Cold War pilots have reunion at Luke

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stephen Delgado
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Close to 40 pilots stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, from 1960 to 1966 met Monday at Luke for their fifth biennial reunion. The day at Luke capped off the event, which commenced Sept. 27 at the Wigwam Resort. Most of the attending pilots were Luke graduates, and all were Air Force pilots who served together at the height of the Cold War. 

Berlin had been divided into an east and west sector since the end of World War II. East Berlin was under control of the Soviet Union and West Berlin under the control of the United States, Great Britain and France. This part of the world had been a hotbed of international tension since the late 1940s and was the start of the Cold War. Soviet Premier, Josef Stalin, had his plan of shutting off West Berlin to the West thwarted because of the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49. 

Nearly a half century ago, tensions were so bad in Germany that the Cold War almost turned hot. The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 and led to what historians refer to as the Berlin crisis. The tension peaked in the summer of 1961. While leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States argued, Air Force and Air National Guard pilots were part of a huge military apparatus that were there to protect Western Europe and subsequently the free world. 

These pilots flew F-100s, F-100Cs, F-102s and F-104s and were from the 417th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron/86th Air Division and the 53rd TFS, as well two Air National Guard units. The Guard units were the 162nd Fighter Group, Arizona ANG and the 134th FG, Tennessee ANG. Both units flew F-104A jets, according to Capt. Travis Ruhl, 309th FS B-Flight commander and co-coordinator of this event. 

One of the highlights of the reunion was the attendance of retired Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen. Richard Myers and retired Strategic Air Command Commander, Gen. John Chain Jr. Both generals were attached to the 417th TFS in the 1960s. 

"I was privileged to be a member of the 417th TFS from 1960 to 1963," said Retired Air Force Col. Walt Harrison, one of the reunion coordinators. "I felt this way because in the remaining 22 years of my career, I was never assigned to a fighter squadron with that many talented people and great esprit de corps." 

Colonel Harrison recalled that a pilot had to be ready to go to war at a moment's notice. 

"At the height of the Berlin crisis, the pilots slept in their flight and G-suits because when the call came, we had to be in our aircraft as quickly as possible," he said. "It was an incredibly tense time, and we knew our mission was the defense of Western Europe."
As with most reunions, there were opportunities for people who shared similar experiences to catch up with each other's lives. The retired pilots were also able to catch up with changes in military aviation. 

"We wanted the pilots to see how flying has changed," Captain Ruhl said. "They had the opportunity to see an Air Combat Training System demonstration, as well as a Network Training Center simulator tour and demonstration. It was an opportunity for the pilots to see how an F-16 performs. 

"When the tour was completed, they went to the 309th FS for an F-16 capabilities briefing and current war-fighting experience presentation. We wanted them to know how much the Luke community appreciates what they did for our country." 

This reunion was the first one in Arizona. The previous reunions were in San Diego, Washington and Colorado Springs, Colo., according to Colonel Harrison. 

"In later years, we found that having a reunion comprised of this unique group was more satisfying than individual wing reunions," he said. "We were part of a historic and volatile time."