2025-5 newsletter without side i : simplebooklet.com

IEW Newsletter 2 Upcoming IEW Activities May 10 V-E Day Hangar Day Staff Meeting May 14 Monthly Dinner Meeting May 17 Torrance Armed Forces Flyover May 26 Freedom Committee Flyover S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Federal Holidays are marked as May 2025 5.8.1945: The most significant event of WWII was during May of 1945 with Germany's unconditional sur-render to the Allies, marking the end of the war in Europe. This surrender, formally accepted on May 8, 1945, is celebrated as Victory in Europe Day or V-E Day. May 2025 5.4 Phil Decker 5.6 Carl Scholl 5.8 Tom Dix 5.11 Dave Pavey 5.14 Kathy Fernandez 5.21 Ed Cleveland 5.21 Donnie Wilson 5.22 Fred Tedesco 5.25 Jeanine Dix Colonels, we really would like to wish you a Happy Birthday on your special day. PLEASE let the editor know the date so you are not left out. Aviation 1sts 5.27.1920 The first Lewis & Vought VE-7 (Vought Experimental No.7) is delivered to the U.S. Navy. 5.6.1935 The U.S. Commerce Dept. announces in Washington, D.C. that blind-landing radio equipment developed by a U.S. Army Air Corps team under Capt. Hegenberger is to be installed at all major airports be-tween New York and Los Angeles. 5.1.1963 Jacqueline Cochran takes off from Ed-wards Air Force Base, Cali. to set a 62-mile closed-circuit world speed record for women of 1,203.7 mph in a Lockheed F-104 “Starfighter.”  S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Federal Holidays are marked as S M T W Th F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 June 2025 July 2025 June 7 Hangar Day Staff Meeting June 11 Monthly Dinner Meeting July 9 Monthly Dinner Meeting July 12 Date changed due to Federal Holiday Hangar Day Staff Meeting

Page 3

IEW Newsletter 3 I’m not sure if you’ve noticed my repeating pattern in the newsletters, but I’m always trying to get our 80ish IEW members involved in our Wing activities. I feel that it’s my responsibility to provide opportunities to fulfill our mission of “Inspire - Educate - Honor” by participating in air shows, flyovers, rides, tours, projects around the hangar, commit-tees, officer positions - both elected and appointed, etc. Coming up in the next few months are: May 3 & 4: Paid Rides at Chino with the Planes of Fame Museum to com-memorate VE-Day: We are going to need members to help with the PX-Lite (please contact Brandy Stone - our new PX-Lite Officer) at cafiewpio@gmail.com to volunteer. May 17: Torrance Armed Forces Day flyover: This will be an hour or so flight depart-ing Riverside with a flyover at Torrance then returning home. Please contact me at craig.omara747@gmail.com to help out. May 26: Orange County Freedom Day flyover: We’ll be flying over at least three cemeteries in Orange County and will be able to take about 16 Wing members in the Doll. May 31: Paid Rides at Riverside in the Doll and, hopefully, the T-6. We’ll need help checking our riders in, help with potential tours of the museum by our riders. Again contact me for de-tails. June TBD: This is one of my favorite events. We’ll be providing rides to adolescent cancer pa-tients from Orange County CHOC. We’re still waiting for a date for this event and I’ll get it out as soon as we find out. This is just a partial list of events, with many more to come. With all of this activity we’re going to need help in many areas. In the last Wing Staff meeting minutes recap Shirley, so graciously, sent out a list of all of our activities for the year. We’ve had a couple of staff changes in the last couple of weeks which provides a comprehensive list of who’s responsible for what activity. Rather than clutter up Shirley’s world class newsletter, I’m not going to list everyone here. But, I’ve started a “bulletin board” in the Wing office and the list is there (as well as our future activities and the Wing’s short and long term goals). If you have an interest in getting involved with any of our various committees/projects/etc., please stop by the Wing office and look to your right after you enter, see what piques your interest and call the person in charge. Thank you very much for making the Inland Empire Wing one of the top three Wings in the national CAF - it’s ALL because of YOU! In land Empire Wing Oppor tunitie s Craig O’Mara Wing Leader May 2025 Craig

