Tdy: Temporary Duty: Tales of Mutiny, Rebellion, Russians and Murder in Military Service

By George T. Graham, Jr.,

What next? The Colonel asked.
Chief Master Sergeant George T. Graham, Jr. stood beside the Colonel. This will not be good, he thought.
What next? The Colonel asked, noting no one had heard him the first time.
He shot her. Sergeant Lucas confessed, abruptly, interrupting the Colonel as if he anticipated the question. He did. He had witnessed the event. Its that simple. He shot hershe was.veryshe was verypretty. Sergeant Lucas collected himself. Or so we thought. His eyes welled up with emotion. He glanced at Chief Graham.
.and then heafter a very brief andvery.. quiet.argument, Sergeant Lucas continued in an uncollected tone. There was an argument. An argument that nearly nobody - nobody - witnessed or in any way took seriously. Why would we? The young sergeant took another breath and pressed ahead with his story. He stood there. Diego Gianelli stood there. He pulled out a large pistol. A LARGE pistol, Lucas emphasized. And he shot her..point blankwhat a mess!
What next? The Colonel asked again.
What next? Lucas repeated. Chief Graham nodded toward Lucas to continue. Lucas continued as ordered.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 19, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491815847

George T. Graham, Jr.,

CMSGT George T. Graham, Jr. – U.S.A.F. – (Retired) George T. Graham, Jr. is a Chief Master Sergeant (retired) in the United States Air Force. This book involves some of his adventures while in the Armed Services. He had the pleasure to serve in an extended capacity in Japan, England, Iceland, Turkey and Italy during his thirty years in the military. Although a Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York native, he currently resides in Sacramento, California. You can take the boy out of Brooklyn, but…..you know the rest.

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© 2013 by George T. Graham, Jr.. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/17/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1585-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1583-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-1584-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013916610

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Table of Contents

Introduction

The 2187th

Tales of Mutiny, Rebellion, Russians and Murder in Italy

Fair Verona

The Hole in the Wall

( . . . and other episodes that may include a bell, a bombola, a gerry, a jeep, a general and a Venetian or two)

The Grandfather

One of Those Things

A Tale in Sardinia

Arrivederci Roma

Diamond Life

Introduction

I served in the United States Air Force for thirty years. During that time I was presented with inestimable opportunities (in the execution of my duties) to travel throughout the United States and all over the world. In all, I enjoyed multi-year assignments in Japan, England, Italy, Turkey and Iceland. I participated in events in Germany, South Korea and other places I have long since forgotten. Back home in the United States, I served in places one can only imagine. These were great times. Sometimes routine. Sometimes dangerous. Always interesting.

This book is a collection of adventures while on what we in the military referred to as ‘TDY’ or ‘temporary duty’. These stories focus largely on episodes related to my four-year assignment in Italy. They recall short missions away from our main base in Aviano, an important strategic air base not far from Venice. It is still strategic.

These Temporary Duties—these TDYs—included the objective of investigating and solving local concerns—some mishaps—some crimes—some international ‘near misses’—all involving United States Air Force operations in Europe.

The tales set out here are based on real events—more or less. I say ‘more or less’ because, of course, it has been more than thirty years since these happenings; so the recall of exact facts and names may be a little fuzzy—and the dialog among the players in each chronicle is certainly pure fiction, but it presents the situations as they likely happened. The banter serves to let the narrative flow in a more amusing fashion. Oh, and I won’t deny that the mental musings of the bad guys in these accounts are no more than the product of this author’s imagination. I can’t read minds. But, the essence of each installment is not very far from what occurred. More or less.

CMSGT George T. Graham, Jr., USAF (retired) April 13, 2013

To my wife, Edna. God rest her soul.

She put up with the lot.

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THE 2187TH

Tales of Mutiny, Rebellion,

Russians and Murder in Italy

Preface

Ssssssssss! Chkchkchkcchk! Pffpftpfptpf

pffft! Ouiuioooiuooiuoi! (Don’t worry, this will figure into the story later).

