THE MISSION . . . With cessation of hostilities in mid-1953, leaders of the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron geared the unit to a new mission : Preserver the combat-born fighting skill. Led by Lt. Col . Edward Weed, the Rocketeers were honed to a razor's edge of combat capability, ready to meet the threat of aggression at the flash of a radar blip. Engineering, Armament, Communications pulling in unison with the rest of the sqaudron's sections effected a never-sagging proficiency level.

- 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing Yearbook 1953-1954

This web page is devoted to the 'Sweet Rose' / 'Dreaded Gomboo' North American F-86F Sabre serial number 52-4539, and my fathers service to the United States Air Force. My father, A/2C Walter Yocum Jr. (Wally) and FU-539 were together in Korea in 1954. Before my father sailed to Japan and Korea, my father trained at Sampson AFB in New York in August 1952, Amarillo AFB in Texas late 1952 to early 1953, and then Shaw AFB in South Carolina where he joined the 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron.. Wally was a apart of the US Air Force for 38 years, as he retired on October 3, 1990. Wally worked on all kinds of fighter aircraft. He worked on B-26 bombers, F9F Panthers, F86 Sabre Mig Killers, F100 Super Sabers, F94 Starfires, F105 Thunderchiefs, F80 Shooting Stars, F84 Thunderjets and eventually even cargo planes such as the C-141 Starlifter and the C5 Galaxy. He became an expert with Pratt & Whitney and GE engines. GE even would consult with Wally on engine upgrades and reliability improvements.

The armistice for the Korean War was signed on July 27, 1953, formally ending the war in Korea. But even after the truce; "Even though the war was officially over in July 1953, occasional conflicts still arose. After the truce American pilots remained in Korea to defend the South. However they were no longer bound by any directive that told them to not cross any border; once fired upon, they could continue the chase wherever it led." - The F-86 Sabre Jet and Pilots, Turner 1997.

My father was assigned as the crew chief for the F-86F sabre with tail number FU-539. He quickly added his sweethearts name to the nose in red, “Sweet Rose”. The history behind Rose - Wally started dating Rose after graduating Mount Carmel Township High School in Pennsylvania. Wally lived on Beaverdale in Mount Carmel, and Rose lived in Marion Heights - 3.4 miles away. During the height of the Korean War, Wally decided to join the air force. Wally and Rose continued to date while he was transferred to different air bases for his training. When he went to Shaw air force base, he would travel the weekends from South Carolina to Pennsylvania to visit her. After Shaw, he sailed the seas on the USS Gen. J. C. Breckenridge to Korea. He spent almost a year in the Far East maintaining jets and standing guard. After being stationed in Korea and Japan, my father was then transferred to the Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. As before, he travelled and continued to date Rose until he married her that year on November 5, 1955 (Our Lady of Perpetual Church, in Marion Heights, PA). After 1956, Wally left the Air Force at the rank of Airman First Class - and put his family first by deciding to work at the DAFB as a civilian with the 436th Field Maintenance Squadron. This allowed his family to stay in Delaware.They had four children together: Ken, Steve, Tom and Eric. Wally and Rose lived in Delaware until they both passed.

The pilot of the aircraft was 2/LT Kenneth C. Ewing. Ken had “Dreaded Gomboo” painted on by the nose on his side of the aircraft. The name signified an infectious disease. According to his son, the name was on the plane when he was assigned to it. Ken liked it, and decided to keep it. Ken was born February 25, 1931 in South Dakota. He attended Miami University of Ohio for a year and a half, and joined the Air Force as an Airman Basic on December 31, 1951. He reported to Columbus AFB Mississippi for pilot training April 17, 1952. After further training at Laredo AFB, Texas, 10 weeks at Nellis, seven months at Geiger Field in Spokane - he was reassigned to Kimpo, Korea in March 1954. He seperated from the Air Force on April 30, 1956.

The plane was stationed at U.S. Air Base K-14 located in Kimpo (near Seoul). Wally and Ken were apart of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing (Far East Air Force), 336th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, known as the world famous “Rocketeers.” This web site contains various pictures of Kimpo and FU-539 from many sources, as well as all information that I collected about sabres and the 4th fighter wing during that time.