Page 4

IEW Newsletter 4 March ARB Air Show C-53 Commemoration Plaque and Service Recognition As part of the IEW’s C-53, D-Day Doll 80th Birthday celebra-tion, we created a Commemora-tion Plaque to be displayed in the museum. The plaque will recognize those individuals who have served in some capacity in any branch of the U.S. military. The honoree does not have to have seen war time action. Small plates fastened to the larger plaque are still available at $80.00 each. For an application contact David Malmad at dmal-mad613@gmail.com.  PX-Lite has a wide variety of memorabilia for WW-II and airplane enthusiasts. Stop in the Museum or have purchases shipped to you. Call Brandy Stone to order 951.892.2349. Newsletter Deadline Members and friends interested in submitting articles/pictures/tidbits of information for the newsletter, please e-mail them to Shirley Kerr: starsprt@earthlink.net by Sat, April 12th for the May 2025 newsletter. Timely articles as well as articles of interest are welcome at any time. The newsletter is a “work in progress”. Your “guest writer” articles are appreciated as soon as you have them available. Filler stories will be placed in the newsletter as needed. Your input helps to create an in-teresting and educational newsletter.  To access the CAF-IEW YouTube Channel, type: “Inland Empire Wing” into the YouTube search window. Info call Col. Phil Decker 619.573.7768 Book: Mission Accomplished The D-Day Doll’s 2019 trip to Normandy for the 75th Anniversary is recounted in a book “Mission Accomplished”. Available on Amazon. Author is IEW’s Chief Pilot Steve Rose  Cover Photo Top two pictures are jumpers ready for duty. Bottom pictures is: Dave Mihelich, Mike Lindgren, Steve Rose, two Air Force Academy Skydivers holding an autographed letho-poster and Co-Pilot Jonathan Aronoff posing with the Air Canada jump team. Cover by editor.  May 2025 Operational IEW Fleet Status D-Day Doll Up and Operational L-4 Up and Operational T-6 Annual inspection Completed PT-22 Display Only Staff Car Up and Operational Ford Truck Up and Operational Jeep Up and Operational CAF Inland Empire Wing The Inland Empire Wing (IEW) is a wing of the Commemo-rative Air Force. Its hangar is located in Hanger "S" on 6936 Flight Road at the Riverside Municipal Airport in Riverside, California. The IEW's hangar and WWII museum currently display a T-6 Harvard II, an L-4 “Scout”, a PT-22, and our C-53 “Sky Trooper”, the “D-Day Doll”. The IEW is a purely volunteer-driven organization. The mem-bers and volunteers dedicate their efforts to a variety of local projects, such as the maintenance and restoration of WW-II aircraft, memorial flights at special events, contribution of museum displays to educate the public, and providing support and a presence at SoCal air shows.  Book a Flights in a Warbird C-53 D-Day Doll or the T-6. Pilots trained in this plane during WW-II. https://www.inlandempirecaf.com/book-a-flight Info: Gary Stark 951.443.1000 Inland Empire Wing is Now on Instagram Handle: CAF_IEW_Riverside https://www.instagram.com/inland_empire_wing_caf/ Visit us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id= 100063598572247 IEW Website https://www.inlandempirecaf.com/  IEW Opportunities  Happy Birthday US Air Force A Vet Celebrates V-E Day Ready 4 Duty Volume 35 No. 4 May 2025 Educate * Inspire * Honor In This Issue Thank You Photographers Photographers: Brandy Stone, Chris Clarke, James Stone, Linda Lindgren, Pat McCollam, Tom O’Keefe and Editor

