Click on the yellow box below to go back to the main page of the Range Rat Introduction page where you will find information about downrange people, where they worked, where they are now, their email address (if they wanted it published), what stations/ships they worked on, and news about those who have died etc etc.

I now have a Range Rat Sign-in book, to be used exclusively by Range Rats (and their famlies) that you can leave a comment of your experience on the range, where you worked, etc, etc. (See the other entrys in this book for examples, if you leave a comment or message not relating to the range the entry will eventually be deleted, for instance a "Howdy" does not qualify as an entry!). You can give your email address (its not required but its requested) so that other range rats can contact you.

Please do NOT use my "GUEST BOOK" to sign in, that book is for collectors who visit my website, and that is why I made a seperate book for use by Range Rats, called the Range Rat Sign In Book.

Perhaps you are looking for someone who you used to work with that you lost contact with, you could include it in your message in the sign-in book, or better yet send me an email and I can include it on this page.

• Here is another GBI troop you might remember from 1969... I received this email from Ron a few days ago, and this is what he had to say:
  
  Joe
  Yes I am your old telemetry friend from GBI.
  I will soon visit your Range Rat sign-in Book and put in some info. I will also gather a picture or two and send them to you directly.
  We are near the SW corner of the Smoky Mountain National Park. National Forest on two sides.
  We still have a boat :) Doris and I are going to the boat for a couple of weeks and then back to home in the mountains for about 4 days and then we are going to Texas where we are going to pick up a travel trailer we just bought and travel the southern edge of the continent for the winter.
  I am a very poor emailer but I do try. Please feel free to email me.
  Bye for now. Type with you later.
  (signed) Ron and Doris
• Ron and I worked together in the digital Telemetry section at GBI. Ron had a 19 foot inboard/outboard boat that he used to go out on weekend day trips with many of the TLM troops for fishing or visiting the nearby islands. Ron had always talked about taking a longer trip to visit more of the out islands. One day he finally made up his mind and I expressed my desire to go too, so in April of 1969 Ron and I took off on a 2-1/2 week vacation in his boat that was called "The Boat". We toured the out islands of the Bahamas on a 750 mile round about voyage. While on this trip I kept a daily log and took many pictures. Later I made a photo album that included hand drawn pictures of Bahamian life and picturesque scenes that accompanied my daily notes of the trip of what places we visited and what we saw and did. I made one album for Ron and kept one for myself. It wasn't completed until after Ron had left GBI but I was able to send it to his parents who eventually gave it to him. When Ron left GBI he set out on a motorcycling trip across the US and eventually all the way to Alaska. He had sent a few detailed letters back to us GBI troops telling of his adventures.
• So far Ron hasn't signed the Range Rat sign-in Book yet, (I don't know why, but there are a few who just don't sign in altho I receive emails from them). When he does sign in he will more than likely give his email address. I purposely left it out from the email message above, as some RRs are particular about giving out their email address.

Do you remember him? here is his email, hopefully he will be signing the Range Rat Sign-In book soon.
• Hi Joe
  Judi and I recently visted Ely, Nev where I finished my range employment. I was looking for info on missile tracking ranges when I came upon your site and said I remember the stamp collector at GBI. I operated/maintained the TAA-2 antenna from 1966 to early 70. Thanks again for the FDC stamp on my Apollo 11 support certificate. I still have it framed on the wall. We retired in 2004 and now are full time RV'ers. Freightliner FL-60 towing a 40 ft 5th wheel. Our goal is to spend some time in all 50 states. Still have the East coast to do. Do you still have contact with Karl Nehring? I want to send him a picture of the 65 Mustang I bought from him, now fully restored mint condition. Glad to hear you are still out and about. I guess a lot of the range rats are no longer with us. Drop a line when you get time. I will be glad to hear from you and I will also sign in on the range rat sign in site.
  Thanks for the web site. Dave

• In March 2009 Jerry Blackerby wrote in the Topica Message Board wanting to know if any GBI range rats remembered the song that someone down there wrote. He said everyone was singing it in the old club when he got there in 1958. He can only remember the first couple of lines which went something like:
  
  I came down range about a year ago,
  Thought I'd save a little dough....
  
  And it had other lines in it talking about GBI and mentioned West Palm Beach, he think.


• Jerry said when he was working as a technical writer in Maintenance Engineering under Charlie Sharp in about 1963/64, he wrote a little newsletter called Maintenance News and can remember putting a verse or two in one issue of that. He kept copies of everything, but unfortunately the family's moving van burned in 1968 when they moved back to the Dallas area and he lost everything.


• Can anyone remember the words? He sure would like to get a copy of the words, and I sure would like to publish it here.

Who are these RR's?