Ken and Wallys sabre model was F-86F-30-NA. This plane is one of 859 F-86F-30-NA's planes built. This sabre was equipped with the new 6-3 wing that allowed speeds to increase to 695 + miles per hour at low altitudes. The plane could now match the speed of the MiG and climb to altitudes of 47,000 feet. Wally claims this wing allowed tighter turns as well. This jet was also equipped with the General Electric J47-GE-27 engine that boosted thrust above 5900 pounds. Wally recalls that he would tweak on the fuel controller to make sure the Sabre achieved a high tack reading. This enabled his pilot to keep a fast plane if needed, citing that Ken needed to keep up with the squadron formation.

Wally also remembers some good days that he was allowed to eat with the pilots, receiving a meal with Ken of real milk and cheese, instead of the normal crew meal of powdered products. But he also remembers being told that he was responsible for that plane no matter what and had to take his turn at guard duty as well. The Army Sergeant told him to put the bayonet on his gun for guard duty because you only have 90 rounds, that when the Chinese come, they come 10,000 at a time.

Wally got to go into Seoul with the Army. The city was destroyed and he rode in the back of an Army truck. He said they stopped in the road by a blown up building. At this building, there was only a foundation wall left. He noticed huddled in a corner was a woman and children and they were freezing. He said he grabbed some blankets and threw them to the woman.

He also told the story of the night sky being lit up orange and red and thought it was a big storm. He said he couldn’t hear anything, but was told by the Army Sergeant that the Navy was well off the coast and was shelling the trail to keep the enemy back. The Sergeant said he was a stupid son-of-bitch thinking it was a storm and he took dads gun and pierced the sand bags making up the wall around the sabre. The Sergeant then told him to fix it for being a dumb ass! He said the shellling was a hell of a night there in Kimpo.

The plane remained in the 336th arsenal until late 1954 at Kimpo. It was dropped from inventory and transferred to the Taiwanese ROC Air Force as serial number F-86008.

Wally and FU-539 has appeared in many model magazines, newspapers and paintings over the past few years. The Planes of Fame museum is currently in the works of making a new Korean War memorial. The F-86 static display will be painted in the likeness of FU-539 raised on a pole. Seymour Johnson AFB even decaled a F-15E with Sweet Rose in honor of Wally and his career. Additional articles are near the bottom of this webpage.

Magazines: FineScale Modeler (April 2017); AirFix Model World (Issue 76 - March 2017); Info Eduard (Volume 14, Issue 66 - December 2015)

Newspapers: The News-Item (Oct 6, 2019); Delaware State News (May 9, 2020 and August 16, 2020)

NASCAR Program: Dover Speedway Doubleheader Weekend (Fall 2020)

Aircraft: F-15E Strike Eagle 336th Fighter Squadron AF 89-0488 (September 2014)

Art: Javier Bordon artwork (January 2017); Wade Meyer (2020)

In 2021, the Planes of Fame museum finished painting the remake of FU-539. The plane would of been painted sooner, but Covid-19 slowed most of the world. With things slowly getting back to normal, the remake plane has been mounted to a pole for a future Korean War Memorial. My brother, one son and I took a trip to the museum in Chino, California to see, feel and take photos of it. A completion date has not been given yet for the full memorial. Upon completion, their will be an opening ceremony. Check out the Planes of Fame website or check back here for updates.

Thank you for stopping by and visitng our website! We hope you enjoy the history.

Above are the crew chiefs of the "B" flight team of the 336th Rocketeers in 1954. My father is in the front row, all the way to the right.
What also makes this photo special, 52-4539 is the sabre in the background.

FRONT ROW L to R: A/1C Apolino Solorzano, A/3C Warren Shoopman, M/Sgt. Thomas N. Rustin Jr., A/2C William E. Underwood, A/2C Walter E. Yocum, Jr.