Page 5

IEW Newsletter 5 IEW Newsletter May 2025 I Happy Birthday U.S. Army Since its official establishment, June 14, 1775 — more than a year before the Decla-ration of Independence — the U.S. Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of the American nation. Drawing on both long-standing militia tra-ditions and recently introduced profes-sional standards, it won the new republic's independence in an arduous eight-year struggle against Great Britain. At times, the Army provided the lone symbol of nation-hood around which patriots rallied. The U.S. Army's birthday is June 14th, marking the day in 1775 when the Conti-nental Congress authorized the enlistment of riflemen, effectively establishing the Continental Army. This date is now cele-brated annually as the U.S. Army's birth-day.  IEW Future Events Craig’s comments in his article on page 3 started my brain working on why not have ALL events listed in the newslet-ter each month. What better place to get info. Yes, every-thing is on the calendar on page 2, but maybe like me, you need to look in the dis-tant future for dates to work in your sched-ule. Or you just need to look up a date. Use it any way it is helpful for you. This list is just a QUICK look through to find events you or your family might want to attend or volunteer for. 4.12-13 March ARB Air Show DOLL Flights, PX-Lite 4.25-26 FLABOB 100th PAID Rides, L-42 5.3-4 VE-Day at Chino DOLL PAID RIDES 5.5-16 DOLL PHASE CHECK 5.17 Torrance Flyovers DOLL, T-6 5.26 Orange County Freedom Day Flyover DOLL 5.31 Riverside PAID RIDES DOLL 6.TBD Adolescent Cancer ride DOLL 7.19 PAID RIDES DOLL, T-6, PX-Lite 8.16-17 Camarillo Air Show DOLL, PX-Lite 8.TBD DOLL Phase check 9.6 VJ-Day DOLL, T-6 PAID RIDES, Exhibit Veteran Appreciation Day [Shirley Kerr] 9.13 Cable Airport DOLL Static, T-6 PAID 9.26-28 Miramar Air Show. Needs to be confirmed. 10.11 Apple Valley Air Show DOLL, PX-Lite 10.18 PAID RIDES 11.8 FLABOB Veterans day DOLL STATIC, T-6 12.5-6,12-13,19-20 Christmas flights DOLL, PX-Lite As dates/events change, be sure to double check the info: http://inlandempirecaf.com OR call the person in charge of the event OR stop by the Wing and check the calendar in the office OR call 951.354-7954 between 10 am and 2 pm and ask the docent on duty to check the wall cal-endar for you. COLONELS: This editor depends on the lead per-son of the event for up-to-date info. Any suggestions on how this might work better for you, colonels, give the editor a call. 

Page 6

IEW Newsletter 6 IEW Newsletter May 2025 A GI Celebrates VE Day! V-E DAY Continued on page 7 Here is a transcription of a short note that a GI named Pvt. Paul B. Segal wrote to a friend back in the U.S. He was stationed in Germany and was attached to the 57th Chemical Company with the 9th US Army. “Dear Charles---This is V-E Day and the day I’ve been working – waiting & sweating for a long time. I hope the final victory is only a short distance in the near future.” What Pvt. Segal wrote was felt by millions of men overseas and ultimately, the final vic-tory came three months later to the relief of everyone. The note was mailed in a patri-otic envelope with two “Win the War” post-age stamps to pay for the airmail rate of six cents. Ordinary mail could be sent for free by servicemen, but many opted to pay for airmail so as to get the mail home faster. During the war, envelopes depicting pa-triotic illustrations and slogans were very popular for boosting morale and Col. Chris Clarke Museum Curator were utilized, and even collected, by thousands of people. I have also included with this article two other patriotic envelopes postmarked May 7 and 8, 1945 that highlight VE-Day. One, which is postmarked “Berlin, Pennsyl-vania”, has a dramatic image of someone breaking the chains of Nazi slavery with the decapitated head of the German military ‘snake’ crawling behind a crumbling swas-tika which is impaled by the flags of the three major Allies, The U.S., Great Britain and the Soviet Union, who collectively brought about the destruction of the Nazi regime. The other envelope features the Chief of the U.S. Army Air Forces, H.H. “Hap” Arnold along with a Navy hand cancel featuring “Right & Might”. Faintly visible in the cor-ner is a patriotic rubber stamp with a car-toon sailor saying, “Sailor’s Mail FREE—Keep Me Smiling Write Today—BUY WAR BONDS”. It also features a “Passed By Naval Censor” stamp, indicating that it was posted overseas where mail had to be reviewed and passed by a censor. The two envelopes were

