Trent Ruble's Blog: The Other Way It Is - Posts Tagged "c141"

In the early 1980s, while I was enlisted in the United States Air Force, I had the opportunity to visit communist East Germany. It was known among aircrew members at the time that, if we wore our uniforms, we were allowed to enter East Germany and return safely to the West. Although I very much considered the Soviets and their satellites to be our enemies, I'd always been fascinated by the mystery of the communist world. So, when my fellow airman, Todd Vangundy, and I found ourselves assigned to a mission to Tempelhof Airport in West Berlin, we made sure to pack our dress blues. In those days we were not allowed to wear work uniforms (flight suits) off base like service members do today.



Upon our arrival in Berlin we quickly unloaded the giant cargo plane and then proceeded to our room to change clothes. We next made our way to the Berlin Wall's Checkpoint Charlie, the designated crossing for Allied military personnel wanting access to East Berlin. However, prior to crossing over to the dark side, we were required to attend a briefing. The only thing I remember from the briefing is what we were told about returning; once we entered the passageway back to the West, we were not to stop walking for any reason.

At the end of the briefing we proceeded through the Iron Curtain to East Berlin. If I recall, the crossing was only about 20 or 30 yards long. At the other end was a gate or door on one side and a guard shack on the other. We proceeded through the gate and into the red state.

Todd and I toured around the city noticing immediately how quiet and drab it was when compared to the West. However, the people we met were warm and friendly. We ate lunch in a hotel where, at least on the inside, it seemed quite lively. Upon paying our bill I received coins back as change and noticed that they felt more like plastic than metal. I still have one of those plastic coins today. After several hours we made our way back to the crossing. It was here that I nearly caused an international incident.

Todd and I approached the gate and he went through first. I followed and instantly heard the East German guard yelling at me in German. At that time I wasn't far removed from my high school German class but, even so, I couldn't understand anything the guard was saying. It didn't take long to figure it out, though. Upon looking back I saw the guard pointing at the wide open gate while screaming at me. I knew he wanted me to return and close the gate. Even in the midst of the situation I wondered why the gate didn't close automatically. But I wasn't going back. All I could think of at the time was what we'd been told in our pre-crossing briefing; "Whatever you do, do not stop walking once you start through the passageway." I, for one, did not want to spend the rest of my life in the Eastern Bloc! I continued walking and the guard continued screaming. I have never been so relieved as I was when I was completely through that passageway and back in the good old Western World! I have always hoped that, because I'd left the gate open, some desperate East Germans were able to escape! (Not likely.)

From 1963 through 1967, the Lockheed Corporation (known since 1995 as Lockheed Martin) delivered 285 "Tubes of Pain," officially known as C-141 Starlifters, to the United States Air Force. The giant cargo planes represented a new, jet-propelled, long-range alternative to the propeller-driven cargo planes of the past. The high-speed, high-flying planes were capable of carrying up to 45 tons of cargo or 200 troops. Together, they transported millions of tons of military personnel and equipment, including a serious amount of MAC artifacts (aircrew souvenirs), to points around the world until they were taken out of service in 2006 (The Aviation Zone).



The most well-known of these massive air machines was the "Hanoi Taxi," made famous in 1973 as the first aircraft to return American prisoners of war to the United States from Vietnam (National Museum of the United States Air Force). The Taxi was again called upon for evacuation services after Hurricane Katrina struck the American Gulf Coast in 2005 (Air Force Reserve Command). This storied aircraft can still be seen today at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, where it is on permanent display.



I served as a loadmaster aboard Starlifters from 1980 to 1984, which put me in charge of loading and offloading cargo and of any in-flight passengers. Being "in charge" was a little awkward at first when I was fresh out of tech school at age 19. But, the more experienced loading crews, sometimes 20 year veterans, understood the situation and were usually very respectful about it. I was assigned to the 20th Military Airlift Squadron at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. From there we flew to locations throughout the Americas, as well as Europe, Africa and Asia. It was peacetime and our missions were generally routine with an occasional flash of excitement, such as the International Incident and the International Incident, Part 2. Our squadron was also involved in missions supporting Operation Urgent Fury; the eviction of the Cubans after their ill-advised October 1983 invasion of Grenada.
Fort Wayne, Indiana, 1997
Photo by Tami Ruble

After four years of flying with the well-trained, yet sometimes inexperienced, Air Force pilots, I knew I'd cheated death long enough (see In-Flight Emergency!). On April 11, 1984, I said goodbye to the Starlifter never to fly on her again. I was, however, fortunate enough to board a 141 one last time in 1997 as it was parked in static display at an airshow in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I enjoyed the opportunity to reminisce while, at the same time, showing my wife and sons the great airplane I once called home. It won't likely happen again, though, as the Air Force, since 2006, has been dismantling the once great airships in the Arizona desert. A sad end to the truly great work-horse of the sky; the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter.

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona