FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 2014
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Crew chief has new mission on same warbird he crewed a half-century ago By Frederick A. Johnsen
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ob Schrader is still on a mission with the same de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou twin-engine Army transport he maintained in Vietnam a half-century ago. At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014, Schrader shows visitors bullet-hole patches in the fuselage from those days. He can be both quiet and enthusiastic as he invites visitors to walk up the loading ramp into the cargo compartment of the Caribou. Taller visitors must duck. As much as he enjoys sharing the general history of this Caribou with all visitors, Schrader has a special bond with fellow Vietnam veterans who are sometimes hesitant to step into their past aboard the C-7. “Most Vietnam vets won’t talk to anybody except another Vietnam vet,” he explains. Schrader sees vets who still carry emotional scars deep inside from their time in Vietnam. He believes these scars can inhibit a person’s ability to engage life, and he has seen veterans begin a recovery after talking
with him and going to the brink in the old Caribou one more time. “One day, three veterans stopped by my plane” at AirVenture this year, he says. One appeared bitter, and would not accept Bob’s invitation to enter the C-7. The other two climbed aboard as Bob began to relate a story about having to stash full body bags at the feet of American soldiers being ferried to and from combat. He tells this story as a way to account for the trauma the soldiers faced. “I noticed one vet was starting to look quite emotional,” Bob says. Schrader softened his story a bit, lowering the intensity in a way that seemed to invite the other veteran to let down his guard, to “open his heart” as Bob puts it. “That makes my whole trip here from North Dakota worthwhile,” he says. “That’s just awesome when the air show here at Oshkosh can help so many vets.” Bob knows what he is talking about. He has reconciled his own experiences dealing
with death aboard his Caribou, including that of a small Vietnamese child who had been horribly burned by the Viet Cong in an effort to extract information from a village leader. The child was being airlifted to a hospital, but succumbed as Bob held on to keep the boy from falling out the open C-7 on takeoff. The last image Bob recalls from that sad night was watching the child’s shocked mother and siblings standing near their dead family member in the spotlight of the C-7 as it slowly taxied away on its next sortie, with an ambulance coming in the distance. The Army hauled food for South Vietnamese troops in the C-7, but this wasn’t typical American rations. A load might consist of “cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, and grenades,” Bob recalls. The effluent from the animals, as well as airsick passengers, left a stench and a stain. The day before Bob rotated home, a passenger in a different Caribou that Bob was to ride from Saigon was hit in the head by
groundfire, spattering blood extensively in the fuselage. Bloodstains remained as he left for home. Bob has washed the emotional stains away, but memories of those tough times help him relate to his fellow veterans in a way that may grant closure to those who engage him in conversation.
PHOTO BY FREDERICK A. JOHNSEN
“Caribou Bob” Schrader served on this very C-7 Caribou Army transport in Vietnam. At AirVenture 2014, the C-7 and Bob have proven to be good medicine for veterans with lingering issues from that time in their lives.
Piper gives students a day at AirVenture By Ric Reynolds
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group of students from Kimberly, tunity to plan something to recognize their Wisconsin—about 25 miles north selfless efforts. of Oshkosh—got a VIP tour of EAA “Cancer is a cause that’s near and dear to AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 Thursday, cour- Piper,” he said. “When we read about what tesy of Piper and EAA as a reward for their Eric and his students had done, and realizing fundraising efforts on behalf of the Ameri- they were that close to Oshkosh, we decided can Cancer Society. to do something special for them.” For the past several years, under the Piper provided the students with adtutelage of Woodland Elementary teacher mission and lunch, while EAA provided a Eric Vander Loop, the students have raised special tram tour of the convention grounds more than $120,000 for cancer research. and other activities. AOPA also got inThey’ve held aluminum can drives, bake sales, brat frys, and many other activities. The students who began the program in fifth-grade are high school juniors today. Vander Loop was named one of People magazine’s 30 All-Star Teachers when he and the students were featured in the July 9 edition. About two weeks ago, Piper President/CEO Simon Caldecott was alerted to the article. With AirVenture beckoning, Simon Caldecott, Piper CEO talks to students from the they thought it was a great oppor- Kimberly School Distrct. PHOTO BY PHIL WESTON
volved, offering students a membership in its AV8Rs program. For Vander Loop, it was an unexpected reward coming as a result of working hard for a cause, and is about kindness to strangers. “We raised about $20,000 the first three years, and another $100,000 the last three years,” he said. “And they’re also creating great awareness in the community by reaching out to make a real difference, learning
important life lessons along the way.” The group adopted the name “Unless” from a quote in the Dr. Seuss book The Lorax: “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” They even created “Unless” bracelets that are sold as another fundraiser. Learn more about their efforts at unlesswefindacure.webs.com.
AIRVENTURE TODAY
The official daily newspaper of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh • Vol. 15, No. 6 PUBLISHER: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board EDITOR IN CHIEF: J. Mac McClellan EDITOR: Ric Reynolds MANAGING EDITOR: Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside PHOTO EDITOR: Chloe Amato EDITORIAL STAFF: Marino Boric, Antonio Davis, Randy Dufault, Jack Hodgson, Frederick A. Johnsen, Barbara Schmitz, James Wynbrandt COPY EDITORS: Katherine Pecora, Colleen Walsh
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Mariano Rosales, Phil Weston DESIGN: Jenny Hussin, Chris Livieri ADVERTISING: Sue Anderson, Larry Phillip AirVenture Today is published during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014, July 27-August 3, 2014. It is distributed free on the convention grounds as well as other locations in Oshkosh and surrounding communities. Stories and photos are Copyrighted 2014 by AirVenture Today and EAA. Reproduction by any means is prohibited without written consent.