Lorain Hennig and Catherine Bachman

00:04 I am Lorain Hennig, and I also known as Sonny a nickname. I got in the service and ages 92 going on 93.

00:17 And it's Friday December 20th. 2019 is location is Yuma, Arizona.

00:26 Can you introduce your recording pregnant?

00:32 Relationship. My partner is my daughter.

00:37 And I'm Katherine and henock Bachman and I think I'm 61 years old. Today is Friday December 20th, 2019. I happened to be visiting in Yuma Arizona interviewing. My partner's my father and I'm his daughter.

00:57 So Daddy, I've been really interested in the great Variety in your life starting with farming in Iowa, Elkader Iowa a fairy and a large number of years ago. You had a lot of experience in that and came away with a lot of life experience from that what my to share about your best memories of farm life in Elkader, Iowa. They're very very interesting because my dad didn't like Machinery ever working with it. So I as a little boy 9 years old was driving tractors out in a field goal getting corn and nobody around and I think of that now and if I've turned my son loose within tractor at nine years of age out of panic like nobody's business sounds crazy.

01:57 I was very happy and and I made some mistakes while I was operating this Machinery. I watch The Neighbors older men running the tractors and how they did it. And I tried to mimic it and come to the end of the cornrow stomp on the brake and wheel it around and drop the cultivator and go right back the other way. I tried that and and there was a ditch that was covered up with weeds and I went through that and it didn't get all the way around because the front of the tractor dropped way down I hung up on that and you can imagine how I felt going home telling my folks. I just run the tractor in a ditch and they didn't seem too excited. We spent the next day jacking it up and get it out there and everything was fine right back at cultivating corn.

02:47 And your dad had certain ways of of doing the farm work and you developed other ways mechanics that is there is no way to farm without it. But he tried to stay away from it through the best we could always and he was great with his hands. He could do anything with his hands. If an axe handle broke, he could make one with a raspin of playing it and it looked just like that the other one that we just broke it was fantastic but he hated machinery and and I loved it. I thought it was great. I didn't work very well super so we started see the change in the mechanics or the means of farming in just those two generations. Yes. Yes, it changed from horsepower to mechanical Power tractors in and then afterwards it went on it. It wasn't a family business anymore.

03:47 Got to be big conglomerates by thousands of acres and and just running machine me on it all the time and says someplace along the line you deceive where I taken into the air force tell me how that that process happened from moving from farming to going into the air force. Will I graduate from high school? 1945 and that was in the middle of the war on the second world war and everybody went to work. Well selection committee. Put me right away in an alarm later at Farm labor and I was just have to go service. Well, that was nice. I love the farming and all that but you felt guilty because everybody else was all out fighting for the country and you're sitting ice on the farm and enjoying yourself riding tractors, and he always felt bad, but you know, it was a surprising and no one ever said anything to me about it that I was showing it shaking my

04:47 UT Simpson going to war and I felt bad. So after the farm was paid for it and everything they didn't and I think it was 53 1953 that they said you're not going to be automatically deferred anymore. You're going to have to come in and ask for it. Well that that didn't set too good at the farm with parent paid for until I just said hey Ty I'm going to go in the army. I love electronic. I want to get basic of what Electronics really are and it's so I went to the Chicago and went to before electronics and it involved in October and ran to the end of the year and then the lady in the selection.

05:32 Make sense. If you're going to do something you better hurry because your numbers getting ripe. And so I went into the army and and said I wanted to get in the army for 2 years and into the electronics if it all possible and I had a printout from divorce Electronics was going to school and they said when was your grade so you could be an aviation Cadet and what does he do? They fly airplanes? That won't fly airplanes. I said well that that's better than electronic and was fortunate enough to pass it. They were very selective on what day they took first you had to pass a test in in a local I am before you went to Chanute and and that local test was a bear. There was a colors in there and it was almost the same color. But the number that you were supposed to take out they'd have the background pink and the others was just a shade off of pink and you really had to study. But anyway, I passed it and so what?

