From: bergman@AFPAN.PA.AF.MIL (CMSgt Mike Bergman)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: AF Feature Package No.3
Date: 27 Jul 92 13:55:17 GMT
Organization: Hq Air Force News Agency/SCC


010.  Vehicle storage time
011.  VSI/SSB editorial
012.  U.S. war veteran repays 48-year debt
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010.  Vehicle storage time
By MSgt. RON LATHROP
     You may not be moving this season, but being in the military means you 
are going to have to change duty stations sometime.  On certain moves you can 
drive your car to the new station, and on others you can have it shipped.  But 
some assignments do not allow you to take your own transportation.
     For those moves where you can't take your vehicle with you, you're left 
with three basic options:  You can sell it, leave it with someone, or put it 
in storage.  If you decide to sell it your worries should end with the title 
transfer.  The other two solutions aren't so simple.
     Leaving your car for someone else to use as they see fit presents its own 
special problems.  Regardless of whether that person is going to use it as 
daily transportation or only drive your car occasionally, you want the vehicle 
treated with the same respect you give it -- probably more.
     Notice that we're only talking about the physical condition of the 
vehicle; insurance and registration problems are another story altogether.  A 
story that varies from location to location and requires that you personally 
check with your local insurance agent and legal authorities.
     The proper respect begins with you providing the temporary driver with 
complete instructions on how you want the vehicle driven.  This includes 
starting instructions such as "Take off as soon as it'll move without 
stumbling" or "You can drive away as soon as the temperature gauge needle 
starts to move."
     If the vehicle is only driven occasionally the best exercise for it is 20 
miles of continuous highway driving.  This will burn off many of the corrosive 
deposits that build up if it is used exclusively for short trips.
     Just as important as driving instructions are maintenance instructions 
based on both mileage and time.  For example, if you've been changing the oil 
every 3,000 miles, then it should be changed at least that often while someone 
else is driving.  And if they don't drive it as often and as far as you did, 
then the oil should be changed every three months.
     Remember, six months is the maximum inservice life of any oil regardless 
of how few miles it is driven.  Even synthetic oils that are supposed to last 
a year require a filter change every six months.
     The third alternative for your vehicle is storage.  Clearly, leaving it 
parked in a garage isn't enough.  The car must be properly prepared if it is 
not to be driven for several months.
     Ideally, the vehicle should be kept in a cool, dark environment where the 
temperature doesn't fall below freezing.  Extremely high temperatures are also 
dangerous.  However, if the paint is marginal or the car is to be left in a 
fairly temperate climate, it can be stored outside.
     The most important thing to remember when mothballing the engine is to do 
it while it's warm.  All the procedures are worthless if moisture has a chance 
to seep into a cold engine.
     The fuel system can be prepared by using a siphon pump to remove as much 
gasoline as possible from the tank.  Then let the engine run until it's out of 
gas.  If gasoline is left in the system it will evaporate, leaving a deposit 
that can damage the engine and fuel components.
     Mix up a three- or four-quart solution of kerosene and oil (three parts 
kerosene to one part oil), dump it in the tank and bounce the vehicle to 
thoroughly slosh and coat the inside of the tank.
     Remove the spark plugs and ground the large ignition wire coming from the 
coil to the distributor.  Pour 1 ounce of non-detergent oil through the spark 
plug port into each cylinder.  Use the same weight oil you would normally use 
for local driving.
     Reinstall the plugs, but not the coil wire.  Crank the engine over five 
to 10 seconds.  This will coat the cylinders with oil and draw the 
kerosene/oil mixture into the fuel pump and carburetor to help the 
rust-proofing process.
     Change the oil and filter.  Contaminants in dirty oil can cause serious 
problems when left in the engine.
     Relieve tension on all drive belts (fan, power steering, air conditioner, 
etc.) to prevent stretching and belt damage during storage.
     The coolant should be drained, the system flushed and fresh 
rust-inhibiting coolant added in the strength normally used locally.  Insure 
transmission and differential fluids are correct, also.
     Remove the battery. If it's not a "lifetime" type, sell it or throw it 
away.  The "lifetime" batteries will usually take a charge after sitting for a 
year or more, but a conventional battery probably won't.
     Get some duct tape to plug and tape the exhaust pipe(s) and air cleaner.  
On older vehicles, also plug and tape the breather on the valve cover.
     Use a good upholstery cleaner and lots of elbow grease on the interior.  