REAR L to R: A/2C David Chapman, S/Sgt. Henry O. May, A/2C Thurbet Pinkham, A/2C Clifford Sturdivant, A/2C George C. Anstett, A/2C Robert N. Peterson.

(Picture from the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing yearbook - 1954)

 

Shower for Sabre - A/1C Apolonio C. Solorzano with hose and A/2C Walter E. Yocum Jr. (Not FU-539)

The sabre in the background "Dottie" is a F-86F-30-NA s/n 52-4701 FU-701 piloted by Col Donald P. Hall.

(Picture from the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing yearbook - 1954)

Click here or the above graphic (photo) to view Fabulous Rocketeer Squadron Guide (1949-1956). This started out to be just 1954, but collecting this information became a hobby. Included in this section are all the photos and information I can could find on the Rocketeers during the Sabre era. Anyone else who is willing to share photos of the 336th during those years, I will add them in here.

Special thanks to Bob Ewing for allowing me to borrow the 1954 yearbook. The complete "4th Fighter Interceptor Wing" yearbook (1952) and (1953) is available here. Special thanks to Lt. Col. J.R. Alley with General Dan Druen (1952 335th Chiefs pilot) for the 1952 book, and Otha H "Skeet" Vaughan Jr. for his photos and research information. Thanks to all other sources cited in the picture sections!

To view pictures of F-86F-30-NA Sabre; Serial Number 52-4539; Tail Number FU-539,
click the below graphic or 'Photos of FU-539' category below.

Photos of F-86F-30-NA Sabre FU-539

F-86F s/n 52-4539 joined the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing and spent June of 1953 to late 1954 being stationed back and forth between Kimpo AB, Korea and Tsuiki AB, Japan. I believe the mid 1953 to early 1954 period as the "Slo-Mo-Shun II" nose art era. Sometime after that, the sabre jet changed its nose to the "Sweet Rose" / "Dreaded Gomboo" art with blue nose. Thats the era my father was the crew chief.

North American F-86 Sabre construction number (c/n) is 191-235.

Click the picture or link to view the USAF 52-4539 record card.

USAF Aircraft Record Card

To view pictures of Kimpo (K-14) Air Base, Korea, 1954 from A/2C Walter Yocum (crew chief), click the below graphics.

Click on above photos for some of my fathers photos from U.S. Air base K-14 (three volumes).

Reference guide for Wallys' pictures (PDF download): A2/C Wally Yocum Jr Photo Collection Guide 1954

My father was on board of the USS Gen. J. C. Breckinridge on his way to Japan and Korea. He described his experiences at Kimpo as some of the most memorable experiences in his life. His sabre patrolled the skies for enemy MiG’s. Even though an armistice was signed, the unpublished skirmishes continued to happen. Wally remembers that each mission was decided early in the day based on whether the navigational landmark mountain near the base, known to all as the “Witch’s Tit”, was visible or covered in clouds. Clear days and the mission was on! Wally returned to the USA in early 1955 at the port of Seattle, Washington.

To view pictures from Kimpo (K-14) 1954 from 2/Lt. Ken Ewing (pilot), click the below graphics.

The first and second volume show in color the life of Kimpo, buildings, people and various airplanes on the runway. The third volume is misc photos of military reference he saw during that same time (unknown locations).

This fourth volume show will show the life of the people and the area surrounding Kimpo in 1954.

 

Brief History/Timeline
(Timeline of the F-86F sabre jet, not my fathers career timeline. See Wallys USAF Career/Awards for his timeline.)

52-4539 is only one of 859 F-86F-30-NA's ever produced (Those F-86F-30-NA serials ranged from 52-4305 to 52-5163).

Late 1952/1953: F-86F s/n 52-4539 rolls off the North American Aviation Inc. assembly line in Inglewood, California. The plane was available on January 30, 1953. The plane was accepted and delivered to the USAF on February 5, 1953. After it leaves the Sacramento air material area (McClellan AFB, CA), it travels to the Port of San Francisco CA in March 1953. 52-4539 departs the US from here.

