12TFW Memorial

. 12TFW Memorial

A permanent 12^th Tactical Fighter Wing memorial has been established at the Colonel Leo Sidney Boston War Memorial Park at Fremont County Airport, Cañon City, Colorado.

In the fall of 1995, retired Major Ron Doughty and former NCOs Gene Rust and Bobby Sutton, all Vietnam veterans of the USAF 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, began sorting out the details of developing a 12th website for the Internet. Maj Doughty was able to get the initial website online in March 1996.
A few years later, Maj Doughty noticed an article in Smoke Trails magazine concerning F-4C 63-7551, which was reportedly written-off in December 1965 and which was, at the time of the article, being used for munitions training at Lowry AFB. It was soon determined that the airframe had been transferred to the Wings Over The Rockies aviation museum in Denver and then to the Fremont County Airport near Cañon City, Colorado.
A trip to Cañon City revealed that 63-7551 had become the permanent centerpiece of the Leo S. Boston War Memorial Park at the small airport. Fremont County Commissioner Myron Smith had obtained the airframe from the Denver museum when it became surplus after the museum procured an F-4E.
The airframe was especially interesting to the 12th veterans because of its XN tailcode (signifying the 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, a 12th component). It was coincidental that Ron Packard, a native of Cañon City, was a member of the 559th when he was lost in North Vietnam.
With the help of H. Ray Jones of the Cañon City War Memorial Park Commission and Bill Lande, Fremont County Veterans Service Officer, the 12th veterans struck a deal with Fremont County Commissioners Jim Shauer, Joe Rall and Keith McNew which would set aside panel J of the memorial wall (the section nearest to the F-4C) for inscription of the names of all known 12th casualties.
The 12th veterans soon formed a 501(c)(19) tax exempt veterans organization named the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing History Project, Inc. Donations augmented by sales and Internet auctions of 12th memorabilia generated the needed funds, and the company which maintains the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC inscribed 104 names on the memorial wall in the summer of 2001.
September 16, 2001 was selected as a dedication date because it was a date when a flyover of Colorado Air National Guard F-16s could be accomplished. Brigadier General Peter Sutton of the 12th Flying Training Wing was to be guest speaker. Events of September 11 caused cancellation of the flyover and General Sutton's appearance. Still, the USAF Band of The Rockies, the USAF High Frontier Honor Guard / Color guard and Major Steve Sheik, Chaplain of the Air Force Falcons, were on hand to make the dedication a success.
Four additional 12th names were added to the wall in the summer of 2003.
A number of 12th veterans gather at the park every September for an informal re-dedication ceremony.

Listing of killed personnel
Location of names on the wall

Above is how the bricks have appeared, from 2001 to August 2013, in a "checkerboard" pattern on "Panel J" which was devoted completely to the 12 TFW

Below is now how Panel J appears, after in August 2013, 81 bricks were engraved with names of personnel not related to the 12 TFW

In September, 2013, 12TFW Association members discovered the new bricks and in October stated that "Members of the 12 TFW Association seek to work with Fremont County Board of Commissioners and the BWMP Committee to explore options to restore the integrity of the 12 TFW Memorial on Panel J."
Here is the county government's proposed solution:
"When the Board of Commissioners met with the Memorial Park Committee on Nov 12th we reconstructed some history and confirmed that over the course of the last 13 years there have been some miscommunications. A couple days later a member produced a copy of a $5,100 check from the 12thTFW in July, 2001 and a letter from the county committing to memorializing 103 names on a section of the wall. The letter was silent as to panel 'J' or any particular section. Recently retired Veterans Service Officer Betty Hanawalt had never seen the letter. She apparently sought to clarify availability of bricks within the past 12-18 months and spoke to a black sergeant?? with the 12thTFW who verbally gave her the go ahead to sell other bricks on panel 'J'.
In any case, the committee and the Board of Commissioners discussed how to resolve this issue. We first decided that it would prove too costly and disconcerting to other veterans' families who purchased memorial bricks which were just dedicated to cut out the bricks and relocate them. The committee proposed another idea which garnered enthusiastic support. We propose to develop and purchase small castings of the 12th TFW crest and have one of the crests attached to each brick of the deceased 12th TFW members. This would give us the opportunity to attach some type of permanent plaque or bronze plate to Panel 'J' using the 12th TFW crest and referencing it to each of the names on the bricks.
During our discussion it was noted that there currently is no identification on the wall explaining the significance of the 12th TFW, where they served, or the connection to the F-4 Phantom that is displayed alongside. This would provide us with the opportunity to erect a descriptive plaque to the wall commemorating the 12th TFW. We would of course seek your input for the wording on the plaque. I had just gone on the internet this morning to see what kind of pins would be available for casting of the crest and possible cost. From what I've looked at we could choose between a die struck pin cast from copper or brass without any color, or we could choose a hard enamel pin with colors on the crest that have a smooth glassy finish.
Please let me know if this solution is acceptable as an appropriate way to call attention to the 12th TFW names memorialized on the wall.
Thanks, Ed Norden"

Here is our reply, 13 Jan 2014

Newspaper article, 12 Feb 2014

We have been in further consultation with the Fremont county people and apparently there is a resolution to the problem. A solution we identified involved: all 12th bricks could be included on Panel J rows #1 through #9, and leave row #10 blank. To do that, the 12th bricks from rows 10-17 need to be moved up to replace non-12th bricks and blank bricks; we have a rough estimate from a brick mason that it could be done for about $4000.

