1 00:00:00,210 --> 00:00:03,510 - I'm Staff Sergeant Joshua Williams bringing you 2 00:00:03,510 --> 00:00:08,510 your April 2019 edition of The Barrel, News from Niagara. 3 00:00:09,020 --> 00:00:13,670 It's a special UTA as our 328th Air Refueling Squadron 4 00:00:13,670 --> 00:00:17,970 celebrates 75 years of its rich legacy 5 00:00:17,970 --> 00:00:20,037 that dates back to the lucky 3rd. 6 00:00:20,037 --> 00:00:22,230 The 3rd Troop Carrier Squadron 7 00:00:22,230 --> 00:00:25,173 which started up its operations in 1944. 8 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,486 It was led by Colonel John Moriarty 9 00:00:28,486 --> 00:00:33,486 who commanded over 200 men on that very dangerous mission. 10 00:00:33,510 --> 00:00:35,350 How do we know this? 11 00:00:35,350 --> 00:00:37,210 Because we spoke to him. 12 00:00:37,210 --> 00:00:40,583 Meet 99-year-old Colonel John Moriarty. 13 00:00:41,443 --> 00:00:42,390 - At that time, you know, 14 00:00:42,390 --> 00:00:46,840 the war was going on and had been going on 15 00:00:48,420 --> 00:00:52,210 I had, prior to that in the United States, 16 00:00:52,210 --> 00:00:54,080 had been, I think, in something like, 17 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,133 close to 20 different stations, 18 00:00:57,850 --> 00:00:59,733 over a period of a couple years, 19 00:01:01,101 --> 00:01:02,701 so the time came to go overseas, 20 00:01:03,960 --> 00:01:05,460 it was just another order and, 21 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,290 which is to say, was interesting. 22 00:01:12,950 --> 00:01:14,810 I can remember flying across North Africa 23 00:01:14,810 --> 00:01:18,433 and seeing the damaged and destroyed tanks down below 24 00:01:18,433 --> 00:01:21,230 from Rommel and where the British had fought 25 00:01:21,230 --> 00:01:22,617 in North Africa, 26 00:01:24,899 --> 00:01:27,221 and wherever they were still lying out there on the desert. 27 00:01:27,221 --> 00:01:29,427 I was fortunate in that 28 00:01:29,427 --> 00:01:32,594 the men, that went up with a bunch of, 29 00:01:34,675 --> 00:01:38,092 what I thought were awfully good noncoms. 30 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,563 So the squadron themselves, they was, 31 00:01:46,260 --> 00:01:50,763 I think unusual in the quality of the noncoms that we had, 32 00:01:51,770 --> 00:01:54,423 which I think accounted for this lucky 3rd business, 33 00:01:54,423 --> 00:01:57,133 that we had some mighty good people there. 34 00:01:58,770 --> 00:02:01,370 Then the other squadrons, we were told 35 00:02:01,370 --> 00:02:04,023 that they talked about the lucky 3rd, 36 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:09,010 and when the time came to get the squadron symbol, 37 00:02:09,010 --> 00:02:12,410 this communications sergeant came up 38 00:02:12,410 --> 00:02:15,320 with that emblem that we've got. 39 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:17,958 So, he got it for 25 dollars 'cause it was 40 00:02:17,958 --> 00:02:20,420 a savings bond with it 41 00:02:20,420 --> 00:02:23,440 and that's been it ever since. 42 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,570 Surprisingly, it's still alive. 43 00:02:26,570 --> 00:02:28,730 But we liberated a lot of people. 44 00:02:28,730 --> 00:02:32,203 We, holding a lot of people all over China and, 45 00:02:34,851 --> 00:02:38,830 with resistors, so I think that we did as best we could 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:42,430 while we were doing it. 47 00:02:43,370 --> 00:02:47,920 We lost two, you know, shot down by the Japanese. 48 00:02:47,920 --> 00:02:50,570 That's where I lost my operations officer. 49 00:02:56,534 --> 00:02:59,373 But only two were shot down by the Japanese 50 00:03:00,660 --> 00:03:01,883 and lost several more. 51 00:03:02,740 --> 00:03:03,918 They would, 52 00:03:03,918 --> 00:03:07,787 normal to, hard landings, some of these, 53 00:03:07,787 --> 00:03:10,730 but we didn't have any airfields, we just, 54 00:03:10,730 --> 00:03:15,730 these strips that knocked out of the paddy buns in Burma, 55 00:03:16,590 --> 00:03:19,120 so we, we had some but, 56 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:21,410 and we had some rather young pilots 57 00:03:21,410 --> 00:03:25,234 that were doing some unusual stuff 58 00:03:25,234 --> 00:03:29,190 for pilots that didn't have any more training 59 00:03:29,190 --> 00:03:30,803 than most of them did and yet, 60 00:03:31,690 --> 00:03:35,570 surprisingly, we did not have a great many accidents, 61 00:03:35,570 --> 00:03:40,030 but the few aircraft we lost, we lost some, 62 00:03:40,030 --> 00:03:41,790 say aside from the two shot down 63 00:03:41,790 --> 00:03:44,773 by the Japanese, we lost some. 64 00:03:46,260 --> 00:03:48,850 I guess I don't have any words of wisdom 65 00:03:48,850 --> 00:03:52,383 or inspiration or anything of that sort. 66 00:03:53,272 --> 00:03:54,105 I am, 67 00:03:56,755 --> 00:03:58,770 interested and surprised 68 00:04:00,050 --> 00:04:03,680 to hear that, 69 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:05,323 75 years later, 70 00:04:06,690 --> 00:04:10,400 that you people are that interested in your history 71 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:14,970 and that the organization is still in existence. 