Earl Courtney

1968-1969

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Another incident I recall a morning of a rocket attack. Skip Booher & I helped a young sergeant get a purple heart. The three of us were in the mess hall when the attack started. We all headed for the bunker, first the Sgt., then me, then Skip. The Sgt. broke his toe when he tripped on a piece of PSP, I ran over him and fell, then Skip ran over me but I wasn't hurt having padding under me. After the attack was over, I met Bill Young walking up the road with a rather unsightly crease down the center of his forehead & nose. I had tried to wake Bill when I left but my efforts had been in vain ( maybe too much Black Label) . Seems a rocket had hit an outhouse across the road from our hooch & the concussion had blown Bill out of bed. In the confusion, he met head-on with the corner of a foot locker. You know, I never again had a problem getting Bill up. After I went to maintenance , I no longer faced the dangers my friends did, but I hope we kept them flying good enough that they didn't have to worry about that.

 

 

Click photos to enlarge

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Runway 21

F-4's at Mag 13

almost ready for a test flight

 

 

 

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Artwork by Tom Pueschel

 

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570th

Running up a snake

 

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One of my part  time jobs today, co-pilot on a King Air

Another part time job, going fishing

 

If anyone lives near or passes through Northwest Arkansas, stop in for a visit. I'm sure we can find a cool one ( without the rusty can) or a cup of coffee. West Fork is a small town so it's easy to find. The population seldom changes. Seems every time a baby is born, someone leaves town ( just kidding). I'll never forget my days with BlueGhost and the people I served with. Some went on to bigger and better things, some stayed and retired as I did, some are no longer with us and some who's fate will never be known. All were BlueGhosts and the best friends I've ever known. I'm glad to have been a part of it.

Earl Courtney, Ghost Doctor

PS- If anyone needs some training on the use of aviator gas masks, I'll be glad to oblige. Thanks to Dan, I'm an expert.

 

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