Crew
Chief Wally Yocum and "Sweet Rose" |
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This web page
is devoted to the 'Sweet Rose' / 'Dreaded
Gomboo' North American F-86F Sabre serial number 52-4539,
and my fathers
service to the United States Air Force. My father, A/2C
Walter Yocum Jr. (Wally) and FU-539 were together
in Korea in 1954. Before my father sailed to Japan and Korea, my father
trained at Sampson
AFB in New York in August 1952, Amarillo AFB in Texas late
1952 to early 1953, and then Shaw AFB in South Carolina where he joined
the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.. Wally was a apart of the
US Air Force for 38 years, as he retired on October 3, 1990. Wally
worked on all kinds of fighter aircraft. He worked on B-26 bombers,
F9F Panthers, F86 Sabre Mig Killers, F100 Super Sabers, F94 Starfires,
F105 Thunderchiefs, F80 Shooting Stars, F84 Thunderjets and eventually
even cargo planes such as the C-141 Starlifter and the C5 Galaxy.
He became an expert with Pratt & Whitney and GE engines. GE even
would consult with Wally on engine upgrades and reliability improvements.
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The
armistice for the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953, formally
ending the war in Korea. But even after
the truce; "Even though the war was officially over in July
1953, occasional conflicts still arose. After the truce American pilots
remained in Korea to defend the South. However they were no longer
bound by any directive that told them to not cross any border; once
fired upon, they could continue the chase wherever it led." -
The F-86 Sabre Jet and Pilots, Turner 1997.
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My father was
assigned as the crew chief for the F-86F sabre with tail number FU-539.
He quickly added his sweethearts name to the nose in red, “Sweet
Rose”. The history behind Rose
- Wally started dating Rose after graduating Mount
Carmel Township High School in Pennsylvania. Wally lived on Beaverdale
in Mount Carmel, and Rose lived in Marion Heights - 3.4 miles away.
During the height of the Korean War, Wally decided to join the air
force. Wally and Rose continued to date while he was transferred to
different air bases for his training. When he went to Shaw air force
base, he would travel the weekends from South Carolina to Pennsylvania
to visit her. After Shaw, he sailed the seas on the USS
Gen. J. C. Breckenridge to Korea. He spent almost a year in the
Far East maintaining jets and standing guard. After being stationed
in Korea and Japan, my father was then transferred to the Dover Air
Force Base in Dover, Delaware. As before, he travelled and continued
to date Rose until he married her that year on November 5, 1955 (Our
Lady of Perpetual Church, in Marion Heights, PA). After 1956, Wally
left the Air Force at the rank of Airman First Class - and put his
family first by deciding to work at the DAFB as a civilian with the
436th
Field Maintenance Squadron. This allowed his family to stay in
Delaware.They had four children together: Ken, Steve,
Tom and Eric. Wally and Rose lived in Delaware until they both passed.
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The pilot of the
aircraft was 2/LT Kenneth
C. Ewing. Ken had “Dreaded Gomboo”
painted on by the nose on his side of the aircraft. The name signified
an infectious disease. According to his son, the name was on the plane
when he was assigned to it. Ken liked it, and decided to keep it.
Ken was born February 25, 1931 in South Dakota. He attended Miami
University of Ohio for a year and a half, and joined the Air Force
as an Airman Basic on December 31, 1951. He reported to Columbus AFB
Mississippi for pilot training April 17, 1952. After further training
at Laredo AFB, Texas, 10 weeks at Nellis, seven months at Geiger Field
in Spokane - he was reassigned to Kimpo, Korea in March 1954. He seperated
from the Air Force on April 30, 1956.
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The plane was
stationed at U.S. Air Base K-14
located in Kimpo (near Seoul). Wally and Ken were apart of the 4th
Fighter Interceptor Wing (Far East Air Force), 336th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron, known as the world famous “Rocketeers.”
This web site contains various pictures of Kimpo and FU-539 from many
sources, as well as all information that I collected about sabres
and the 4th fighter wing during that time.
