Can anyone tell me how to track an air traffic control trainee at Kessler in 1952 around Aug,sept,Oct. In he 3396 th student squadron f trainees
I m trying to track him..he was from new York I think.will appreciate an email as to how to get on the track of finding him
Abe

Arrived Keesler oct.58 left June 1959.assigned to 6927th rsm Onnapoint,Okinawa. April,1960 volunteered for a special operations mission.Sent to Bankok May,1960. The special missions unit consisted of 3 code,3 voice,and 3 Special munitions Specialist. Returned to 6927th mid july,1960. Mission was Top Secret Noforn.

I transferred from Lackland to Keesler in Nov 1960. Finished basic training at Keesler with half days for 13 weeks. First assignment after tech school was 6984th RSM, Shemya AFS, Alaska. Stationed there from july 1961 until july 1962. Made the trip out and back in a C-124 “Old Shakey”. Took 7.5 hrs out and 7 hrs back. Still miss the code……Bill

Was in AF for almost 24 years, retired Feb 1, 1972. 85 years old, two assignments USAFSS. Chicksands and Shemya. Five trips to Keesler as instructor, including Course Supervisor in the new AN/FLR-9 system, with factory training given by Sylvania. I recognize several names in your comments, and could have been one of your instrutors at Keesler, or served along side you. At Chicksands I was in TRANSEC, and also NCOIC of Mission Control. At Shemya I was a Mission Supervisor. I was closest to Bill Meadows, Sandy Brewington, The base firechief Cunningham, Chief Barr, and some others this 85, almost 86 year old can,t remember. USAFSS was such a vital mission to our country, and God was so good to us all. Blessings to you. My AF time was June 15, 1948 to Jan 31, 1972.

Trying to get information on my MIO class number. Phased ahead in the 14 week course, didn’t take leave between phases and graduated 10 Feb 1965. Assigned to 6918th SS Hakata Japan reporting in March 1965. Left Japan in Oct 1966 to Kelly AFB. Left Kelly in Oct 1967 to 6924th SS in DaNang ROVN. Separated after 4 years in June 1968. I don’t remember any of the guys I served with at Keesler nor Vietnam. If anyone remembers me, please help fill in the gaps. Thanks. Went by the name of “Bill”

Went thru R/O school 32 weeks, Scott AFB Jun 48 and was in the first class 06168-R with guys assigned to the USAFSS. Washed back two weeks to class 06308 and graduated 15FE49. 2 buddies from first class and 5 from 2nd class went to 2ndRSM, Darmstadt GE, April 49. 3 of us R/O’s were sent/loanded to the Berlin Airlift till July 49 and then to the 2nd. Two survivors out of 7 still alive. All other C/W guys in the 2nd were xfers from the Army ASA. 34 great months in the 2nd, returned to Brooks and then on to Keesler April 52 as instructor, hanger 4, Receivers and Freq Meter class. Took a COG to reenlist and get out of town quickly and sent to 29th RSM, Clark. Clearance arrived and sent to Detachment up on Yontan Okinawa April 54. May 55 we became 6927th Sec Flt. lived on Kadena, worked on Yontan Afld. For me it was much better than Clark. Got a consec back to 6911th Darmstadt OC55. Married 1957 to local, lost need to know, went to Ramstein and out of AFSS into AACS/AFCS til 1975.
Darmstadt in the 49-52 era was the best of the best assignments. We still get together to remember those days

As others have stated, after all these years, I can still remember the ditty dots and dashes. Arrived at Keesler in Jan. 1965 until April 65. Graduating class 13015, April 20, 1965.Remember some good times crushing Biloxi and Gulfport in my ’58 Chevy convertible with pal Bob Stafford of Meadville, Penn. (wish I could remember some of the others). From there silent 18 months Karamusel, Turkey. Finished up at Plattsburg, N.Y., managing the base hotel. Any info from others for these times would be appreciated.

Gene A. Swain, SR. I think we were both on A Shift in 1961 at Keesler. I arrived in July and graduated late December. Arrived 6980RSM in April ’62 and left February ’63. Finished at SAC Hdq, Offutt AFB, NE. Got out in June 1965.

I was at Keesler July 1972 thru February 1973. No I did not pass the school. I went on to imagery Interpretation school at Lowery AFB where I went on to serve the Intelligence Community at Wright Patterson AFB. Turned out that I had a hearing problem after leaving that school especially in complex jamming environments. How many of you Ditty Boppers wear hearing aids now? Or were tested before school or on discharge for hearing damage from the dittys?

