05/04/2020
I below to the Dragon Lady Association (DLA) and the most recent newsletter indicated that Jim "Kip" Kippert and Hector Freese had passed. When I was the squadron commander at the 4402nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Provisional) at King Fahad Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lt. Col. Jim Kippert was working the command post back in California. He was a pain in the ass. He wanted to know every move I made, which isn't my style of being in command. I also resented that he wanted these reports at midnight or 1 a.m., because it was convenient for him. However, Jim was a U-2 brother and I am sad to find out he passed.
Last week I responded to a reminder that it was Stuart Popwell's birthday, so I sent him a "Happy Birthday" note. Penny, his wife, responded by telling me that "Stu" had passed a year before on his birthday. That made me feel sad. Stu had been an RF-4 recce pilot before coming to U-2s. We served together at Beale Air Force Base, CA and RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom. He was a funny guy with lots of great stories. He flew for the airlines for about 30 years before retiring.
Colonel Hector Freese was the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing Commander when I got to Beale Air Force Base in 1983. He told a joke with a punch line, "well, if you stick a broom up my ass I can sweep while I'm using my hands to help you." He wasn't very tall and used to stand on the table when telling his jokes. He was a U-2 brother and I am sad to learn of his passing.
As people pass away, and not very much older than I am, I realize that I won't be around forever. So today, as I work from a cabin near Stillwater, OK, I try to embrace the day and the beauty of my surroundings. God is good.