Nine pilots were put through a concentrated training program and became qualified as Alert Ready. The 199th Fighter Squadron went on 24 hour active air defense alert at 0001 October 23, 1958. The dedication of a new double-hangar and crew shelter was held the day before. Five-minute active air defense Alert, on a 24 hour basis, has continued ever since.
As seen in the photograph above, the nine 199th Fighter Squadron pilots were (L-R) James “Spike” Dykes, Charles “Chuck” Johnston, Donald Giddings, Harold “Big Daddy” Nagai, Paul “Aimoku” Duvauchelle, Padraic “Paddy” Evans, (either Donald Walker or Jon Parrish), Marlin Little, and Kurt Johnston.
These pilots were the heart of the squadron and more continued into the Convair F-102A Delta Dagger era.
Related Retiree News post: Sunset of the Old Alert Pad
The appearance of external hyperlinks did not constitute endorsement by Retiree News, this included the linked websites, information, products, or services contained therein. Retiree News did not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. Additionally, some of the sites linked to may limit the number of stories you can access without a paid subscription. All links were provided with the intent of meeting the mission of Retiree News.
