Grif Mumford

412th Pilot Grif Mumford, 1955, Maxwell Air Force Base Air War College

REMARKS FOR THE BOSTON REUNION
Presented by Grif Mumford 18 August 1992

Jack Bradley called me several months ago about addressing this assemblage. I felt the subject that might be the most appealing would be my perceptions and observations about some of the personalities in the 95th with whom I might have had closer contact during and after the war than some of you.

GROUP COMMANDERS

Colonel Alfred Kessler
He was the first and was faced with the unenviable and thankless job of organizing and training a rag-tag assortment of civilian would-be-military. I think that he and I had a clash of personalities for I never did feel comfortable with him and I am sure the feeling was mutual. He tended to rub some of his peers the wrong way, one of them was General (then Colonel) LeMay. Things did, however, turn out well for Colonel Kessler as he was eventually promoted to Major General but suffered an untimely death while serving as Commander of the Air Material Command Depot at McClelland AFB in the Fifties.

Colonel John Gerhart
He was probably the most respected and admired of the Group Commanders - in every inch a dapper and refined gentleman. We knew that John was destined for greatness in the Air Force and sure enough when the 93rd Combat Wing was activated, John was assigned as Commander and soon promoted to Brigadier General. John retired as a four star General with his terminal assignment as CINC NORAD. Long after the war I discovered John Gerhart and Rosie O’Donnell, who retired as a Lt. General, were very close and long-term friends despite the fact that they were two completely different personalities. Nevertheless before they passed away they made burial plans, and today when you visit the Air Academy cemetary you will find John and Helen Gerhart and Rosie and Lorraine O’Donnell resting side by side.

Colonel Chester P Gilger
Cheerful Chester, we called him. I never remember him being angry with anyone or anything. He thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the 95th and was quite content to hold loose reigns on this well seasoned Bomb Group. I last saw Chester in Enid Oklahoma just after he retired as Commander of Vance AFB.

Colonel Jack Shuck
Jack was just coming aboard as I was being reassigned to Headquarters, 3rd Air Division so there isn’t much I can tell you about him, except that he came from Air Material Command. He brought with him Lt. Colonel Bob Friedman who went on to two assignments as Comptroller of the Air Force and retired as a four star General. Jack retired in the fifties and took a job with Lockheed in Sunnyvale, California.

ORIGINAL SQUADRON COMMANDERS

Al Wider - 334th

He was the eldest of the four - must have been 30-31. He and Dave McKnight were quite close and both were from New York. Al was an early casualty in our first raid on Kiel.

Dave McKnight - 335th

I could probably spend the rest of my time talking about this fun–loving, mischievous, courageous and loveable guy. Most of what I might tell you are things you already know so I will mention just a couple of points that might be new to you.

Dave could not wait to get into the middle of the action long before the US got into the war, so he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was, however, released so he could join the Army Air Corp where he served with great distinction for thirty years.

Dave flew more combat missions with the 95th than anyone else. Not content with that distinction, he later flew another combat tour of duty in Korea as an F-86 Wing Commander. And of course all of us are familiar with his efforts and accomplishments in the 95th Bomb Group Association.

Ed Cole - 336th

Ed was another early casualty - a quiet and retiring type who I never had an opportunity to really know.

Grif Mumford - 412th

I don’t think I ever heard a logical explanation why it wasn’t the 337th rather than the 412th. I was the youngest of the four and was given the dubious distinction by Colonel Kessler of being tail-end-charlie in the 95th’s flight across the Atlantic to England. My job was to see that any crews who were delayed by aircraft problems were properly attended to and sent on their way. As I recall, I landed in England about five weeks after the first 95th aircraft. Dave McKNight and I were the only survivors of the original Squadron Commanders.

When Jack Gibson, our original Air Executive Officer, was transferred to the 2nd Air Division, Dave was moved into that position where he remained until being reassigned back to the States in 1944. I followed along somewhat, in that when Cliff Dole, the 95th Operations Officer was downed on a combat mission, I was moved into that position and subsequently into the Air Executive role when Dave departed. Incidentally, Cliff spent the remainder of the war in a German Prison Camp and eventually served thirty years in the Air Force.

In late 1944, I was assigned to the 3rd Air Division as Director of Operations and as a result never really got to know the last two Bomb Group Commanders.

I can, however, speak about a number of other 95th leaders/personalities.

Lt Colonel Jack Gibson was the original 95th Exec Officer. A mid-thirties Randolph Flying School grad who after a short active duty tour joined American Airlines until he was recalled to active military duty in 1942. He was destined for bigger and better things and after a few months with the 95th in England was reassigned to the 2nd Air Division and made a B-24 Group Commander. After the war Jack returned to American airlines as Chief Pilot and eventually as an Executive working for C.R.Smith.

Lt Colonel Chester (Curley) Burt was the original Ground Executive Officer in charge of the housing, feeding and clothing of personnel and for unit administration. He was a genial and able administrator in his late forties or early fifties - truly the right man for the job. Curly had been recalled to active duty after the outbreak of the war and left his wife to manage a small chain of department stores they owned in Idaho. He returned to Idaho after the war.

Major Clarence Fields was an individual who never received the recognition, honor or glory that I feel he so richly deserved. He was the 95th’s first, and I believe, only head of engineering and maintenance. He was, before the war, an aircraft maintenance Master Sergeant with great experience and competence. After the outbreak of war the Army Air Corp quite wisely commissioned him as a Captain and the 95th was indeed fortunate to have him assigned to us. Dedicated to duty, knowledgeable in his specialty and constantly giving 100%, he was one of those rare individuals who had the ability to lead not because of his rank but because of his example.

I lost track of Clarence after the war, but wherever he might be, I say “Thank you for keeping the 95th flying”.

Major Bill Harding was our Group Surgeon throughout the entire war. Calm, sensitive and caring, he was a steadying influence at a time in our lives when the pressure of daily grind was extremely burdensome. Bill and his assistants (our Squadron Flight Surgeons) provided us with outstanding medical care.

Major Jiggs Donohue was our Group Intelligence Officer. As Irish as Patty’s Pig he possessed all the fine attributes of a jovial son of the “sod”. Respected and beloved by all, I suspect that Jiggs was godfather to more newborns than the law would allow - one of whom is our son - Toby. I don’t think that this gracious and charming man ever met anyone who didn’t like and admire him. After the war Jiggs returned to Washington DC to his law practice. We remain friends to this day.

There are so many more that I could and would talk about but I am afraid that I am getting too close to a 15 minute attention span. But let me mention a few other 95thers such as:

Ellis Scripture - 95th Bomb Group Navigator Wayne Fitzgerald - 95th Bomb Group Bombardier Ed Russell - 95th Bomb Group Bombardier Rodney Snow - fun loving Combat Crew Pilot

Bill Lindley - retired as Major General
Jim Frankowsky - retired as Major General Jamie Philpot - Retired as Lt General
Jay Schatz - 412th Squadron Navigator

A special recognition of the ground crews who kept us flying, fed, medically cared for and housed. Without you we would not have been able to carry out our Missions.

To all the men of the 95th who served your Country with distinction and honor, I SALUTE and THANK YOU!