AUGUST 1951   CIVIL AIR PATROL GROUND RADIO OPERATOR COURSE COMPLETION CERTIFICATE NOTE:  I WAS A SOPHMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 1957   NEW MEXICO COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND MECHANIC ARTS AIR FORCE ROTC SQUADRON I SPENT TWO YEARS AS A ROTC CADET

SEPTEMBER 1958   AIRBORNE RADIO OPERATOR SCHOOL GRADUATION, KEESLER AFB, MS.         Only Norm Viverios and myself made the Air Force a career.  I                 was stationed with Norm twice.  Once at RAF Mildenhall, England and once at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland.

NOVEMBER 1958.  KEFLAVIK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, ICELAND. From Left To Right:  A/3Cs Gordon Hammond, Dave Purvis & Ken Witkin.  We flew on board C-47s and C-54s assigned to Keflavik Base Operations.

MARCH 1959:  MY KEFLAVIK BARRACKS HAM STATION--TF2WEK. Note:  My Communications Section NCOIC, Senior Master Sergeant Ralph Hoke, encouraged all the new airborne radio operators to earn their ham license.

June 1959, Keflavik International Airport, Iceland:  C-47D 49523.  I spent an entire year flying on board one of the C-47s assigned to Keflavik AB Base Operations.  NOTE:  There were six C-47s assigned to Keflavik Base Operations.  Those aircraft were used to supply the three distant Icelandic radar sites with food, mail and personnel.

December 1959--My first plane crash as an aircrew member, 53rd Weather Recon Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England.  The entire crew walked away from the aircraft completely unharmed, however, this crash scared the living hell out of me!! Note: The WB-50D copilot forgot to put the landing gear (wheels) down!!!

September 1960--Repairing C-47 Radio Equipment At Rhein Main AB, West Germany. Note:  The aircraft radio operators assigned to the 7310th MATRON worked in Avionics Maintenance when we weren't flying in the squadron C-47s.  During 1960 a C-47 that I was flying in was struck by lightening and the lightening damaged the aircraft ailerons.  The entire crew had to parachute out of the aircraft.  We all landed completely unharmed in a farmer's field near Wiesbaden, Germany.

August 1963--Tempelhof Central Airport, West Berlin, Germany. I served three years in occupied-Berlin from Oct 1960 to Oct 1963 flying in the two C-47s assigned to Tempelhof Central Airport.  I was the radio operator on the first NATO aircraft to fly over the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961 while it was still being constructed.  I was also the radio operator on board General Albert Watson's, the Berlin Commandant's VC-47.

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1963 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LETTER

APRIL 1964.  NCO PREPATORY SCHOOL GRADUATION CERTIFICATE NOTE:  THIS WAS A 4-WEEK IN-HOUSE COURSE AT MATHER AFB, CALIFORNIA

MAY 1964.  MCCLELLAN AFB AIRMAN OF THE MONTH PRESENTATION

MAY 1964:  MCCLELLAN AFB AIRMAN OF THE MONTH CERTIFICATE

March 1965--Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam

(I actually volunteered to go to South Vietnam in 1965!!!  I served on board C-47s and C-54s and lived in Tent City.)  During April 1965 I volunteered to drive a truck full of supplies from Tan Son Nhut AB to Bien Hoa AB.  I was captured by the Viet Cong who ambushed my truck and held me prisoner for two weeks.  I was able to escape my Viet Cong captors and managed to take 15 other prisoners with me back to American forces.  For that action I was given a medal by President Lyndon Johnson.  During May 1965 the C-47 that I was flying in was hit by ground fire.   A bullet penetrated the underside of our aircraft and then the underside of the radio operator's seat and finally lodged in my right buttocks.  When we landed back at Tan Son Nhut I was transported to the base hospital where I remained overnight and then the next day I was flown to Clark AB, the Phillipines where I remained in their hospital for a week and then finally was flown to Travis AB, California where I remained in the Travis hospital for almost a month.

September 1965:  I earned my private pilot's license while stationed at McClellan AFB, California and flew all over Caifornia, Nevada and then later--Hawaii, Maryland, Delaware, and New York.  I checked out in a Piper Colt, Cessna 150, T-34 and then later in Hawaii--a L-19.   I joined the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol and they promoted me to First Lieutenant. Note:  McClellan AFB Aeroclub Cessna aircraft only cost $4.00-an-hour to rent back in 1965.