Chapter 1: Master Sergeant

I was a clerk and a new Technical Sergeant in Colonel Butler’s office at Wing Headquarters (the 100th Bomb Wing) at Mather AFB, CA. This is where the B-52s are. They were credited with much action in Vietnam flying from Guam. They (100 BW) had numerous sorties over Hanoi and Northern Vietnam.

Can you join me in my office, Sergeant? My little desk was in the secretary’s office adjacent to the commanders. In his office, the Colonel explained his need for a First Sergeant for the 49th Munitions Maintenance Squadron. That was one of his outfits. The reigning First Sergeant was a drunk. He didn’t say that, but we all knew it.

If you accept, he said, "and do a good job, I’ll see to it that you’ll be rewarded in the next promotion cycle."

"If I accept?" I thought. Imagine a Wing Commander—a ranking Colonel—not ordering me to do so, but actually asking if I accept?

Lieutenant Colonel McCovine was the 49th’s Squadron Commander. A wonderful guy. He made things happen, and things did go quickly. I joined his team; straightened out the squadron (administratively); passed the SAC ORI with ‘Excellent’ and his boss, Colonel Butler, kept his word. I made Master Sergeant in the next go-round. What a ride. It seems Colonels could make commitments like that in those days. I returned immediately to his office to thank him. So, now I’m a new Master Sergeant stationed at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento with the 49th Munitions Maintenance Squadron. I know, however, that that was going to change. Normally every promotion comes with a move… . and in my case, a sudden move to Italy!

Edna, we’re leaving Mather and moving to Italy, I said to my wife when I got home a little early that afternoon.

Where?

Northern Italy.

My mother’s family—Castelli—came from northern Italy, via Germany, around 1914. I thought it appropriate that I would return to Italy to bless the Castellis with the presence of my own family and all our Americanisms (as if they would care).

Chapter 2: Aviano

Aviano—not far north west of Venice, near the Austrian border, south of Munich, Germany, and base of the 2187th Communications Group. As it turned out, the Group was pleasantly commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel, who later became a full bull while I was there supervising things. No coincidence, I imagined. He was a wonderful, gracious and knowledgeable gentleman, with whom I was proud to serve. So, at Mather, after a short time, I got the official orders for Aviano, Italy and official permission to fly (with wife and five children in tow—oh my!) to Venice. There I was to be met by our ‘sponsor’, a member of the Comm. Group. This was the normal protocol.

We had a safe trip and on landing in Venice we were greeted by Master Sergeant Joe Heinz, the acting First Sergeant of the 2187th Comm. Group. I had come to take his job. He knew it. We piled the family into his Air Force sedan and proceeded to Aviano Air Force Base, about thirty miles away.

Daddy, I gotta go! a voice called from the back seat.

Daddy, I’m hungry! Another voice.

Daddy, Daddy… !

Okay, I said! And we pulled off the road and up to a trattoria.

As we entered the trattoria, Sergeant Heinz said, Try this great Italian drink, George. The Sergeant suggested it with authority. He extended a short stubby coffee cup filled with bubbly foam. It’s a cappuccino, you’ll love it!

No I won’t, I thought. I didn’t.

I could use a coffee, I thought again. Espresso! After leaving the rest stop we angled toward Aviano. Upon arriving, we stopped at the Oliva Hotel, which would be my family’s base camp until permanent quarters were located. A small, but good hotel. We settled in for supper and the night.

Chapter 3: Mutiny

Like all jobs—civilian and military—there is intrigue. Some people want your job, and others wouldn’t have it. A First Sergeant is really only as good as his commander, and as I said, my commander was very good. I was not there a week when the Master Sergeant I’d come to replace decides to challenge me.

Mutiny? I wondered.

I intend to keep this job, George, he suggested when he came to my office that morning, and I have the support of the NCOs.

Your buddies? I thought. "How ’bout I have a brief