Countdown until the PAVE LOW retires:

News & Updates

We're getting down to the wire for the retirement of the PAVE LOW and the closing of the 20th SOS. If you look at the list of who is attending the events in October, there's 179 as of now. This pales in comparison to how many people I know that haven't signed up yet. Over the years I have heard so many people say how much being in PAVE LOW has affected their lives. 

The logistics of coordinating the banquet, ceremony, and reunion are huge and we really need to know if you plan on attending. Please, if you plan on attending, sign up now. If you know someone that isn't on the list, send them an email and invite them to come. Whether you were maintenance or ops, this will be a very significant historical event that I would hope we all would want to be a part of.

8/26/08
More sad news - Geoff Moore, Flight Engineer (one of the original PAVE guys), passed away on Friday, August 22nd (Possigly Sat, I have conflicting information) at the age of 57.
More information to follow as people send it to me.

8/23/08
- We need your help! We are looking for all the former squadron commanders (20th, 21st, 31st, and 551st). If you are one or know one, please have them email Lt Col Sean Hoyer.

- The cutoff for the reunion registration is 1 Oct 08. Please sign up by then.
Also, if you signed up, please send your payment to Lt Col Hoyer. Address is on the right side.

8/16/08
- SSgt Anthony "Tony" Slentz passed away on Thursday, 14 Aug 2008 after a long battle with a rare form of cancer. Tony was a Crew Chief stationed at Kirtland AFB and was extremely dedicated to PAVE LOW and the Air Force. He was assigned to Acft 367 and took his job very seriously.
E-mails have been coming in with the news from all around and each have the same message, that Tony was an outstanding individual in every aspect.
More details to follow.
Memorial Program
Photo
I will get his memorial page up as soon as I can.

- Dedicated Crew Chief A0367 - Acft used as "Blackout" in the Transformers
- Flew aboard her final sortie to the bone yard at DM
- Stationed at Kirtland from 1999 until 2008
- Diagnosed with cancer in February 2008, passed away in August 2008
- Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service just 3 days before he passed away

- After 35 years of flying, 73-1648 has had its last sortie, landing at Medina Annex of Lackland AFB where she will become a ground trainer at the Enlisted Aircrew Center of Excellence. The bird made the trip over two days, staying overnight in New Orleans.  Lt Col Lee Collins, former Pave Pilot and commander of the AFROTC detachment in New Orleans, greeted the crew upon arrival with several of his AFROTC cadets.  They saw the Pave Low up close for the first and last time as a flying aircraft. Bad weather and thunderstorms threatened along the route but were not enough to stop the final flight. Along the way, Maj Payne and crew reported that navigation system glitches kept popping up the closer she got to Texas and near the end of the trip the FLIR slewed around 180 degrees and pointed backward, as if she were looking for home. They said it was obvious that she knew where she was going and wasn't happy about it, but they coaxed her into the LZ without incident and were met by over 100 appreciative folks, including some former Pave guys, at 1648's new home. Total trip time was 9.5 hours, no MX delays at all.

P: Payne | Geoffroy
F: Hughes | Rushing
G: Godfrey | Warrior


8/12/08
On 11 Aug 08, Acft 1626 was successfully delivered to the Warner-Robins museum. It will display indoors, located next to the SR-71 in the main hangar, without modification, approx. two weeks.

1626 logged 3.4 hours on her last mission and was able to fly incentive flights for 36 workers from the Robins depot, some of whom have been working H-53s for over 20 years and had never even seen one fly, let alone fly on one. 

Local representatives of three tv stations and two newspapers were there to cover it. Col Webb did the flight up and also flew 1629 home.
1626 shut down for the last time after 38 years A-1.
News Article
Media Clips

Crew List:
P:Hoyer | Webb | Meyersohn
F:Czap | Jewell
G:Mumper | Crowley

8/09/08
The last PAVE LOW tactical mission in the U.S. was completed on Friday, 8 Aug 2008.
Pilots: Maj Payne, Maj Stamos
F.E.s: TSgt Czap, MSgt Rushing
Gunners: TSgt Godfrey, TSgt Mann, CMSgt Desalle
Also: PJs x 2 (CMsgts Koester and Sammons) / Pax x 2 (Maj Lyons, Ms. Haig)