April 1953: F-86F s/n 52-4539 gets delivered to the 6408th Maintenance and Supply Group (Far East Air Forces), Kisarazu AB, Japan

June 1953- October 1954: F-86F s/n 52-4539 joined the 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing and spent June of 1953 to late 1954 being stationed back and forth between Kimpo AB, Korea and Tsuiki AB, Japan. I believe the mid 1953 to early 1954 period as the "Slo-Mo-Shun II" nose art era. Sometime after that, the sabre jet changed its nose to the "Sweet Rose" / "Dreaded Gomboo" art with blue nose. Thats the era my father was the crew chief.

October 1954 - December 1954: The sabre sleeps at Komaki (Nagoya) AB, Japan until it gets dropped from inventory and transferred to the Military Assistance Plan.

Circa 1955: The sabre joins and flies with the RoCAF. The serial number gets changed to F-86008. The s/n number is shown on the vertical tail with "008" on the rear fuselage.

See the Worldwide Map/Artifact locations of 52-4539 and 89-0488 (Sweet Rose II).

Click on the map below for larger view

 

Photos of the Sabre FU-539 remake at the Planes of Fame museum

The Planes of Fame museum completed painting the FU-539 remake early May and mounted it to a pole on May 7, 2021. This plane will be a part of a new Korean War memorial at the museum, opening date unknown. Click above for pictures I took on May 5th, before the plane was attached to the pole. Also included are the Then and Now pictures.

 

336th Fighter Squadron Korea Photographs [Yocum]

Click the above picture or here to enter.

Summary

Collection ID: NASM.2018.0043

Creators: Yocum, Walter Edward "Wally", Jr., 1934-2016

Dates: 1954

Languages: English
This collection is in English.

Physical Description: 0.05 cubic feet, 1 folder

Description: National Air and Space Museum Archives

This collection consists of 64 black and white photographs relating to Walter Edward "Wally" Yocum, Jr. and his service with the 336th Fighter Squadron in South Korea in 1954.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 64 black and white photographs relating to Walter Edward "Wally" Yocum, Jr. and his service with the 336th Fighter Squadron in South Korea in 1954. Most of the prints measure approximately 4.5 by 3.25 inches, with a few smaller prints mixed in. The photographs show squadron personnel, scenes of life at Kimpo Air Base (K-14) and in the surrounding area, and aircraft including the North American F-86 Sabre; Douglas A-26 (B-26) Invader; Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar; Douglas C-124 Globemaster II; Cessna L-19A (Cessna 305A, O-1A); Douglas C-54 Skymaster; and the Douglas C-47 Skytrain. Most of the photographs have some caption information on the reverse, and additional caption information was provided by the donor.

 

 

336th Fighter Squadron Korea Photographs [Ewing]

Click the above picture or here to enter.

Summary

Collection ID: NASM.2018.0044

Creators: Ewing, Kenneth C. "Ken", 1931-2014

Dates: 1954

Languages: Multiple languages
Text appearing in the images is largely in English, but there is some Korean as well.

Physical Description: 0.05 cubic feet, 1 folder

Description: National Air and Space Museum Archives

This collection consists of 35mm color slides relating to Kenneth C. "Ken" Ewing and his service with the 336th Fighter Squadron in South Korea in 1954.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of 35mm color slides relating to Kenneth C. "Ken" Ewing and his service with the 336th Fighter Squadron in South Korea in 1954. There are 139 slides that show squadron personnel; life at Kimpo Air Base (K-14) and views of the facilities; scenes of the surrounding area; and aircraft including the North American F-86 Sabre; Grumman F9F-5 Panther; North American P-51D (F-51D) Mustang; and the Republic F-84G Thunderjet. There are also photographs of the USS Cape Esperance (CVE-88), and of some Far East Air Force equipment.

 

Media related to FU-539

Wally's USAF Career and Awards

Computer Skins related to FU-539

NASM.2018.0043 Wally Yocum

1949-1956 Fabulous Rocketeers Guide

November 22, 2024

Dusty got the job done again and won the SC 225! He added the tribute logo to the back of his window so the drivers behind him can see it.

Congrats and thanks for a great 2024 season!

