Hot SGI News

Next Quarterly Meeting

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Our next quarterly meeting will take place Friday, January 23, 2009 at Gus' Corona Cafe in Mary Esther behind Daddy's BBQ (It's on the 1st street north of Highway 98).  Meeting begins at 1700 hours (5PM).  We have changed the date from our usual scheduled date to accomodate attendance by serveral of our Board members. Hope to see you there!

Geri Peppers

Anyone having current contact information on Geri Peppers, please contact Papasan.

The Summer '08 "SGI Times" Is Here

Read or Download the latest SGI Times issue.  Simply "Log On" above and then select "SGI Times" on the left.  Be sure to read the instructions at the top of the page on how to download the issue and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the password needed to open the issue.  You can then read it on your computer, save it for future reference or print it out in either black and white, or color. 

*** Please note that you'll need an updated version of the Acrobat Reader (version 6.0) to read the newsletter.  You can update your reader at the Acrobat website ***

Another membership service brought to you by your SGI Staff!

 Worldwide Combat Talon Reunion Recap

For the “first-ever” Worldwide Combat Talon reunion, it was a weekend where the stars came out.

On one hand, some of the “stars” who helped make Talon history over the past four decades were there for the weekend, the last weekend in May.  Seasoned crew members from the Son Tay Raid, “Desert One,” “Urgent Fury” and “Just Cause,” joined Talon vets who flew combat over the skies of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan (to name a few areas of operations) to share and compare stories with their Talon comrades in arms. The weekend together gave all the Talon members, past and present, the chance to “catch up” on each other’s stories and reflect on friendships that have lasted through the many years.

On the other hand, the stars came out in blue, in the form of General officers there to honor the Combat Talon mission and the men and women who flew it. General Norty Schwartz, currently the Commander of United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), came in for the reunion, and was the keynote speaker at Sunday’s memorial service. Gen Schwartz has a solid Talon legacy as a pilot and former commander.

Joining him were Lt General Donny Wurster, the Commander of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) his vice commander, Maj Gen Kurt Cichowski, Maj Gen Dave "Chode" Scott, Deputy Director at US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Center for Special Operations (and former 16 SOW/CC), and the current Vice Commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing, Col. Mark Alsid. This esteemed collection of the most influential leaders in today’s Air Force Special Operations was testimony to the Talon legacy and the people who brought it to life.

As a bonus to everyone in the Talon community, just a few days after the reunion we found out that General Schwartz had been selected to serve as the next Chief of Staff of the Air Force! Having a former MC-130 pilot and 16 SOW Wing Commander as the upcoming leader of the United States Air Force only emphasizes how the Talon and its people have become integral to the mission of the USAF and today’s mission in the Global War on Terrorism.

Friday and Saturday were days for the Talon family to eat, drink and visit together. Saturday morning also featured a visit to Hurlburt Field for an update-brief on the current and future ops of the Combat Talon around the world. Thanks to Ned Calvert for putting that very special presentation together. In that “up close and personal” brief, we  heard, first hand, of some of the incredible combat exploits in ongoing Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and then we saw what’s in the future for the Talon mission and aircraft. From that briefing, we went out to the Hurlburt flight line and took an in-depth tour of Combat Talon I and II aircraft. For many of the families who were there, it was the first time they had ever been onboard this aircraft so important to their spouse or loved one. For some of the folks for whom it has been a few years since stepping aboard a Talon, it was a nostalgic trip back to a familiar time.

One of the highlights for the weekend was when Buff Underwood unveiled a LARGE draft of a Combat Talon memorial monument. This magnificent, stone monument will be placed in a prominent spot to be announced later.

The replica showed that the monument will commemorate all of the organizations that have been home to the Talon over the years, as well as serve as a memorial to the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to the Talon mission. The cost for this massive stone will be borne totally by members of the Talon community, and we raised more than $10,000 in donations in this reunion weekend. Quite a good omen for the campaign we’ll be conducting over the next year to raise the funds for the monument. By the way, a special commemorative Combat Talon coin was unveiled at the reunion, and it will be presented to all donors to the Talon Monument fund over $20. This is definitely a collector’s item, and it’s available in a limited quantity.

Sunday morning we gathered at the Hurlburt Air Park for a memorial service, honoring our fallen brothers and sisters. At the service were family members of our lost comrades. Gen Schwartz gave a tribute from the heart, and we were all touched by this solemn ceremony of distinction and its meaning to the Talon community.

For all of you who missed the reunion, you deprived yourself of a great time! The hospitality room was a popular place with eats, drinks and friends, and the weather at the Quality Inn was perfect for all to enjoy a Spring weekend during one of the best times of the year for the Florida panhandle. Barbeque, wurst on the grill, free-flowing suds and a few hundred members of the Talon family were a perfect mix for the three days.

For the many people who helped plan and execute this weekend, we say thanks. There are too many to mention in this article, but without your hard work and commitment, this weekend would not have happened. Talon members have been noted for their dedication to mission, and the volunteers who put together this first reunion exemplified that proud tradition. We’ll be posting photos of the weekend soon, on the 7^th ACS and SGI websites, so check them out!

Although this was the first all-Talon reunion, it won’t be the last. We’re thinking this should be an event held every two years and we’ll let you know when we have another one in the planning stage.

