Long time Chapter 195 member Arthur Snyder gave a presentation about how he dropped leaflets from a CIA black B-29 that resulted in a MIG pilot defecting to the US during the Korean War.  Art was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Air Medals, and the United Nations Korea Medal along with his other decorations for his service.

  Psychological warfare missions are in violation of the Geneva Convention and if shot down, Art would not have been protected by the Convention’s protocols as a POW.  On his final CIA combat tour, he flew 65 B-26 interdiction missions similar to those in North Korea from Thailand and Da Nang, from November 1953 to the end of the War on May 7,1954.

  After 15 years his missions were declassified.

         See the video of his talk on our YouTube site: Art Snyder 

Some of the members and family attending the meeting.

Back Row (L-R): Steve Shapiro, Jim Morgan (VP), Gus Manz, Avanti Borucki, Howard Leach

Front Row (L-R): Jim McConnell, Betty McConnell, William Fosina (Pres), Art Snyder, Art's grandson, Toby Terranova (VP Membership / Chaplain) 

On Saturday, Jan 28th, our Chapter Secretary / Treasurer, Howard Leach spoke on his service in the Air Force in 1967 at Whiteman AFB in support of the Minuteman Missile weapon system, America’s Ace in the Hole.  He was assigned as a Technical Engineering Analysis Officer within the 341st and 351st Strategic Missile Wings, SAC at that time.

In June 1961 Whiteman Air Force Base was chosen to become the fourth Minuteman missile wing. On February 1, 1963, Whiteman AFB received its first Minuteman IB missile from Hill Air Force Base, out of Utah.  Its final Minuteman IB missile went on full operational alert on June 29, 1964.  Starting on May 7, 1966, and finishing in October 1967, Whiteman AFB modernized its Minuteman missile force with the next generation, Minuteman II missile.  On July 31, 1991 when President George H.W. Bush and Premier Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), President Bush ordered a stand-down of all deployed Minuteman II missiles.  The last Minuteman II missile at the 351st SMW was removed on May 18, 1995. Whiteman Air Force Base officially inactivated the 351st SMW on July 31, 1995.