May 11, 2024

We had our logo on the door for Kyle Weathermans #91 Drive Smart Camaro at Darlington. The C panel area was being reserved for Barbara Brooks (Kyles mother-in-law), so thus the door. Kyle finished 17th.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

 

April 27, 2024

Anthony Alfredo "Fast Pasta" in the Dude Wipes Camaro may have finished 9th, but he won $100,000 for NASCAR's Dash 4 Cash! Congratulations on having our logo!

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

April 27, 2024

Had our logo on the two DGM Racing cars for Dover Speedway. Kyle Weatherman in the Drive Smart Camaro qualified 6th and finished 8th place! Kayden Honeycutt in the Arrive Alive DE Camaro finished 23rd, two laps down for a mechanical mishap. He was running 3rd at one point in the race. Proud of how they drove the Monster Mile!

Click here for the 91 car or here for the 92 car.

February 29, 2024

We introduced a new logo for the 2024 season! The logo incorporates a color image of Wally above the cloud, and a QR code that links to our website. The Sweet Rose text size was increased, and light blue/white/light blue stripes around the round part of the logo represent the Korean War colors (Korean Service Medal colors). The font was changed more clear and the shape of the rocket changed to make the logo more round.

Click here for the new logo (.png file).

October 28, 2023

Josh Bilicki had a couple rough moments at Martinsville, Virgina this race... but still finished 23rd. It was a nice looking Halloween ride!

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

October 7, 2023

Alex Labbe drove the #91 "Help Ian Landry" / Thomas Creek Brewery Chevrolet Camaro at the ROVAL. He was running in 5th place -but got loose from the dirt and gravel another driver put on the track after they spun. He still ended up finishing 15th. Great drive back up through the field!

 

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

September 2, 2023

Greg Reed dominated and got his first win ever in the #21! Greg started on the pole for heat 1, led every lap. He then redrew the pole spot and basically led every lap! Congratulations on getting win #1 and having our logo on your ride! Greg pictured below with his dad, whom he thanked to make this possible.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

September 2, 2023

Ryan Ellis drove the #43 Darlington throwback scheme from Alpha Prime Racing. They covered three cars related to the Pettys: Kyle Petty, Adam Petty and John Andretti who drove the Cheerios car for the King. The team was ok with the logo by John Andretti's name. (In memory of - John Andretti March 12, 1963 - January 30, 2020). Ryan finished P30.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

September 2, 2023

Ross Chastain was back to drive with our logo on. What looked like a top 10 finish ended with a pit error, dropping him to finish P23. Thanks to DGM Racing for our logo on their cars.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

July 22, 2023

Thanks to Bob Ewing for updating me on the addition of the bricks at the Planes of Fame Korean War Memorial! They are looking great!

July 22, 2023

Chad Chastain drove the #91 Eat Mardelicious Watermelon (Mar-Del Watermelon Association) / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. Chad needed a transmisson change before the race, and ended up in 30th place. This was the second time we had Chad drive the car with our logo, and the second time with watermelons!

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

June 27, 2023

Thanks to Bob Ewing wuth these pictures. His brother and uncle went to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio. They have a large print out of FU-539 near their Korean War section! Incredible!

 

May 29, 2023

Kyle Weatherman drove the #91 CreatiVets / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. Kyle was running good late in the race until he got a flat right rear. He ended up 20th for the day. Kyle drove with the Tribute to a Hero Wally Yocum and Tribute to a Hero Robert Williams stickers.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

May 13, 2023

Ross Chastain drove the #91 Florida Watermelon Association / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. Ross became known across America when he drove his car around the wall at Martinsville to make it in last year chase for the championship. Ross was headed to a top 10 until a late caution came out. He finished 18th for the day.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

April 29, 2023

Chad Chastain drove the #91 DE Arrive Alive / Tribute to a Hero Camaro for DGM. It was just his second start ever in the series. Practice was rained out, so he never drove the track at all until the flag dropped for the race. Chad is the younger brother of Ross Chastain. Chad finished 32nd.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

April 29, 2023

"Fast Pasta" kept the tradition going on had our logo on the C-post of the #78 Botticelli Camaro. He had mechanical failures early which kept him out of any hopes of a good finish. We were proud to have our logo on his car for the fourth time at Dover Speedway! Anthony finished 36th.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

April 15, 2023

Alex Labbe had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 91 DGM racing Camaro at Martinsville, VA. Alex was near the front towards the end, but a gamble strategy didn't pan out. Alex finished P26.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

April 1, 2023

Josh "Park It" Williams had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 92 DGM racing Camaro at Richmond, VA. Josh had power steering issues and ended up 33rd after starting 26th..

