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Come Fly With Charles..... Sep 24, 2007
The book takes the reader on Charles Lunsford's many journeys during
his 3-year tour of duty flying as an Airborne Radio Operator on the US
Air Force's C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo planes.
He relates the many experiences encountered while stationed in France as his squadron's planes carried various types of cargo throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East during the Cold War years in the mid and late 1950's.
Those experiences, while he is "On Watch" doing his aircrew duties,
which included being proficient in sending and receiving International
Morse Code radio signals, can be humorous, be routine or provide some
very intense moments such as when in-flight emergencies occur on his
plane.
We are also treated to his off-duty adventures to the many foreign
cities he was able to visit.
Some of his former squadron's planes were pulled from Air Force Reserve
units in the late 1960's and converted to offensive "Stinger" fighting
gunships to be used in the Viet Nam War.
Lunsford has researched to find which of these planes were the ones chosen for this duty and then also found and contacted some of the Stinger aircrews who flew them. He then includes many first-hand accounts by those Stinger crews as they relive the experiences of their Stinger combat missions in Southeast Asia.
One can only wonder how this book would have continued on if Lunsford
had not returned to civilian life when his initial 4-year enlistment
was up and instead chosen to have an career in the Air Force and later
been able to become a Stinger crewman on one of those same beloved
C-119's he had flown on a decade earlier.
But then perhaps he would not have decided to embark on his writing
career when he did and we would not have Departure Message to read
today and that would be a shame.
Departure Message, Mar 23, 2007
Departure Message is a memoir by a former Air Force radio operator who flew as a C-119 crew member from Dreux Air Base in France in the 1950s. As other reviewers have said, it is hard to put down. The narrative involves tails of flying slowly back and forth between USAF bases in Europe but the only thing droning here are the engines of his airplane.
This is a second edition and Lunsford has added some stories that readers of the earlier edition have sent to him. This is the Cold War Air Force in Europe, numbingly routine but always on edge.
Memoirs like this one often provide the only look available at small bits of American military life.
Some others are Belles of Shangri-La, The, a memoir by a U.S. Army doctor stationed with African-American soldiers in Liberia during WWII. They were protecting a Firestone rubber plantation and Roberts Field, a transport air base.
Also, Korea Between the Wars: A Soldier's Story, a memoir about a young man serving during the post war US military occupation of what became the Republic of Korea, and Vieques Island: A Few Good Men on Radio Hill, a recently written memoir about a young marine serving on Vieques Island 50 years ago.
There are many books available about WWII, the Korean War and the Cold War but you won't find many about flying for USAFE in 1950s, GIs in Liberia, the 1945-48 US military occupation of Korea, or serving on Vieques Island.
Radio Operators story Mar 18, 2007
This was Mr. Lunsfords position as an airborne radio operator when CW was the state of art. Great history of military flying in the 50s and around europe.
Charles Lunsford's "Departure Message" Feb 21, 2007
I have had the pleasure of knowing Chuck through my work. He would always have a funny and interesting story to tell, and after many of the stories, I would always think, "I sure wish Chuck had written a book." I soon learned he had written several, of course!
"Departure Message" is one of the greatest books I've read for several reasons. Mainly, the book is just enjoyable. I am a student at our state university, and after laughing out loud about three times in class while reading the book, my professor said, "That sure must be a good book!" Not all of the stories are funny, however. The summary of the book does not lie: You will be on the edge of your seat more than once while reading.
The book is written in a style that is easy to read, and brings out the action and adventure just as if the author were telling you the story himself. The amount of research gone into the book is very impressive too. You by no means have to be any kind of aviation buff in order to thoroughly enjoy the book, but you will like it that much more if you are into airplanes, especially the mighty C-119.
Departure Message Aug 15, 2006
Former Airman Charles L. Lunsford has brought back many fond memories of the 12th Troop Carrier Squadron and her Birds. Although I was in the Squadron at Rhein Main from 1951-1954, the stories told here and the missions were much the same as well as were a number of personnel that moved to Dreux from Rhein Main.
Chuck has done a marvelous job recounting his beginnings as an airborne radio operator from Tech school to the apprehensions felt on his first check flight. His descriptions of countries visited, some with tense moments, the in flight emergencies, contacting foreign airfields for instructions, cockpit demeanor and personalities of different aircrews are only some of the recollections of his time in the air. Morse code transmission and receiving are not something everyone can master. I tried it and learned very quickly that I didn't have the ability. The myriad of other duties an operator performed were also an eyeopener for me. Besides the dah-dits, was navigation, keeping the aircraft on track, loading and unloading, weight and balance, assisting the flight engineer with maintenance, and constant adjustment to the different personalities and quirks of the pilots who held his life in their hands. Humor, suspense, disappointment, success, frustration, elation, all will keep you waiting for the next mission.
Rewards were great with travel, mission completion and experiencing many different living conditions and practices of tens of other countries. It in itself is knowledge that cannot be learned from a book or travel film.
Departure Message will amuse you as well as keep you in suspense during some hair raising moments. Having flown a number of times in the Charlie 119, it was a big, noisy, passenger unfriendly aircraft, but it's capacity for moving things from point A to point B and beyond were an Air Force success story. The mission of dropping airborne combat troops and equipment when and where needed demonstrated it's great ability.
The Airborn Radio Morse Code Operators are gone now, but like ghosts from the past they are not forgotton. Living at times from hand to mouth like gypsies they were a proud bunch with their aircrew member wings, they remained a cut above. Oh yeah, they were good pinnochle players too.
John R. Penz, CMSgt USAF ret, former Personal Equipment NCOIC, 12th TCS
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