Allen Richard’s Reply:

 

Bill Hosmer, one of Jack Hosmer’s older sons was a pilot with the Air Force Thunderbirds in the 60’s. They were performing at the Minot Air Base and did an impromptu short show above Dunseith Min street. I was mowing hay in a road ditch along Highway 3– Getting buzzed by an F-100 (yeah that is what they flew back then) at 500 mph is a true religious experience.

 

By the way, after Bill Hosmer left the he did some test pilot work and demonstrations for Cessna–Great guy and fun to talk with. Last I saw him he was living @Lake Metigoshe God — been gone so long I forgot how to spell it! Anyway Collette or Jess might know his whereabouts.

 

 

 

Bill Grimme’s reply:

Great stuff! The Thunderbirds were a big part of our younger days. I
remember hearing rumors that there might be a flyover (I’m sure an official
announcement would not have been allowed). Seems like it always corresponded
with some event at Minot AFB. We would wait in anticipation on the day and
still be surprised when the Thunderbirds made the first pass. Cakes fell,
kids and adults ran outside, Brownie cameras were pointed to the sky (doubt
that the pictures turned out) and, as Colette has shared, Dunseith citizens
skinning their knees when they hit the deck. What a day!

Here is a good link to the Thunderbird history. Colette’s cousin is
prominent in the article.

Bill
http://www.usafthunderbirds.com/history.html

 

 

 

Colette’s Hosmer’s reply:

Hey Bill,

I replied to the Thunderbird story before I read your e-mail.
So….one real live account of a “man” actually hitting the deck.
Another one was Jimmy McKoy. He was up on the roof of the Crystal
Cafe to get a better view of the show. He swore, that when the planes
came down main street, if he wouldn’t have flattened out he would have been hit!

Colette

 

 

 

Susan Fassett’s reply:

The story I remember is that a lot of the older folks in town thought we were being attacked by the Russians when the planes came flying so low over the town. I remember standing in the alley behind our house and you could see the pilots in the planes very clearly, as low as they were. It was a real treat for us small town kids. Susan

 

 

Message I got yesterday from Deb Morinville Marmon:

Dear Gary,

 

Merry Christmas!! Are you overwhelmed yet? My goodness, this list is taking on a life of it’s own!

 

My mom, Frances Morinville used to tell this story of the day the “Thunderbirds” came to town (pretty much unannounced)

 

Back in those days the big threat to the USA was the USSR. Everyone talked about the “communists”. Mom and Dad talked about them so much I came to think I could identify one if they walked down the street kind of like a Martian or other alien. Anyway, Mom said that one of the jets came really low right over main street. The door opened at the store and an elderly woman came in, white as a sheet. Mom got her sat down in the chair by the window and after she could catch her breath she said “I think the communists are attacking!” Mom told that story for years, she got such a kick out of it. I also remember forming a caravan to the Minot Air Base to watch the air show. It was one of the thrills of my childhood years. Thanks Bill, for the joy of those days and also for your service to our country.

 

Merry Christmas to all my old “homies”

 

Deb Morinville Marmon

Bill Hosmer’s comments & Reply: Thunderbirds

Thank you for taking the time to comment on that brief period of
time in a long life. The flattery I’m experiencing is a gift from
you all, and that is important to me. By the way I answered a
direct mailing from Susan Fassett, so she was not included in this
series of observations and impressions response.

Just to clarify a couple of impressions, we did not do any
supersonic maneuvers. The explosive sound that was heard was in all
likelihood, the afterburner which is a loud and sudden explosive
acceleration which that engine incorporated. The solo pilots used
it more than us working guys in the formation, although it’s
possible anytime. On one of the South American shows we did in 1961
the President of Paraguay asked our lead to do a supersonic pass.
He explained that the shock wave might possibly break many windows
in the air terminal. The president said, “This is my country, and
those are my windows”. So the leader had the solo to open the show
with a boom. No windows were broken, but they had alot of tape
helping to withstand the shock.

What caused KC Sine to fall was not in the plan, but it happened
like this: As lead headed us toward Minot, I asked him permission
to do a slow pass down main street. I wanted to see if my folks
were at our store on main street. I was low and very slow with my
landing gear down. Unknown to me the other wing man pulled out of
the formation, got behind me a good distance then lit the
afterburner, accelerated to nearly 500knots, flew UNDER me as we
passed the bank on the corner. KC explained to me when Dad and I
went to apologize, he had that masterful fast paced dialogue with a
little swearing going on, telling me, that fast one was going to
kill him right in front of his store,etc, etc, then he ended his
tirade, he said, “hey kid, wanna banana?” I’d heard that many
years before that Sept day in 1961. What a piece of work that man
was.

There are Thunderbird reunions every other year in Las Vegas where
we get together with us oldtimers, and all the teams before and
after us, and are treated to a private air show by the current
team in their beautiful F-16 aircraft at Nellis AFB. This year it
was last month. The number of attendees from our earlier teams are
less and less, but it is like being in Dunseith at our famous
100th and125th Celebrations to see all the generations in
attendance, to give the heart a tug, and the mind a blast of
afterburner.