Below is the OPSUM from the sortie:
"Acft 1629 was A-1, 100%, 5.0 scheduled & 5.0 flown. Last ever guns at the range went perfect, Live AIEs with two CMSgt PJs with CMSgt Diesel on the tail.  We surveyed 6 HLZs and managed to get a last FARP in with the 711th out of Duke which they had to have to be able to deploy their crews.
All crewmembers fully current in burrito construction and consumption at Florala.
Dodged massive thunderstorms, and did AHHS and an LVA on return to Hurlburt. On our last landing, we shot our approach to hover point 3 and as we touched down, a CV-22 lifted off into the night directly ahead of us on point 2. It looked and felt like we passed the torch to them at that moment, the whole crew felt it.
We called it quits right then and there and taxied to parking, as we couldn't have ended it on a better note.
Pave Low night flying has gone out in style here at home station."

2008 PAVE LOW Retirement

Click here to sign up for PAVE LOW Retirement Events in October. If you plan to bring a spouse, please sign them up separately. The cutoff is 1 Oct 08 to sign up.

If you signed up for October, please send your payments ASAP.
We have less than a third of the money paid compared to all who have signed up.

Click Here to see who is attending the events in October. If you know someone who isn't on the list, send them an email. Updated 9/4/08.

Cost is $30 per person, per event.
The cost will cover all food, beverage, T-shirts, fees, etc.
If attending all events, shirt is free, if not it's $10.
Please make checks payable to:
20th SOS Booster Club
Mail to:
20th SOS
c/o Lt Col Sean Hoyer
195 Brims St
Hurlburt Field, FL 32544 

Sign up for a Flag flown on the last PAVE mission.
Cost is $30 each (Flag and Shipping)

For "Certificate Comments" please put who you would like the flag to be in honor of (i.e. "In honor of John A. Doe") and separate each honoree for multiple flags. There's only enough room for one name. 

Click here if you would like to do a Golf Tournament on Sat. 18 Oct before the Reunion. 

We are raffling off a painting done by Paul Treleven at the reunion. Framing of the painting is compliments of "Frames by Sharon" in FWB.
There will also be lithos of that painting, but they will be limited.

Click here for more details.

Schedule (Updated 8/4/08)
16 Oct - Banquet (Soundside Club)
Time - 1800 Cocktail / 1900 Dinner
Dress - Business attire (Service Dress for Active Duty)

17 Oct - Deactivation / Plaque Dedication
1000 - Hurlburt Air Park area
Snacks to follow immediately after
1700 - Reunion begins at the Quality Inn (FWB)

18 Oct - Reunion continues
1200 Lunch / 1700 Dinner w/Beer & Wine at the Quality Inn (FWB)

- 100 rooms are reserved for October events at:
Quality Inn
322 Miracle Strip Pkwy S
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
(850) 275-0300
Reserve them now before they fill up.
Mention the PAVE LOW Reunion!

Community Announcements

Misc News
Maj Ed "Wolfman" Wolfe is retiring from the Air Force on 3 Oct 08 at the 58th TRS (Time TBD).
We need pictures to put together his slide show.
Send them to Crystal Franco.
- Check out the SOHA page
- More on Acft 357 at the AF Museum.

Local Tattoo Shop (Tattoos Forever) 

Interesting Websites

- American Solutions (Sign the petition on right)
- Oliver's Art Gallery (H-53 Combat Rescue)
- V.A. Fact Sheets
- DoD website for finding e-mail addresses (Usable to anyone with a CAC card). H/T to Chief Hux
- PJ's in Nam
- Dialahuman.com
- Sikorsky Awards Program

Current Projects
- Scanning all of the 20th SOS history books (from 1956 on) into digital format (.pdf)
- Improved Video page (Embedded video players)

Future Projects
- Membership list (login will be required)
- Improved History / Media / Memorial sections
- PAVE Cave store on-line (Merchandise sales)
- PAVE LOW Association - ? 

7/31/08
The 20th SOS is looking for the following personnel:
SSgt(Sep) Arron Kimsey
MSgt(Ret) Dean Chambless

Please contact MSgt Jason Rushing.

PAVE LOW Coins will be available in October.


Click to view larger image.