July 1966-July 1970:   I served 4 years on board the CINCPAC Airborne Command Post  (ABNCP) and was assigned to the 9 ACCS, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Note:  The above aircraft, 007, also served as the personal Command Aircraft for CINCPAC, Admiral John McCain & later, Admiral Dudley Sharpe.  I was fortunate enough to be chosen to fly both with Admiral McCain and later Admiral Sharpe as their radio operator.

November 1970:  EC-130E Airborne Battlefield Command & Control Center (ABCCC) Communications Team Chief. Flying A "Hillsboro" Combat Mission Over Laos I served an entire year as a member of the 7th Airborne Command & Control Squadron (7ACCS), Udorn, Thailand, flying over Laos in an EC-130E ABCCC during the Vietnam War and flew a total of 100 combat missions. AIR FORCE TIMES NEWSPAPER ARTICLE .

July 1971--January 1977:  I served almost 6 years on board the Tactical Air Command (TAC) Airborne Command Post (ABNCP) (Call Sign: HEAD DANCER) and was assigned to the 8 ACCS (later the 8 ACCS was redesignated 8 TDCS), Seymour Johnson AFB, NC. Note:  The above aircraft, 55-3118, also served as the personal Command Aircraft for General William Momyer & later, General Dixon, COMTAC.  I was fortunate enough to be chosen to fly both with General Momyer and then his sucessor, General Robert Dixon, as their radio/teletype operator.  Aircraft 55-3118 was the first C-135 to roll off the Boeing assembly line

DECEMBER 1972.  TACTICAL AIR COMMAND NCO ACADEMY GRADUATION,                    LANGLEY AFB, VA.  NOTE:  THIS WAS A 6 WEEK IN HOUSE COURSE.

DECEMBER 1972.  TACTICAL AIR COMMAND NCO ACADEMY                                       GRADUATION CERTIFICATE .

APRIL 1973.  SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB BASE NCO OF THE QUARTER                AWARD

JUNE 1973.  OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN OF AMERICA                                LETTER

July 1976 Appointment as 8th TDCS Squadron Communications Officer. NOTE:  I AM THE ONLY USAF ENLISTED AIRBORNE RADIO OPERATOR APPOINTED TO A USAF OFFICER'S POSITION!!

The above aircraft, VC-135 24125, was one of five VC-135s assigned to the 89th Military Airlift Wing (89 MAW), Andrews AFB, MD and used extensively to fly distinguished visitors (DVs) all over the world. From 1977 to 1982 I had the distinct privilege of transporting the following DVs:   Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare; US UN Ambassador, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff USAF; Chief of Staff US Army; and at least 50 senators and 100 members of the House of Representatives. During 1980, two VC-135s were modified with an enhanced two-position Airborne Communications Systems Operator (ACSO) console located parallel with the main cargo door. Also installed were a CMT-500 teletype terminal, a KW-7 encryption device and two telephone hookups for ground voice and teletype operations.

OCTOBER 1977.  COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF THE AIR FORCE DEGREE

DECEMBER 1979.  SENIOR NCO ACADEMY GRADUATION,GUNTHER AFS,AL.              NOTE:  THIS WAS A 9 WEEK IN HOUSE COURSE.

DECEMBER 1979.  SENIOR NCO ACADEMY GRADUATION CERTIFICATE

SEPTEMBER 1981                       SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE WARREN BURGER PRESENTING ME WITH MY CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT STRIPES ON BOARD  A VC-135B AIRCRAFT

JUNE 1985    ABOARD AIR FORCE 2   I SERVED 3 YEARS FLYING ON AIR FORCE 2

AIR FORCE 2 The above aircraft was used by then Vice President George Bush for all his stateside missions.  I flew 120 Air Force 2 missions over a three-year period (1982-1985).

NATO AWACS E-3A, GEILENKIRCHEN NATO AIR BASE, WEST GERMANY July 1985-February 1988:  I served almost three years flying on board the NATO AWACS.  I was also the US Senior Enlisted Advisor, the US senior enlisted member at Geilenkirchen, the president of the US Chief's Group, the vice-president of the local Air Force Association chapter and was the Chief of NATO Flying Squadron One Communications Section and had 20 multi-national airmen working for me--including a Norwegian captain. 15 JULY 1985, APPOINTMENT AS GEILENKIRCHEN NATO AB US FORCES SENIOR ENLISTED ADVISOR 1988 NEW YEAR'S CARD Copyright2026 By Ken Witkin. All Rights Reserved. Web Page Designed and Maintained By: Ken Witkin Last Updated July 7, 2026 URL:   http://abcccassociation.org/kengallery.html