veterans

A New Way to Join the Air & Space Forces Association Free!

/ Ian L. Sitren / Leave a comment

The Air & Space Forces Association has introduced something completely new.

For the first time, AFA now offers a free Mission Membership. This new membership makes it easier than ever for anyone with an interest in our Air Force, Space Force, aerospace, aviation, STEM education, or national security to become part of the AFA community. Again, membership is open to everyone.

Mission Membership provides access to AFA news, educational programs, webinars, research, national events, and local Chapter activities. Whether you have served in the military, work in aerospace, are a student, educator, or simply support the mission of the Air & Space Forces Association, there is now a place for you in AFA at absolutely no cost.

This is also a tremendous opportunity for AFA Palm Springs Chapter 134.

Every new member strengthens our Chapter and helps us expand our educational programs, CyberPatriot, community outreach, aerospace education, and partnerships throughout the Coachella Valley. The more members we have, the more we can accomplish.

If you are already an AFA member, thank you for your continued support.

If you know someone who has ever thought about joining AFA, now is the perfect time. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, fellow veterans, active duty military, educators, students, pilots, aviation enthusiasts, and anyone interested in aerospace and our nation’s defense.

Joining is easy.

Simply visit:

Join AFA

When completing your registration, please be sure to select Palm Springs Chapter 134. That simple step helps strengthen our local Chapter and ensures you receive information about our activities, meetings, educational programs, and special events.

It costs nothing.

It only takes a few minutes.

We look forward to welcoming many new members to AFA Palm Springs Chapter 134.

Thank You!

Major Gary “Playboy-19” Lucas Shares His Story

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Another full house gathered yesterday for our Air Commandos Lunch to hear from Major Gary Lucas, known by his Vietnam call sign “Playboy-19.” The “Playboys” were an Army helicopter squadron that flew Cobra gunships in Vietnam, and Gary’s presentation brought that history into the room with clarity, honesty, and a perspective only someone who lived it can provide.

Gary spoke about his years in the U.S. Army, his rise through the ranks, and his decorated combat service in Vietnam. He described missions in the Cobra, the reality of flying armed combat, and the day he was shot down and rescued—events that shaped not only his career but his understanding of the men he served with.

But perhaps the most striking part of the afternoon came when Gary talked about the weight of those memories. He noted how difficult it can be to speak about that time with people who were not there and who cannot fully understand what those experiences were like. That honesty resonated deeply throughout the room.

Gary also reminded us of something too often overlooked: the many service members who should have received medals or recognition but never did—lost paperwork, timing, or simple lack of follow-up. His point was clear and important: valor does not always come with documentation, and many acts of courage went unrecorded.

Our Air Commandos Lunch has always been a place where stories, service, and history are passed forward firsthand. Yesterday’s presentation reinforced exactly why these gatherings matter and why these voices need to be heard.

A sincere thank-you to Gary for sharing his experiences, and to everyone who joined us for another meaningful afternoon.

If you were unable to attend, we hope to see you at the next Air Commandos Lunch. Thanks!

Air Commandos Lunch Tomorrow; Special Guest Major Gary Lucas

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AFA Palm Springs – Air Commandos Lunch
Special Guest Speaker: Major Gary Lucas, U.S. Army (Ret.)

The Air Commandos Lunch takes place Wednesday, December 10, 2025, and we are honored to welcome a guest speaker with a most distinguished military career: Major Gary Lucas, U.S. Army (Ret.).

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM
Location: ROC’s Firehouse Grill
Address: 36891 Cook Street, Palm Desert, CA 92211

There is no charge to attend. Guests simply pay for their own lunch and beverage.

Major Lucas served 21 years on active duty, from 1960 to 1981, and built a career defined by courage, leadership, and technical excellence. A graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a degree in Professional Aeronautics and Business Management, his professional education was matched by extensive combat experience.

During his first Vietnam tour in 1966, Gary rose through the enlisted ranks to E-6. After returning to the United States, he completed Warrant Officer Flight Training, earning his pilot wings and promotion to W-1. On his second Vietnam tour in 1968, he was promoted to W-2 and later received a rare battlefield commission to Second Lieutenant, recognizing leadership under fire.

As a Cobra helicopter gunship pilot, Major Lucas flew in 675 combat engagements. His decorations include the Air Medal with 26 Oak-Leaf Clusters, three Bronze Stars for meritorious achievement in combat, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry for extraordinary heroism, awarded by the Government of South Vietnam.