72 00:04:14,970 --> 00:04:17,683 I guess it's partly my organization. 73 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:22,803 I'm almost proud to hear that. 74 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,220 - On behalf of all of us here at Public Affairs, 75 00:04:28,220 --> 00:04:29,710 we'd like to say thank you 76 00:04:29,710 --> 00:04:32,240 for allowing us to tell your stories. 77 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:35,220 Air Force Reserve Command announced their media awards, 78 00:04:35,220 --> 00:04:37,880 and we were lucky enough to earn four of them. 79 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:42,640 So thank you, and congratulations are in order to the FSS. 80 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:46,463 They won the AFRC Hennessy Award for Food Service. 81 00:04:47,340 --> 00:04:49,730 Before we lock out this edition of The Barrel, 82 00:04:49,730 --> 00:04:52,050 we're going to leave it off with what we do best, 83 00:04:52,050 --> 00:04:53,540 and that's going to work. 84 00:04:53,540 --> 00:04:55,830 Aircrew Flight Equipment took Aircrew down 85 00:04:55,830 --> 00:04:58,350 to Key West, Florida where they conducted 86 00:04:58,350 --> 00:05:00,350 water survival training. 87 00:05:00,350 --> 00:05:01,183 Enjoy. 88 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,140 - Well, I joined the military and then they said, 89 00:05:04,140 --> 00:05:06,290 hey, we have a slot for you in AFE. 90 00:05:06,290 --> 00:05:07,220 Do you want to get in now or do you want 91 00:05:07,220 --> 00:05:08,750 to wait another 6 months for another job? 92 00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:09,800 Okay, let's take AFE. 93 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:12,305 And then once I found out that okay, 94 00:05:12,305 --> 00:05:14,693 this is kind of interesting actually, I like it. 95 00:05:14,693 --> 00:05:16,200 This is up in Niagara, 96 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:17,700 working in the Aircrew Flight Equipment. 97 00:05:17,700 --> 00:05:20,044 I've had to opportunity to travel to Andrews Air Force Base, 98 00:05:20,044 --> 00:05:23,160 to Turkey, to the Azores, an island owned by Portugal, 99 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,470 and as well as Florida and Pittsburgh. 100 00:05:26,470 --> 00:05:28,440 - For me, and I like the training aspect. 101 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:30,350 I like the survival aspect. 102 00:05:30,350 --> 00:05:32,350 That's enjoyable to me and it's something 103 00:05:32,350 --> 00:05:33,690 not a lot of people get to do. 104 00:05:33,690 --> 00:05:35,710 If a person were to go down in an aircraft 105 00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:39,880 and have to get rescued or have to live off the land, 106 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,063 a lot of people would panic, not know what to do, 107 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:47,600 and they know how to combat the stress, 108 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,020 gives them a more of a sense of hope 109 00:05:50,020 --> 00:05:51,700 and a sense that they can make it 110 00:05:51,700 --> 00:05:53,783 through tough situations like that. 111 00:05:53,783 --> 00:05:55,420 - I can take flight on a raft, 112 00:05:55,420 --> 00:05:57,310 and have aircrews come up to me, and I'm like, 113 00:05:57,310 --> 00:05:58,790 all right, cool, so I'll show you guys 114 00:05:58,790 --> 00:06:00,040 what's happening out here. 115 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:01,290 Work a lot with the SERE instructor. 116 00:06:01,290 --> 00:06:03,120 Changing current and the changing winds, 117 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:04,560 that all plays a huge part in everything 118 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,850 and you can see the ripples of the waves going, 119 00:06:06,850 --> 00:06:07,940 they're not big at all 120 00:06:07,940 --> 00:06:09,676 but they do make a big difference, 121 00:06:09,676 --> 00:06:12,706 especially to accumulate some short distance swimming 122 00:06:12,706 --> 00:06:15,073 makes a huge difference just having to fight that current. 123 00:06:16,090 --> 00:06:17,965 - Yeah, so the advantages of coming here are just the fact 124 00:06:17,965 --> 00:06:21,415 that we get to experience wind, weather, sun, rain. 125 00:06:21,415 --> 00:06:23,580 Today, we had a little bit of a struggle 126 00:06:23,580 --> 00:06:25,520 with the currents getting to the boat. 127 00:06:25,520 --> 00:06:27,130 We had to actually bail off some water. 128 00:06:27,130 --> 00:06:28,930 We had people that were getting seasick, 129 00:06:28,930 --> 00:06:31,190 people that could swim, people that couldn't swim, 130 00:06:31,190 --> 00:06:33,180 and that's something that you're never going to get 131 00:06:33,180 --> 00:06:34,823 in the water if you're in a pool.