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

November 15, 2022

Key.Aero wrote an article "New Monument Features Sabre and MiG". It was written by Steve Beebee and tells a little story of how the memorial was delayed due to covid, but is finally open in Chino. The photos in the article were taken by Frank Mormillo. The website is: https://www.key.aero/article/new-monument-features-sabre-and-mig. If you have a hard time opening, here is a copy to view: New Monument

https://www.key.aero/article/new-monument-features-sabre-and-mig

October 29, 2022

Alex Labbe had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 36 DGM racing Camaro at Martinsville, VA. Alex brought the Halloween paint scheme car home to a P13. A great run after a couple pit road errors.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

October 8, 2022

Alex Labbe had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 36 DGM racing Camaro at Roval in Concord, NC. Alex finished 6th position! Our first top 10! We also had the logo on #92, driven by Josh Williams. Josh finished 37th with a track bar problem.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information. #LittleTeamThatCould

September 22, 2022

The Planes of Fame museum is selling a limited run of the new Korean War Memorial with FU-539 shirts and sweatshirts! To view the graphic or purchase, click on the links below.

For shirts, https://planesoffame.mybigcommerce.com/memorial-shirt/1

For sweatshirts, https://planesoffame.mybigcommerce.com/memorial-sweatshirt/

September 3, 2022

Mason Massey had the "Tribute to a Hero" decal on the number 21 DGM racing Camaro at Darlington, SC. They finished unscathed at 20th position.

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

August 30, 2022

I always wanted to have the "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" NASCAR in my hands someday... and today that dream came true! Had a fellow from South Carolina make me a replica car of Anthony Alfredo's #33 Camaro. It is sweet and beautiful! Words cannot describe seeing this in person! Thanks Bobby!

Click here or the picture to view more pictures and information.

August 20, 2022

The Planes of Fame Museum opened the Korean War Memorial on August 20, 2022. Click below to see the pictures of the opening day and BBQ! Thank you Planes of Fame for bringing this to a reality!

Click here or the picture to view.

August 9, 2022

The Planes of Fame released a preview video of the work they are putting into the new Korean War Memorial. The Memorial is slated to open during as special, private event for Museum Members on Saturday, August 20, 2022!

Click here or the video picture to view.

May 28, 2022

Garrett Smithley qualified 34th, and finished 21st. It was exciting to have our logo on the Rich Mar Florist Racing Chevrolet Camaro. It was incredible to have the Tribute logo on three cars for the Charlotte Motor Speedway Memorial Day race weekend. Garrett drove for DGM Racing team this week.

Click here for larger images or information.

May 27, 2022

Mason Massey drove his best to qualify for the Charlotte race, but fell short. He was the fastest of the elimination cars from the qualifying runs. Thanks DGM Racing for the support!

Click here for larger images or information.

May 27, 2022

C7R Motorsports and Blaine Perkins placed our "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" logo on the lower door panels of the #9 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado. Blaine qualified 29th and finished 30th at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Thanks for adding our logo!

Click here for larger images or information.

April 30, 2022

For the third straight year, Anthony Alfredo proudly rocked our "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" logo on his ride. Anthony drove the #23 xfinity series Camaro for OUR Motorsports. Anthony qualified 10th, and ended up finishing 15th. This was a special race for Dover (Monster Mile), as it hit its 200th race run! Thanks to Anthony and OUR Motorsports for adding our logo!

Click here for larger images or information.

