Sunday, August 16, 2009

Vice President Mondale Visits, April 8, 1979

On April 8, 1979, Vice President Walter F. Mondale visited Tuskegee Institute and delivered a speech for the Tuskegee Institute Founders Day events. He landed at Maxwell AFB the night before. The following recording was made using a Bearcat 210 scanner. It picks up Montgomery PD, Alabama State Troopers, and the 3800th SPS channels 1 and 2.




Vice President Walter F. Mondale ~ 1978
(official U.S. photograph)



The following list will probably have some mistakes on names and ranks. Please send me an e-mail if you find a mistake: Gate 2 (unknown), Defense 1 (unknown), Maxwell Desk Sergeants (Sgt Ervin Littleton, and A1C Jim Potter), Ops 1 (Maj Lorne McGregor), Ops 2 (Lt Cranford Herron), Police 1 (TSgt Danny Avant and TSgt Gary Nickols), Police 2 (possibly TSgt Jerome Simmons and SSgt Don Giesey), Police 3 (TSgt Claude Todd), Police 4 (SrA Rodney Mullins), Police 6 (SSgt Larry Wiles), Police 8 (SSgt Don Giesey (?) and TSgt Ray Spigner), Alpha 1 (unknown), Alpha 2 (unknown), Sniper 1 (SrA Steve Branyon and SrA Bill McCue), Sniper 2 (SSgt Larry Eaton and A1C Mike Esquibel (?)).


I recognized the following airmen, but could not figure out their assignments: SrA Denis Brooker, A1C Perry Cooley, A1C Jay Johnson, and SSgt Charles Burge. Also, Maj McGregor refers to Col Robert D. Hartwig, the Base Commander.



In the timelines that follow:
  • Time at the beginning is the edited elapsed time for the digital audio segment.

  • Time in parenthesis is the real elapsed time for the original cassette tape.

  • The difference is due to the fact that the original recording was split into segments, and long periods of silence were cut out.


File 1 - Civilian Law Enforcement Hands Off the Motorcade

01:09 (01:30) - VP Mondale is en route, perimeters are set up
02:29 (03:32) - Perry Cooley & Jay Johnson at Building 844
03:57 (04:16) - A funeral escort approaches the motorcade
04:01 (04:22) - Civilian officer, "Stop that funeral escort!"
04:55 (05:22) - Garbled transmission, "...200 meters..."

Note: The correct date is April 8, 1979, instead of May 23, 1979.



File 2 - Suspicious Persons on the Flight Line

00:15 (06:45) - Maxwell Desk, "Police 8, 10-25 flight line...approximately 200 meters..."
00:42 (07:12) - The motorcade arrives on base (per TSgt Avant)
01:47 (08:17) - Steve Branyon, "Someone's running over there on the golf course"



File 3 - More Suspicious Persons Near March Street

00:26 (13:11) - Sgt Claude Todd, "I've got a little activity adjacent to the side street..."



File 4 - Two More Possible Problems

00:15 (17:21) - Lt Herron, "Get that jogger off the track"
01:02 (18:08) - Rodney Mullins, "What's that individual doing over by the white car over by 1428?"
01:08 (18:15) - Lt Herron, "Rodney, take care of it."
02:58 (21:01) - Alpha 1, "Alpha 1 to Sniper 1...people at Building 1428 are okay"



File 5 - Hey, hey, hey! He's away!

00:03 (22:40) - Maj McGregor, "Ops 1 to Police 1...Any questions they can contact Col. Hartwig"
00:45 (23:30) - Larry Wiles (?), "10-28, 29, on current Florida...alpha alpha mike 9-2-9"
02:45 (25:25) - Clear the flight line
03:02 (25:39) - Lt Herron, "He's taxiing now"
03:27 (26:04) - Lt Herron, "Hey, hey, hey! He's away!"



File 6 - Wrapping Up

Various transmissions among civilian law enforcement agencies and the 3800th SPS.