06:32 And they're there was probably about 9200 people that went down that day and it was a three-day Affair it do physical and mental and then psychomotor your coordination and and they ended up with three people that passed on to a hundred then went down there and I was one of them that passes the pilots goes another man. And then the other one was an R O A R rated Observer

07:03 That's pretty incredible enjoyed it ever since you went into the Air Force and words than transfer to Yuma as a Cadet or timing on that. I got an assignment and so I had to go in for the training on that and then it was automatic that that group was going to go to Yuma and when we were going through school as the instructor says he'll God if I had to go to Yuma High slit my throat and in there that was really encouraging, you know, she said call boys is Dusty there's sand in the food high and in hot and and you got to sleep in tents and and all the ladies are very very fat and and it won't let the world was her to go there for then, but we didn't have a choice to change it and go someplace.

08:03 If I ever had another assignment as good as you, I would have been walking and haven't yet. It was it was fantastic the people that were great though in the weather at the heat didn't bother me any and it was clear and flying every day. And then it was just it was just wondering and the people were wonderful and what are what aircraft were you assigned? That was 86 the all-weather it from Yuma assignment to Goose Bay Labrador as also safety in other words if there was something going on we had to go up and take a look at it another word for even if an airliner got off a trach so far, they would scramble us and we go out and get his number and verify that it was them and I don't know what they did to him. But you do it. Anyway just documented. You had a pretty good relationship with the 86.

09:03 Emergency one take off the turbine wheel left golden came out the size of the airplane another time. I pitched out to land and instead of just idle engine went to stop and I had a dead stick it into another Runway then was adjacent to the one I was supposed to land on and then I went on a cross-country take an airplane to Stockton to to be remodeled and and have to take off the fuel gauge went out. Well, it was a short flight. I didn't have fuel problems. So it is that really important. Well now if I go back and take the airplane back, they have run it down at all the inspections or do after about 5-10 minutes at the flight. So when I go back they have to expend hours and hours and hours testing everything in the airplane before I can fly again just because I saw a little fuel gauge went out. I'm evaluating this and I look up in the rear of

10:03 I'm here and there's no fuel stream behind me or anyting and I said well, maybe that's just a gauge but all the time you thinking that as you're flying so didn't take long and radio Compass went out. Well at that time that the aircraft just had a regular radar radio that you tuned in and then there was a needle that pointed at the station you were doing into that was a the navigation they had in that time bro. That's okay. If it was clear. I didn't need that I could see the towns and and I didn't eat so I kept on going pretty soon. The radio went out. Well, I didn't need to talk to anybody. I knew where I was going and when you get there, you can just fly up initial and rock your wings to say. Hey, I don't have a radio and they understand that and it's it's oh, okay. That's alright and pretty soon the exhaust take that are red. And in that you can't have something wrong someplace that the tailpipe temperature. We can't we have to pull it back. Well, I eat before it and immediately the tailpipe.

11:02 Now I can't I can't I don't have an engine and I look over the side and here's a nice long run. We sitting down there. Well, no sooner said than done pulled it off and then started down to put out the speed break and I'm going to land it there and there no airplanes there already and I can't talk to anybody and tell him I'm coming or going to rock that I'm going to overrun so there wasn't I was lucky and I got it down on the first end of the Cold as I get down lord has a Runway kept looking shorter and shorter. So I dig out a map and its 5050. Well, then sticking an 80 60 + 5,000 feet is it is a pretty good job. That better be perfect. Anyway, we got it down and Brew the tires that is there drag Chute work and I got to stop with a nose hanging over a irrigation ditch at the end of the runway and I just sit there and I said what's going on what else could have done wrong? What else is going to happen?

12:02 Keep coming up with a flag waving like Matt and if it gets closer, I see this guy's got all kinds of stuff on his visor beanies hi rang and he gets up and he said sir, are you for the display? And I said no, I'm sorry. I'm not for any display holies. I think he looks like you got an accident that place and got the airplane signed it all I got on a commercial flight went back home. And then and there was a wedding going on one of those people in it in the group with gotten married and they were all at this point nobody's there. So I just lay this piece of paper on the back at the office back at the office and don't say a word about Wednesday the next week. I said, I better go and tell him because sooner or later they're going to find out that I didn't really deliver their place. I got the seat back like that. They accepted it, but what all happened so I told him and he said fine, you know it wonderful good thing you made.

