Tony Pakutinski:
CLASS OF 1970
St. Michael's High SchoolClass of 1970
Northampton, MA
Tony's Story
Hello St. Michael's Class of 1970"! It’s been a long/exciting journey for me, since 1970. I enlisted in the Air Force in September 1971. Following completion of basic training in San Antonio TX. (Lackland AFB). My Technical School was in Denver CO. (Lowery AFB). Training to load Bullets, Bombs, and Missiles on Fighter Aircraft. My 1st assignment was to Myrtle Beach SC, (Myrtle Beach AFB).
Within 3 months, I volunteered for Viet-Nam Special Operations, and was upgraded/trained to be an Airborne Gunner (AG) on "Fixed Wing Gunships" in the 18th SOS. Training was at Hurlburt Field FL, (Fort Walton Beach, FL) in 1972. I spent my 1st South East Asian (SEA) tour at Nakhon Phanom (NKP) Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand, and then Bien Hoa and Danang Viet Nam. This tour was extremely busy and very effective. We provided overhead Air Support to friendly troops on the ground, saving many US and South Vietnamese lives, and (best of all), terminating a lot of bad guys!
QUOTE - "In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mounted heavy armaments to attack ground or sea targets. These gunships are configured to circle the target instead of performing strafing runs. Such aircraft have their armament on one side harmonized to fire at the apex of an imaginary cone formed by the aircraft and the ground when performing a pylon turn (banking turn)".- End Quote
My next stop was Plattsburgh AFB, (Plattsburgh NY) in 1974, as a Weapons Technician, troubleshooting Aircraft Weapons System Issues. After 6 months, I was re-assigned to Korat, Thailand, back to loading Bullets, Bombs and Missiles. After my 2nd SEA tour, in 1975, I was assigned to Castle AFB, (Merced CA). I left the Air Force in July 1975, and spent 6 years in civilian life/employment.
I Missed the smell of Jet Fuel, and working on Aircraft Weapons Systems which lead to joining the Air National Guard (ANG) at Barnes AB in Westfield in 1980. This tour convinced me that I had a lot more progressive opportunities in the AF, rather than as a civilian. In 1982, I re-enlisted in the Active-Duty Air Force, with an assignment to Cannon AFB, NM (Clovis NM). There I realized my previous GUNSHIP experience would provide me with several assignment options.
Once again, in December 1982 I was re-assigned to Hurlburt Field FL (Fort Walton Beach FL), this time for training on AC-130H...Expand for more
Gunships,(16th SOS).
'QUOTE' (" President Ronald Reagan, citing the threat posed to American nationals on the Caribbean nation of Grenada by that nation’s Marxist regime, orders U.S. forces to invade and secure their safety. There were approximately 1,000 Americans in Grenada at the time, many of them students at the island’s medical school. In little more than a week, Grenada’s government was overthrown")'END QUOTE'.
On October 1983, I was selected for Crew #1, taking part in Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of Grenada. Our Take-Off was on-time, unfortunately we had an engine fire on the right wing, which caused us to dump a few thousand pounds of fuel over the ocean, (due to Max Weight Takeoff Weight Restrictions, so we could safely land the aircraft). We switched to the spare A/C, but this delayed our Time on Target (TOT), an hour later. After 4 hours on target, we ground refueled in Barbados, and re-engaged bad guys. We were the last Gunship on station, spending the night in Porto Rico, separated from the other gunships that Remained Over Night (RON) in Barbados. We flew another mission the next day, then rejoined everyone in Barbados. Our crew holds the record for (First Day) Time on Target during URGENT FURY, and an extremely long Crew Day.
My Aircrew assignment in the AC-130H lasted 8 years. We traveled frequently for Air Support of Ground Combat Personnel, (Panama, South and Central America, and other garden spots in the world).
In 1991, I was assigned to Griffiss AFB, (Rome, NY) as 1st Sergeant,
Quote - ("First sergeants advise commanders on the readiness, health, morale, welfare, and quality of life of Airmen and families to ensure a mission-ready force") - End Quote.
I was assigned to Ramstein AB Germany in 1995, also working at Kapaun AB, Sembach AB, and Kaiserslautern Germany, until I retired from active duty in 1998.
As a civilian, I finished college and became a Medical Office Manager/Medical Coder Biller in a Psychiatrist’s Office - (Hmm, that may be a hint!). As the years went by, I requested and was accepted at Eglin AFB FL in 2015, as Civil Service (GS). I am still working at Eglin AFB, but as I soon turn 72, my options may change.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, I wish you all well, and hope all your dreams and goals have been accomplished!
Tony Pakutinski, St. Michael's High School Class of 1970.
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