Page 7

IEW Newsletter 7 A New Addition to the Museum IEW Newsletter May 2025 Chris If you haven’t been in the Museum lately, you should be aware of a new exhibit. It’s rather large and unusual, but fits our mis-sion nicely! It is a large conference table made out of two large aileron sections from a Fairchild C-119 “Flying Boxcar”. The C-119 transport was built and used after WWII to carry cargo and paratroopers, much like our C-47s and C-53s, except that it was a much larger aircraft. At a glance it resembles an oversized, overinflated P-38 Lightning! These served throughout the Korean War and by the 1960s were largely replaced by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Though mostly obsolete at the time, the “Flying Box-car” even served in Vietnam as a gunship! The piece had originally been located in the airport’s meeting room that was now being used for storage by the Riverside Airport Cafe. It was thought that it might fit nicely in our museum and we looked at it and de-cided to move it on over to our Wing. It is truly a piece of art! It shows the inter-nal structure of two ailerons placed side by side, with the interior aluminum “skin” beautifully polished with a series of brushed concentric circles placed edge to edge, making a striking pattern. The top itself is a piece of half-inch thick plate glass that adds a sparkling, mirror-like surface to the interior of the table. It took six men to bring over the table in three sections, the glass top, ailerons and legs and we had just the spot to place--along the west wall was a place where it just fit nicely, almost as if by design. Be sure to check it out the next time you’re here!  intended as souvenirs and actually were not addressed to anyone. These envelopes evoke much nostalgia today as we look back at how everyone, both civil-ian and the military, worked and sacrificed so much to end a brutal chapter in world his-tory. The intense jubilation that attended the fall of Nazi Germany, and later Imperial Ja-pan, was one that everyone at the time cele-brated. It should be well remembered and celebrated even 80 years later. V-E DAY Continued from page 6

Page 8

IEW Newsletter 8 IEW Newsletter May 2025 Pathfinder David Hamilton Has Gone West at 102 The last surviving D-Day Pathfinder Pilot from WW-II passed away Jan 5, 2025 at the age of 102. As a young C-47 pilot in England during the war, David was selected to be trained to drop special-ized paratroopers, called “Path Finders”, that were to secure landing zones for the main para-trooper force that were to be dropped behind enemy lines. This was “Operation Neptune”, the airborne part of “Operation Overlord”, D-Day. David was a good friend of the Inland Empire Wing and the D-Day Doll. We first met David in the fall of 2018 at the Wings Over Dallas Airshow. He had a handler named Kay who was escorting him around to all the events at the show. She introduced us and explained how David lived in Prescott, AZ and that we would be seeing a lot of him during 2019 as we participated in the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The “D-Day Squadron”, which was the name of the American aircraft contingent for the D-Day anniversary, gathered in Oxford, CT for training before heading overseas. The first official act of the squadron was to fly down the Hudson River and around the Statue of Liberty. David Hamilton was one of our hon-ored guests aboard the D-Day Doll during that event. In England, we had the honor of doing a flyover of David at his old airbase at North Witham, while he waved his cap at us from his jeep below (picture right). In the fall after our return from Europe, we participated in an air show in Prescott, AZ where David was the Grand Marshall. We had the honor of David Hamilton visiting us last year to film aboard the Doll for the Smithsonian TV channel. Those from the wing who knew David felt that when he passed, we would like to honor him with a flyover of his memorial service. That time came this year. The crew of Ben Clerx, Mike and Linda Lindgren, and myself flew down to the Arizona National Cemetery and performed the flyover. We then flew to Pres-cott, AZ to attend the Celebration of Life at a local VFW before returning home. One more of our WW-II heroes is gone. These brave men and women are passing away and it’s our job to make sure their memories are not forgotten. I will miss David Hamilton, WW-II Pathfinder Pilot. Steve Rose’s Story Guest, Steve Rose, Ben Clerx, Mike Lindgren [P Linda Lindgren]