April 3, 2022

I worked with Born Aviation Products out of Indianapolis, Indiana to produce a "Wally Yocum Tribute to a Hero" coin. I gave Born Aviation Products a short version what I was looking for. They took that and created the design for the coin (front and back). They did an excellent job. The coin is about 1 3/4" in size. It feels great and has good weight. Click the picture or link to see larger images.

Click here for larger images or information.

September 18, 2021

September 18th is the 74th anniversary of the USAF. Happy Birthday! Showtime 112 created a wonderful "5" minute "39" second video of FU-539 in the video DCS game. The plane rolls off of the runway into the sky to do an airshow presentation and land back on the runway. The video shows the canopy closing, air flaps for braking and the shear raw power of the sabre! Thanks Showtime 112! Click the picture or link below. Intro/exit music is "In Your Arms" Kevin MacLeod.

Showtime 112 youtube link

September 8, 2021

Wallys name will be on a team Penske xfinity car for Saturdays race in Richmond, Virginia. Donations to the Paralyzed Veterans of America allowed you to honor a loved one on the hood of Austin Cindric's #22 for $22. Wallys names now has been on a RCR, Front Row Motorsports and now a Penske car in the past two years. To view other images of the hood, click the photo below or here. September 12th race notes: Austin started on the pole, led for 50 laps - but finished 16th.

May 16, 2021

Anthony Alfredo returned to Dover Speedway with the "Tribute to a Hero - Wally Yocum" logo on his car. Anthony drove a great race, but eventually got caught up into an accident late in the race. He finished in 28th place, but still was able to pick up the Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors! Special thanks to the 2021 Daytona 500 winning organization - Front Row Motorsports - and driver Anthony Alfredo for allowing our logo on their car.

Click here to see additional photos.

May 5, 2021

I took a small trip out to Chino, California to visit the remake of FU-539. The Planes of Fame museum did an incredible job painting the sabre! Click below or here to see the artwork they did! The FU-539 was mounted on a pole May 7th. It's one step closer to getting the Korean War memorial complete.

June 15, 2020

An online Question and Answer article from Dover International Speedway. It's an article about Wally Yocum, Tribute to a Hero Wally Yocum #33 Camaro and my viewpoint from watching the race on May 2. This article will also be included in Dover International Speedways next Souvenir Program. Click the picture below or here to read more: Dover International Speedway article on Wally Yocum

 

April 29, 2020

Our family joined up with Team Dillon esports to sponsor Anthony Alfredo on Saturday Night Thunder. The race will be at virtual Dover Downs Speedway on Saturday, May 2nd. The program will start at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday with a live stream at eNASCAR.com/live and NASCAR’s YouTube channel. The feature race will be 125 laps long and include drivers from other NASCAR national series and other NASCAR divisions competing in Xfinity Series cars. Lets go Anthony!

Click the graphic above or here to learn more about Anthony and iracing.

 

April 25, 2020

My brother Tom applied for the Republic of Korea - Ambassador for Peace Medal for our father. It was accepted and we recieved this beautiful medal. See the link below for larger and more detailed information about it. If you or your family member applies, click here for an application form.

Click the above graphic or here to view more information on Wallys medal.

 

April 8, 2020

Greg Reed, of Reed Racing, will have the Planes of Fame logo and decal of FU-539 on both sides of his Modifieds race car. We are excited to get the 2020 season started! Check back fo progress pictures of the paint scheme. Gregs races at Delaware International Speedway and Georgetown Speedway.

To view more information, click the picture above or here.

 

December 17, 2019

An article about the Planes of Fame museum and the Dreaded Gomboo / Sweet Rose paint scheme was mailed out on December 17 to all of the KWVA members (November - December 2019 Vol 33, No 6) . In August, Susan Kee mentioned about posting an article in The Graybeards magazine to help get the word out about the memorial and fund raising for the paint scheme. She mentioned this nationally distributed magazine goes to all the Korean War Veterans across the US (about 30,000 veterans!). Susan has a facebook page and recommend all her posts if you visit facebook. Her page is "Susan Kee - Honoring Korean War Veterans". The link to the article is: Graybeards FU-539 (full article: gb_1912_final.pdf)

November 6, 2019

A picture of Wally was submitted by a family member to the abc TV channel 16 WNEP Veterans Day 2019: 'Why We Call Them Heroes' Photo Gallery.