Following his military service, Gary continued contributing to aviation as a post-maintenance test pilot, worked in Top Secret aviation research and development, and later applied his expertise to threat analysis and advanced security and surveillance systems.

This luncheon offers a rare opportunity to hear firsthand perspectives from a pilot whose service reflects some of the most demanding missions and technological transitions in modern military aviation.

We hope you’ll join us. Thanks!

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From the Air Force Global Strike Command by Airman 1st Class Bryan Crane, 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs – December 6, 2012

WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. —  “Yesterday, December 7, 1941 – a date which will live in infamy – the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan,”- Franklin Roosevelt.

President Roosevelt uttered these well-remembered words the day after the Pearl Harbor attacks.

Seventy-one years later, we still remember the fallen victims of that day.

The Pearl Harbor attack, at the time, was the largest enemy assault on United States territory. By the end of the day, more than 2,000 individuals had lost their lives.

Today, we thank those that gave their lives that day, those who defended our home and who would continue the fight throughout World War II.

At 7:55 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, a Japanese force of 183 airplanes attacked U.S. military and naval facilities on Oahu without warning.

For 30 minutes, dive bombers, level bombers and torpedo planes struck airfields and naval vessels. Not only did the attack hit the fleet at Pearl Harbor, but also air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam.

After a 15-minute lull, another wave of 170 planes launched a second attack at 8:40 a.m. Japanese aircraft destroyed 151 U.S. planes on the ground and sank or damaged all eight U.S. battleships anchored in Pearl Harbor.

However, not all American assets were damaged in the attack.

“The Japanese success was overwhelming, but it was not complete. They failed to damage any American aircraft carriers, which by a stroke of luck, had been absent from the harbor,” according to the Naval History and Heritage Command.

The next day, the U.S. declared war on Japan and entered World War II, changing the trajectory of the war, and of history.

This flag was flown on the U.S.S. St. Louis at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, the day of the Japanese attack. It was later flown on the U.S.S. Iowa in Tokyo Bay at the time of the Japanese surrender in 1945. – National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Chocolate Goes To War

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November 29th is National Chocolates Day, a fitting moment to look back at a small but memorable item carried by American soldiers during World War II. Chocolate was more than a comfort food. It became part of the U.S. military’s effort to provide compact, high-calorie energy in the field.

Beginning in 1937, the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps partnered with Hershey to create a chocolate bar that would work in combat conditions. The result was the D Ration bar, followed by the improved Tropical Bar shown here. These bars were formulated to be dense, heat-resistant, and durable enough for Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific. They were designed for emergency use, not for taste.

By the end of the war, Hershey had produced more than three billion chocolate rations. Soldiers found them in K-rations and carried them in packs and pockets. For many who served, these small, rugged bars became a familiar part of daily life and a reminder of home.

On National Chocolates Day, it is worth noting how something as ordinary as a chocolate bar played a role in sustaining troops far from home and demonstrated how American industry adapted to the needs of a global conflict.

Air Commandos Lunch November 19 Recap

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Our November Air Commandos lunch drew a full room of 26 members and guests at ROC’s Firehouse Grill in Palm Desert to hear Frank Tullo. He told us of his firsthand account of a 1965 combat mission over North Vietnam that ended with his F-105 taking direct ground fire. After keeping the aircraft flying as long as possible, he was forced to eject deep in hostile territory, surviving in tall elephant grass until help arrived.

Frank’s rescue became a milestone in Air Force history: the very first combat rescue performed by the newly modified HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter. Hearing the sequence of events directly from the man who lived it held the room from the start.

The presentation set the tone for a great lunch. Conversations continued long after the formal talk ended, with members trading questions, sharing related experiences, and appreciating the chance to hear a piece of Air Force history told directly and vividly. These informal gatherings continue to be a highlight for our chapter, bringing together community, service, and living history around the table.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to ROC’s Firehouse Grill for hosting us.

Our next Air Commandos lunch will be on Wednesday, December 10, with guest speaker Gary Lucas, retired U.S. Army Major, Vietnam War combat Cobra helicopter pilot and Purple Heart recipient. We hope to see you there.