Page 9

Page 10

IEW Newsletter 10 IEW Newsletter May 2025 ROSIE Continued on page 11 Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, a favorite of hers. “We are celebrating a woman who embodies his-tory,” said Laura Mitchell, the executive director of the museum and the vice president of pro-grams at the San Diego History Center. In her 103 years, Tidmore has witnessed and been a part of key moments in U.S. history. She became a Rosie in 1943 after a few years of college at the University of Iowa — including a stint at nursing school, which wasn’t for her. As a Rosie, Tidmore was assigned to help build B-26 airplane wings for the war effort at a manu-facturer in Rockford before she decided to enlist in the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve. There, she became one of about 23,000 women who served in the Marines during WW-II and took on jobs such as mechanics, clerks and aerial gunnery instructors. For Tidmore’s part, she served as a driver, trans-porting military officers from the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia to Washington, D.C. Later, she drove a garbage truck around Quantico — a job she especially loved. Tidmore’s eyes light up when she talks about driving, and how much she loves it. “I don’t know why, but I do, and I’ve driven all over the U.S.,” she says. It wasn’t easy work, though. She even temporarily had her driver’s license suspended after she crossed an intersection in her garbage truck in front of a general’s marked car. And at times she faced discrimination as a woman. She described in the “Trailblazing Women” episode that, while working in San Diego, she was refused food and drinks by the Red Cross, which was providing support to mili-tary personnel during the war. “It’s not a piece of cake to come into the Marine Corps,” Jim Gruny, the community liaison officer for Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, told the audience Tuesday. “In 1944, when you were female, it was almost unheard of.” Tidmore was discharged in August 1946, after attaining the rank of sergeant, and went on to work for United Airlines as a flight attendant. She was assigned to help build B-26 airplane wings for the war effort in Illinois before she de-cided to enlist in the Ma-rine Corps Women’s Re-serve. Roberta “Randy” Tid-more was waiting at a bus terminal in Chi-cago more than 80 years ago on her way back to Rockford, Illinois, when a group of hand-some young men in the U.S. Marine Corps walked past. For the 21-year-old, then serving in Rockford as a Rosie the Riveter — one of thousands of women who worked in factories and shipyards during World War II to support the U.S. war effort — it was the push she needed to join the Marines her-self. “They looked so nice, and I thought, ‘Gee, that looks good,’” Tidmore told The San Diego Union-Tribune with a smile Tuesday at the Women’s Museum of California in Balboa Park, where about 150 people gathered to celebrate her recent 103rd birthday, officially March 19. Tidmore’s sense of humor and energy are evi-dent. But she also has a life of service under her belt that suggests her interest in joining the U.S. Marines wasn’t just because of the men already enlisted. As one of the last remaining Rosie the Riveters, Tuesday’s celebration honored Tidmore’s legacy in the military and her lifelong volunteer efforts — including work with groups such as the Women Marines Association and the now-defunct San Diego Globe Guilders, which raised funds for the Old Globe Theatre. The event included a screening of an episode of “Trailblazing Women,” part of the Women’s Mu-seum of California’s video series, that focused on Tidmore’s life and career. And Tidmore was presented with a surprise birthday gift: a package of 10 miniature bottles of Randy Tidmore, WWII Marine and Rosie the Riveter,’ embodies history’ at 103