Click the picture or the link here to see more. Wallys picture link on WNEP is: Wallys picture on WNEP 16 - Thanks Angela!

 

October 6, 2019

An article about Wally and Sweet Rose was published in the The News-Item newspaper in Pennsylvania. It was written by Becky Lock and placed in the Arts & Living section. The newspaper was released Sunday, October 6, 2019. Click the picture below or link here: The News-Item story

 

October 4, 2019

The National Air and Space Museum's Wall of Honor memorial at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Wally Yocum's name is engraved as Walter Wally Edward Yocum, Jr., located in Foil 63, Panel 1, Column 4, Line 8.

Smithsonian's Wall of Honor website for Wallys foil name: Wally Yocum Jr Foil NASM

August 8, 2019

Dreaded Gomboo / Sweet Rose sabre is edging closer to be a part of the opening 2020 Korean War Memorial in Chinco, California! The Korean War Memorial will be located in front of the Planes of Fame Air Museum. The memorial will commemorate the sacrifices of the 5.8 million Americans who served in the U.S. armed services during the three-year period of the Korean War. The War was one of the most hard fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, over 36,000 Americans died in hostile actions in the Korean War theater. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action, lost, or buried at sea. In addition, 103,284 were wounded during the conflict. If you want to donate to this historical event, select the picture below or here. Thank you for help being a part of this amazing historical display!

June 24, 2019

New RoughMet and converted textures for Sweet Rose were shown. For DCS v2.5.5+ only. Thanks Mach 3 Design Studio!

 

Screen shots of DCS skin: Mach 3 Design Studio's DCS skin

 

 

Online Websites:

FU-539 on Wikipedia

FU-539 on Wikipedia Commons

FU-539 on Wikipedia Republished

FU-539 on Forgotten Jets website

FU-539 on Aviation Enthusiast Corner website

FU-539 on Joe Baugher's Home Page

FU-539 on The Modelling News (build from Cutting Mat Capers)

FU-539 on Model Web (New Zealand)

FU-539 on Super-Hobby

FU-539 on War Thunder

1/48 F-86F-30 Sabre - "Sweet Rose - Dreaded Gomboo"

F-86F-30-NA FU-539 "DREADED GOMBOO/SWEET ROSE" (DCS)

FU-539 "Republic of China Air Force F-86F 24539" (for DCS)

FU-539 "Dreaded Gomboo/Sweet Rose" (For DCS 2.5)

FineScale Modeler

www.WorldMilitair.com

Model kit reviews on youtube:

Eduard review by Viktor Mullin

Eduard review by Fine Scale Modeler

Eduard review by Flory models

FU-539 on pinterest :

FU-539 (Fabulous Rocketeers 336th F86-F Sabre Korea)

F-86008 (RoCAF Sabre)

FU-539 on DeviantArt:

Javier Bordon

AAHS Flightline

(2023 First Quarter)

Dover International Speedway Article on Wally

(June 15, 2020 doverspeedway.com online article)

Delaware State News

(May 10, 2020 newspaper)

RCR Racing News Article - Dover Downs

(May 1, 2020 rcrraing.com online article)

Planes of Fame Air Museum News

(Feb 2020 issue Vol 43 No 2)

Graybeards Magazine

(Nov - Dec 2019 issue Vol 33 No 6)

The News-Item

(October 6, 2019 newspaper)

FineScale Modeler

(April 2017 issue)

Airfix Model World

(March 2017 issue)

Info Eduard

(December 2015 issue)

The 4th Fighter Wing: In the Korean War

(2001) Larry Davis

Page 178

F-86 Sabre: History of the Sabre and FJ Fury

(1993) Robert F. Dorr

Page 72 - China (Taiwan) reference

4th Fighter Interceptor Wing

(1953-1954 Yearbook) 336th section

Sabre Pilots Association