13:02 There was just another emergency that that that money was involved scream out an initial and blowing tires and Inn in blowing a terminally ill it's just unbelievable. It sounds like a really good training for a lot of your future experiences first in Vietnam handling handling that and then later as a as a instructor violets. I had that that was the first assignment was Yuma and I was only there for like 2 years then I got assigned to Goose Bay Labrador and it isn't half 89 and that went fairly well without any extra excitement like emergencies and then from there I got to go to instructor school and it will become an instructor.

14:02 I enjoyed that it is so many people just drive to about being there and and teaching these people because they didn't know how to fly or naturally. It didn't know how to fly that's why they were there as if I said Commander or then I'd take him up and say give me a barrel roll with your leftist the instructors you were going to give me a barrel roll with with with your left hand and well it wasn't it would resemble anything. You don't answer then I tell him how you know, how you talk to your students house all you just Grace them by how they can't fly now you would you like to be disgraced like that. I think about it think about it helped them better. It sounds like it was how about some of you your experience is the highlights of what did you take away from Vietnam? Your experiences are there.

15:02 England for 3 years. And from there. We went to Vietnam just sort of nomadic and it in England we didn't do anything but sit alert with a new weapon under the airplane and then we got to Vietnam. We didn't have the nukes. We just had in 500 Pounders for is the biggest bomb we carried and we carry two of them and and you could carry date palm or you could carry Rockets ECG depend on what kind of a mission they wanted you to go on. But normally we were loaded with a 500 Pounders and and that would take care of almost anything. If you've heard a 500-pound go off and Yuma Marines and unattached Nation used to do it and that was about five miles away and the house just shook when I when one of them went out five miles away so you can imagine at the center of that or what that felt like to the enemy. Anyway, there was only two flights that were sort of outstanding over there. We had a

16:02 I guess there was a Palm Springs or something. Anyway, there were Palms here and we'll use it as a focal point all the time. We took off his say okay for this Mission head off a hundred degrees or something like that go to the palm trees from there. So you got to hear your target MN then all at once. They said we want you to bomb those those palm trees with nobody would hide in if I'm freezing. I mean, it's so obvious and everything we knew they were mistaken don't know they went in there last night and they didn't come out till we okay. So there was two of us. So we put for 500 Pounders in that little patch of palm trees and there was anything but but can only left when I got through two weeks maybe 3 after that. We got the report that the two of us kill 240 enemy.

17:00 Eras in the palm tree villas palm trees. Anyway, I didn't see anybody for a week in in in Hawaii and I had my wife go over there and I was going to go over meet her and I'm one Alert in the last night when I get off of work and pack your bags and go to Hawaii. Well, I guess grandma and I get up there and in and then they said now when you go through here trying not to go through Dry in other words, if if you're not setup, right and and you don't think the bomb is going to hit the target you can go through an in and do it over again so that dang sure that the bomb is going to hit where it's supposed to hit and try not to go through drive because they're just shooting everything that you and if that's very thoughtful when you are you going to go see your wife when you get down and you're probably not going to get down here trying to be walking to annoy.

18:00 Get all involved and you forget all about it. Well, they threw everything out of it, but they didn't get me. So I was fortunate and anything else of you for Air Force career sometime after that you retired from the Air Force and I went back to the training command because your home every evening and I enjoyed it in teaching. So. That's why I spent that we liked any home to we liked having you home. Yeah that that all worked out. So then he retired from the Air Force and shows the career of home building which always amaze me just the the risk day everything that you took on and making that decision you had a family we were in high school and you are taking on this debt tube to buy lot.