Page 11

IEW Newsletter 11 ROSIE Continued from page 10 IEW Newsletter May 2025 Sgt. Joe Harris — believed to be the oldest sur-viving WW-II paratrooper — passed away on March 15, 2025 at the incredible age of 108. Joe was one of the original members of the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, better known as the Triple Nickles — the U.S. Army’s first all-Black parachute unit. These men were true trailblazers. While the war raged overseas, the Triple Nickles fought a different kind of bat-tle right here at home — jumping into the forests of the Pacific Northwest during Operation Fire-fly to combat wildfires started by Japanese in-cendiary balloon bombs. Joe made 72 jumps during his service and car-ried himself with the quiet strength that defines the best of the Airborne. After the war, he settled in Compton, Cali, where he remained active in the community and highly respected. Last June, Joe celebrated his 108th bLirthday surrounded by friends, family, and service mem-bers who came to honor him. It was a fitting sa-lute to a man whose legacy runs deep in the his-tory of Airborne service. Fair winds and soft landings, Joe. You cleared the DZ for all of us who came after. [Source: WW-II Airborne Demonstration Team's Post. March 28, 2025] P on left Demonstration Team’s Post She moved to San Diego and was never too far removed from the Marines and her contribu-tions to the service. She was honored by the Retired Marine Chapter in Chula Vista in 2016, and at the Veterans Mu-seum in Balboa Park the following year. She was part of the 2016 Honor Flight, which honors vet-erans with a visit to Washington, D.C. And in 2021, she was named a woman of dedication by the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary of San Diego County. And while women like Tidmore weren’t allowed to serve in combat during WW-II, they helped pave the way for future generations, said Julie Roland, a naval aviator based in Coro-nado, who also spoke at the event. Roland flies an MH 60 Romeo, a helicopter used on missions for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, medical evacuation and search and res-cue. [Source: San Diego Union Tribune Originally Pub-lished: March 27, 2025] Legend Has Taken His Final Jump Sat. Sept 6 80th Anni-versary of V-J Day Call Shirley 951.515.5896 starsprt@earthlink.net to register your “Favorite” Veteran at IEW’s V-J Day Remembrance For the ENTIRE Family Activities * Food * And Lots More To book a ride on a real WW-II Veteran Warbird visit IEW’s booking site: https://wingsofvalor.net/book-a-flight/ Four Types of Veterans Veterans by military branches. Combat or war veterans. Disabled veterans. Veterans of services other than the armed forces. Four Types of Veterans 1. Veterans by military branches. 2. Combat or war veterans. 3. Disabled veterans. 4. Veterans of services other than the armed forces.

Page 12

IEW Newsletter 12 Colonels Let’s Support Each Other in our Joys and Sorrows IEW Member’s ‘This and That’ is for Colonels up-dates. Please send to editor as ‘life happens’! May 2025 GUESTS INPUT Continued from page 15 Update from Greg & Kathy Fernandez I’m hanging in there. If it wasn’t for God and Kathy, I wouldn’t be here and all the prayers from friends and family. Kathy and I wish you all a Happy Easter  NEXT Hangar Day and Staff Meeting has been moved to May 10th. We will ie at at Chino Airport the first weekend in May. Tim Tarris, published author Tim was of the crew who flew to Normandy and has since retired. He is now a published author using his instructor skills in the US Air Force training pi-lots as the story line for his novels. His current book “The Lady and the Locket” is available on Amazon.  Update from Bill & Judy Bell Life is simple and sweet in Parker, Az for the Bell’s. If you happen be in their fine town they would love to have you stop by for a visit.  A New Addition to the Riverside Airport A bold new compass rose now graces the tar-mac at the Riverside Airport! Designed and painted by the San Gabriel Valley Ninety-Nines—a chapter of the International Women Pilots organization—this beautiful new addition to the Airport took 250 volunteer hours to complete and serves a key purpose: helping pilots calibrate their instruments for safe, accurate navigation. The San Gabriel Valley Chapter "Ninety-Nines" are women pilots flying out of local airports in-cluding Riverside who mentor and support stu-dent pilots or aviatrixes pursuing advanced training.  Update from Ed Cleveland Long time Colonel, Ed, has been under the weather for quite a while. He says “Every day is a better day than the day before. That is wonderful to hear, Ed. We are happy you are back on hangar day and your Friday do-cient when possible. 

