• About
    • About the Museum of Aviation
    • In the News
    • Awards Received
    • Foundation Board of Directors
    • Board of Governors
    • National Board of Advisors
    • Museum Staff
    • Board Member Access
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Museum Campus Map
    • Adult Guided Tours and Team Building
    • Birthday Parties
    • Virtual Reality
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events & Education Workshops
    • Event Space Rental
    • Event Photos!
    • Past Events
  • Education
    • About the National STEM Academy
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Homeschool STEM Days
    • Saturday STEM Labs
    • Guided Tours and History Programs (Ages 4 – Adult)
    • ACE and Wonder Wings (Pre K – 5th)
    • Mission Quest Flight Simulators (6th – Adult)
    • Mission Quest STEM Programs (6th – 12th)
    • NASA Regional Educator Resource Center
      • Educator Workshops
      • STEM Kits & Education Resources
      • Teacher of the Year Program
      • STEM Educator Conference
    • STARBASE ROBINS
    • Scouts
    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Night at the Museum
    • National STEM Academy Supporters
  • Exhibits
    • Aircraft Exhibit Gallery
    • Aircraft List
    • Aircraft Projects
  • Join & Give
    • Donate
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Donor Guide
  • Shop & Event Registration
  • Connect
    • Contact
    • Blog
    • Tell Us How We’re Doing
    • Subscribe for Updates
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Flickr
Supporting the U.S. Air Force Museum | Welcome to the Museum of Aviation Foundation Website
(478) 926-6870
Email Us
Connecting with Veterans
Museum of AviationMuseum of Aviation
  • About
    • About the Museum of Aviation
    • In the News
    • Awards Received
    • Foundation Board of Directors
    • Board of Governors
    • National Board of Advisors
    • Museum Staff
    • Board Member Access
  • Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Museum Campus Map
    • Adult Guided Tours and Team Building
    • Birthday Parties
    • Virtual Reality
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events & Education Workshops
    • Event Space Rental
    • Event Photos!
    • Past Events
  • Education
    • About the National STEM Academy
    • Virtual Field Trips
    • Homeschool STEM Days
    • Saturday STEM Labs
    • Guided Tours and History Programs (Ages 4 – Adult)
    • ACE and Wonder Wings (Pre K – 5th)
    • Mission Quest Flight Simulators (6th – Adult)
    • Mission Quest STEM Programs (6th – 12th)
    • NASA Regional Educator Resource Center
      • Educator Workshops
      • STEM Kits & Education Resources
      • Teacher of the Year Program
      • STEM Educator Conference
    • STARBASE ROBINS
    • Scouts
    • Birthday Parties
    • Summer Camps
    • Night at the Museum
    • National STEM Academy Supporters
  • Exhibits
    • Aircraft Exhibit Gallery
    • Aircraft List
    • Aircraft Projects
  • Join & Give
    • Donate
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Donor Guide
  • Shop & Event Registration
  • Connect
    • Contact
    • Blog
    • Tell Us How We’re Doing
    • Subscribe for Updates
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Flickr

Where I Was… and Where I Am

  • Home
  • Where I Was… and Where I Am

Where I Was… and Where I Am

  • Posted by Museum of Aviation
  • Date February 24, 2012
upcoming events, museum of aviation foundation, nonprofit organization

I came upon a story recently about the first United States Army Air Forces officer killed in the European Theater during World War II—Lt Col Townsend Griffiss. The story appeared in the UK Mail Online but it probably won’t show up in the U.S. except maybe up in Buffalo, New York, where he was born.

Townsend Griffis

Lt Col Griffiss met his death on an ill-fated B-24 “Liberator” bomber that was shot down over the British Channel by “friendly fire” on February 15, 1942. (“Friendly fire” always strikes me as a misnomer). The 41-year old pilot was shot down by “friendly” Royal Air Force fighters because the air traffic controllers who knew the Liberator would be flying over France to the United Kingdom didn’t inform the British fighter sector, which launched two fighters and shot the suspected enemy bomber out of the sky. Griffiss was the first of 30,000 U.S. Army Air Forces personnel to die in the European theater.

Griffiss had an interesting background. He graduated from West Point Military Academy in 1922. He became a pilot, an instructor, and a commandant of cadets at March Field, California. Then he had a three-year overseas tour as assistant military attaché for air in France and Spain and later Germany. That experience got him assigned to a special Army observers group to investigate the efficiency of foreign aircraft and plan ferry routes for the shipment of aircraft from England to Russia. On the day he was shot down, he was flying back to England from Russia, through a route that took him through Tehran, Iran—a city that isn’t so friendly to Americans today.

After his death two bases were named after him—Camp Griffiss in England and Griffiss Air Force Base (AFB) in New York. As I got in to this story I learned that Rome Air Depot, which ultimately became Griffiss AFB, was activated in February 1942. That’s probably what led to the base being named after him in 1948.

So what am I getting at? As I learned more about Griffiss, I began to think of aircraft types stationed at Griffis AFB that are at the Museum of Aviation. I also thought of where I was during my United States Air Force (USAF) career and where I am now. I thought of connections I could make to different bases and aircraft. I served a 30-year career in the USAF from 1964 to 1994 and I’m now the Director of Marketing for the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia.