This will clean and soften the upholstery and get it ready for an application 
of silicone spray.  Don't forget to treat all the plastic interior parts with 
the silicone spray including knobs, dials and a double dose for the vinyl 
dash.  Neatsfoot oil works wonders on real leather.
     A light layer of petroleum jelly will preserve chrome, while bright-metal 
trim needs no treatment.
     If at all possible, put the car on jack stands or blocks and remove the 
tires and wheels.  If for any reason you can't take the tires and wheels off,
jacking will at least eliminate tire flat-spotting as well as ease the strain 
on shocks, wheel bearings, etc.  If the car can't be lifted off the ground, 
increase the air pressure in each tire 10 to 15 pounds per square inch.
     Try to leave the car in neutral with the parking brake off.  It would 
also be wise to cut a piece of wood long enough to fit from the bottom of the 
dash to fully depress the clutch.
     Finally, open a window just a crack and cover the vehicle with a top 
quality car cover.  Don't use plastic to cover the car because it can't 
breathe and moisture will be trapped against the body.  If the car is being 
left in a windy area you may not want to cover it all.  The wind will cause 
the cover to flap and ruin the paint. 
     When you return, just reverse the preparation process.  Add gasoline (the 
kerosene/oil mixture will probably have evaporated), install a freshly charged 
battery and tighten all the belts.  Check all fluid levels such as the 
radiator, oil and differential.  Don't forget to check the tire pressures.
     Disconnect the fuel line between the fuel pump and carburetor.  Provide a 
safe catch basin for the fuel and turn the engine over for 10 to 15 seconds.  
This will both pump out any residue in the fuel line and provide oil to engine 
parts.  
     Reconnect the fuel line, reinstall (underground) the coil wire, install 
new spark plugs and start the engine.  It may be hard to start and run evenly 
at first, but it should smooth out in a few minutes.
     Before driving away, check for fluid leaks, make sure all the lights are 
working and double-check the brakes.  Now you can buckle up and start to drive 
off slowly, triple-checking braking action as well as steering control.     
(Lathrop is a computer systems manager for the Air Force News Agency, and a 
former technical editor of Driver Magazine.)


011.  VSI/SSB editorial
By Capt. Jerry W. Lobb
     As a high school senior I remember receiving a post card in the mail 
asking if I would be interested in joining Air Force Reserve Officer Training 
Corps at Kansas State University.  Little did I know how far that post card 
would take me.
     During my first assignment at Scott AFB, Ill., I was part of the 
aeromedical and air rescue and recovery service missions.  Each year those 
missions save hundreds of military and civilian lives.  I would have to say 
those are the missions I found most satisfying.
     Ocean Venure in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Elf One in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; a 
short tour a Osan AB, Korea.  Each stop gave me something -- friends, a wife 
(dating in Saudi was challenge!) and memories.  Cheryl asked me if we could go 
to Hawaii for our honeymoon and, within a week of her request, the Air Force 
decided to send us here for three years.  What more could anyone ask for?
     There have been some ups and downs, but I really enjoyed the Air Force -- 
until Jan. 29, the day I was briefed on the VSI-SSB options and the odds of a 
reduction in force.  That day is etched in my memory forever as the beginning 
of the end of my Air Force career.
      I had seen slides outlining those eligible and as a 1985 reserve captain 
things looked pretty bad, but it didn't hit me how bad until I went to the 
briefing.  I knew many people would be leaving the Air Force during the 
drawdown, but until then I didn't really think I would be one of them.
     For two and one-half months my wife and I discussed little else but what 
we should do.  Should we try to ride it out?  Should we take the money to 
avoid the RIF?  Where were we going if we PCSed in June?  What happens if I 
accept the assignment and arrive at the next stop only to find out I've been 
RIFed? Where do we want to live if we get out?  There were far too many 
questions and too few answers at our house.
     Then the officer goal was "adjusted" from 4,800 to 7,500.
     I nearly put my papers in that day.  At the time I think there were less 
than 2,000 volunteers and it seemed pretty clear that to survive in the 81-85 
year groups was going to take a miracle.  Still I considered trying to stay.
     Either way was a real tough choice.  If I try to stay and fail, I lose 
nearly $70,000 (VSI vs. RIF).  However, if I leave with a 25 percent chance of 
staying, will I forever wonder -- could I have survived a RIF?
     The last weekend before the April 15 deadline, a relative called who was 
on the Air Staff when the VSI/SSB program was being put together.  Nothing he 
said was new, nothing that my wife and I hadn't discussed a hundred times 
before, but the underlying tone of his voice said take the money or your 
judgment will be forever in question.  I was leaning toward accepting VSI 
before; still the tone of that conversation really shook me.
