I�ve been interested in airplanes pretty much since I was old enough to know what one was. I�ve never had a burning desire to drive the things, but the development and use of the machines themselves has always fascinated me. I started this project in December, 1977, by writing a letter to the historian�s office of what was then the U.S. Air Force Security Service (USAFSS). I was curious about some of the details relating to the EC-47 aircraft in which I had spent something like 1,500 hours as a radio operator between February, 1970, and December 11, 1971, when I returned stateside for discharge. This was in the days before the Freedom of Information Act, and I actually got answers to my questions!

Over the years, I came across mention of the �electric goon� now and again but never saw anything of much substance. A couple of years ago, I decided to make a trip to the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. I copied what relevant material there was in the histories of the 360th, 361st, and 362nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadrons (TEWS) and got copies of a couple of other documents. There were a few nuggets�the story of TIDE 86 being probably the best�but I filed it all away and went on to other things.

When I finally went �on line� earlier this year, for one of my first experiments I typed in �EC-47� and clicked on the search button. The rest is�or at least I hope it will be��history�. J.C. Wheeler�s site has blossomed at a rate that I doubt any of us associated with the EC-47 could ever have imagined. After submitting a few things which J.C. graciously posted and corresponding via the web with guys I hadn�t seen in 25+ years, I decided to finish the project I started in 1977. I recently made another trip to Maxwell, where quite by accident I ran into Col. Bob Bonn, who has made several contributions to the site. If all goes as planned, the result of this visit will be the release of the TEWS material that remains classified or �For Official Use Only.�

What I intend to put here is really the story of the EC-47 itself�how it came to be and the role it played in the Southeast Asia war. No aircraft is any better than the people who fly it and those on the ground who keep it flying, but that�s a different story and the web site is telling more of it every day. This �hardware� part of the tale will be added as I sift through the newly-released material and get feedback from you the reader.

Once I�ve completed the story as best I can, I hope to get it published in one of the international aviation magazines. (Yes, I�ll get paid if that happens, but I�ll guarantee that whatever the amount is, it won�t cover what I�ve already spent!) I plan to have the first installment, covering the �Hawkeye� years, out to J.C. within a week. There are still some blank pages in the EC-47 story and I hope those of you who were there will help fill them in.

Joe Martin

Chandler, AZ

October 10, 1998

[email protected]