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Ken and Wallys
sabre model was F-86F-30-NA. This plane is one of 859 F-86F-30-NA's
planes built. This sabre was equipped with the new 6-3 wing that allowed
speeds to increase to 695 + miles per hour at low altitudes. The plane
could now match the speed of the MiG and climb to altitudes of 47,000
feet. Wally claims this wing allowed tighter turns as well. This jet
was also equipped with the General Electric J47-GE-27 engine that
boosted thrust above 5900 pounds. Wally recalls that he would tweak
on the fuel controller to make sure the Sabre achieved a high tack
reading. This enabled his pilot to keep a fast plane if needed, citing
that Ken needed to keep up with the squadron formation.
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Wally also remembers
some good days that he was allowed to eat with the pilots, receiving
a meal with Ken of real milk and cheese, instead of the normal crew
meal of powdered products. But he also remembers being told that he
was responsible for that plane no matter what and had to take his
turn at guard duty as well. The Army Sergeant told him to put the
bayonet on his gun for guard duty because you only have 90 rounds,
that when the Chinese come, they come 10,000 at a time.
Wally got to go
into Seoul with the Army. The city was destroyed and he rode in the
back of an Army truck. He said they stopped in the road by a blown
up building. At this building, there was only a foundation wall left.
He noticed huddled in a corner was a woman and children and they were
freezing. He said he grabbed some blankets and threw them to the woman.
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He
also told the story of the night sky being lit up orange and red and
thought it was a big storm. He said he couldn’t hear anything,
but was told by the Army Sergeant that the Navy was well off the coast
and was shelling the trail to keep the enemy back. The Sergeant said
he was a stupid son-of-bitch thinking it was a storm and he took dads
gun and pierced the sand bags making up the wall around the sabre.
The Sergeant then told him to fix it for being a dumb ass! He said
the shellling was a hell of a night there in Kimpo.
The
plane remained in the 336th arsenal until late 1954 at Kimpo. It was
dropped from inventory and transferred to the Taiwanese ROC Air Force
as serial number F-86008.
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Wally and FU-539 has appeared
in many model magazines, newspapers and paintings over the past few
years. The Planes of Fame museum is currently in the works of making
a new Korean War memorial. The F-86 static display will be painted
in the likeness of FU-539 raised on a pole. Seymour Johnson AFB even
decaled a F-15E with Sweet Rose in honor of Wally and his career.
Additional articles are near the bottom of this webpage.
Magazines: FineScale
Modeler (April 2017); AirFix
Model World (Issue 76 - March 2017); Info
Eduard (Volume 14, Issue 66 - December 2015)
Newspapers: The
News-Item (Oct 6, 2019); Delaware
State News (May 9, 2020 and August 16, 2020)
NASCAR Program: Dover
Speedway Doubleheader Weekend (Fall 2020)
Aircraft:
F-15E
Strike Eagle 336th Fighter Squadron AF 89-0488 (September 2014)
Art: Javier
Bordon artwork (January 2017); Wade
Meyer (2020)
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In 2021, the Planes of
Fame museum finished painting the remake
of FU-539. The plane would of been painted sooner, but Covid-19
slowed most of the world. With things slowly getting back to normal,
the remake plane has been mounted to a pole for a future Korean War
Memorial. My brother, one son and I took a trip to the museum in Chino,
California to see, feel and take photos
of it. A completion date has not been given yet for the full memorial.
Upon completion, their will be an opening ceremony. Check out the
Planes of Fame website or check back here for updates.
Thank you for stopping
by and visitng our website! We hope you enjoy the history.
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Smithsonian
Institution Online Virtual Archives. Collection ID: NASM.2018.0044
(Image: NASM-9A14715.JPG) |
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Ken and Wally
were both apart of the "B" flight team
of the Rocketeers. There
were "A", "B", "C" and "D"
flight teams.
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Crew Chiefs
"B" Flight
Above
are the crew chiefs of the "B" flight team of the 336th
Rocketeers in 1954. My father is in the front row, all the way to
the right.
What also makes this photo special, 52-4539 is the sabre in the background.
FRONT
ROW L to R: A/1C Apolino Solorzano, A/3C Warren Shoopman,
M/Sgt. Thomas N. Rustin Jr., A/2C William E. Underwood, A/2C
Walter E. Yocum, Jr.
REAR
L to R: A/2C David Chapman, S/Sgt. Henry O. May, A/2C Thurbet Pinkham,
A/2C Clifford Sturdivant, A/2C George C. Anstett, A/2C Robert N. Peterson.
