STORY BEHIND THE PLAQUE
Service Reflections of SMSgt Michael Kiedrowski, U.S. Air Force (1969-1993)

I had known for a long time that I would serve in the Air Force but didn’t know when. The draft helped me decide when they sent me a letter that began with the word ‘Greetings”. I believe the fact that my dad served in the Air Force had a great deal of influence on my decision. He had some great stories, and I guess I felt that it was what I wanted to do as well. He was a Clerk/Typist.

I wanted to work on airplanes. I scored very high on the mechanical part of the entrance exam, so it’s no surprise I got what I wanted. After Basic Training at Lackland AFB, I went to Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, TX. I got orders for Minot AFB ND and heard all the jokes about Minot. It turned out to be a great assignment. I was in the 5th FIS. I learned how to maintain an airplane while working on the F-106 Delta Dart. But I didn’t enlist to see North Dakota for my whole enlistment. I wanted to travel. I got orders for Korat RTAFB Thailand to work on the F-4E. I went to Homestead AFB, FL, for six weeks of FTD school before going to Thailand and the 34th TFS. The year went by quickly, and I got orders for RAF Bentwaters UK. I had to extend for 13 months to take this assignment, but I requested England and finished five years of active duty there.

Six years after my discharge from active duty, I joined the Air Force Reserve as a Combat Arms Instructor. Tech school was at Lackland AFB for ten weeks. I found the subject matter very easy to understand and graduated as a Distinguished Honor Grad at the top of the class. I was also selected as an Outstanding Student Instructor in my seminar: airplanes and guns, two of my loves. I served for 12 more years before my wife became ill, and I made the very hard decision to leave the Air Force and not making 20 years. I have no regrets.

I spent a year at Korat RTAFB Thailand. I did not participate personally in combat, but my F-4E Phantom II did. Every time it flew, it had a full load of bombs or missiles, depending on the mission. I participated in Operation Linebacker. This increased the operation tempo quite a bit, which helped to shorten the normal 12-hour workdays. My participation in combat operations ensured the aircrew who flew my airplane had a safe and dependable vehicle. This allowed them to concentrate on the mission and be successful, as well as being able to return to the base. The reality of the missions came when they left with a full load of munitions and came back with none. The aircrew couldn’t tell us where they went, but we would ask how everything went, and the most they would say was it went well. Then we asked about the airplane, and we got a brief rundown on malfunctions. We had to wait until the forms binder came back before we found out what had to be fixed.

Luckily for me, I did not find myself in any dangerous situations that could have been life-threatening. I was at a base located in the middle of a country surrounded by war and fighting. We did have to watch out for satchel attacks, and again, I was lucky to have been spared from this danger as well. Does that mean I was not in danger? Sometimes, going to town was dangerous. Besides the traffic in town making crossing the street dangerous, there was always the possibility of an enemy of the United States pretending to be a local who liked the American GI. We had to be careful of who we talked to and what we said to them. When they started asking questions about what I did at the base or how many airplanes we had, I knew it was time to head for the door.

I do not have a least favorite duty station because I liked them all. They didn’t start out that way, of course, but I made the best of the situation and found that I really enjoyed working at each place. I have fond memories of each assignment, but each for different reasons. I spent some time at Minot AFB, North Dakota, and went through a winter there, which was a real experience. Then I went to Thailand, and life there was so different from our culture that it took a while to get used to it, and it became a great assignment. Then, two years at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge in England finished off my active duty time. I loved being in England, but the first month there made me think I made a mistake. The weather was very different from Thailand, and the pace of life at RAF Woodbridge was much slower than it was in Thailand. But I adjusted, and it became a great assignment. I did most of my traveling in Europe. Besides TDY’s to Italy, Spain, and Turkey, I went to Holland and Scotland and spent a weekend in Paris. I made the most of each place. I made friends and ended up enjoying the location and the work.

I remember my first day on the flight line at Minot. When I graduated from Tech School, I felt I knew everything about airplanes. On my first day on the flight line, I looked around at the F-106s and was knocked back to reality. I really knew very little about them and was in for a real education. I remember this feeling whenever I start a new job or a new work location. It made it easier to accept the changes I was going to have to learn. I also remembered that no amount of schooling teaches you everything you will need to know for each place you work.

I didn’t personally receive any awards for Valor, but the RVN Gallantry Cross with Palm would be the closest. I was a member of the 34th TFS at Korat. This unit was awarded the Vietnam Gallantry Cross for Valor. It was a unit award, so the ribbon is framed. I think the aircrew members did the hard work for this award, but everybody was part of the team to accomplish the mission.

I was also proud of being promoted to SMSgt. I was the Superintendent of our Combat Arms unit. It was all good until I had to answer for something one of my troops did or didn’t do, but that was rare. The only bad part was that I was no longer on the operational side of things. I missed teaching a class and working on the firing range.