     Throughout those months of discussion, my wife and I had talked to many 
people about our future.  The consensus was while I had as good a chance as 
anyone at surviving the RIF this year, the odds for staying on active duty 
through the remainder of the drawdown appeared to be pretty slim.  So at 10:30 
a.m. April 15, I walked, slowly, to the orderly room to "volunteer" to leave 
the Air Force.  It seemed to be the most prudent course, but definitely not 
what I wanted to do.
     The hardest part to take so far is the loss of "the plan."  In the Air 
Force you know, within a narrow range of possibilities, what kinds of jobs you 
will have, and when you will be promoted.  You take those factors, setting 
goals and planning your life based on those assumptions.  Now that Plan A has 
been derailed, I hope it doesn't take too long to refine Plan B.
     While I am not happy to be leaving the Air Force, I understand the forces 
that led to this.  The Soviet Union is gone with no other major threats on the 
horizon.  The major challenges now facing our nation seem to be primarily of 
an economic nature.  Perhaps those of us leaving can make a positive 
difference in our nation's battle for economic security.
     I wrote this for a several reasons: personal therapy and for supervisors 
to get a clear picture of what those affected are going through. But, mostly I 
wrote this for those of you who are trying to make a decision before the May 
29 VSI/SSB Phase II deadline.
     I guess the best advice anyone can give you is to make the choice you can 
live with best.  Each path has its minefields, both emotional and financial.  
The choice that lets you sleep at two in the morning is probably the right 
one.
     Regardless of which choice you make, or if it is made for you, there is 
only one positive way to deal with this situation -- make the best of whatever 
happens.  Take your skills and experience and apply them to a cause or company 
you can feel good about.
     Avoid being bitter or second-guessing your decision; those thoughts just 
waste time and energy better spent developing goals for your future.
     Two years from now my goal is to be able to look back and say, "While my 
time in the Air Force was good, leaving was the best thing that ever happened 
to me."  Now, as Captain Picard from Star Trek would say, it is up to me to 
"make it so."  (Lobb is assigned to Pacific Air Forces public affairs at 
Hickam AFB, Hawaii.)


012.  U.S. war veteran repays 48-year debt
     A former United States Army Air Forces bombardier, based in England 
during World War II, recently returned to that country to repay a 48-year 
debt. 
     In 1944, Roger Johnson was stationed at Polebrook Airfield, near Oundle, 
as part of a B-17 Flying Fortress crew assigned to the 508th Squadron of the 
351st Bomb Group.  Returning from leave in London, his train was delayed and 
he was forced to cover the remaining 18 miles to his base by foot.
     With the knowledge that he may be required for a 4 a.m. mission briefing, 
Johnson was still several miles from Polebrook at 3 a.m.  So, he "borrowed" a 
bicycle left outside a house in a local village and vowed to return it after 
his mission.
     Following a particularly eventful mission -- Johnson had to manually 
dislodge two bombs from the underside of the Flying Fortress over Germany -- 
he returned to Polebrook to find that somebody had stolen the bicycle.
     Ironically, Johnson had a similar experience eight years earlier when at 
the age of 12, during a hard upbringing in St. Paul, Minn., his bike was 
stolen.  At the time, he was paying for the bicycle on an installment plan.    
     The bike enabled the budding entrepreneur to carry out his magazine sales 
round.
     Recently presenting 94 new bikes at the now defunct Polebrook Airfield to 
children from several surrounding villages, Johnson said, "For almost 50 
years, I have regretted taking that bike on my way back to the base.  It is 
only now that I have been able to come up with a plan that will ease my 
conscience to some extent.
     "I have purchased, from Raleigh, a number of brand new bikes to be given 
to any boy or girl in Polebrook and the surrounding villages who does not 
currently have one.  Hopefully this will bring joy and happiness to many 
British youngsters and will go some way to evening the score for taking that 
bike during World War II."
     After the war, Johnson qualified as a doctor and has practiced medicine 
in Minnesota and Texas for 33 years.  He still enjoys flying and is a licensed 
commercial pilot and flight instructor.
     Johnson is one of over 20,000 veterans who are returning to England 
during 1992 as part of the USAAF 50th Anniversary Reunion celebrations.  A 
program of events ranging from Glenn Miller concerts to air displays and 
commemorative services has been coordinated by the East Anglia Tourist 
Board.  (Provided by USAAF Return to England Reunion steering committee, 
London.)

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