(Picture
from the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing yearbook -
1954)
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Shower
for Sabre - A/1C Apolonio C. Solorzano
with hose and A/2C Walter E. Yocum Jr. (Not FU-539)
The
sabre in the background "Dottie" is a F-86F-30-NA s/n
52-4701 FU-701 piloted by Col Donald P. Hall.
(Picture
from the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing yearbook
- 1954)
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"Crew
chiefs were the back bone of the organization. Your life was in their
hands each time you flew "their" aircraft." - 1/Lt. William
A. Todd |
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Media
related to FU-539
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Art/Clip-Art/Logos
related to FU-539
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All Photos
of FU-539
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Models
related to FU-539
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Wally's
USAF Career and Awards
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The Love
Story of Wally and "Sweet Rose"
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Sweet
Rose II F15-E 89-0488
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Computer
Skins related to FU-539
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NASM.2018.0043
Wally Yocum
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NASM.2018.0044
Ken Ewing
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Planes of Fame
- Korean War Memorial
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Tribute
to a Hero Racing, History and Cars
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Anthony Alfredo
"Fast Pasta"
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Wally
Tidbits (Family/History/Aviation)
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52-4539
in the RoCAF and RoCAF Guide
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4th Fighter-Interceptor
Wing Guide (Korea)
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1949-1956
Fabulous Rocketeers Guide
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Kimpo Air Base
Photos and Information
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2021 Wally
Yocum Memorial Portfolio
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Website
Graphic and Logo Guide
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October
28, 2023
Josh Bilicki
had a couple rough moments at Martinsville, Virgina this race... but
still finished 23rd. It was a nice looking Halloween ride!
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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October
7, 2023
Alex Labbe
drove the #91 "Help
Ian Landry" / Thomas Creek Brewery Chevrolet Camaro at the
ROVAL. He was running in 5th place -but got loose from the dirt and
gravel another driver put on the track after they spun. He still ended
up finishing 15th. Great drive back up through the field!
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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September
2, 2023
Greg Reed
dominated and got his first win ever in the #21! Greg started on the
pole for heat 1, led every lap. He then redrew the pole spot and basically
led every lap! Congratulations on getting win #1 and having our logo
on your ride! Greg pictured below with his dad, whom he thanked to
make this possible.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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September
2, 2023
Ryan Ellis
drove the #43 Darlington throwback scheme from Alpha Prime Racing.
They covered three cars related to the Pettys: Kyle Petty, Adam Petty
and John Andretti who drove the Cheerios car for the King. The team
was ok with the logo by John Andretti's name. (In memory of - John
Andretti March 12, 1963 - January 30, 2020). Ryan finished P30.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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September
2, 2023
Ross Chastain
was back to drive with our logo on. What looked like a top 10 finish
ended with a pit error, dropping him to finish P23. Thanks to DGM
Racing for our logo on their cars.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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July
22, 2023
Thanks to
Bob Ewing for updating me on the addition of the bricks at the Planes
of Fame Korean War Memorial! They are looking great!
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July
22, 2023
Chad Chastain
drove the #91 Eat Mardelicious Watermelon (Mar-Del Watermelon Association)
/ Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. Chad needed a transmisson change
before the race, and ended up in 30th place. This was the second time
we had Chad drive the car with our logo, and the second time with
watermelons!
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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June
27, 2023
Thanks to
Bob Ewing wuth these pictures. His brother and uncle went to the National
Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. They have a large print out of FU-539
near their Korean War section! Incredible!
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May
29, 2023
Kyle Weatherman
drove the #91 CreatiVets / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. Kyle
was running good late in the race until he got a flat right rear.
He ended up 20th for the day. Kyle drove with the Tribute to a Hero
Wally Yocum and Tribute to a Hero Robert Williams stickers.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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May
13, 2023
Ross Chastain
drove the #91 Florida Watermelon Association / Tribute to a Hero Camaro
for DGM. Ross became known across America when he drove his car around
the wall at Martinsville to make it in last year chase for the championship.
Ross was headed to a top 10 until a late caution came out. He finished
18th for the day.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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April
29, 2023
Chad Chastain
drove the #91 DE Arrive Alive / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM.
