LACKLAND A.F.B.:
BMT HISTORY:
USAF BASIC TRAINING HISTORY:
BMT IN EUROPE
| SONTHOFEN, Germany |
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I am CMSgt John R. Penz, retired.
My story has almost ended without being acknowledged anywhere in the historical annals of the USAF Basic Training annuals that I can find anywhere. I say my story, when actually it is the story of 33+ kids and two WWII vets. In April 1951, USAFE opened up enlistments in Europe to eligible Americans among which included Dependents, kids born in the USA before WWII and returned to Europe with their parents and could not return to the US, and a US National Junior Bicycle Champion that was touring Europe. The group consisted of two older WWII vets, about 6 dependents myself included, several Germans, a Swede, a Dane, numerous Scotch, English and Irish kids. I enlisted at Camp Lindsey, Wiesbaden 28 May 1951, the 9th enlistee under this program. I was sent to SONTHOFEN, in sourthernmost Germany to take BMT. The training could not commence until their were 30 students, so those of us there built our rifle range and just kinda lolligagged around for 4 weeks until the contingent arrived from Britain. I am making this a teaser in the hope that you and the MTIA may find it interesting enough to do a little head scratching to help me out. I have been through Tracy English's office, given him a copy of my BMT certificate and what little info I had. I have been to Randolph, I have talked to the Pentagon, I purchased a microfilm from Maxwell on the Squadron, I have called Ramstein and talked to the USAFE Historical people all with no luck. I was told that our instructors were handpicked at Lackland because of the nature of our class and the expected 5,000 more to follow us. I gleaned the names of our instructors from the microfilm and will list them for you. All of them moved on to what ever their previous AFSCs were after only several classes, and BMT after being moved to Sealand, England was discontinued in Europe and enlistees were sent to Lackland for BMT. Read the short bio of Chief Penz: www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/4980/page39.html |
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