by Tom Dickinson
Greetings, AAVS vets and former colleagues:
Thanks to Frank Urben, who pointed out the existence of this on-line and real life community, and gave me instructions on how to join.
I contacted Frank for some answers to AAVS questions that have arisen in my current activities.
My son Will graduated from the Air Force Academy this past May, Class of 2014. I retired from the Pentagon after 33 years there in 2013. (David Levy was my first boss at the Pentagon, hired me as Chief of Production at HQs Air Force Television Center, in 1980.) After I retired, my wife and I moved from Arlington to Colorado Springs, to be closer to our son during his senior year as a Cadet at USAFA.
Through an OSD colleague who was a USAFA grad, I met classmate Col (ret) Dick Rauschkolb, AFA ’70. Col Rauschkolb, upon learning of my background, connected me with the Special Collections Branch at the Cadet Library. For the last 10 months or so, I have been examining, reviewing, and cataloging a collection of about 100 old 16mm motion picture films, some of them produced by various AAVS units. I’d like to learn more about the AAVS units and crews who produced these films, mostly recruiting and orientation productions for and about the AFA. I often have questions about the provenance of these films. I also wonder what happened to the magnificent collection of over 20,000 films and 100,000 hours of video once stored at Norton AFB at the DoD Motion Media Depository there. Does anyone know the current status of that collection?
I am also assisting Col Rauschkolb in another way. His AFA Class of 1970 funded and created the new Southeast Asia Commemorative Pavilion at the Academy, dedicated to the memory of the 158 AFA grads who were KIA in Southeast Asia. This remarkable and impressive pavilion includes 4 large screen video displays, that are activated by touch panels, allowing immediate access to hours and hours of what have to be AAVS still and motion media archives, on every topic imaginable related to AF actions in SEA.
However, we both agree that there must still be a lot of “known unknowns” out there, a lot of still photos and motion picture and video products that would augment what is already there. I’ve concluded that many AAVS PJs, still photo, and mopic guys have there own personal, private “stashes” of films, videos, gun camera footage, still photos, etc. and I would be very, very grateful for any materials of this nature which could be lent for use in the SEA Pavilion at AFA. Please contact me if you have, or know of, any such holdings that we could use.
Thank you Frank Urben, and thank you to all AAVS officers, NCOs, and civilians “out there”! Great to be a part of this terrific community.