It was just his second start ever in the series. Practice was rained
out, so he never drove the track at all until the flag dropped for
the race. Chad is the younger brother of Ross Chastain. Chad finished
32nd.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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April
29, 2023
"Fast
Pasta" kept the tradition going on had our logo on the C-post
of the #78 Botticelli Camaro. He had mechanical failures early which
kept him out of any hopes of a good finish. We were proud to have
our logo on his car for the fourth time at Dover Speedway! Anthony
finished 36th.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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April
15, 2023
Alex Labbe
had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 91 DGM racing
Camaro at Martinsville, VA. Alex was near the front towards the end,
but a gamble strategy didn't pan out. Alex finished P26.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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April
1, 2023
Josh "Park
It" Williams had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the
number 92 DGM racing Camaro at Richmond, VA. Josh had power steering
issues and ended up 33rd after starting 26th..
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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November
15, 2022
Key.Aero wrote
an article "New Monument Features Sabre and MiG". It was
written by Steve Beebee and tells a little story of how the memorial
was delayed due to covid, but is finally open in Chino. The photos
in the article were taken by Frank Mormillo. The website is: https://www.key.aero/article/new-monument-features-sabre-and-mig.
If you have a hard time opening, here is a copy to view: New
Monument
https://www.key.aero/article/new-monument-features-sabre-and-mig
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October
29, 2022
Alex Labbe
had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 36 DGM racing
Camaro at Martinsville, VA. Alex brought the Halloween paint scheme
car home to a P13. A great run after a couple pit road errors.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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October
8, 2022
Alex Labbe
had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 36 DGM racing
Camaro at Roval in Concord, NC. Alex finished 6th position! Our first
top 10! We also had the logo on #92, driven by Josh
Williams. Josh finished 37th with a track bar problem.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information. #LittleTeamThatCould
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September
22, 2022
The Planes
of Fame museum is selling a limited run of the new Korean War Memorial
with FU-539 shirts and sweatshirts! To view the graphic or purchase,
click on the links below.
For shirts,
https://planesoffame.mybigcommerce.com/memorial-shirt/1
For sweatshirts,
https://planesoffame.mybigcommerce.com/memorial-sweatshirt/
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September
3, 2022
Mason Massey
had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 21 DGM racing
Camaro at Darlington, SC. They finished unscathed at 20th position.
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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August
30, 2022
I always wanted
to have the "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" NASCAR in
my hands someday... and today that dream came true! Had a fellow from
South Carolina make me a replica car of Anthony Alfredo's #33 Camaro.
It is sweet and beautiful! Words cannot describe seeing this in person!
Thanks Bobby!
Click here
or the picture to view more pictures and information.
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August
20, 2022
The Planes
of Fame Museum opened the Korean War Memorial on August 20, 2022.
Click below to see the pictures of the opening day and BBQ! Thank
you Planes of Fame for bringing this to a reality!
Click here
or the picture to view.
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August
9, 2022
The Planes
of Fame released a preview video of the work they are putting into
the new Korean War Memorial. The Memorial is slated to open during
as special, private event for Museum Members on Saturday, August 20,
2022!
Click here
or the video picture to view.
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May
28, 2022
Garrett Smithley
qualified 34th, and finished 21st. It was exciting to have our logo
on the Rich Mar Florist Racing Chevrolet Camaro. It was incredible
to have the Tribute logo on three cars for the Charlotte Motor Speedway
Memorial Day race weekend. Garrett drove for DGM Racing team this
week.
Click here
for larger images or information.
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May
27, 2022
Mason Massey
drove his best to qualify for the Charlotte race, but fell short.
He was the fastest of the elimination cars from the qualifying runs.
Thanks DGM Racing for the support!
Click here
for larger images or information.
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May
27, 2022
C7R Motorsports
and Blaine Perkins
placed our "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" logo on the
lower door panels of the #9 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet
Silverado. Blaine qualified 29th and finished 30th at Charlotte Motor
Speedway. Thanks for adding our logo!
Click here
for larger images or information.
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April
30, 2022
For the third
straight year, Anthony Alfredo proudly rocked our "Tribute to
a Hero - Wally Yocum" logo on his ride. Anthony drove the #23
xfinity series Camaro for OUR Motorsports. Anthony qualified 10th,
and ended up finishing 15th. This was a special race for Dover (Monster
Mile), as it hit its 200th race run! Thanks to Anthony and OUR Motorsports
for adding our logo!
