The End of the Lobo Tank Busters
By: Stan Jordan
The Lobo Tank Busters are no more. Col. Bainebridge came over last night and what he said changed our lives forever. We are going home!
The war in Europe is about over and the col. said all four of us qualified to be discharged. We had made our last flight as the Busters.
He said we will be offered one more stripe and one month’s leave and one hundred dollars a month for every year that we enlist for.
We will be given thirty days leave right now anyhow. We have until the end of the thirty days to make up our minds.
Our #4 pilot, Lt. Neil Nelson, from Grafton, Minn. said, “I want to go home and be with my wife and go into farming with my brothers and the sooner the better.”
Our #3 pilot, Willie Wilson, from Pale Moon, Montana, said, “I love to fly. I might re-up, I might make the air force my life’s work.”
Our #2 pilot, my wingman, Lt. Basil Barnes, from Como, Miss. said, “If I can fly this P-51D I will sign up for life. That is the best airplane ever made. But I imagine that down the road, we will have jet fighters like the Germans. No, I will go home and think about it, but I really like to fly, I will probably re-up.”
That left me to decide. “I think I will take the 30 days and go home and talk it over with my wife, but I love to fly, especially this P-51D. It’s just like putting on a good suit coat…it just fits your body. But then we won’t always have a P-51 because of progress. Faster and more maneuverability. I have to think about it, but I’ve got 30 days. At the present time, I am LT. Alvie Ames from Bad Axe, MI. I will probably go home and just be Alvie Ames, but I love flying and being in the air force.”
Col. Baxter Bainebridge of Rocky Ridge, Tenn. said, “I think I will stay in the air force until the war with Japan is over, then I will retire, that will make me 40 years here probably anyhow.” Then he said, “Men, I want to tell you how much I have enjoyed working with you. The 589th Fighter Wing was sort of a maverick outfit, as we worked more with ordinances more than anyone else. This P-51D is the best plane that the allies have, but it is still in the experimental stage and it will become a new type of fighter bomber called the A–10 or the Wart Hog and probably down the road it will be a jet plane. All 12 of you crewmen will be sent to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland to work on the A–10. You will be offered the same chance as the officers. I am proud of all you boys, you have all done a good job, your record prove that. Fellows, I am not much for protocol or S.O.P. (standard order of procedure), but I am calling you all to attention and after I leave, Capt. Barnes will dismiss you. Good bye and good luck!”
See ya!
ATTENTION A.C.D.C.
By: Stan Jordan
You folks at the A.C.D.C. are to be commended for all the good you have done in helping make Antwerp a better place to live.
You might already be contemplating this project, but I would like to see you modify the river bank so people could see the eagles’ nest better.
Like, cut some of the trees or top them that are right in line with the nest. Maybe level that area off if it needs it, so a fellow can set up his tripod and get a good picture of the eagles. Maybe even a rustic type bench to sit on to make a good picture.
I think there is plenty of parking space there where folks could stop and view the nest, I know lots of people already have.
You’ve done a fantastic job renovating the canoe landing at the east end of the park. I know that already three parties have used that landing and have great praise for it.
A tip of my ball cap to you fellows!!
See ya!
El Paso Sam Rivers
By: Stan Jordan
Sam Rivers was born in Tennessee in a big family around 1830. When he was a teenager he told his mother if he left home there would be one less mouth to feed. She hated to see him go, but she understood.
He worked his way west and in a few years he was in El Paso, Texas. He had a good job, he drove the Butterfield Stage from El Paso to Devil’s Butte and then back the next day. He drove a six -up and was a well liked and trusted employee.
He had a girlfriend, a mexican girl. One time he had to lay over at the Butte because he had the flu or agnue or something for a week. But when he got back in El Paso, she met him and told him she had found another boyfriend.
The next morning he drove the stage to Devil’s Butte and quit. He never went to back to El Paso, but he did talked about it.
He made his way on west as a cowboy, a Pony Express rider and latter as a scout. He was a scout for Gen. Stockton for a couple of years and then returned east to Independence, Missouri. At Independence, Missouri he signed on with Slim Jim Martin on the 3M wagon train. He had the ability to talk with the Indians along the way west to Jim Bridger’s camp.
At Jim Bridger’s, he signed on with Hiram Mason to carry freight from Missouri west to the gold strike in California in 1848 along with Hiram, Slim Jim and Billy Metzgar.
When it came 1852, Billy Metzgar was 18 years old and was dropped off at Fort Kearney and joined the army so he could go to ROTC at Missouri State University as a veterinary student
The other three, Hiram, Slim Jim and Sam Rivers took the 3M wagon train to the gold fields in California.
On the trips to California and back to Missouri. El Paso Sam had a number of occasions to meet with White Elk the chief of the Lakota Tribe. All the indians liked and trusted Sam, and asked at the Fort if he could be their Indian Agent
Gen. Kearney said, “Okay, if he wants the job.” and he did but had to finish the trip to the Sutter Mill with the supplies for the miners.
Now this column will lead you up to the first chapter of Sam Rivers, Indian Agent, starting next week.
See ya!
