A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
An Army photographer took the photo at right of Jerry Manthey in a Black Hawk helicopter when he was in the Army National Guard Viking Division, which eventually became part of the larger Red Bull InfantryDivision.
Four days after graduating from high school in 1970, Gerald "Jerry" Manthey went on active duty in the Air Force.
A crew chief/flight engineer, Manthey trained with B-52 bombers. His first assignment was at the K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, a strategic air command. Once there, Manthey started working on KC-135 planes, which were in-flight refueling tankers.
He learned quickly how lucky he was to be working on the KCs.
"Four engines instead of eight on a KC, eight on a B-52. Half the problems," he said. "Plus I got to fly with the plane. I loved airplanes. I was walking on air."
Manthey served at...