Click here
for larger images or information.
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April
3, 2022
I worked with
Born Aviation
Products out of Indianapolis, Indiana to produce a "Wally
Yocum Tribute to a Hero" coin. I gave Born Aviation Products
a short version what I was looking for. They took that and created
the design for the coin (front and back). They did an excellent job.
The coin is about 1 3/4" in size. It feels great and has good
weight. Click the picture or link to see larger images.
Click here
for larger images or information.
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March
30, 2022
Went on
a tour of America as I reached the Planes of Fame museum in Chino,
California. An update of the memorial and this beauty!
Click
here
for pictures from California.
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February
28, 2022
Mach 3 Design
Studio is back at refining the DCS skins again... except the skins
are 8K now! Their most recent shots were sent to me using a slight
1950's film using a reshade plugin called Film Works. They noted
it simulates in high fidelity Kodak and Fugi film (negatives and
prints). This filter was used directly in DCS (No post editing).
Thanks for the updated pictures! Love the touch to it!
Click
here
for a larger image.
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September
18, 2021
September
18th is the 74th anniversary of the USAF. Happy Birthday! Showtime
112 created a wonderful "5" minute "39" second
video of FU-539 in the video DCS game. The plane rolls off of the
runway into the sky to do an airshow presentation and land back on
the runway. The video shows the canopy closing, air flaps for braking
and the shear raw power of the sabre! Thanks Showtime 112! Click the
picture or link below. Intro/exit music is "In Your Arms"
Kevin MacLeod.
Showtime
112 youtube link
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September
8, 2021
Wallys name
will be on a team Penske xfinity car for Saturdays race in Richmond,
Virginia. Donations to the Paralyzed Veterans of America allowed you
to honor a loved one on the hood of Austin Cindric's #22 for $22.
Wallys names now has been on a RCR, Front Row Motorsports and now
a Penske car in the past two years. To view other images of the hood,
click the photo below or here.
September 12th race notes: Austin started on the pole, led for 50
laps - but finished 16th.
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May
16, 2021
Anthony Alfredo
returned to Dover Speedway with the "Tribute to a Hero - Wally
Yocum" logo on his car. Anthony drove a great race, but eventually
got caught up into an accident late in the race. He finished in 28th
place, but still was able to pick up the Sunoco Rookie of the Race
honors! Special thanks to the 2021 Daytona 500 winning organization
- Front Row Motorsports - and driver Anthony Alfredo for allowing
our logo on their car.
Click here
to see additional photos.
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May
5, 2021
I took a small
trip out to Chino, California to visit the remake of FU-539. The Planes
of Fame museum did an incredible job painting the sabre! Click below
or here to see the artwork
they did! The FU-539 was mounted on a pole May 7th. It's one step
closer to getting the Korean War memorial complete.
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March
13, 2021
Greg Reed
will run the "Tribute to a Hero" logo and decal of FU-539
on both sides of his Modifieds race car for the 2021 season. I got
to view the car before the 2021 kicked off. He had to compete against
74 other best sportsman modifieds in the Northeast cars this night.
After heat races, he started the main event P12 of 32. He ended
up 16th. Greg had a great start, looking for a great rest of season.
2021 link here: Greg
Reed #21
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January
5, 2021
"Sweet
Rose", the new art completed by Wade Meyers on December 8,
2020. Beautiful! The artwork is a 8" x 12" mixed media
on toned paper. The blue nose, the red Sweet Rose and my dads white
shirt made a perfect patriotic American theme drawing. Click here,
or on the photo below to learn more. "Sweet Rose" is included
on his personal site here: https://www.wademeyersstudios.com/collections/65895
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December
16, 2020
Was browsing
the internet, and came across this beautiful model of FU-539 by
Aerodid on the hyperscale forum. The link to the forum is: Hyperscale
Forum. Click the picture below or here
to see larger pictures of the build. Thanks for making this amazing
replica Aerodid!
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August
22/23, 2020
Anthony
Alfredo finished postiton 11th and 13th at the Dover Speedway Doubleheader.
He ran the #21 ADS/Footing First Chevrolet Camaro. Thanks to RCR
and Anthony for running our logo!