Page 13

IEW Newsletter 13 May 2025 IEW once again is proud to par-ticipate with its iconic C-53D Sky-trooper, D-Day Doll, at the Wings, Tracks & Wheels event hosted by the Planes of Fame Air Museum on Sat, May 3rd, and Sunday, May 4th, 2025 at the Chino Airport. A true veteran of D-Day, D-Day Doll is one of the few remaining operational C-53 Skytroopers in the world. She flew in the early hours of June 6, 1944, dropping para-troopers into Normandy and towing gliders during the largest airborne operation in history. Her presence at the event offers a rare oppor-tunity to witness a living piece of WW-II aviation history up close. The Wings, Tracks & Wheels event brings to-gether vintage aircraft, military vehicles, and classic automobiles for a family-friendly week-end honoring America’s military heritage. Attendees will have the chance to explore aircraft displays, speak with crew members, and learn about the aircraft’s rich history and ongoing mission to honor, educate, and inspire. Event tickets for purchase at: https://rb.gy/nrlsmb. Flight experiences aboard D-Day Doll is available throughout the weekend, while seats last. The public can reserve their seat on this once-in-a-lifetime flight in a WWII-era trans-port plane at IEW’s booking site: https://wingsofvalor.net/book-a-flight/ April 2025 Hangar Day Was a Huge Success We have had a busy last few months at the hangar and, I’m happy to say, we have stayed safe. I want to thank all the members for continuing to “think safety”. Also, on a safety front, I’m pleased to announce that Jona-than “Gremlin” Aronoff has volunteered to be our Assistant Safety Officer. He will be a great addition to our team. As most of you have noticed, we completed the insu-lation in our hangar ceiling. Our plan was, for the next step, to install large, circulating fans to try and make it cooler in the summertime. Unfortunately, with the timing to get the ceiling done, we lost our slot for the 2025 calendar for the fans to be donated. So, we will go through the summer, and see how the ceiling itself will improve our situation, and work on the 2026 donation budget from the fan company. Our fire extinguishers are due to be inspected. We are looking to have that done the week of May 12th. We have had some good hangar workdays over the last few months. Our museum docents have been busy with their own projects, so these workdays are very important to keep this facility up and effective. Recently, we have relocated the PX trailer, so it is more accessible. We have dust mopped the entry, museum, and hangar floors, cleaned restrooms, cleaned up the tool room, cradled the 55-gallon oil drum, disposed of used oil, started the aircraft, and exercised our rolling stock. It seems a little mundane, but it is neces-sary to show the visiting public that we are a first-class operation. I would like to thank all the members for their help with this. Now that we have all our aircraft in flying condi-tion, our next step should be to start flying them on scheduled Saturdays. The next hangar workday is scheduled for May 10th. I hope to see all of you there. Keep ‘em Flying…safely, Mike Brandy Brandy Stone Public Info Officer Mike Lindgren Safety Officer

Page 14

IEW Newsletter 14 Inland Empire Wing Officers and Crew Appointed Positions The Staff of the Inland Empire Wing are here to serve you. Do not hesitate to give any Staff Member a call. Staff Executive Officer Assistant Howie Ramshorn 951.206.1075 Air Show Coordinator Don Colley 512.753.9444 Bartender Brandy Stone 951.892.2349 Chief Pilot Steve Rose 714.403.9052 Hangar Boss Mike Lindgren 909.731.6875 Mess Officer O’Mara 618.558.7211 Motor Pool Dave Mihelich 951.313.6834 Motor Pool Assistant Vincent Kerr 951.403.7810 Museum Director-Curator Chris Clarke 909.341.3090 Newsletter Editor Shirley Kerr 951.515.5896 Project Officers Greg Fernandez 714.222.3328 Dennis King 626.367-4034 PX-Lite Brandy Stone 951.892.2349 Public Information Officer Brandy Stone 951.892.2349 Recruitment/Membership Officer Dennis King 626.367-4034 May 2025 Wing Leader (Commanding Officer) Craig O’Mara 618.558.7211 Executive Officer Greg Fernandez 714.222.3328 Dave Mihelich 951.313.6834 Adjutant Dennis King 626.367.4034 Aircraft Maintenance Officer Ben Clerx 949.632.3285 Business Development Gary Stark 951.443.1000 Education Officer Linda Lindgren 951.533-5608 Finance Officer Chris Clarke 909.341.3090 Operations Officer Andy Conley 909.261.5011 Safety Officer Mike Lindgren 909.731.6875 Safety Officer Assistant Jonathan Aronoff 305.458.3294 Social Officer Linda Lindgren 951.533.5608 Wing Photographer Tom O’Keefe 951.452.6745 Wing Webmaster Gary Stark 951.213.8267

