Your class has a great life expectancy compared to others–
Had it not been for combat in Vietnam your class would have been outstanding.
How is all in SA?
It was nice tro see you in San Antonio– you guys have not aged– U must being doing something RIGHT!
My hand joints and back are starting to bug me a lot.
Did you apply for any VA disabilities that are service connected?
Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Jim: interesting actuary figures. Seems 44 in or associated 63-22. 33 hang in and 11 gone but 3 of those were aircraft related , 2 on the Wall I finally got to visit last Sept B-57 meeting at DC. Also got to view Arlington my B-66 pilot crashed while I was taking the Bitgburg Goon from Germany Sept ’69. I’d trained him at Combat Tng Shaw AFB and we were going to live fat dumb and happy with his year combat done. Things change fast! Now been combat retired since ’77 and damn good to still be among the ‘Quick’ . We appreciate your efforts. But pleased I chose gold mine investment to keep records on. Last opened this week, Ures ,Sonora Mexico. Await news next week. Oddest is VietNam is mining in all the bombs we dropped on the Karst until ’72. Don
>
Hard to figure the promotion thing– you certainly had the awards– much more than I did.
BOTTOM Line you have a great family and did well on investments– had you got promoted never know– some times SET BACKS make us a better person.
You and your wife have done MUCH better than Sharon and I have.
Caring for your son probably was a BIG help and at least you did not have problems like some people do– My wife played that role with our kids and both are doing fine!
Will call you next time in SATX and we can get a group to meet for lunch– Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Became an unpromotable 16 year Capt Sr Nav/Bomb with 5 DFCs 14 AM, Purple Heart. As Reg Officer got 2 temp passovers and then 2 more Reg O. Day after 4th no go Xmas 1976 I told them I’d had enough BS cure me or kill me. 9 mo in Wilford Hall my Chief Neurosurgery decided I’d been shafted bad since ’67 injury and set up a Temp Disability bd. Retired on 50% and then 100% Social Security Disabled thanks to magnificant DAV officer . Then met Perm Bd in ’78 and that’s been it last 41 years. Home daddy for son while wife sold real estate and I invested her income in IRAs gold miners in gold. BY 2012 had made $15 million with gold from $200 to high $1900. She taught son all he needed so we retired and we assisted him into now: Call it lemons to lemonade.
>
Have a AF member had similar issue and eventually they gave him a medical retirement– that would give him an opportunity to go into civil service BUT he decised that was not the way to go so works for a contractor– knowing the AF they probably would have shaffed him on the medical if he went civil service–.
I am surprised they would put you in an ejection aircraft after the BACK and neck fractures– Hope they gave you 100%.
My friend Noel Sweeten got a medical retirement BUT they drug it out for almost 3 years and he was in the keesler Hospital for about a year.
Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> April 1 ’67 Para drop Opn Junction City into Zone C I had a B-57 ejection seat malfunction pulling off a 6 G dive recovery, cracked spine in neck, mid , low back. Never full recovered and hung in on hosp stays and waivers next 10 years. Got to the war’s over, dump the excess and I was among the last but found that medical out from great surgeon read my file as pure history. “Geeze , Don, they’ve been screwing you like was healthy. ” I’d been crawling up into B-66 and unstrapping ,leg stretched out in aisle, after TO and strapping back in for landing and sometimes leg collapsing stepping down off the door. Worked to 1st be a new 52nd Wing Public Info and finally Air Field Mgr at Spangdahlem. To Dyess ’75 in C-130s but never flew again. Worked in crew tng till Wilford Hall Jan 77 and Oct retired. Never know but have a plan! My year at Wing HQ did a BUNCH of reg research so knew what I’d need to do when. Had a wise Msgt in B-66 maint tell me “Keep GREAT records, Capt.
