225th Surveillance Airplane Company History

 

When I started the original version of the 225th Observer in 2007 my purpose was to connect with all of you with whom I served at “Phabulous Phu Hiep by the Sea” a half century ago.  Early on someone asked me about the heritage of the company, when and why did it come into existence.   I knew that the unit was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington, but that was a about all.

In 2008 Howard Ohlson, who had the old website OV-1.com, sent me some information about the origins of the 225th Surveillance Airplane Company, that I published in two entries on the first Observer blog.  Since February is officially Black History Month I thought I’d republish what I found out by linking the 2 articles here:

The 225th SAC, aka Co. K, 34th QM Truck Regiment (Trk) (Cld)

More 225th History

A Mohawk In Lacey

I’ve been working on this model since last month even though I bought it at a great hobby store in Redmond, WA in 1999!  I couldn’t believe it when I found the sales slip in the box that I had had it for so many years!  Anyway, as I said in my previous articles I needed something to do while we were hunkered down for the next few months.

So little by little I began to paint individual parts in preparation for assembly.  Fellow Mohawker Bob Coveney wrote a note asking me to provide some closeups if possible, so take a look at the driver and observer in the cockpit before I got the windshield attached.

I’ve got two other models that I have never put together, so I looked at one that I had not examined previously.  Looking at the end of the box I was very surprised to find a sticker that read…

I must of asked someone in the Company sometime in 1968, ’69 or ’70 to get me this OV-1B the next time they were in Pleiku.  I was only in Pleiku one time at the ground station, but I don’t remember getting this Hasegawa model.  I’m going to keep it in its original box and not put it together.

Anyway, now to find another airplane to put together…maybe a C-130.