Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 April 1951 — Page 5

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WEDNESDAY, APR. 11, 1951

Manpower Waste in Armed Services—

VIP's Keep 780 Air Force Officers, Men Busy

They Man an Exclusive Nonscheduled Airline

That Shuttles High Brass Around World Free

By JIM G. LUCAS Scripps-Howard Stal Writer

WASHINGTON, Apr. 11—The Air Force has 780 officers and men whose job is to fly VIPs (very important

people) all over the world.

They're not a part of .the Military Air Transport

Service. schedules. In a sense, they're the military's non-scheduled airline—a very exclusive one. When Gen. Carl Spaatz, retired chief of the air staff, wanted a physical checkup, he was flown to New Mexico. Afterward he was flown back to Washington. When Gen. Omar Bradley and Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg decided to take a few days’ rest in Puerto Rico, they went in a Constellation. President Tru-

man’s regular crew flew him to Key West and back.

~ » T H I 8 NON-SCHEDULED military airline, like Topsy, just growed. At the start, it was a

MATS has regular routes and keeps definite

In this, the third of a series on military manpower extravagances, Jim Lucas tells how the Air Force caters to VIPs. Mr. Lucas, a World War II veteran, projects the picture against the background of our needs in Korea with which he is so familiar —he was there for five months.

fairly modest venture. But the word got around, and nowadays few government officials think of traveling any other way. Theoretically, perhaps, the

Air Force could turn down a request for a ride from—say the attorney general—on the grounds {it wasn’t on public business. But that never happens. For-

mer Defense Secretary Louis Johnson learned to his sorrow it doesn't pay to refuse anyone. When ex-Sen. Elmer Thomas (D. Okla.) asked the appropriation subcommittee be flown around the wor'd in 1949, Mr. Johnson remonstrated that the Senator ought to buy commerical tickets. That made Sen. Thomas mad. He demanded a list of free rides given other VIPs. Mr. Johnson was glad to drop the matter right there. ” " " THE 780 MEN involved fulltime in this project are in two groups. The first is Air Transport Squadron 1254, based at Washington National Airport. ATS 1254 has 12 planes—13 if you count the President's Independence—and 250 men, It flies eight Constellations, and four four-engined C-54 transports. Among its ships are the Sacred Cow, the predecessor to the Independence, and the Dew Drop, built in a hurry when

the Air Force thought Gov..

Dewey was going to win in 1948. The other 530—187 officers

and 363 enlisted men—are part of Special Air Missions Group

1100. Special Air Missions | Squadron 1111 of Group 1100— |

with 77 officers and 274 en-

listed men—is based at Bolling |

Field here. #“ » n SAM pilots are on the go a good part of the .time. If one of the joint chiefs »f staff or a service secretary is to make a speech in Chicago, he usually goes by air. Among the most frequent customers are members of the press. Last year, ATS 1254 flew 1.2 million miles. SAM pilots probably flew many more. Ex-Sec-retary Johnson said those flights cost $130 an hour—at least several million dollars a year. The operations office at

Bolling Field has much better | appointments than the average |

municipal terminal.

To its credit, SAM always |

takes as many GI hitchhikers as it can. Hundreds of thousands of servicemen have taken advantage of its flights. ” s »

MANY TRIPS are essential.

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

PAGE 5

Mission Conclave Opens at Butler

School of Religion | Acts as Host

Missionaries and other representatives of various countries of the world are giving addresses at the Missionary Conference now 4n progress on the Butler campus. The conference, sponsored b the Student Volunteers with the School of Religion as host, opened today and will continue through tomorrow. | Included on the afternoon program today were devotions, special music and a panel discussion | entitled “Church Union on the Missions Field.” Participants include Dr. A. C. Watters, head of |the department of missions, Butler School of Religion; Dr. Don-

ald Baker, medical missionary, Shotwell Memorial Hospital, Mondumbu, Belgian Congo; Dr. Virgil A. Sly, chairman, Division of Foreign Missions, United Christian Missionary Society; Thomas Hill, secretary of India mission,- United Christian Missionary Society, and O. D. John-

'son, acting general administra-

tor, Christion Misisonary Fellowship.

teria and an address by Mr. Hill.

closing meeting minute talks by all missionaries attending the conference, and an informal fellowship tea.