My dad was also in the Berlin airlift and taught radar on KAFB around 52, 53, 54 55. His name was Robert Robinson.

Did my ditty-bop schooling at Keesler from around March 1971 into August 1971, then was sent to the 6993rd at Lackland, transformed to the 6948th Mobile when they came to Lackland until the end of 1975 when I was able to get into “Procurement” (changed to “Contracting” around 1978).
Mainly worked Russian, some Chinese and Pakistani.
It was good that you didn’t have any work to take home; not like Contracting!

Anyone in RIO class 20104, October 10, 1954.

My Dad is Robert Schnick. He attended Radio Ops from 1/53-8/53. He was there again from 1964-1966. I was born there in 1965. I’m looking for pictures for my Dad’s autobiography…I want to surprise him with some good pics. Also, if any of you knew him, I think he would get a kick out of reuniting.

I arrived at Keesler in Feb, 1964 and graduated from morse intercept operator (ditty bop) school on May 12, 1964 (Class 05024). I was recently looking at a class photo, but I could not put names with faces since we tended to call each other by our last names. Since our school did not start when we arrived, we had 2 very brutal weeks of 18-yr/day KP to pull. There’s nothing like 2 weeks of KP to really screw up a pair of brogans. I was never so happy to begin hearing the dot,dot,dit,dit, ditty dot dot. Following graduation I was sent to Clark AFB in the Philippines for 18 months. Then I got stationed in a small detachment at the Orlando AFB in Orlando FL. I had to ask my CO, “where’s Orlando?” He didn’t know either but thought it was somewhere in the middle of the state. After finishing college In Michigan I ended up returning to the Orlando Area where I briefly taught in High School (accounting, typing, etc.) and then went on to become a healthcare administrator. The typing class at Keesler helped a great deal when I had to compete with secretarial students to qualify as a business teacher. I managed to get to 80 wpm thanks to having done a great deal of typing in the Air Force. I have lived in the Orlando Area most of my adult life. I have fond memories of my days at Keesler in spite of living in those old WWII barracks with no air conditioning during some of the summer months. They were rustic but very easy to GI. I would really like to hear from some of the guys I spent my time with in Biloxi. By the way, they say morse code comes back to you, but at present I cannot remember a single character. Perhaps I’m trying to forget something that I did not enjoy very much. I often wonder what a refresher course would do for me.

I was class of 09/22/62, and as I recall, there were two weeks KP built into my “26 week” course. I went to Karamursel AB Turkey from there for an 18 month tour, but was curtailed after 15 months to repost me to Key West FL. the old 6947th Security Squadron. as I recall, our squadron strength was about 330, in a town of several thousand navy guys. in fact our barracks was on the old Key West Navy Station, but we were scheduled to be moved to barracks on Boca Chica at the time of my Discharge, 14 January, 1966.

Spent June of 1959 at Elmandorf AFB then 11 months 8 days on St. Lawrence Island, with “Bucky” the “lonesome” reindeer. Left SLI June of 1960 for month leave then to Kelly Security in San Antonio.

Played on Kelly’s championship football team in 1961.

Great times at the USO in San Antonio.

Still copy some code during storms when “hams” are operating.

Arrived at Keesler Jan. 1965 and graduated in April, Class 13015. Remember classmate Bob Stafford from Meadville, Pa. Good times cruising the coast. In my 58 red Chevy Impala convertible. Remember the “dream sheet” where you got to pick where you’d like to get stationed. Picked Scotland, Germany and got sent to Karamusel, Turkey. Go figure!

Arrived at Keesler in Nov, 1959 and left in July 1960. My roommate was Steve Caldwell a red rope. Went to Bremerhaven, Germany and then on to Taiwan on the 3-D program. Discharged at Travis AFB in October 1963

I was at Keesler in 1969. I was there for hurricane camile. Interested in hearing from anyone that was there doing search & rescue operations. Please email at [email protected]

Thanks Scott i will always tell peolpe that i am not deserving of my wife, but before i went into the military, i was tired of running the streets and told God i would change if he gave me a wife and i will go where he would send me i went many places and the reason why me and my wife are together is because of Him. Her address at the time she came into the Air force was 512 s 52nd st .my birth day is 5 -22-52. To me numbers always have certain meaning. They say God’s number is seven, why i use to ask am i so close and so spiritual in nature. look at the 5 s and 2 s in my birthday 5 and two add to seven his hand has always been upon my life ! A wonderful thing because i got to meet you and have you as a friend!

