Gary Toole

I arrived at Yokota in 1970, fresh out of Aircraft Maintenance Officer's School as a 2nd Lt. and was assigned to flightline duty. I worked swingshift for quite a while and have several great memories.

One night around 2:00 AM I got a call on the radio saying the Avionics crew had "captured" an unidentified person that claimed to be a Full Bird Col. They were holding him "prisoner" in the maintenance truck until I arrived. He turned out to be a Full Bird Col. and the base Catholic Chaplin touring the flight line at night to "visit with his flock". I told him to carry proper ID and wear his full uniform if he wanted to continue to work the flight line in the middle of the night. Never did get to talk to a Col. that way again.

I was "transferred" (who ever gets transferred in the USAF) to the 56th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on the far side of the base because they needed a junior maintenance officer, and spent a great year there. The 56th WRS with its 3 RB57F's got consolidated into 610 MASS in the summer of 1972 and I rejoined my former unit.