Dr. Ronald Roberts, represen- O'Brien; 1543 Fletcher Ave.

tative of the Student Volunteer

this country after 30 years’ serv- had “no comment.”

Methodist Hospital Sued for $130,000

Action Charges Baby Burned by Vaporizer

A §150,000 damage suit was Activities tonight will include filed against Methodist Hospital a banquet in the university cafe- today for the scalding of an pert L. Young, described Infant patient. Tomorrow's sessions schedule, The suit charged that 6-month- of whether a charitable ing an informal discussion led by Mr. old Michael James O’Brien was!tion may be sued. Johnson; a movie entitled “In the seriously burned by a va Steps of the Witch Doctor”; a while being treated for a featuring 10- chial condition in November, 1947.

porizer |

bron-| pe said the Indiana Supreme Court held in a 1921 decision th

states, and placed in an isolation ward under a croup tent. IE charged an unnamed at ‘allowed steam from a ing to scald the infant on the led land hands. a | As a result, the suit charged [the child was permanently 4 {figured, required plastic r to correct the condition, = [subject to fits, trvie | Mrs, O'Brien's attorney, 4

as a test case on the

Test Case

The complaint was filed in Su-/gt Vincent's Hospital was

perior Court 5 by the baby's charitable

mother, Mrs.

institution and ime

Jane mune from lability.

But the modern view taken in

Robert E. Neff, Methodist recent decisions in other states, Movement, who has returned .o Hospital superintendent, said he he said, was that charitable ine

stitutions were liable in

ice in China, gave the opening The child was admitted to the actions, just like any other type hospital Nov. 6, 1947, the suit!of corporation. wh

address today.

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Especially Devoted to the Weeds of od

A good case can be made that they're actually a saving. They enable Gen. Bradley, for Iinstance, to remain at his desk until noon, fly to the Midwest for an after-dinner speech, and be back on the job the next morning. ; Such flights enabled John | Foster Dulles to cover the Far East in a' matter of a few weeks, sounding out other governments on a Japanese peace treaty. He couldn't have done it in six months by any other i means. !

Young People Going -ta- Houschecping”

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On the other hand, it can be + | well argued that the number of VIP flights could be curtailed— considering there's a war on— thus relieving a few pilots for duty in Japan and Korea.

We're so hard up for airlift over there that we've leased 75 commercial airliners to help | out. And the pilots on VIP duty | are the best we have. That's | the reason they're on those jobs.

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THE CLOSEST we ever came to curtailing the service wasn’t really very close. After his brush with Sen. Thomas, Mr. Johnson instituted an “honor | system.” He put everyone on his oath to consult his conscience before asking for a free ride. Supposedly, everybody | does. But ATS 1254 has had to add | two more Constellations since he did that.

)0 MILES

Services Arranged For W. S. Weathers

Services for William 8. Weathers, who ‘died yesterday in his home at 633 W. 13th St., will be held at 1 p. m. Friday in C.M.C. Wilson & Son Mortuary. Burial will follow in New Crown. Born in Bloomington 65 years ago, Mr. Weathers had been a

resident of Indianapolis the past 54 years. Survivors include three sisters, Mrs. Susan Alums and Mrs. Eva Mays, Indianapolis, and Mrs. Anna Flowers, New York City.

Mrs. Myrtle Dillman

Services for Mrs. Myrtle Dillman, who died here yesterday after a long illness, will be held at 1:30 p. m. tomorrow in Shirley Brothers Irving Hill Chapel. Burfal will 'be in Anderson Cemetery. Born in Clayton 73 years ago, {Mrs. Dillman had been a resident of Indianapolis since 1911. She lived at 1234 N. Illinois St. Surviving are two brothers, Dillard and Dawson Sands, Indian-

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