Rose dies in a sea crash south of Key West. Neither pilot or plane, 57-0874, are recovered. The bogie was a friendly US aircraft that had a mechanical problem and turned back to Florida rather than attempt a landing in Cuba. It was flying very low on a moonless night. Captain Rose told his wingman that he wanted to take a look underneath the airplane but never came back up.
June 30, 1965: Squadron has 52 officers and 547 airmen assigned. Planes: 24 F-102-A, 1 TF-102-A, 3 T-33, and 1 U3A.
June 30, 1965, Key Personnel:
Commander Lt. Col. George R. Halliwell
Operations Officer, Major John L. Crown
Chief of Maintenance, Major Auty O. Blanton
Training Officer, Capt. Kenneth W. Gero
"A" Flight Commander, Capt. Macy J. Giannini
"B" Flight Commander, Capt. Carl M. Engstrom
"C" Flight Commander, Capt. Robert L. Cain
Detachment 2, Commander, Lt. Col Herbert L. Sherrill
Detachment 2, Maintenance Officer, Capt. Oscar Paul Dockery
July 7, 1965: At Seymour Johnson, Lt. Richard C. Fairlamb experiences angle drive failure in 57-0862 on a low altitude intercept, resulting in complete engine failure with no chance of an airstart. Pilot ejects safely, plane crashes in woods near Rocky Mount, NC. [See newspaper account.]
July _, 1965: Major Auty O. Blanton relieves Lt Col. George R. Halliwell as squadron commander.
July 12, 1965: the MB-5 Flight Simulator is sent to the 158 FIS, Spokane, Wash.
July 31, 1965: 30 day TDY to Cherry Point MAS.
Aug 1, 1965: Key West alert duty is assumed by the 326th FIS (F-102) squadron at Richards-Gebaur AFB, Kansas City. All former 482nd Detachment 2 personnel, along with ground equipment, transferred this date to the 326th FIS and continued on station.
Aug 12, 1965: 15 planes are ferried to Burlington, Vt., ANG, from Cherry Point.
Aug 13, 1965: Newspapers report 482nd to disband in October. A few days later, pilots deliver 3 planes to SC ANG.
Aug 25, 1965: 1Lt. Richard C. Fairlamb was presented the Air Medal in a squadron ceremony for his participation in the Vietnam War. The citation was for meritorius achievement during aerial flight for the period Dec 19, 1964 - Feb 21, 1965. [Lt. Fairlamb, along with Major John L Crown, had been sent TDY to SE Asia on Dec 17, 1964 to April 16, 1965.]
Sept 1, 1965: The squadron's last plane, a T-33, is delivered to Selfridge AFB, Michigan.
Sept 1965: Airmen crate up and ship equipment. Personnel are reassigned. 18 officers and 370 airmen reached deactivation.
Oct 1, 1965: The 482nd is deactivated.