I was born on Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth in July of 1952, my mom and dad (Manuel C Hernandez Sr. of San Antonio TX.) had met at Westover Field, Maryland in 1949. My Dad went in in 1942 (army air corp) and travelled the world as a maintence crew chief during the second world war. He was transferred to Biggs from Carswell in 1953 to work mainly on the B-36 Bomber, but was a master mechanic and worked on anything with hydraulics and an engine! My brother was born at Beaumont Army Hosp. in 1955, as my mom told it 'because Biggs Hosp. wasn't equipped for a caesarian surgery'. And then in September of 1957 he was transferred to Ellsworth AFB outside of Rapid City, South Dakota.
He was a Staff/SGT, a Crew Chief (hydraulics specialist) with the 28th Field Maintenance. We used to have a 1954 Biggs AFB yearbook and I recognized the photos from that album, I used to look at it a lot as a very young child.
One of my most vivid memories was of my mom and me going to meet my dad coming back from a TDY to Guam, it was before my brother's birth so... I remember seeing a Navy Blimp Moored by a hanger. And then in the fall of 1956 hearing a really loud explosion one morning and then seeing the picture in the paper of a C-124 that had crashed into a trailer park.
It is 2007, my dad went to Ellsworth in 1957 to work on the B-52's, in 1987 I watched the last B-52 do a flyover and wing-tilt wave 'goodbye over Rapid City SD. I left Rapid in July of 1987. I am going to be 55 this year, and it has been on me for some time to go visit El Paso again. This morning I got up and decided to do a search on Biggs AFB, and found your site. I want to say thank you. I am going to go this year to visit El Paso. Guess I have something to find.
Again Thank you, and if you ever get a chance if you have the 1954 yearbook handy, look my dad's picture up would you, he is in two or three places, one is in the hydraulics shop another on an engine of a B-36.
Respectfully yours,
Manuel Colunga-Hernandez (jr)
of Rural Deer River MN
I SERVED AT BIGGS AFB IN THE 1900TH AACS SQ.( B-25)
1948. ALSO THE 341st BOMB SQ.97th BOMB WING UNTIL
TRANSFERRED TO THE 321st AIR REFUELING SQ. AT WACHITA
FALLS TX.
I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANY ONE WHO WERE THERE
DURING THOSE YEARS.ESPECIALY MY CREWMEMBERS (AIR OR GROUND) ALSO WISH TO KNOW IF ANYONE
KNOWS HOW I COULD OBTAIN THE YEARBOOK PRINTED IN
1954. I WAS TRANSFERED BEFORE IT CAME OUT & NEVER
RECIEVED A COPY??? THANKS WCB!!!
WILLIAM
I,TOO,WAS AT BIGGS FROM FEB,1950 THRU NOV,1952.I WAS IN THE 340TH BOMB SQUADRON,FIRST AS AN A&E MECHANIC ON A B 29 AND LATER A B 50D.I WAS DISCHARGED IN NOV 1952 AS A CREW CHIEF WITH THE RANK OF S/SGT.I TOOK PART IN THE TDY TO SCULTHORPE AIR BASE IN ENGLAND IN 1950/51.LATER IN 1952 THE TDY TO LAKENHEATH AIR BASE,ALSO IN ENGLAND.LOOKING BACK,I WISH I COULD RECALL THE AIRCRAFT NUMBERS AND AIRCRAFT COMMANDERS BUT AT THE TIME IT DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT.IT WAS A GREAT TIME TO SERVE AND I WOULD NOT TRADE THE EXPERIENCE.
My name is John Cutler and I am the grandson of Cap. Cecil J. Harms. He was with the 341BS 97BW from 3/6/1953-7/31/1953 Pilot kb-50. He was also 97ARS 97BW from 5/16/1950-3/5/1953 Pilot kb-29. I am looking for any information on his crew or anything about the sq. My mother remembers him flying in from England 6/6/52. Did the Sq. ever refuil any combat missions.