SPENT FOUR YRS IN AF… KEESLER, PESHAWAR PAKISTAN, KELLY IN SAN ANTONIO.. DITTY BOPPER… I WONDER HOW MANY RADIO OPERATORS, AND DITTY BOPPERS TODAY… HAVE HEARING LOSS, WHICH I DO, BUT ALSO HAVE TINNITIS.. WHICH I DO , AND IT IS REALLY BAD.. I SEE TONS OF US HAVE A VARIETY OF HEARING PROBLEMS,,, HOW ABOUT SOME COMMENT

Ditty-Bopper from Jan ’71 to Jan ’76, then rest of career in Procurement, which became Contracting.
Yes. Hearing loss. The Russians had a habit of sending blasts of sound, from which, if you had both earphones centered on your ears could cause a burst eardrum. Happened to me once. Never kept the on the ears after. Partway for one, just off on the other. Retirement physical, hearing loss denied.

Keesler February to October 1962, ditty Bop. Assigned Turkey and Key West Florida . Tuslog Det 94 and 6947 SS. Discharged in 1966. Now have a serious case of tinnitis, but it just came on about 40 years later, so I’d never connected it with my ditty Bop career until you mentioned it

Was with DET4 1141st Spactron
at Naples from Sept 57 thru
Aug 1960.

Arrived at Keesler August 1950. Trained with class 08290 graduating Mar 1951 then to Intercept class 03131.Spent year on Adak and some months on Greenland Icecap. Loved being a radio op. When got out, not much demand for our specialty. Went to and graduated from University of Kansas in 1958.

AFSC 29351 1956
I was a 17 year old kid who was already an amateur radio operator. My code speed immediately got up to 35 WPM. They suggested that I take a by pass specialist test and phase up to another class. I did the six month interceptor class in three months. Worst thing to do. At graduation, everyone was promoted to E3 except me, I didn’t have time in grade. I stayed an E2 for two years because the Air Force kept sending me to different bases. You have to be in a squadron for 90 days to be allegeable for promotion. Conclusion, don’t skip ahead in class, it does not work in the AF. My father entered the Navy as a second class because he had a profession. They don’t care about that these days.

I ran into a 1965-66 SSgt named Buzz Frederickson who served at the 6927th and was aisle supervisor of Aisle 2. He thought he had been on Dog Flight.
I do not remember him on Dog Flight as our aisle 2 supervisors were Wayne Manke then Charles Brooks. I asked Paul Carson of Baker flight and he named a different supervisor. My Charlie Flight contact has finished his assignment here on earth so I can not ask him. I have no Able Flight contact. Please help to to help Buzz remember which flight he was on.

Stanley Strope, I was 6927 D flight 66-67. I do remember sgt brooks.

Johnny, I think you got there after I left or maybe even a short time before I left. Part of my fading memory says I want to remember crossing paths with you but I just can not remember. I was one of the guys on the left, near the exit from the aisle, as you were leaving the section. Percy Dorsey sat the rack beside me. Lt Jon Smith was the flight commander. He and I established a mutual respect. Sgt Brooks and I established a mutual respect. I kind of hated to leave Onna Point but I wanted/needed to go home so very badly.

Looking for anyone with information on the Intercept operator Special Course 77091 in 1952. My Dad was in the class and I’d like to see if anyone is still around from his year.

Class 07012-A 3385 STD. SQD. BARRACKS 6

Would like to contact Don Pell who left his comments above. He was in class 05024 at Keesler in February 1964 and I may have been in that class also. I don’t have a class picture but he does. Thanks.

Class 21087 (Aug ’57 to Feb ’58) at Keesler when Radio Intercept Operators had AFSC 29331. Went to 6938th RSM Wheelus AB, Tripoli, Libya for 18 months and then concurrent to 6950th RGM, RAF Chicksands, England for 14 months. Discharged but re-enlisted in 1961 and went to 6913th RSM, Bremerhaven, West Germany. Married a German girl, which ended my USAFSS career.

I was at Keesler late 65 early 66 and was on Okinawa 66-67 6927 D flight. I remember Lt Jon Smith and SSgt Brooks(might have been TSgt). was at San Antonio 67-69. Got orders to go to Viet Nam and went through some classes but ran out of time. USAF offered me re enlist and go to Nam or get out now which was 6 months early!! Didn’t like the idea of C47’s over N Vietnam so took the let me out now option!! Wish I had been smart enough to try to get job with NSA but I was too focused on college!!