Nov 19th AFA “Air Commandos” Lunch – Frank Tullo on His Vietnam Rescue

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Air & Space Forces Association – Palm Springs Chapter 134
Informal “Air Commandos” Lunch
Wednesday, November 19 • ROC’s Firehouse Grill • 11:30 AM

Our next informal Air Commandos Lunch is coming up on Wednesday, November 19, and we invite you to join us for a remarkable story of survival, skill, and courage from the Vietnam era.

This month’s guest speaker is Frank Tullo, whose combat mission over North Vietnam in July 1965 turned into one of the most dramatic rescues of the war. His F-105 Thunderchief took heavy ground fire deep in hostile territory. After fighting to keep the aircraft airborne as long as possible, he was forced to eject and survived in dense elephant grass until help arrived.

What followed has become a defining example of Air Force rescue operations. A specially modified HH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter flew into hostile territory to bring him out—an operation that showcased the bravery and precision of the Air Rescue Service. The full account of his ordeal and rescue is featured by the Smithsonian.

Read the story here:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/tullo-and-the-giant-22068/

Frank will share the experience firsthand—what unfolded from the cockpit, what it took to survive on the ground, and how the crew that came for him executed one of the most courageous extractions of the conflict.

As always, the lunch is free to attend; simply pay for your own meal and beverage. No RSVP required—just join us, settle in with friends, and hear one of the most compelling accounts of courage and aeronautical skill you’ll ever encounter.

Location:
ROC’s Firehouse Grill
36-200 Cook Street, Palm Desert, CA 92211
Time: 11:30 AM

We look forward to seeing you there and sharing this extraordinary story from Air Force history.

Veterans Day – A Moment of Honor and Reflection

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Today, we pause to recognize the men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform and carried its responsibilities with courage, commitment, and sacrifice. Veterans Day is not simply a date on the calendar—it is a reminder that freedom has a cost, and that cost has been paid by generations who stepped forward when the country needed them most.

The image here was photographed yesterday at the Fields of Valor installation in Cathedral City. Among two thousand waving flags, each tribute tells a personal story. This one honors a Vietnam veteran who earned the Purple Heart—an unmistakable reminder of the human toll of service and the quiet strength that defines so many who return home carrying both visible and invisible wounds.

As we mark Veterans Day, AFA Palm Springs extends our gratitude to every veteran, from every era, and to the families who stood beside them. Whether you served overseas or stateside, in combat or in support, your service continues to shape the freedoms and security we depend upon today.

We invite our community to take a moment—today and every day—to reflect on that service, to thank a veteran, and to carry forward the respect they deserve.

Honoring Sacrifice on National Purple Heart Day

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Today, August 7th, we pause to recognize the extraordinary bravery and sacrifice of the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have been wounded or killed in combat.

The Purple Heart, originally established by General George Washington in 1782 as the Badge of Military Merit, stands as one of the oldest and most respected military decorations still in use. It is awarded to those who have shed blood in service to our nation — a symbol of courage, resilience, and dedication beyond self.

At AFA Palm Springs, we honor all Purple Heart recipients — past and present — for their service and their sacrifice. This solemn observance reminds us of the real cost of freedom and the enduring legacy of those who have borne that burden.

Let us never forget their stories, their names, and the values they stood for.

Johnny Cash was a “Ditty Bopper”

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Johnny Cash is pictured in his Air Force uniform in the early 1950s.

Before he was the Man in Black, Johnny Cash wore Air Force blue. In 1950, at just 18, Cash enlisted in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, eventually serving as a Morse code operator—known as a “ditty bopper”—in the 12th Radio Squadron Mobile, stationed at Landsberg, West Germany.

His assignment? Intercepting Soviet transmissions and decoding them. It was during this duty on March 5, 1953, that Airman Johnny Cash became the first American to learn that Soviet leader Joseph Stalin had died, picking it up over his headphones in dots and dashes before the world knew. Not a bad claim to fame before your first gold record.

Cash later said the Air Force shaped him: the discipline, the long stretches of quiet time with a guitar, and the stories he carried home. It is a reminder that many who shape American culture first served in quiet, often unseen roles, supporting the mission of freedom in the tense days of the Cold War.

The next time you hear “I Walk the Line,” remember Johnny Cash walked a different line first, wearing his Air Force uniform, tuning into the world one dot and dash at a time. Read the DoD story April 17 2025 here… https://www.defense.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/4157671/singer-johnny-cash-served-in-the-air-force-during-the-cold-war/