文章基本信息

标题：Back in the 'Buff' - former Air Force sergeant Cleo Mason revisits B-52 bomber - Brief Article
作者：Louis A. Arana-Barradas
期刊名称：Airman
印刷版ISSN：0002-2756
电子版ISSN：1554-8988
出版年度：2001
卷号：May 2001
出版社：Superintendent of Documents

Back in the 'Buff' - former Air Force sergeant Cleo Mason revisits B-52 bomber - Brief Article

Louis A. Arana-Barradas

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D.--Cleo Mason stepped off the ladder and out of the belly of the huge B-52 bomber. He adjusted his distinctive red blazer. Then he cracked a smile -- the ear-to-ear kind.

"She sure is something," he said of the gray war bird. "I'm glad to see it's still on the job."

A retired Air Force master sergeant and Tuskegee Airman, Mason worked on the Stratofortress -- which airmen dubbed the "Buff" -- in the early 1960s. His job was to maintain the radar scope and strike cameras.

Mason got to see the aircraft again on a visit to Minot Air Force Base, N.D. There, he and two other Tuskegee Airmen got "VIP" treatment: tours, briefings and eating with the troops.

"I'm elated to see airmen here working so hard," he said. "And I'm glad to hear that the B-52 will still be around for a long, long time."

Under the nose of the 23rd Bomb Squadron bomber on static display in a hangar, Mason swapped tales with the airmen who maintain the Buffs today. And he answered questions on what it was like to work on the bomber during his time.

"They've sure made a lot of changes to it since I worked on it," he said. "It's amazing."

Senior Airman David Lindsey works on B-52 hydraulic systems. He was in awe that Mason worked "on our birds" five decades ago. "It's like meeting a part of our history."

Mason said it was exciting to see rows of B-52 on the flight line again. But the highlight of his trip was seeing the Buff with tail number "1036." Mason worked on it in the 1960s. He reached up and touched it when he saw it again. And his mind flooded with memories.

Besides the cameras, he also maintained stress gauges. It was at the height of the Cold War. And 1036 was one of only 17 in the Air Force with the strike cameras. It had to be ready at a moment's notice. That was big responsibility, he said.

"That's why of all the airplanes I worked on, this one is the most special to me," Mason said. "If I can still recall the tail number, that tells you something. I'll always remember it."