1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,730 the 3 28 Airlift Squadron got its start 2 00:00:04,730 --> 00:00:06,980 during World War two as an active duty 3 00:00:06,980 --> 00:00:09,360 unit . The third combat cargo squadron 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,860 flying C 40 sevens captain or 5 00:00:12,860 --> 00:00:16,730 Major john moriarty ? In 1943 was the 6 00:00:16,730 --> 00:00:18,730 first commander of the third Combat 7 00:00:18,730 --> 00:00:21,370 cargo squadron . Uh , They had a fine 8 00:00:21,370 --> 00:00:24,640 combat record and did so well with so 9 00:00:24,640 --> 00:00:26,418 few losses that they earned the 10 00:00:26,418 --> 00:00:28,740 nickname the lucky third . Our 11 00:00:28,740 --> 00:00:31,050 knowledge of our history with respect 12 00:00:31,060 --> 00:00:34,270 to the third was largely lost . But 13 00:00:34,270 --> 00:00:36,940 then it was resurrected by one of our 14 00:00:36,940 --> 00:00:39,750 flight engineers Dave Karnowski , who 15 00:00:39,750 --> 00:00:42,290 in the late nineties learned about the 16 00:00:42,290 --> 00:00:44,179 history of the third Combat cargo 17 00:00:44,179 --> 00:00:46,450 squadron and reached out and contacted 18 00:00:46,450 --> 00:00:48,830 Colonel Moriarty as well as other 19 00:00:48,830 --> 00:00:50,719 retired members of the squadron . 20 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,607 Colonel Sandy Way was our commander at 21 00:00:53,607 --> 00:00:55,718 the time and he asked me to look into 22 00:00:56,340 --> 00:00:59,390 getting the mushroom patch made 23 00:00:59,390 --> 00:01:01,360 official and you have to work that 24 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:04,340 through fRC history . Well , I called 25 00:01:04,340 --> 00:01:06,396 him up and he said , there's just no 26 00:01:06,396 --> 00:01:09,410 way . But with a number like 328 , you 27 00:01:09,410 --> 00:01:11,466 probably have lineage to a World War 28 00:01:11,466 --> 00:01:14,960 Two . You know , he did some 29 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:17,016 research and I went into a locker in 30 00:01:17,016 --> 00:01:19,250 the locker room that had disorganized 31 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,000 pile of a squadron history and 32 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:26,980 memorabilia . And I 33 00:01:26,990 --> 00:01:29,210 went through that and I found of World 34 00:01:29,210 --> 00:01:32,010 War Two roster Of the 3rd Combat Cargo 35 00:01:32,010 --> 00:01:35,590 Squatter . Our Original Squadron . And 36 00:01:35,590 --> 00:01:37,812 it indicated that Carl moriarty was the 37 00:01:37,812 --> 00:01:41,170 commander and a little bit further into 38 00:01:41,180 --> 00:01:43,291 digging through that locker . I found 39 00:01:43,291 --> 00:01:45,291 just a piece of notepaper . It said 40 00:01:45,291 --> 00:01:47,347 moriarty and it had a phone number , 41 00:01:47,940 --> 00:01:50,260 Miss a lot . He's in his mid 80's . 42 00:01:50,260 --> 00:01:52,316 What are the chances that this phone 43 00:01:52,316 --> 00:01:56,150 number would would even work . 44 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,840 So I called up the phone number and his 45 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:01,951 daughter answers the phone . She said 46 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,040 we're just moving daddy out of this 47 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:07,130 house in a couple of days . His phone 48 00:02:07,130 --> 00:02:09,241 number would have been disconnected . 49 00:02:09,940 --> 00:02:13,280 So it was just a stroke of luck . And 50 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,460 she handed the phone to her father . So 51 00:02:16,460 --> 00:02:20,340 we had planned in september of 2001 to 52 00:02:20,340 --> 00:02:22,680 have a dedication ceremony of the 53 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,260 airplane and I have been corresponding 54 00:02:25,260 --> 00:02:27,593 with the World War Two guys right along . 55 00:02:27,593 --> 00:02:30,220 So they were aware that this event was 56 00:02:30,220 --> 00:02:33,150 coming up funny story though 57 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,310 one of his World War II pilots who 58 00:02:36,310 --> 00:02:38,770 hadn't seen him since they disbanded in 59 00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:42,400 1945 . Lieutenant Cecil bailey 60 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:46,530 told me . He said Dave , he says , I 61 00:02:46,530 --> 00:02:48,641 know this is silly for an 85 year old 62 00:02:48,641 --> 00:02:51,950 man to say , but I'm intimidated about 63 00:02:51,950 --> 00:02:54,300 meeting him again . Apparently , 64 00:02:54,300 --> 00:02:56,690 Colonel Moriarty was very fair , by all 65 00:02:56,690 --> 00:02:58,412 accounts , very fair but stern 66 00:02:58,740 --> 00:03:01,670 commander during World War Two , But he 67 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:03,736 had the plaque made for the front of 68 00:03:03,736 --> 00:03:06,450 the C47 , he had some street science 69 00:03:06,450 --> 00:03:08,672 named , we named a street after Colonel 70 00:03:08,672 --> 00:03:10,783 Moriarty . I don't know where it came 71 00:03:10,783 --> 00:03:12,839 from , but once I started talking to 72 00:03:12,839 --> 00:03:15,550 these guys and realizing the 73 00:03:15,550 --> 00:03:18,600 significance of your contribution , I 74 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,822 had a passion about it . I couldn't let 75 00:03:20,822 --> 00:03:22,933 it go even though we were generations 76 00:03:22,933 --> 00:03:25,211 apart doing basically the same mission , 77 00:03:25,211 --> 00:03:27,390 there were more similarities and there 78 00:03:27,390 --> 00:03:29,800 were differences truly members of the 79 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,022 greatest generation , every one of them 80 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,310 Dave Karnowski and I tried to make the 81 00:03:35,310 --> 00:03:38,490 squadron very aware of their history 82 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,510 with the reunions and the things we did 83 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:45,500 with these men . I think knowing your 84 00:03:45,510 --> 00:03:48,780 history and the sacrifices and the 85 00:03:48,780 --> 00:03:52,560 accomplishments made by those mm 86 00:03:53,140 --> 00:03:55,930 came before you serves as both an 87 00:03:55,930 --> 00:03:59,750 example and an inspiration for your own 88 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:02,610 performance . You see how good you can 89 00:04:02,620 --> 00:04:06,100 be and you also see sort of an 90 00:04:06,100 --> 00:04:09,930 expectation of for you to live 91 00:04:09,930 --> 00:04:13,560 up to carry on that tradition . I tried 92 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:15,720 to be the best squadron commander . I 93 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:19,190 could , I tried to make a difference . 94 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:22,290 I think I did , but I am certainly no 95 00:04:22,340 --> 00:04:24,630 Colonel john moriarty . He was a 96 00:04:24,630 --> 00:04:28,590 personal hero of mine and I I miss him 97 00:04:28,590 --> 00:04:29,560 very much already .