Click
here
for information on the double header event.
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August
19, 2020
Dover Speedway
placed the Q&A with me in their August race souvenir race program.
They did a great job laying out the article. It's also referenced
in the table of contents, as well as the letter written from the
President and CEO of Dover Speedway - Michael Tatoian. Original
source: Dover Speedway August Flyer (doverspeedway.com): https://www.doverspeedway.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2020/08/18/August-Program-cover.pdf
Click
here for
the Dover Speedway souvenir program article.
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June
15, 2020
An online
Question and Answer article from Dover International Speedway. It's
an article about Wally Yocum, Tribute to a Hero Wally Yocum #33 Camaro
and my viewpoint from watching the race on May 2. This article will
also be included in Dover International Speedways next Souvenir Program.
Click the picture below or here to read more: Dover
International Speedway article on Wally Yocum
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May
10, 2020
The Delaware
State News released an article about Wally Yocum and the Tribute
to a Hero - Wally Yocum Chevy driven by Anthony Alfredo. This article
talks about Anthonys win, and the relationship between Wally, Dover
Downs International Speedway, and his connection to the car's paint
scheme. Click the picture below or here to read more: DE
State News Article
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May
2, 2020
An historic
night! Anthony Alfredo wins NASCAR's Saturday Night Thunder in the
No. 33 Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum Chevy! It's virtual racing,
but many watched this race. It'll go down in NASCAR'S and RCR's
history books! We all are proud of Anthony for what he accomplished!
To view information relating to the race, and videos, click on the
link under the picture.
Click
the graphic above or here
to learn more about Anthony and iracing.
RCR
News
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April
29, 2020
Our family
joined up with Team Dillon esports to sponsor Anthony Alfredo on Saturday
Night Thunder. The race will be at virtual Dover Downs Speedway on
Saturday, May 2nd. The program will start at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday
with a live stream at eNASCAR.com/live and NASCAR’s YouTube
channel. The feature race will be 125 laps long and include drivers
from other NASCAR national series and other NASCAR divisions competing
in Xfinity Series cars. Lets go Anthony!
Click the
graphic above or here
to learn more about Anthony and iracing.
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April
25, 2020
My brother
Tom applied for the Republic of Korea - Ambassador for Peace Medal
for our father. It was accepted and we recieved this beautiful medal.
See the link below for larger and more detailed information about
it. If you or your family member applies, click here
for an application form.
Click the
above graphic or here
to view more information on Wallys medal.
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April
8, 2020
Greg Reed,
of Reed Racing, will have the Planes of Fame logo and decal of FU-539
on both sides of his Modifieds race car. We are excited to get the
2020 season started! Check back fo progress pictures of the paint
scheme. Gregs races at Delaware International Speedway and Georgetown
Speedway.
To view
more information, click the picture above or here.
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March
30, 2020
2020 has
not been the most common of years with the COVID-19 virus... My
brother had been in search of a race team to sponsor, before the
world started to close its doors to activities. We went back and
forth over a few paint schemes, which triggered my fascination of
other computer programs out there to help with the art. With iRacing
doing great because of the world lock down, I wondered more on what
a tribute race car could really look like in real life. iRacing
had all the 3D rotations needed to see what the sponsorship would
look like in real life. I contacted a tradingpaints.com Pro Liam
Brotherton. I messaged him my number
77 sketch, and asked him to a similar scheme within the boundaries
of the real race car body. My one skin request changed to two, and
what he designed was... incredible! I had him make a #54 (the year
my father was in Korea), and then a #55 (the year my parents got
married). Thanks Liam!
Click
here
or the car above to see larger views of the #54 and #55 iRacing
"Tribute to a Hero" race car.
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December
20, 2019
A very special
day! The FU-539 paint scheme has been fully funded! Updates will
come next year as the plane progresses! A super
special thanks to the Ewing family (children of
the pilot Lt. Kenneth
C. Ewing)!
"Dear
Sweet Rose/Dreaded Gomboo Donors,
Great news! The F-86F FU-539 Sabre paint scheme is now FULLY FUNDED!
Thank you to each and every donor! We are very excited to complete
this project and honor Ken Ewing and Wally Yocum in our Korean War
Memorial at Planes of Fame Air Museum. I have attached new site
renderings featuring the Sweet Rose/Dreaded Gomboo paint scheme.
