News Scrapbook 1959-1962

elt Lanphier Stands L A? 1811 Ale-

Son of Retired Colonel Blazed by Famous A·r

By TO)I BISHOP Little did Thomas G. Lanphier Sr re- alize when he testified for the late Gen. Billy Mitchell at Mitchell's court-martial that he would find a parallel situation to- day with his own son. Lanphier, a retired Air Force colonel, has lived in a pleasant La Jolla home at 428 Vincente \Vay since 1954. "I shared Billy Mitchell's views that we needed a larger Air Force," the hite-ha1red Lanphier said, "and now we av~ the l!ame trouble today regarding reed 1lcs. IPn th Bllly Mitchell is o that with my son " ··---~ ---n, Tom Jr., recently quit Convai vice-pr ldency peak out fr<>ely on what the ne<'d 1or inctea cd U.S. e S)Stem . nior Lanphier reminisces about his 1rlends of hi Air Force day. , Its like rowsl.ng through a Who's-Who of Air Force history. Lindbergh Numbered Among Friends A 1914 WP.st Ppint graduate, Col. Lan- phier numbers among his closest friends and wingmen, Charks A. Lindbergh, with whom he worked in founding a tran continental airline; retired General Jimmy Doolittle, the man who bombed Tokyo; the late Billy MitehE>ll, and a former classmate, retired Air For c e Chief of Staff Gen. Carl 1Tooeyl Spaatz. He also played left halfback on West Point's football team. Speaking about his son, an aviation hero in World War II, the ex-biplane pilot said: Ex-Pilot Agrees on Need "I don agree with Tom on everything he says but I do agree heartily that we should stir up the people, and make sacrifices if necessary, to keep ourselves iirst in the world. "I've never talked It over With Tom, but I think he feels the Russians might be able to catch us without any defenses up and with everything on the ground. "That's the only wa,y they would ever try an all-out war; by catching us with- out anything to retaliate with," he said. Manned Aircraft Not Doomed He aL~o feels that manned aircraft i, anything but doomed in the modern ml - sile-age day. ":\1i,siles are limited. because you've got to have a thinking person in the air to make split-second decisions. :.Wissiles are a vital necPssary part of our force," he added, "hut any war that comes along will be WO'n by thinking men." Asked if .he would change the direction When 1:he

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the Air Force of to- day has "outgrown me so much that I just can't keep up with it." '·The Air Force used to be a family af- fair," he said, "where everybody knew everybody else. U.S. Pilots Called Best in World "But our pilots toda,y fly better, with more verve and spirit, than anybody else in the world." Speaking of his clo,e friend LlmlbC'rgh, Lanphier: described him as an "extreme- ly hard man to know." ' He was almost a recluse,'' Lanphier said, "but whC'n you knew him he was a very warm friend. "I haven't seen 'Slim' - . that's what we called him - for a long time. I used to have to ~-peak in his behalf at press conferences bl'cnuse he just hated them." Lanphier said he first met the famed conquerer of th,• Atlantic upon Lindy's return from Paris. 'Spirit' Wouldn't Start "I wa in charge of the group sent 1o escort h m from \Vashmgton 1o New York. They couldn't get the 'Spirit of St. Louis' to start that day. so he just took off in one of our old planes and flew formation with us all the way to New York.'' According to Lanphier, Lindbergh was something of a practical joker among his fellow-pilots. Once, late at night at the Selfridge Field officer's qunrtf'rs near DPtroit, however. Lanphier says 'Lindy' got his comeuppance'. Slim Gets Scrubbed Down

l'RF,PARJNG J<'OR AC'TI01'- t. Au u~tlni,>s Nbtr lullbru'k, Carlton Bled oe, plots fall foot- ball' plant ~Ith Coach J\flkf! PPrarovlrh of the Unlver lty of San Diego. Bletl~oe I one of ,dx tar athlPles from St. AuguMlne' who ha\·e won athlrtlc ,icholar I t e in SeptembM. • • • Voong Tnleni. j ; (!,~_ °;$ 's, f(i~~/60 New Football Deal Due Fof , Pioneers

fighter, a model of which he holds. Lanphi r graduated from West Point in 1914. Fie played football there.

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John Robbins, encl, Ind.· Bob Tritz. Ike O'Connor. Aquin-

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Hi.ncla. transfer from w,,........... rs,lv of San F'ran!'iRCO ar••P'IIC'~~Jsey, tranRfer from St. College, Minn. a11eball-Dennis Shields. St. Augustine; Ten-y Stallard, Pa- Hinds, a 6-9 mona Catholic; Pat Dolan. Red- e University \ lands High; Mike Heminger,

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Frand co, and Jerry Trinidad a transfer from St. Hoover High.

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communism." she said. The Rev. 0. D. Brack, minister of St. Paul's Lu- theran Church, San Diego, said, "Tm here to find out some of the dangers of com- munism and determine what educated people should do about it. The Russians have done ~n excellent job of kePping the public ignorant of their true aims." Richard Bregante of 2136 Columbia St.. who recently completed a three-year hitch in the Air Force as a first lieutenant. said, 'Tm here hE>cause of Dr. (Fred) Sch\\"arz. I'm interested in t of communism and little reading. s .nted the st it for c'"-'--.-..ine

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<'qu,dly varied ar,swer~ to ti~ question, ·Why at·<' you herf'?" "I feel like we should all be here ever}' breathing one of u. ' said l\l r . Dor- othv Steen, a Car Is ha cl hotisewiff'. 'I b e I iv e m America and everything it staNls for. Im I au~ ,et ting an earful. Carl Gerl , a ·,11ram.1r aval Air Station fJre ,·on- t ol t<'chnician , said. "This incerc attempt to pre- • information on somet'iing our aH• g ectcd 1 to learn

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of me ex- controls and our allies ·m r e a 1 ly sur-

has opened my eyes.'· A s c h o o 1 teacher, Mrs. Vicky Talbert, of Carl 'bad. said she is attending to bet tcr prepare herself to ex

McDe~i at end and Joe 1.v,=,,u.,c, last seas , positi . Loe lmig

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plain communi~m to he1' stu _ prised.' ' drnts. "I think t " a c h e r s have a great ~-esponsibility

a ''lonelv end" v. Ith Gabriel nd at ·halfback. Th, other halihaclc po.•ition prohahly will 1 be filled hy veteran Joe Gray. Jim n" ntis and Chucl, Wll- linms arc set ior fullbac.,. Pe aro, ic;1 an call upon p \ lzani Jan Chapman · mi Bill Bourque for he qua.-ler backing dul .. Df'pio iqg a 1lankcr-baclc. a slot,back and a lonely end. m Pecarovich's multiple offense pJ~ns, the Pion<'nrs should pre- ;c>nt a cro, ·d-pleasing style C'f play.