We have received a reply:

"The commissioners agreed on getting bids on moving the bricks to make up another panel K which will be divided by the red brick and give that panel or designate it to the 12th. No one had any doubt that the issue of the brick on the wrong panel was a problem that should be fixed and paid for by the county. There would be more discussion on how to finance the project once the bids are in and that there were some funds available in the Memorial brick account."

The initial cost of this undertaking in 2001 was $7,000 and was funded entirely by veterans and friends of the 12^th
CONTRIBUTORS:

Lester Alford, Bend, OR
(In memory of Gary Glandon)

Kenneth Applin, Dansville, NY

Sonny Billingsley, Prattville, AL

Matthew Birkinbine

Gen J. Timothy Boddie, Jr., USAF (Ret), Plano, TX
(In memory of Glen Wilson)

Albert Borchick, Shalimar, FL

Bob Burby, Ingleside, IL

Walt Burkett, Sr., Vero Beach, FL

John Burt, Walker, MI

Lt Col William Carrothers, Phoenix, AZ

Dan Cisneros, Pooler, GA

Jimmie Cockerham, Clarendon, TX

George Devorshak, Middleburg, VA

Ron Doughty, Springfield, IL

Dan Feigenbaum, Mt. Sinai, NY

Edward Fitzgerald, Londonderry, NH

Flagworld, Springfield, IL

Jeffrey Fleck, Platte City, MO

Barry Fortier, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Dorothy (BD) Fullick, Vacaville, CA

Major Charles Garner, Austin, TX

Donald Graham, Bethlehem, PA

Joseph Grove, Baltimore, MD

David Hartin, San Antonio, TX

Henry Haven, Jr., Camp Hill, PA

Kenneth Hopkins, Hewitt, NJ

David Hutchings, Port Byron, NY

Samuel Hyde, Farmington, NM

Timothy Jackson, Eden Prairie, MN

William Johannessen, Jr., Boyertown, PA

Daniel Kaiser, Austin, TX

Donald Karpen, Talent, OR

Steve Killpack, Salt Lake City, UT
(In Memory of MG Larry M. Killpack, USAF (Ret)

Steve Knutson, Kenai, AK

James Landy, Pinon Hills, CA

Paul Lay, Red Bluff, CA

Glen Larsen, Brighton, MI

Peggy Lazarski, Golden, CO

Derrell Maxwell, Bloomingdale, GA

Thomas McManus, Stratford, CT

James Mendoza, Berkley, MA

James Mindak, Chicago, IL

John Mollison Jr., Elkhorn, NE

Lynn Moss, Memphis, TN

Reinhold Niidas, Kingfield, ME

Jay O'Mainnin, Goodlettsville, TN

Gregory Osbun, Honolulu, HI

Trenton Pauley, Fayettville, GA

Ross Peeler, Fort Myers, FL

Judith Perrill, Denver, CO

Edward Petrovic, Abingdon, MD

Linda Pinegar, San Angelo, TX
(In memory of Lt Quentin Lusby, Jr.)

Tom Pirtle, Tremonton, UT

Ron Prudence, Tucson, AZ
(In memory of Patrick J. Hayes)

Rosemary M. Quigley, Chesterfield, MO
(In memory of William D. Smith)

Gene Rust, Arvada, CO

Robert Samo, Lakewood, NJ

Max Schuermann, Grove, OK

Calvin Schuler, Gilbert, AZ

Kenneth Sherman, North Grafton, MA

Marcia Siebert, Champaign, IL

Armond Simmons, Pell City, AL

Marion and Polly Simmons, Bridgewater, VA
(In memory of Capt William P. Simmons)

Dale Simons, San Angelo, TX

Eugene Smith, Weatherly, PA

Wayne Smith, Oberlin, OH

Bill Spidle, Plano, TX

Walter Stackhouse, North Hills, PA

Kenneth Staley, Littleton, CO

William Stalnaker, Gainsville, FL

Les Stephany, Florence, KY

Gus Stritmater, Jr., Sloatsburg, NY
(In memory of: Col Charles J. Scharf, Maj John Massucci, Lt Col James A. Branch, Capt Eugene M. Jewell,
Maj Chambless M. Chesnutt, Capt Michael D. Chwan)

Bobby Sutton, Pelham, AL

Stephanie Tucker, Arlington, TX

Charles Wells, Fort Worth, TX

George Wells, Hendersonville, NC

Colonel Jerrold L. Wheaton, Riverside, CA

Major Patricia Goodman Wheaton, Riverside, CA

Elizabeth Yogerst, Surprise, AZ
A DEDICATION CEREMONY WAS CONDUCTED ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2001.
PowerPoint Slide Show of Ceremony

Memorial Re-dedications
Cañon City, Colorado