I received the Air Force Commendation Medal for designing and manufacturing training aids and tools. The training aids were used in the classroom to teach small arms qualifications, and I made several tools for maintaining the weapons we taught. I am very proud of this award because I felt like I was making a real contribution to the unit and the Air Force mission.

Many stood out at different times. Perhaps the most significant one was SSgt John Frazier, my trainer at Minot AFB, ND. He organized all my Tech School knowledge and helped me start my career as a Crew Chief.

When I joined the Reserve, there was CMSgt Don Benshoof. He was the Superintendent of Wing Training. The Combat Arms unit fell under his supervision. He was not my immediate supervisor, but we became good friends, and he taught me a lot about management.

Minot AFB, North Dakota: Norm Larson, John Stockdale, Ray Herder. Three of my closest friends. Ray Herder went to Korat, Thailand, about a month before me, and when he left Korat, he became a member of the Air Force Thunderbirds. He was made a crew chief of one of the regular flyers. Norm was a good friend. He was a little crazier than others, but he was a good friend whom I could talk to. John was my roommate, a great person to know, and a very smart guy. I reconnected with Norm and John about three years ago, thanks to AFTWS. Ray passed away in 1999 from cancer.

Korat RTAFB Thailand: Phil DeLozier, John Davis, Don Cunningham, Robert “Jake” Jacob, Don Cossin. Phil was my roommate, and we hit it off from the moment we met. He had an exciting sense of humor but was very grounded and knew what he wanted after the Air Force. I Stayed in touch with Phil, John, and Jake through Christmas cards every year. I lost track of John Davis after about 10 years when his wife passed away, but I am still in touch with Phil, Don, and Jake.

RAF Woodbridge: The best friend I had here was Eddie Roberge. He was there with his wife, Diane. We did many things while in England. One thing was a hobby called brass rubbing. We drove all over the countryside going to little churches where there were some very nice brasses. It is similar to covering a nickel with a piece of paper and rubbing a pencil over it to raise the image of the coin. We got to see a lot of the British countryside and spent some good time together. I visited Eddie a couple of times in his home state of Maine, but he passed away from cancer about 10 years ago.

During my 16 months at Minot, we did some crazy things. One day in January, when the temperature was a balmy 10 degrees below zero, my friend Norm and my roommate John decided they wanted to go for a ride on their motorcycles. We dressed up with our Air Force cold weather clothing and went for a motorcycle ride.

After my discharge from active duty, I went to Automotive Mechanics School. I wanted to have a foundation on which to build my career as an auto mechanic. I spent the next 27 years working in a dealership and then Milwaukee County, where I worked on cars, trucks, and the variety of equipment that the county had in the garage.

Six years after my discharge from active duty, I joined the Air Force Reserve and became a Combat Arms Instructor. I spent the next 12 years teaching our reservists how to shoot and maintain their assigned weapons.

When I left the Reserves, I missed teaching, so I became a Hunter Education instructor for the Wisconsin DNR. We don’t teach people how to hunt. We teach them how to hunt safely. This gives me a great feeling of satisfaction. It is a volunteer job, and I love it. I am retired now and do some volunteer work besides Hunter Education. My job as an instructor in the Reserve was part of 35 years of teaching. I had to retire from Hunter Education and can no longer maintain my vehicles, which kills me every time I need an oil change.

I am a member of the American Legion and the DAV. I haven’t been able to participate as much as I would like. I do get satisfaction in the knowledge that these two organizations are doing a lot to help our troops, wherever they are around the world, and once they return home. I am a Patron Life member of the National Rifle Association. I also joined the 440th Alumni Association, which is for former members of the 440th TAW, then AW. These are people I knew and worked with in the AF Reserve.

It has given my life a structure on which to build my career. It has given me purpose in life. The military has taught me how to act and participate in society. It has made me an honorable member of society. I am an honorable person because I learned to be ethical. Sometimes, doing the right thing isn’t the easy way, but it is the honorable way.

I loved wearing the uniform and being a part of an organization that I was proud of. None of my friends before the service had served, which made them wish they had enlisted when they heard some of my stories.

Be proud of who you are. Be proud of your country. Whatever you do in the Air Force is an important part and is necessary for the orderly function of the Air Force. Wear the uniform proudly. The way you conduct yourself is the impression people get of how life is in the Air Force. Be the best person you can be. When you go on an assignment, remember that you are representing the U.S. How people see you act will form their opinion not only of you but of your country.

Finding TWS has become the best thing that has happened to me in a long time. My Air Force time has always been something I have been proud of. I am able to spend time with people who are like me even though we might have only the fact that we wore the same uniform in common. I have found some friends from my service time, but I have made many more new friends right here. It is a comfortable place for me to be. I like it here.