I did eject from the airplane I flew to ND about two weeks after
we had been there. It was not at a show, but during our arrival
maneuvers at a Navy Base in Rhode Island, I had the engine quit
running, tried some emergency airstarts, tried to position the
bird to make a dead stick (engine out) pattern, but was too low,
so ejected without injury, and flew the spare airplane in the show
the next day. The other one exploded in an empty field with no
damage to anything on the ground, except the dirt. I landed in a
tree and I was not as good a tree climber as I was down at Willow
Creek, but shoot.

I’m hoping someone can figure out the best way to get us in
computer contact on a regular basis. I can contribute $$, but my
brain power is limited.

Cheers and Happy New Year to you all, and thank you from my
heart. Bill Hosmer

Thank you very much for the Happy Birthday wishes, Gary!! I guess I forgot to tell you a year ago!! that we moved to Surprise, Arizona! Oof dah am I ever bad!! On May 1, 2012 we will be living at Fargo, ND again.

Take care & stay well!!
Eileen

Eileen, I’ll bet the summers are kind of toasty in Surprise, but the winters, I’m assuming, are very comfortable. I have updated my files with your current info. We are hoping that you had an enjoyable birthday too. Gary

 

 

 

 

Reply to the Steam Engine photo posted yesterday

From Vickie Metcalfe (70): Bottineau, ND

 

Gary, Don and friends,

What an interesting threshing photo.

I too now, am wondering who the gentleman is on Carroll’s photo?

The pnoto brought to my mind; Our family friend, Art Seim, who often told me about “The Big Three”.

“The Big Three” may have worked together during falls work i.e. threshing time.

 

In the days long past, “The Big Three” were early settlers in south west Holmes Township.

These three, were cooperative, progressive farmers and neighbors. They would borrow tools, horsepower, seed grain, hay, equipment, and exchange work with each other.

Each was responsible for making notations and writing pertinent information down.

Art said, “When lending, borrowing or exchanging work they had a long standing gentleman’s agreement based on mutual respect.

When borrowing or sharing they practiced “settling up” after falls work.”

When the given time came, Art recalled when he was a small boy, “The Big Three” meeting around the Seim kitchen table with a coffee cup.

 

 

Each would bring his notes and ciphering pencil. They’d discuss each item and figured what was the worth?

Usually, after all the discussion and ciphering, an amicable agreement, the items were square and equal.

They would finally make statements, each didn’t owe any thing to one another, shake hands and Ingrid would put out a little lunch.

 

The Big Three?

Art’s “Pa”, John Seim, the Peterson patriarch, Lude Peterson and Carroll’s father, Peter Carlson.

Until later. Vickie M.

 

 

 

 

Reply to the Steam Engine photo posted yesterday

From Sybil Johnson: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin

 

The threshing machine–the gentleman looks like “Pa” Johnson–Axel. Dick, you would know more than me, but it sure looks like “Pa”.
Sybil Johnson

 

 

 

 

Art Hagen (’72) & Lloyd Awalt (’44)

 

A small world

I was talking to my neighbor across the street.We were telling each other, where we were from.He was originally from Goodrich, ND.I was telling him that I was from Dunseith, ND. He replied that he knew where that was, and that he knew most of the business people there.Well, he said, “I know the ones that handled Gold Bond Stamps,” anyway.He explained that he was a salesman for the Gold Bond Stamp Co. out of Bismarck, and had also worked out of Minot for a time.I told him, that my wife and I had obtained our first high chair with Gold Bond Stamps and in fact, we had to drive from Turtle Lake, ND where we were living at the time, to Bismarck to pick the chair up, at the Gold Bond Stamp Store. That folding high chair with the stainless steel tray, served us well for all three of our kids.We sold it at a rummage sale, and have wished many times, that we had kept it, as we have had to buy two more, through the years, to keep up with the children’s, children.

The conversation continued with this fellow, with him stating, that of all the business people in Dunseith, he knew, he knew “Neil Hassen” the best as he and Neil had went into military at the same time and than through basic training together, back in the middle 50’s, and became close friends.He said, what drew them together was that they were the only two, from North Dakota, in the outfit.He said that he had made a few trips up to Dunseith to visit with Neil, even after the stamp phenomenon went by the wayside.He had moved on, and became a business owner, in Goodrich, ND. He still would occasionally drive up to Dunseith, to see, and visit with Neil Hassen.

Talking to this fellow reminded me of an experience that I had one winter evening, which had taken place because of Neil.In fact this venture I’m about to relate to you, has caused me to become fully awake in the middle of the night, more than a few times throughout the years.It was after midnight, I was sound asleep.The phone ringing got me up.It was Orphela Robert, who operated Robert’s Service Station and Wrecker Service in Dunseith, calling from his farm east of town.He had gotten a call from Neil Hassen. Neil had slid off the road and his car was in the ditch about three miles north of town. I didn’t even ask Orphela if it couldn’t wait until morning.I knew, Orphela knew and Neil knew that if he went home without that car, his mother, Hazel, would have killed him, and she still would have made him go out and drag that car home on his back. She was a sweet lady, but tough.

