An Evening With Dan Buettner -- A Shout-Out To Our Broker -- March 24, 2024

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The other night we had a wine tasting with Dan Buettner via Zoom. Awesome. Maybe more on this later.

Signed copy.

Dan recommends Connonau red wine from Sardinia.

I assume Connanau red wine is the table wine in southeastern Sardinia probably priced at an American dollar or so; here at Total Wine and More? $18.99.

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USAF Memories

Many months I've spent in Decimomannu NATO Air Base, Sardinia, on temporary deployment supporting F-15s out of Bitburg, Germany.

I was stationed at Bitburg Air Base, Germany, from 1983 to 1986 and 1989 - 1992. 

At Bitburg, home of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, there were three squadrons: the 22nd (my squadron); the 52nd (the NATO Tiger squadron); and the 525th (the Bulldog squadron). 

While assigned to Bitburg AB, we experienced the following F-15 losses: 

• 1 June 1983: F-15C, 79-0071, of the 53rd TFS, 36th TFW, USAF, collided with F-15C 80-0008 and crashed near Kusel, West Germany. Pilot ejected and survived. We arrived in Bitburg in late June, 1983.
  
• 1 June 1983: F-15C, 80-0008, of the 53rd TFS, 36th TFW, USAF, collided with F-15C 79-0071 and crashed near Kusel, West Germany. Pilot was killed.[
• 10 April 1984: F-15C, 79-0044, of the 525th TFS, 36th TFW, USAF, crashed near Lommersdorf, West Germany.[7] Pilot ejected and survived.
• 7 January 1986: F-15C, 79-0061, of the 525th TFS, 36th TFW, USAF, crashed after colliding with F-15C 80-0032 near Rimschweiler, West Germany. Pilot ejected and survived.
• 7 January 1986: F-15C, 80-0032, of the 525th TFS, 36th TFW, USAF, crashed after colliding with F-15C 79-0061 near Rimschweiler, West Germany. Pilot was killed.
• 24 October 1990: F-15C, 79-0067, of the 525th TFS, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Decimomannu Air Base, Sardinia, Italy. Pilot ejected and survived.

This was the commander's aircraft for the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (my squadron, as noted above). Photo take in 1991 during my second Bitburg tour.

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Decimomannu Air Base