19:00 Start the homebuilding business always wondered how what courage that took and what kind of a foundation you have to put under how you have to build it. So it stands and see you get inspections all the time. And if it is not the stuff they won't they won't let you press it. You and make you over to redo it, you know, so I just never had to redo anything because I found out how big this footings had to be for what you were building on it and how have you had to build the walls and and the roof and everything and it always and always work. Well, I just never ever thought of having a problem getting it is just never never knew what I got the building. For some reason. I had plenty of work all the time. There was always somebody that wanted me to build them a house and they pay all the bills and I do the work and then they pay me so much.

20:00 For my job and and they were just happy. I guess it was because I was always there in other words my day started at 5 in the morning and then usually get over until about 8 in the evening or night in and they knew any time they come there what I would probably be there. Anyway, I was busy all the time and you a lot of your success. I know that you have previously attributed to actually listening to them and they are we talked in the evening for about two hours on what they wanted and in and they had pretty good ideas. And it demands said I want to post out there three foot in diameter at the front door. And then I said, do you really know? How big three foot is? He said? Oh, yes. I know how big 340th and okay. Well

21:00 And that goes 3/4 post. I made an 18 foot tall and gave him a real big entrance and then then went to the normal family and if there was a basement and and normal floor and then upstairs to that is a really big house and I came back the next day and showed him what what does sketched and sit well, that's just what we said and I said and you obviously don't be ever listen to work fine. Listen to what they had to say and then translated into a functional kind of design so that time you probably were drafting on paper and later moved to computers. In other words. You mean drawing it with a pencil and then afterwards drawing it with him and I ended up drawing my own plans because I had so many problems with a plan fix that

22:00 They wouldn't wouldn't add up. In other words that two parallel lines one place. They where they did say, they were two for the park and other place they say they're three for the park or one for the park. And if you didn't catch that you just had to take my meds you order dresses for for so long and then you find out that the stand at the dresses are it's a foot longer, you know me. Well, it turned on work very good. And if that happened to me so many times I just said that's enough of that until I got into the plan building and ni Drew all my plans after that and you've gone some pretty interesting things like Doms at Architects. You ask you how much I work for a builder and he he was a big Builder and then he had the architect there too. And then one day he said he needed a Dome built on this place. And so when he left. Vs. Architects,

23:00 And what's that Dome glass or or it was built open space and the trusses for the neighbor parallel to the sides of the the Dome and then bridge to Cross stand and feathers in and if you don't work, very fine any other interesting experiences in home building that not specially at all all work good never had a problem that that I had to take anything down. There. It is working well enough and I was there and I had two good people working for me. And in other words of Subs your ear after you build a couple houses, you know, which ones you like and which ones you don't and there's something you keep in there something you don't ever ask again, you know, and and then I got a lot of good people from the new owners they take home.

24:00 We know such and such and he's a plumber and we know such and such and he's electrician. That was a fine and if they do it, right it is fine. But I said if he can't perform well, then I'm going to have to get mine and in usually they were they were good people. Usually I ended up with them as something from that time and sell from home building you transfer to cat drawing on the computer turned thoughts in the end up in the visual print and people like it when it's just what they wanted the day. They just can't believe it. But if you listen then you can give them what they want. Ya I think that's a pretty amazing transition little easier on the body and end outlet for creativity.

25:00 It is that it is very easy super. Well anything that you would like to add daddy in the way of life advice wisdom experiences that we haven't touched on but I don't know other than always be truthful if you if you're not truthful and you know, then then you're going to have a problem. But if you if you like if you're building a housewarming if it would cost too much money. Well you say okay, then we got a surprise something take a room offer or do whatever. You know. You can't say I'm just going to skimp on it. It it it to get it to work. You just got to be proper on it and you'll have a lot of problems. I appreciate this conversation.

25:53 Have a question for you bet.