A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held in 2020, I
will let you know when a date is chosen.
Thank you again for your support, we could not have completed this
project without you!
Warm Regards and Happy Holidays,
--
Jane E. Hinton
Development
& Strategic Planning
Planes of Fame Air Museum
www.planesoffame.org "
To view
the page dedicated to this Paint Scheme, funding, development, and
the history of the museum plane, click the above picture or here.
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December
17, 2019
An article
about the Planes of Fame museum and the Dreaded Gomboo / Sweet Rose
paint scheme was mailed out on December 17 to all of the KWVA members
(November - December 2019 Vol 33, No 6) . In August, Susan Kee mentioned
about posting an article in The Graybeards magazine
to help get the word out about the memorial and fund raising for the
paint scheme. She mentioned this nationally distributed magazine goes
to all the Korean War Veterans across the US (about 30,000 veterans!).
Susan has a facebook page and recommend all her posts if you visit
facebook. Her page is "Susan Kee - Honoring Korean War Veterans".
The link to the article is: Graybeards
FU-539 (full article: gb_1912_final.pdf)
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November
6, 2019
A picture
of Wally was submitted by a family member to the abc TV channel 16
WNEP Veterans Day 2019: 'Why We Call Them Heroes' Photo Gallery.
Click
the picture or the link here
to see more. Wallys picture link on WNEP is: Wallys
picture on WNEP 16 - Thanks Angela!
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October
6, 2019
An article
about Wally and Sweet Rose was published in the The News-Item newspaper
in Pennsylvania. It was written by Becky Lock and placed in the Arts
& Living section. The newspaper was released Sunday, October 6,
2019. Click the picture below or link here: The
News-Item story
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October
4, 2019
The National
Air and Space Museum's Wall
of Honor memorial at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly,
Virginia. Wally Yocum's name is engraved as Walter Wally Edward Yocum,
Jr., located in Foil 63, Panel 1, Column 4, Line 8.
Smithsonian's
Wall of Honor website for Wallys foil name: Wally
Yocum Jr Foil NASM
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August
8, 2019
Dreaded Gomboo
/ Sweet Rose sabre is edging closer to be a part of the opening 2020
Korean War Memorial in Chinco, California! The Korean War Memorial
will be located in front of the Planes of Fame Air Museum. The memorial
will commemorate the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served
in the U.S. armed services during the three-year period of the Korean
War. The War was one of the most hard fought in our history. During
its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953,
over 36,000 Americans died in hostile actions in the Korean War theater.
Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action, lost, or buried at
sea. In addition, 103,284 were wounded during the conflict. If you
want to donate to this historical event, select the picture below
or here.
Thank you for help being a part of this amazing historical display!
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June
24, 2019
New RoughMet
and converted textures for Sweet Rose were shown. For DCS v2.5.5+
only. Thanks Mach 3 Design Studio!
Screen shots
of DCS skin: Mach
3 Design Studio's DCS skin
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May
23, 2019
For the
second straight year, Tom Masano Auto group will display Walters
name on their Berks County billboard takeover for Memorial Day
Weekend. Thanks Tim Yocum (Wallys brothers' son) and Tom Masano
for honoring our families for a second year! A
link to the 2019 Tom
Masano Auto Group Memorial Day weekend billboard takeover video.
Click
here or the above
banner for larger photos and information. Above banner was on
Rt. 422 East, 0.1 mile east of Lorane Road in Reading, PA.
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May
15, 2019
A brick
dedicated to Walter Yocum Jr was recently placed at the Veterans
Memorial Park located in Dover, Delaware. The memorial park was
established and dedicated by Chapter 850 (Vietnam Veterans of
America and Kent County Levy Court on November 11, 2009). An excellent
time to place a brick with Memorial Day weekend coming up. It's
in front of the Delaware shaped memorial for the Korean War, dedicated
in July 2014.
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April
12, 2019
One of
Lt. Ken Ewing's pictures will be in the May 2019 issue of Aviation
History magazine, and interent article for it is on HISTORYNET -
Sabrejet Secrets by John Lowery.
Visit
the article at:
https://www.historynet.com/saberjet-secrets.htm
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