Major Ben Williams, AC SG-3

It is with deep sadness that we report the passing of fellow SGI member, Major Bernard "Ben" Williams, USAF Ret., on July 18th.  Ben was the Aircraft Commander of Crew SG-3, one of the original Stray Goose crews.  We received the following from his family:

"Bernard Richard Williams, Jr., age 84, died peaceably on Friday, July 18, 2008 at his home in Osyka, Mississippi, from pancreatic cancer.  Born to Bernard Richard Williams, Sr. and Ruby Dean Ott Williams and reared in Osyka, Ben graduated from Osyka High School in 1940 at the age of 16.  After attending Copiah-Lincoln Junior College for one year, he enrolled at Louisiana State University, the “The Old War Skule” that he dearly loved for the remainder of his life. 

     After the US entered World War II, Ben promptly volunteered and was inducted as a flying cadet into the U.S. Army Air Corps, the forerunner of the USAF, in 1942.  He learned to fly an airplane before he learned to drive an automobile.  He was called to active duty in 1943 and served as a fighter pilot with combat missions in Pisa, Italy.  While ferrying a plane to Italy via South America, he narrowly escaped death from a mid-air collision landing for which he was recognized for his skill in crash landing the aircraft and the survival of his crew. While home on leave in August, 1945, with his next mission scheduled for the invasion of Japan, the A bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

     Ben returned to LSU and graduated in 1951 with a BS degree in agriculture and as a distinguished military graduate.  He also received a regular commission as a 2^nd Lt. in the USAF in 1951 and became a test pilot for aircrafts sent to Korea during the Conflict.  Ben returned again to his beloved LSU as an ROTC instructor from 1958-62, also earning his MS degree in Horticulture. During the Cold War, he was on alert in Labrador and Cape Cod, an assignment he would characterize as the most stressful.  Ben volunteered to serve in a top secret unit called Stray Goose during the Vietnam Conflict, with his first combat mission being flown on Christmas Eve night, 1966.  After serving 3 combat tours in Vietnam, he retired in 1969 as a Major.  In his military career he logged12,000 flying hours and survived 500 combat missions. 

     Ben worked for the Mississippi Game and Fish Commission in public relations with Paul Ott from 1969-73, writing many environmental and wildlife television spots and publications.  In 1974 he returned one more time to LSU as a PhD student and on the staff of the LSU Horticulture Department where he specialized in poinsettia research.   Desiring to give his children the opportunity to be raised in his beloved Osyka, he moved his family there in 1980 and continued his research at the LSU Experiment Station in Robert, LA.  After his final retirement in 1985, he planted and produced peaches and blueberries on his farm in Osyka. 

     He served 25 years as a trustee on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, the longest serving trustee, and was very proud to be part of the growth of the facility.  Following in the footsteps of his father, he was a member of the Masonic Rising Glory Lodge #315.  He had been a member of Osyka Baptist Church since he was 9 years old.

     Preceding him in death are his parents and brother, Dr. Kenneth Ott Williams.  He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Linda Shanks Williams; son, Bernard Richard Williams, III and his wife, Rachel, and their daughters, Sydney Ellen and Caroline; daughter, Lou Ellen Williams; daughter, Kay W. Knight and her husband, Scott, and her daughter, Adrienne LaFrance; sister-in-law, Dr. Nancy Burrow Williams.

   A service of celebration of his life will be held on Monday, July 21, 2008 at Osyka Baptist Church with visitation from 2-6 PM and services at 6 PM and burial in the Osyka Cemetery.  Arrangements are provided by Hartman-Sharkey Funeral Home.  Services will be conducted by Dr. Milton Kliesch, pastor of Osyka Baptist. 

    Memorials may be sent to the Osyka Veterans Park, Inc., P.O. Box 402, Osyka, MS 39657 or to the Computer Fund, Osyka Baptist Church, P.O. Box 152, Osyka, MS 39657.

    Special thanks go to the compassionate professionals at Community Hospice and to Ben’s sister-in-law, Patsy S. Rice, who so gently cared for him during the last weeks of his life.  When word of Ben’s illness spread, friends from the East to West Coast of our great nation came to reminisce and pay homage to their fellow soldier, classmate, teacher, and mentor.  His cousins, in-laws, nieces, and other relatives, too numerous to name, provided comfort and attended to his needs.  The family wishes to thank everyone for the support and love shown to us.  May God bless each of  you. "

Dues Reminder

Almost 200 members became inactive on the 30th of June.  In order to remain a member in good standing, you need to update your dues. If overdue, please remit dues ($10/yr or $25 for 3 years) to:

Stray Goose International

P.O. Box 9355

Hurlburt Field, FL 32544

Update Your Email Address

"SGI Times" mailing costs continue to soar - now up to $2.00 per copy mailed.  If you'd rather get an email alert to download the newsletter, please confirm that we've got your correct email address by signing into the members only side and then clicking on "Member Roster".  Once there follow the links to update your personal information and make sure we've got your current email address.  If you'd rather continue/start to receive the "SGI Times" by snail mail, then let us know and we'll add you to the list.  Thanks for your help with this!

Hurlburt "Commando" Now On-Line

Read the latest issue here.

 Kadena "Shogun" Now On-Line

Read the latest issue here.

 "Stars & Stripes" Now On-Line

Read the latest issue here.

Master Roster Available

A copy of the 2008 master roster is now available from Papasan by sending him a request for it.

  SOF Research - Three Key References Available for Download

Electronic versions (Acrobat) of the following books are now available for download off the SOF research page:

The Praetorian STARShip The Untold Story of the Combat Talon by Jerry L. Thigpen Colonel, USAF, Retired   (Note: those desiring a paperback copy of this book can obtain it from Jerry for $25) Order from Jerry.

15th Anniversary History of United States Special Operations Command by USSOCOM

Apollo’s Warriors US Air Force Special Operations during the Cold War by Michael E. Haas Colonel, USAF, Retired

SGI Proudly Supports America's Fighting Men & Women (3.0MB download)

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