26:01 Oh my goodness. Yeah starting with Doctor hennicks Health advice or you taking really good care of our teeth some health remedies that I grew up with that took care of interminable sore throats in the winter and pneumonia and ultimately more recently. I'm jumping to gardening I picked up gardening and I thought you know, my dad always made this so very easy in Texas. We had a very big Garden that you put their ran the whole side of the house. It was beautiful It produced horrendous numbers are tomatoes, which we had to pick at the time not really appreciating them adequately, but then many years later I have tried to do my own gardening and I asked you about

27:01 Any gardening tips and men peeing, what do I need to do in and it was just like yeah, you just you just do it. It's like breathing and come to find out it's not quite like breathing. There was a whole lot of knowledge and skill in that. So learning about electrical stuff helping you pour cement paint things put in light bulb in the electricity how things work watching you work and helping you were always have it fueled my life in my ability to do many things that I am not only capable of doing but willing to tackle things that maybe I don't know how to do and I'm can learn so I think it was a very rich life that I had with them.

27:53 Cancel on explaining your instruction working beside you your commentary and advice and Woods Wisdom and guidance in and Rock 92. I am making me who I am today. I'm glad it seems to me like I have been very fortunate to because there was one time I was I was building a house if this three-story it is saying that I was telling you about and Becky was there visiting us and said, I'd like to see what they do and I said, well we're pouring a foundation this morning and I'll take you over there so we go over there and and we're just standing at the sideline watching and then their trucks are coming with this man in their pouring it down there on the floor and the basement, you know, and and they're they're willing it with wheelbarrow switch. It was unusual you say they had a pump with a long spout that they can go over there. They're winning. Is it all once I said, they're supposed to be for teens down there where they're willing right through the footings and I called

28:53 Supervisor over and said watch what what what's with the funding sexted? There's two big forties. This is a tri-level house and you got to hold those floors up and all that. It takes them in the way. They were big 40 always said we forgot

29:09 And I'm feeling well. Yeah, there's no problem that you forget himself when the cement dries you cut this big hole out of it being out the dirt on it supposed to get this is for my for 42 ft deep and anybody but if we hadn't been there and that cement is looks like it's just fine. That's a 40 must be under there and it wasn't there when they're taking any time for that house to settle. Yeah, that would have been that would have been Prost. Well sure it would have come out in the end that they didn't pour the footings in there. But still it was somebody's house and in that would have been good. Like I said like that boring because it was a it was on a Saturday and I wasn't planning to go there. They can pour that cement. It's all lined out what to do with them. What the footings? Yeah anyway.

30:09 Fortunate to be their Fortune.

30:13 As we've enjoyed for a very long time like all my accident, you know, when we are letting go on take off if that would have been 5 seconds later there if there was no survival of that that airplanes going to hurt you or they got just airborne and then their plane is going to crash and if you bail out you can bail out in the shoot with voice, but it'll end up right in that hole Fireball at airplane answer that turbine wheel is what kind of the engine and there's fins on that turbine wheel. NetSpend and and it's in an in the heat that's probably a thousand degrees and that's what it supposed to stand this one. And so it it hit through the side of the airplane electrical stuff and everything.

31:13 You know from the piece of the terminally Latin, let's go spinning so fast that when that goes I fall out of balance and airplane starting to shake and a flat tire, you know that the shaking and everything is like a flat tire and somebody that was flying said hey on take off you got an air fryer and I understood you got a flat tire which I thought we had son asked fire would be something a fire in the back of the airplane and you heard flat tire and it said boy, that guy's pretty cool. He's got this airplane full of fuel and he's got the blaze coming out of the tailor an airplane. And if you could blow up any second, he says Raj and you looked up then in the rearview mirror was way up at the top of the canopy and into

32:13 It over the back and everything and I look up there and there's this great. They are fire say Raj. And so what did you do and Welfare 86th and canopies probably 8 feet above the ground so stretched out and I'm all stressed out there with his oxygen and and I got to break it loose and they fall down to the ground and then they got the fire because they knew that they have to be putting out a fire someplace.

33:05 Yeah, I was feeling you weren't part of I was just fortunate that I wasn't part of it. Yes. We are very fortunate all the way around Supra. We hope it continues. I hope so to write. Thank you. You're welcome.