Your Weekly Get Up & Go Has Been Updated

President Manny started the meeting at 7:07 AM with a sharp strike of the bell. Will this accursed presidency never end? It’s beginning to seem like the part of that movie when Forrest just kept running back and forth with no real point. But just when we were getting complacent, he livened things up a bit. I have no doubt the papers should be served sometime within the next week or two.

But on with the meeting…

Mack Walker introduced his golf foursome, all members of the new club: Cam Rusic, Greg Gibbs and Mike Peterson. Apparently they golf quite a bit. Must be nice to golf while us 99 percenters are out contributing to Social Security.

Vanessa noted that there was a work party at Patwin on Saturday, April 1. I’m not sure why I’m taking notes about this little funfest, because it already happened, and I have no information other than when it was scheduled. So nobody cares. Oh… and it started at 9 AM, if you were wondering where you were at that time. (It was a successful workday where we built several garden boxes for the students - check out the pictures here).

The Jay Gerber Award ceremony is going to be held April 13 at the Bicycle Hall of Fame. Starting at 5:00. The cost is $25. The committee is looking for 3 to 4 people to show up around 4 o’clock for set up, and seven or eight people to help clean up afterwards. These things always seem to work out so nobody better get too wound up if no one signs up to help.

Patsy introduced Carolyn Geanacou M.D., our newest member. She works at Davis Urgent Care, and is glad to have returned to Davis after a long absence. When “somebody” decided to imbue the club presidency with honor, dignity, and distinction by putting on a rubber examination glove as part of the “getting to know the new member better” spiel. It was as though he summoned and combined the feelings we all experienced at the “high” points of the presentations of Dr. Love, The Wandering Priest, and the County Medical Examiner’s slideshow into one great big ball of uncomfortableness. But moving on… Carolyn G. MD seems nice, and friendly, and outgoing, and I sure as hell hope she comes back to one of our meetings again at some point in the future.

After a short intermission where each member of the club introduced himself or herself to Carolyn G. MD, Sargeant Gretchen took to the floor.

Happy bucks began. Dick Berry noted that his woodcarving show would run for another six hours. Jim and Sue Smith celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Meaghan Likes gave money for being married to the best window washer in Yolo County. Bill Bernheim had a health scare, and an operation, and warned us all to “listen to our body.” That’s fine; just as long as I don’t have to listen to Manny’s body, because that might scare me. Lucas has a new job as the chief strategist for Halliburton, or Chevron or something. I had accidentally dropped my bacon on the floor (5 second rule?) and was afraid Daisy might take it, so I sort of lost track of the conversation. (I'm pretty sure the new gig is the chief lobbyist for the California Nature Conservancy? Close Will! Congratulations Lucas!) Don Morrill gave happy bucks for his Hawaiian trip. Elma for her grandson’s first birthday. Jim G was planning on picking up three of his grandsons and daughter-in-law who were flying in from Michigan.

On with the fines… Gary, Mack, and Lucas were all fine for some offense involving Turkey trafficking from Missouri to Texas. The writer was fined because his daughters swim. Which hardly seems fair. Then using the “The best of Yolo County” guide Gretchen modestly took a bow for the best hospital/ER. Called out Meaghan for Jeff being that fantabulous window washer… Dennis for best grocery store, wine and spirits, and customer service… Alika for best retirement home… Jeff A for best  bank… Manny (& John) for best tax service…. Dave Heard for mortgages. She was just rolling along when Patsy tried to throw Michael Read under the bus, but then Patsy took a bullet on her own behalf for Planet Wash. Just remember Patsy, nobody likes a tattletale. Except for the sergeants; we love tattletales. Snitches are the best.

With that, the meeting moved onto Mack Walker’s program: “Flying the Hump.” For a man who needs no introduction, Mack got one anyway. He attended Texas Tech, obtained a degree in civil engineering and worked in a non-nepotism position for a nonrelative, Larry Walker Associates. He also has a potato named after him. That’s really not something you hear every day. Unless you hang out with Mack Walker, in which case he will probably tell you about having a potato named after him ad nauseaum.