Page 15

IEW Newsletter 15 May Dinner Meeting Suggestions or to volunteer to submit an article for the Newsletter contact Shirley Kerr starsprt@earthlink.net WINGS is the official publication of the Inland Empire Wing, a unit of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The CAF is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. No part of this periodical June be reproduced without the written consent of the IEW publisher of Wings. WINGS is not responsible for content accuracy of any article. Address correspondence to WINGS, c/o Shirley Kerr, at IEW, Riverside Municipal Airport Han-gar S, 6936 Flight Road, Riverside, CA 92504. © 2019 Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force. Menu: Surprise! 321 NEXT Hangar Day is moved to Sat., May 10th Beginning at 8 am Join other colonels and let’s work to-gether to clean up the hangar and ac-complish a few tasks on the Hangar Boss’ list. Or maybe there is something you see around the hangar that you would like to do. Be sure to let Mike Lindgren know what it is.  May 2025 Wed., May 14th at 5:3 0 Socia l + Net workin g + Di nner + Meeting + Spe aker = O NL Y $ 2 0 . Vietnam Facts Saigon the capital of South Vietnam FELL on April 30, 1975 to North Vietnamese forces, ending the Vietnam War. This event, also known as the "Liberation of the South" by the Viet-namese government and "Black April" by some Vietnamese refugees, marked the end of the war and the beginning of a new chap-ter in Vietnamese history . The fall of the People’s Army of Vietnam, prompted the evacuation of more than 130,000 Vietnamese closely associated with the U.S. or the former gvernment, South Vietnam. Most of the evacuees were resettled in the U.S. In the years following, more fled from the Communist goverment, many finding their way to the U.S. Estimates show the number of people leav-ing Vietnam by boat and arriving safely in another country totaled almost 800,000 be-tween 1975 and 1995. Number of refugees from Vietnam peaked immediately after the war and around 1980. Although the flow of refu-gees has dwindled, in the past 40 years more than 15 million Vietnamese have legally immigrated to the U.S.  L i n d a a n d S u s a n w i l l b e p r o vi d i n g d i n ne r . Dinner Meetings are great times to visit with other colonels. Come and Join Us! Dinner Meetings are the perfect time to meet new members. Dinner Meetings Strengthen Bonds and Forge Lifelong Friendships Cultivate a sense of Community Create Lasting Memories Attending organization meetings offers numerous benefits, including staying informed about key information, contributing to decision-making, facilitating collaboration, and fostering a sense of community within the organization. Meetings can also be a platform for brainstorming, problem-solving, and receiving feedback, all of which contribute to the overall success of the organization. [P Getty] Dinner Meetings are a time to support the Wing

Page 16

IEW Newsletter 16 Commemorative Air Force Inland Empire Wing 6936 Flight Road, Hangar S Riverside, Ca 92504 Ready For Duty … 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day On April 17th, the CAF’s historic Douglas R4D “Ready 4 Duty” be-gan its 12-week, 12,000-mile Navy to Victory Tour, honoring the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day. This living piece of WW-II history will touch down across the U.S., Iceland, the U.K., France, and the Netherlands—celebrating the 90th anniversary of the DC-3, the 100th of Pratt & Whitney, and 250 years of the U.S. Navy. But this journey carries more than history—it carries legacy. Aboard the aircraft are rubbings from the graves of 423 British servicemen who died training in the U.S. during WW-II. As part of our Bringing the Boys Back Home initiative. These heroes—buried across 28 states—are being symbolically returned to their homeland, 80 years later, in honor and remembrance. Such an awesome mission, we are proud to have contributed two rubbings!! Thank you Col Craig O'Mara & Col Susan Owens O'Mara for driving to both Los Angeles & San Diego to create the rubbings and getting them back to the R4D crew in time! Follow their journey, and help us honor the sacrifice: www.dfwwing.com/navytovictory [Images taken from Dallas/Ft Worth Wing]

2025-5 newsletter without side i

Page 1

Page 2