Understand that getting worse– you are lucky you can still walk with the back issues– sure it causes you a lot of pain at times– Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Just normal 50% at maxed O3 base pay 4 years early. DAV assisted also with 100% SS disability ever since made life affordable. She got spouse with child as well until Tom was 16. Actually Reagan cut me off and had to prove it all over again in ’82 for a year appealing. Did not cause us to really love RR tho we understood the purpose. I’d be in a room full of blind folks pushed in wheel chairs. I seemed in pink of health but my job was dropping bombs and using stars crossing oceans and that was out for good. Funny stuff disabled can’t work anymore means and can’t measure pain. Just medicate level down. 41 yrs later only gets worse by the decade.
>
Many times when we were youung and got hurt figured it would get better the next day BUT in your case did not know the extend of the REAL back injury and then it is usually worse because additional damage was done.
Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
> WAS a comedy of errors. EWed were flying support for JUnction City, 82n and 101st biggest drop since D Day over head all daylight hours for in contact. Bit past midnight I stepped on a punjii stick on path to the 6 holer and went to our Drs hootch washed the cut clean and gave some bactracin and a bandaid. SPs searched and found another on the grass pathway. Next day I was put on alert in case we did not need to launch but late in PM we did. We had the long legs so hit 2 other tgts with strafe and napes. Last one in the zone c for the day we made a dive pass and my seat bottomed BANG with the left cut foot trapped beneath. Expected to have the canopy blow and float down into the 10K machine guns with a missing leg. It was a malfunction up down pawl and we figured it out up level 10K. Kept dropping till Winchester and went home late. Really sore back so DNIF 2 days. Eventually- was the cracked spine retired me but not the PH. Think should thus have 2, discovered much later as engaged in combat with enemy. Real Catch 22 shit!
>
> Hell– 6 months in a cast at our age — would be hard and have to learn how to move stuff– I get tight just sitting for 20 minutes! Sounds like you are making the good decision PLUS never know if surgery will help or hurt– a guy I worked with had back surgery– they put the nerves to sleep that allow you top pee and Poop and it has been over a month and they are still sleeping– he asked how long and said 1 week and now they are saying 3 months maybe and could be a year– He asked about the year and they said we will deal with it a day at a time– NOTE the back is no better either and drove to OKC for surgery– Normally they fix stuff BUT now and then people are worse off!
Jim
—- Don Phillips <cd69c@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Current status is “the worst spine I see walking” by my spine clinic. Option is continued series of subdural injections to keep arms and legs working well enough or 6 mo in body cast with a halo to hold all in place while the pins and screws set. I see the ortho chap every 6 mo and say “I’m fine enough thanks, not now, Doc. ” Every year without is pure gold.
>
One they missed nearly killed me. Work up for disability bd at W Hall kept testing my rt ear. My reaction to sound was just too fast. Finally just accepted the reading. I’d constant ear infections on DNIF since began flying. and diving was up and down murder on the ears. In ’80 VA here was looking in my ears and Dr ran out and brought the ENT resident tlol.d me I had an obvious long term attic cholesteotoma. Immediate surgery and included the mastoid cell bones of the skull full of infection. Ear drum bursts and the lining of the ear canal is the fastest growing skin in the body. Enters the E tube and fills with nasty goop eating away the bone. Woke up after surgery with head in a big bandage. Dr said we saved your life but lost the ear. Opened up a big flap and there was my carotid artery pulsing with nearly no covering. Did a bone graft to protect it and packed me full of antibiotic gel gauze and made a new ear canal and ear drum. All the 3 little bones transmit sound were eroded away. I could stick in my finger was so large. What it did was send sound via liquid like rocks clicked in a swim pool faster than air. Took 6 mo for all the skull bone to regrow and down to a .38 cal not .50. Now we work to keep the left ear working with titanium window open so get vacuumed out every 3 months. NOBODY had ears checked more that me for all my time active and ALL flt surgeons missed the sign of a miscolored upper ear drum that trainee caught At Audi Murphy VA in ’80. Now 38 years and still kickin.