The presentation was about Mack’s father in World War II. Mack and his sister took a trip to retrace his father’s World War II adventures, flying for the United States Army Air Corps from the Assam Valley to Kunming China. The air transport effort during the war grew from 27 planes and 11,000 serviceman, to 640 planes and 44,000 serviceman. During the war they transported 1 million tons of supplies, and the duty was considered to be the second most hazardous after services heavy bombers over Europe.

The Assam Valley is located in Northeast India. Cargo was transported by ship to Calcutta, then by rail and boat from Calcutta to Assam. When Mack was there, border tensions between India and China limited some of his access.

One of the particularly dangerous aspects to flying “the hump” related to the weather and topograph. The extremely high Himalaya Mountains were located where cold Siberian air would collide with warm tropical monsoon air, creating extremely hazardous weather conditions. There were two air routes from the Assam Valley to Kunming. The southern route was less hazardous with respect to mountains and weather, but passed over Burma. As Burma was controlled by the Japanese for much of the war, Japanese fighter aircraft in Burma posed a threat to the unarmed transports. The northern route was outside Japanese fighter range. However, the flight entailed a 500 mile trip over the highest mountain range in the world, at altitudes of 18,000- 19,000 feet with no emergency landing fields, using primitive equipment.

By the end of the war, nearly one plane was landing every minute and a half. For every 4 tons of fuel delivered, 3.5 tons required to transport the fuel. 250 planes and 800 men were lost during the campaign.

The trip was Mack’s sister’s idea. Once they got logistic set up, they planned visits in India to the Misamari Air Base, Majuli Island, Kazirana National Park, and the Nagaland Jungles. Kazirana NP has the largest population of one – horned rhinos in the world. The trip involved riding an elephant and spotting wildlife, including not only the rhinos, but many water buffalo and other critters. The visit was noteworthy as they were no other Caucasian travelers.

Misamari Air Base was originally built on a tea plantation. It now currently operates as a drone base, and is inaccessible. The control tower and railroad station are all that’s left. Majuli Island is the home of seven monasteries. Mack found the people to be very friendly. For the first time in his life he felt like a rock star, with strangers wanting to take their photos with them. The trip to Majuli Island was nerve-racking. It involved an overloaded ferry, carrying motorcycles, cars and too many people. The boat had about 1 foot of freeboard, no running lights, and a captain with a flashlight.

The accommodations in Northeast India varied significantly. Some were thatched roof huts, with

squat toilets. Others were former tea plantations, and luxurious.

Nagaland was an interesting experience. The poorest state in India (which as Mack pointed out, says something), it is also the home of former headhunters. The area had a population of only around 23000. Mack attended a Council meeting where most of the participants were 85 to 100 years old. They let him try on the bearskin cap, for reasons that escape me.

They then departed Nagaland and headed to Kunming, “the City of Eternal Spring.” It’s the capital of Yunnan province, and a city of 6 million, was located on the former Silk Road. The people in the area are very appreciative of the United States efforts during World War II. There is a museum in the city for the “Hump” flyers, as well as the Flying Tigers. There are also memorials in the area. When Mack visited, they were in the process of tearing down the Kunming Airbase, the base Mack’s dad flew into.

In conclusion, it was pointed out that the “Hump” airlift was the first demonstration of the potential of aerial transport. It was a dramatic feat of aerial logistics, with a major impact on the Pacific war. It tied down Japanese forces. It created a paradigm shift in global logistics, with the experience used to implement the Berlin Airlift a few years later. It also led to the part of our culture the relies on airbase transportation.

There are a few follow-up questions, including a question about Flying Tigers. The Flying Tigers were a mercenary group [author’s note: the Flying Tigers were actually the American Volunteer Group, created by an unpublished Executive Order in July 1941. The AVG was headed by retired General Claire Chennault, and recruited volunteers from the US military, who were released from duty. The AVG saw action over China from November 1941-July 1942. Eventually, the AVG was replaced by Army Air Corp units, and the volunteers returned to their units].

The draw of the day was $38. Whoa Nelly, bar the door! Tom Cross won a free breakfast.