• 05 NOV 2008, Carl Abbott (better known as "Barney Oldfield" on Grand Turk) who also worked at Carter Cay, sent in this photo, which was taken in late 1962 or early 1963, while working on the phone system there. (It looks like they are taking a beer break!). Can anybody give names to the faces, Carl says he is 2nd from the right.
• 27 APRIL 2009,: Chuck Hoffman from Salem MO, who worked the Cay sites from '63 till the '90's with a lot of time spent at Carter and Marsh Harbour, said the second from left is W. James Mclaughlin RCA Comm Center operator, and the 3rd from left is, he believes, Manny DeCosta PAA.
• Still need help in identifying the other troops, and a confirmation of DeCosta....

Click on above image for an enlarged view

• This photo was sent in by Don Sklar who said it was taken in the time period of 1956-58 Please help identify any of these Range Rats. (Maybe one of them is U!) Click on the photo for an enlarged view, then click it again. Don was on GBI Aug. 1956 to June 1958 and worked for RCA as a photographer.
• INFO ABOUT THE ABOVE PHOTO, 05 DEC 2009: At long last I am publishing what info I have received, A question was raised about where this picture was taken and an answer was provided. See the last entry below by Lee Northrup.
  However only one person came forth identifying himself in the photo.
• Jim Edwards wrote: Joe - reference the photo of guys watching a movie at GBI. Something isn't right. GBI had an outdoor movie area when I arrived there in April 1958. When the new Club Rendezvous was built (1963-64 ?) a covered movie area was built in back of the club. This photo above shows an inside movie area. Cant think of where it would have been. One of the people looks a lot like Lee Northrup. Maybe we can get some input from him.
• John Herron wrote: To answer to the big question about the screened-in movie room, yes, it was screened and I did run the movie projector for almost the full time from 1954 - 1958. My subtitute was a man named Holly, I don't remember his last name. I am in the photo, I am the guy on the lower right front corner.
  I remember that when the road runner cartoon came to GBI and it was so funny that we kept the film for two weeks and got the other down range stations mad as hell. We just could not turn it loose it was so damn good. One night the projector broke down and everyone became very unhappy, they started chanting "We want Holly" to the point that I just shut down the projector room and left everyone sitting there in the dark wondering what was not happening. I went on to bed and left them sitting there. They really got to me. They never bugged me again. GBI was a good duty station - great memories.
Lee Northrup wrote: Hello Joe: When the Air Force built the Mess Hall they included the movie area on the northeast side of the building. It was in that location when I arrived on December 5, 1955. I don't remember the date ('57 or '58) when they built the outdoor movie theater, but it was beside the Club Rendezvous.
• It sure would be nice to identify more of the troops in the above photo. CAN ANYBODY HELP??

• 25 MAY 2008, John Gladden added the base commander for 1969 when he was there, he thinks Wendell was a captain when he came and left a major.
• FEB 2008
  Maj. Dominick R. Martinelli, who signed the RR book, and was the Base Cmdr. at GBI in 1978-79 sent me this list of other GBI Base Cmdr's and the years he knew they were stationed there:
  BGen William King, Jr. 195?
  Major Robert Pittman, ??? - ???
  Major Ted Wendell (spelling?) 1969
  Major Ed Zabka, ??? 1977 - May 1978
  Major Dominick Martinelli, May 1978 - Jun 1979
  Major Maurice J. Mandeville, 1979 - 1980. UPDATE: 27 APRIL 2009, I heard from Maj. Mandeville in March confirming his time at GBI. He also said he frequently flew ARIA Aircraft into Ascension Island from 1972 through 1977. He retired from the Air Force in 1984 and remarked that he always found the "Rats" to be the greatest, friendly and truly professional people that he's ever met!
  NOTE TO MAJ. MANDEVILLE: the email address that you signed in with didn't work, if you read this please email me again.


• I would like to add more names to this list, to make it more complete, if you can remember who the base cmdr was when you worked at the Grand Bahama base, send me an email, with the years that you can remember.

• This photo was taken at the GBI base beach in the 1960s (if I remember correctly), the only person that I can recognize is my ol' buddy & boss Len Mashburn who is in the white tee shirt standing up. Please help identify the other Range Rats. (Maybe one of them is U! and maybe you can remember when this picture was taken.)
• 01 AUGUST 2007, Additional info to the picture above: On 20 July Bill Bailey sent me an email with this info: "The guy getting wrestled down is my friend Jim Velia, he and Len Mashburn were on San Sal when I was there in 1959/1960. I recognize the guy in the long pants and the one on the ground, but names escape me. I'll bet Jim will remember. I sent him a copy of the page." (Perhaps Jim Velia will be able to furnish names of these other RR's).
  27 APRIL 2009, So far I haven't heard from Jim Velia, if you are in contact with him, send him a note and this URL page please and maybe he will be able to identify anyone in the photo.

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