Contrail
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Post by Contrail on Feb 15, 2010 5:44:52 GMT 9
Please let me introduce myself. My father was Maj. Falls. He died when I was 3 yo as a result of his F-106A 59-0148 going down near Mt. Rainier April 22nd 1969. At my request, the USAF has provided me with his service records (a lot blacked out), a flag and service awards. I have tried to fill in the blanks on this website the best I could. If anyone served w/ my father, was an acquaintance of his or friend...please feel free to contact me anytime, I would love to hear from you as I continue to honor my father. Thank-you to all who served our Country! (nwfalls@comcast.net)
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Post by Jim on Feb 15, 2010 11:01:57 GMT 9
contrails, welcome onto the forum, you will have to post your email address as it is not available to members........... The Old Sarge
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kenny
F-106 Qualified
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Post by kenny on Feb 15, 2010 12:17:09 GMT 9
Your father was a American Hero,I lost many good friends on non combat missions, they are just ,if not more important than the wons lost on combat missions.God Bless you and your family
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MOW
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Post by MOW on Feb 15, 2010 21:50:41 GMT 9
Hello Steve glad you made it over to the forums. And thanks for posting about your dad. We've talked about this, but for the benefit of the group, Steve's father Maj Clyde Falls Jr, crashed in F-106A 59-0148. This site and the members of it will continue to honor your father, his service and his great sacrifice for this great country. I hope that with the help of others here we can continue to help you fill in those blanks. FYI - nobody but administrators of the site can see your email address due to my privacy policies and protection of PII data, so I will not post your email without your permission. All - If he does not post his email address you can still contact him with a PM, one of the beauties of everyone on this site registering... Personal Messaging Also, I'm moving this over to the In Memory Of section
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Post by jimpadgett on Feb 15, 2010 22:57:24 GMT 9
Thanks, Pat. I had sent him 2 PMs.
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Contrail
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Post by Contrail on Feb 16, 2010 5:56:13 GMT 9
Jim: Thanks for the note...email added Kenny: Thanks for your kind words...much appreciated WebMaster: Thanks for moving this to a more appropriate section Jim P: Pm sent...thanks Thank-you to all for your support! I was the youngest of 3 boys and have always made it my endeavor to capture everything I could about my Father so I could better understand his personal and professional life. From early on there seemed to be an unwritten family rule of sort that I would receive most items that pertained to my dad. I’ve collected everything from his Wings to his burial Flag. A formal military display case hangs in my office, with a nearby framed picture of him taken in Thailand after another successful mission piloting his F-105 Thunder Chief. His hand rose, as a make shift scale, to show the unmistakable battle damage from the previous mission (1 of 103) only moments ago. After many family stories and artifacts over the years I felt that something more was missing…something even more personal. So I set out to contact anyone I could that would share information about my Father. A little detective work, I found a phone listing of a fellow pilot who had been listed as a member of the recovery effort after that fatal incident. So I contacted this individual out of the blue, and I must say he was quite taken back by my call. Hear I was bright-eyed and bushy tailed and eager to finally discover some ‘truth’…he on the other hand was not quite prepared to discuss something that obviously had shaken him. Not once did I ever consider HIS feelings he may have had to endure because of the incident. Nor did I consider how he must have felt loosing one of his fellow pilots and the emotional feelings he had as a result of that. Still, the man was willing to meet with me in person and answer any questions I had for him. Out of respect for this man, being obviously uncomfortable over the whole request, I purposely held the meeting for only a short time, kept it very general and gained little in depth information. To this day I thank that man for having the courage to come out of the shadows of his past, and being willing to discuss delicate information to a complete stranger in a public place. I learned a very valuable lesson…just because I lost someone dear to me, does that give me the right to find my own peace…at another’s expense. Therefore I thank anyone who wishes to share any information they may have relevant to my Father, but please do it only if you’re comfortable in doing so. Thank-you in advanced for any information you may have and for all who took the time to read this. Sincerely, Steve Falls ( nwfalls@comcast.net)
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Post by jimpadgett on Feb 16, 2010 6:11:44 GMT 9
You are welcome Steve. Your Father's dedication and sacrifice endures. We at the 318th at the time were shaken and saddened also. Jim
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MOW
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Post by MOW on Feb 17, 2010 1:08:07 GMT 9
I hope you are able to pick up some more info here Steve. Anything we can do... And I think it only fitting you have a 318th avatar, so here ya go. You can of course change it if you wish.
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Contrail
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Post by Contrail on Feb 17, 2010 1:39:28 GMT 9
I hope you are able to pick up some more info here Steve. Anything we can do... And I think it only fitting you have a 318th avatar, so here ya go. You can of course change it if you wish. I really hope so Pat. Most of our family members, from both sides, have passed on and very few remain today. Always being the one who had more questions than answers about my dad, I felt this site was a wonderful way to help honor him. I wanted to place his name in and among fellow service men and women who by chance may have played a part, or made a difference, in each others' lives. I've read many threads on this site and I admire the dedication, devotion and passion so many of the members have for one another and for the service each one of them performed...it's what makes this site what it today. Thank-you for helping make it a reality. ps. Thanks for the Avatar...I would not change it for the world!
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