Griffiss AFB once had a fighter interceptor squadron that flew F-89J “Scorpions,” F-101 “Voodoos,” and F-106 “Delta Darts” (don’t you just love them nicknames!) in the late fifties and sixties. Bingo! A connection—all three of those aircraft types are here in the collection at the Museum of Aviation.

F-89J Scorpion at the MuseumF-101 Voodoo at the MuseumF-106 Delta Dart at the Museum

I read some more. Griffiss AFB later had a SAC (Strategic Air Command) wing stationed there with KC-135 “Stratotanker” air refueling tankers and B-52 “Stratofortress” bombers. Bingo! A connection. The KC-135 was the first aircraft I flew in as a USAF ROTC cadet. I came into the USAF in SAC and the first two bases I was assigned to had B-52s—Walker AFB, New Mexico, and Pease AFB, New Hampshire. The first air refueling tankers at Griffiss were assigned to the 509th Air Refueling Squadron which originally started with KB-29s at—bingo!—Walker AFB, New Mexico.

The 509th Air Refueling Squadron then moved to Pease AFB (another connection) and was assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing (the final connection for me), which had a ramp full of B-52s. My second job in the Air Force was the OIC (that’s Officer in Charge) of Public Information for the 509thBomb Wing at Pease and I deployed with the wing to Guam during the Vietnam War.

1st Lt. Dubiel in 1968 in front of a B-52 at Andersen AFB Guam

Today I can walk out of the museum’s Eagle Building and see a B-52 bomber sitting on the lawn—a reminder of where I’ve been and where I am.

Retired Colonel Bob Dubiel in front of the B-52 at the Museum of Aviation.

So, thanks to UK Mail on Line (and to Google for sending me that alert) for reminding me of some of my connections to the history of the USAF—and how the story of the first U.S. Air Force officer to die in the European Theater of World War II has woven into my life.

 

– Robert Dubiel, Director of Marketing, Museum of Aviation

 

  • Share:
Museum of Aviation
Museum of Aviation
    The Museum of Aviation has grown to become the second largest museum in the United States Air Force and the fourth most visited museum in the Department of Defense. The museum is a place that honors our veterans and their families and reminds our Airmen of their legendary Air Force heritage.

    Previous post

    An Explosive PIE
    February 24, 2012

    Next post

    All the Way Home
    February 29, 2012

    You may also like

    1703bfd0-e5dc-4bba-a7e5-ad2e4f55748c-medium16x9_NIGHTATTHEMUSEUM_0019_frame_516
    Warner Robins Night at the Museum Event
    10 February, 2020
    adffd
    Night at the Museum at the Museum of Aviation
    10 February, 2020
    928a2fa4-60d6-44b3-8ce3-e389a9593ccd_750x422
    B-17 Restoration Project at Museum of Aviation
    31 January, 2020

    Search

    SUBSCRIBE FOR UPDATES

    CONNECT ON FACEBOOK

    TOPICS

    • Aircraft Restoration
    • Blog
    • Connecting with Veterans
    • Education
    • Events
    • Exhibitions Updates
    • Featured
    • General
    • Korean War
    • News Articles
    • Personnel
    • STEM
    • Vietnam War
    • WWII

    TOPICS

    • air force
    • aircraft
    • Artifacts
    • Aviation
    • B-17
    • B-17 Restoration
    • Collections
    • Current Events
    • donation
    • Donors
    • eagle
    • education
    • Events
    • Exhibits
    • f-15
    • General
    • georgia
    • golf
    • History
    • HU-16
    • Macon
    • Meet the Staff
    • MH-53
    • middle georgia
    • Military
    • Museum
    • museum collections
    • museum education
    • museum events
    • Museum of Aviation
    • Museum Studies
    • Public History
    • Restoration
    • Robins Air Force Base
    • Scott Golf
    • United States Air Force
    • vietnam war
    • Warner Robins
    • world war II
    Museum of Aviation Foundation, Inc. Logo

    (478) 926-6870

    information@museumofaviation.org

    education@museumofaviation.org

    Site Design by Loudmark

    VISIT

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Adult Programs & Tours
    • About the Museum
    • In the News
    • Virtual Reality
    • Birthday Parties

    ATTEND

    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Event Space Rental
    • Birthday Parties

    LEARN

    • Programs & Field Trips
    • Education Events
    • NASA RERC
    • Education Resources
    • Birthday Parties

    CONNECT

    • Contact Us
    • Subscribe for Updates
    • Make a Donation
    • Volunteer

    Copyright 2016-Present, Museum of Aviation Foundation, Inc. | MOA Financials

    The MOA Foundation, Inc is a 501 (c)(3) private organization which serves to support the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. The Foundation is not part of the Department of Defense nor any of its components and has no government status. Any acknowledgment of Foundation supporters and donations represents a partnership with the Foundation and our efforts. Nothing implied nor stated on this website represents a relationship between Foundation supporters and the Department of Defense, the United States Air Force, nor Robins Air Force Base.

    • Privacy Policy & Terms

    Are you ready to learn?

    Check out our youth and adult educational programs today!

    Get Started Now