I got dressed and bundled up to go outside.It was winter with about a foot of snow on the ground.I went out the door.I was a little surprised. It was warmer than I thought it should be, the air was humid and it smelled like it does, just after a spring shower, “fresh”.As I crossed the street to walk that block up to the station to get the wrecker, I realized what happened.It apparently had rained and the pavement (I’m going to use an old term here, so don’t get grossed out.It was a term I remember being used often, by the old timers, and since I’m now a little bit over 50, I decided it would be alright to use.What’s a story anyway, if it doesn’t have some humor in it)? “It was as slick as snot on a door knob”.Maybe, even more slippery than that, “maybe, as slick as snot on a glass door knob”.Now, I really never thought of snot as being slippery.Maybe it depends on the consistency of the nose blow material.Maybe that’s why it’s an old term and not used anymore.Anyway, it was damn slippery. I made my way to the garage, got the wrecker out and headed for the hills, with the amber light on top the cab flashing.With the black ice it was slow going, but I managed to keep the wrecker balanced on the pavement and made to the sight.Neil’s car was resting, right side up, about 40 yards down the west slope of the road, a little south of the jack rabbit road intersection.I turned around at the intersection, pulled over on the road shoulder, and shined the spot light down on the dark green 66 Oldsmobile that I knew was Neil’s.By today’s standards it would be considered a huge car. I think Neil and another fellow had bought a ticket and had actually won the car in some type of raffle, and Neil had somehow, ended up with the car. Anyway there was the car way down in the snow covered ditch.I than got out and made my through the snow down to the car to check it out.There was no one in it and there was no one else around.I was grateful for that.

Now, the real work begins.I made my way back up the slope to the wrecker, pulled the lever to release the winch cable.All the controls for the winch were in the cab of the wrecker.I dragged the winch cable down the slope, burrowed through the snow, and stretched under the car as far as I could to hook, the hook of the winch to something solid.In the 60’s the auto manufacturers begin reducing the length and size of the frame on their cars, which made it very difficult to find a place on them, to pull from.The best place was where the front wheel was attached to the frame.They hadn’t figured out how to do away with that piece of the frame, yet. I got the hook attached to the car, and made my way back up to the wrecker. Inside the cab, I engaged the winch and instead of the car coming up the ditch slope, the wrecker was being pulled off the shoulder of the road, toward the car.I thought there was enough gravel and sand on the shoulder of the road to hold the wrecker, but apparently not.I had to disengage the winch, and go down and unhook the car.With all the ice on the road there was no way that the wrecker was going to stay on the pavement while trying to winch that car up that slope.

Then, I got this idea; this is what wakes me up in the middle of the night.I backed the wrecker up and drove forward hanging the nose, and front wheels of that wrecker into the east ditch of the road.I hadn’t seen another vehicle on the road and so I was hoping there wouldn’t be any.

I got out and started to drag that winch cable across the highway and guess what?Here came a vehicle from the north.Now, what do you think would have happened if I had that cable stretched across the highway and fastened to Neil’s car, and if a vehicle would have come barreling down the highway and connected with that cable?It would not have been pretty.

The vehicle coming from north slowed down and stopped on the west shoulder of the road.It was a pickup that I recognized, and I also knew the driver.It was Clarence Delorme.He lived just west of where we were on the highway, and had observed the commotion and flashing light , and had decided to drive out and see what was going on.I was glad that he did.I asked Clarence if he would mind staying there in his pickup and would try and stop anyone before they drove into my cable strung across the road. Clarence agreed to do what he could, to stop any traffic.I thanked him and went back to dragging the cable back down the slope, and crawling under and hooking up the car.Walking back up the slope to the wrecker, engaging the winch, and then walking back down the slope to steer the car up back up the slope by walking along side the car and steering the car through the open window, as I would have to be ready, to get up to the wrecker fast, to disengage the winch, if anything were to go wrong.As it turned out the operation was a success, I got the car up on the road and sitting on the west shoulder of the road and the wrecker cable disconnected and rewound on the drum and ready to head back to town.I walked back to Thank Mr. Delorme for protecting my rear, and was surprised to find him sound asleep.I tapped on his pickup window, waking him up.He rolled down his window with a yawn and saw that I was ready to head for town. We talked for awhile and both of us were wandering where Neil had disappeared to.When a vehicle approached and stopped, and out jumped Neil.Perfect timing, I have always wondered where he was watching from, to miss helping, and to arrive when all the work was done.He came over, and thanked us and went got into his car and drove off. Stretching that cable across the highway probably wasn’t the dumbest thing I have done in my life, but I think it was damn close.Now you know what occasionally wakes me up in the middle of the night.

Remember to laugh,

Larry