European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 15, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse V j a c141 Sto lifter Here being rolled out of hangar after overnight maintenance has helped 437th in rewriting the books logistically. Is photos by red Grandy doing the Charleston Mac style m. Sgt. Colombus Calvert chief of passenger reservation service at Charleston prepares to Send traveller on Way Courtesy of 437th Airlift Wing. By George Eberl staff writer a postcard appearing on souvenir stands around Charleston s.c., reads Charles town As it was originally called was settled in 1670 where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers meet to form the Atlantic while an outsider might legitimately question whether these two modest Waterways in fact Are responsible for the Atlantic s existence the description should be attributed less to a Fluvial Fluke than to a uniquely South Carolin Ian Pride a Pride manifesting itself in Charleston s outspoken claim to be ing America s most historic and though a non believer noted on an Impromptu Roadside sign outside of town Charleston 300 years of history unmarred by Progress the general regional Pride has even spread 10 Miles to the Northwest to Charleston air Force base Home of the intensely proud 437thmilitary Airlift Wing s air tentacles embodied m 48 c141 Star lifters and 18 c124 Globe masters stretch in every Compass direction though principally toward Southeast Asia in coming to grips with their Day to Day you Call we haul Lou siness. Sharing the runways with Charleston s commercial Airport the Busy 437th accounts for an estimated 75 per cent of line traffic into and out of the base Ling the air above the pleasant Countryside Day and night. I despite the problems inherent in hav King to coordinate with the comings and Iso mibs of commercial aircraft the 437thwas built up i enviable record for efficiency. I during a May operational readiness inspection the Wing s cl24s had a ready a of 85.8 per cent and the droopy of cl41s were assessed at 81.5 by a military Airlift command 4eam. Haul col. John w. Mitchell assistant l7p,uly commander of operations for the1437th we had the highest reliability Fen. Won performance rating in sup pot of Southeast Asia and other global j�"8 % and Tofi in Mac in meet joint chiefs of staff to Thule Southeast Asia by the North Pacific via Anchorage Alaska and mid Pacific Travis fab calif., Hawaii Midway and Guam routes. Charleston s prime responsibility is to South America and South Africa but the bulk of its current Effort is aimed at Southeast Asia. There has been something of a feeling within Mac that the command has too often been thought of As Little More than a military passenger service which is far from the command s chief missions am ply reflected in Charleston s smooth operations Are to Airlift and air drop troops and equipment functions that were demonstrated during korean action 1950-53in the Congo Airlift 1960-64 during the cuban crisis of 1962, and during the dominican crisis of april an May 1965, As Well As continuing the 11 year old deep freeze re supplying of . Antarctic scientific stations an the Airlift commitment to Vietnam. These Are but a few of the Many operations which have tested the Mettle imagination and skills of the command Over the years. Mitchell singled out the level of professionalism and improved modern equipment As accounting for the present efficiency of , in line with improved equipment maj. Archie a. Stuart at Charleston feb s command Post cited the virtually trouble free performance of the Star lifter As a major Factor in rewriting the books said that with the Swift and capable c141, we can be out to and Back from Southeast Asia in 60 Brig. Gen. William v. Mcbride win commander added Praise for the Star lifter. Although Charleston is scheduled to receive the first operational squad Ron of the Gargantuan c5 galaxies next year Mcbride said that they replace the c141, but merely supple ment he pointed out the huge Galaxy is Able to Range no farther nor Fly an faster than the Star lifter but does have four times the Load the awesomeness of size of the c5, Mcbride said that when it s inthe air. It s just another plane. Our prob Lem May be what to do with it when it s on the ground can you imagine the Job 9f washing it with its round the clock operation. Brown bagging is the Story of the base according to Stuart. And in View of its readiness to Goin the event of an emergency the 437th s Traff makes it understandable that Charleston ranks nationally As the 16th busiest Airport. Page 12 Wing commander Mcbride is getting ready for c5 jets. Spanish Moil frames sleekly modern Charleston base Chapel. Thi stars and stripes i 1968 we o
