It was meant to be

  • Published
  • By Dr. Margaret DePalma
  • 509th Bomb Wing Historian
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  Last summer, Brig. Gen. Garrett Harencak, 509th Bomb Wing commander at that time, decided he wanted to pay honor to the unit's heritage by naming the B-52 for a crew that served in Vietnam. The committee assigned to that task found out that they could only dedicate the aircraft to an aircrew with a connection to Whiteman AFB or the 509th BW or the state of Missouri. 

Their research revealed that a B-52 pilot lost during the Vietnam War was a native of St. Louis, Mo.--Capt. Robert John Morris Jr. His crew's call sign was Ebony-02. 

The ceremony was planned and held Nov. 10. In his remarks on that occasion, General Harencak said he tried very hard to find families and crew members that flew with Captain Morris but the research committee didn't have any luck. 

At the time of the research, I was deployed to Southwest Asia as a historian. After hearing the general's remarks about not being able to find the family members of the pilot and crew the aircraft was named after (call sign Ebony-02), I was bothered by that fact. 

It dawned on me that if I wanted to know anything about an individual who died in Vietnam and their family contacts, I could go to the Virtual Wall link of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund website. I looked up Captain Morris' name and found that his cousin had left a message of remembrance there 5 years ago. 

At the Vietnam Memorial Wall, you can leave gifts, messages and items of remembrance. These items are collected and documented in the archives. Using the email address that was left on the message that was placed on the wall I contacted Captain Morris' cousin, Mrs. Cathy Haberstroh, and told her that we had dedicated the aircraft to her cousin and his aircrew. If they ever wanted to come visit or know more about it then let us know. 

It was a shot in the dark. 

Mrs. Haberstroh called and talked to me for a long time about her cousin. She remembered him when they were growing up. Captain Morris was an Air Force brat. She remembered when his body was brought back to the United States, five years after it was lost, in 1977. Captain Morris and his electronic weapons officer were missing in action for five years. 

A few days later, Mrs. Haberstroh called me again. She had been in contact with Captain Morris' widow--Mrs. Nancy Morris-Ochs, who had remarried. All these years later, Mrs. Morris-Ochs had been in contact with the four surviving crew members of Ebony-02--Robert Hudson, Michael LaBeau, Duane Vavroch, and James R. Cook--since her husband had been declared missing in action. 

Once we knew we had found the family of the pilot and the four surviving crew members we told General Harencek. He said we'll redo the ceremony all over again. They'll be our guests. 

So we started planning the ceremony as a rededication. These Ebony-02 crew members kept 

in contact with each other and everyone else they ever served with through the internet and various Vietnam veterans associations. 

When you find a few veterans you find all of them. When we made the connection with four surviving crew members, these associations put out the word. Members of these associations asked if they could come. I said why not. 

Through the internet all of the associations announced what we were doing. We sent a
notice that our B-52 was being dedicated to the Ebony-02 crew. Through the internet and the associations the word was spread. Veterans are coming from all over the country.
Part of the ceremony will include the awarding of the Distinguished Flying Cross to retired Air Force Master Sgt Jerry Headrick, who now serves as a civilian employee at Whiteman. 

I asked him when did you fly on that aircraft. He said according to his logbook (a flight logbook aircrew members were required to keep during that time) he flew on that aircraft on Dec 26, 1972 as part of Operation Linebacker II. 

We had brought the Linebacker II mission full circle back to Whiteman--not only with Captain Morris and his crew who served during that time, but with our own B-52 static display that flew during this operation and confirmed by a retired Airman and Whiteman employee. 

Our B-52 was retired and placed on static display in 1991. 

General Harencek wanted to honor a Vietnam veteran crew (EBONY-02). We are also honoring Mr. Headrick who flew on our B-52. At the same time we are honoring, the four surviving members who flew during the same operation as Mr. Headrick. 

Another coincidence--Mr. Headrick was the roommate of Tech. Sgt. James R. Cook who flew with the Ebony-02 crew. They were roommates at U-Tapao Airbase in Thailand. 

They were stationed at the same base, on the same operation (Linebacker II) and flying on the same day. Both tail gunners will be celebrated along with the surviving Ebony-02 crew members at the Rededication of the B-52 at Whiteman's Arnold Gate. 

This is a story of coincidences. It's a small world. It's a very gratifying feeling to know that these young Airmen served and sacrificed so we can be free. They're gone so now all you can do is thank their families. We wanted to find their families to say thank you for them. 

For a historian, we not only get to research, we stepped into the lives of the people who lived through the history of this aircraft and were a part of this history. It's very humbling and very gratifying.