San Antonio Getaway: Day 2

Tuesday, 13 March 2018
Best Western Plus Roland Inn & Suites — San Antonio, Texas
Temps: 72F (22C) / 50F (10C)

Our second day in San Antonio, we hoped, would include a checkmark in the errands column … a checkmark in the reunion birthday celebration column … and a checkmark in the sightseeing column.

Breakfast was at the hotel … a buffet affair included in the room rate.  There was enough of a selection of food items that we found everything we could want for a simple, but healthy breakfast.  The young woman responsible for stocking the buffet was buzzing around, making sure everything was as it should be.

Quiet after hours, the breakfast salon is a-buzz during the morning meal.

First on the agenda was a visit to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (JBSAL) to get our ℞’s filled.  Lackland is the USAF Basic Training Center.  Mui began his Air Force career here in the winter of 1982.  It was an Air Force Base back then … none of this joint stuff.  Lots of memories for him here ... and that was apparent by the grin that appeared on his face as soon as we entered through the gate.

Parking the car, we went to the pharmacy at Wilford Hall, but it turns out that we needed to go to the temporary pharmacy, which handles off-base ℞ orders.  Driving around the Parade Field to get there, we ran into cadets marching in formation to wherever their schedule required them to present themselves.  Memories again.  Yes, Mui … “Road guards out.” ;-)

Left: The building to the left is the new Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center.
Serving more than 55,000 patients, it’s the DoD’s largest outpatient Surgery facility.

Right: One of the unique sculptures in a rooftop garden.

Long story short, we dropped off our orders and were told they would be ready for pick-up in an hour.  This presented us with a bonus … time to fit in grooming appointments at the BX/commissary complex while we waited.  Afterwards, meds in hand, we still had a ½-hour to kill before our lunch date.  So, we drove over to the parade grounds where we had noticed an outdoor exhibit of military aircraft rimming the field.  Nice place for us to go for a stroll … with photo ops.  We didn’t get far, however.

The surprise find at the Parade Field was the Military Working Dog Teams National Monument.  Lackland, as described on the Airman Heritage Foundation website, “… has been the recruiting and training facility for the U.S. Armed Services military working dog program since 1958.  It also provides training for working dogs for other government agencies.  Lackland is also home of the Holland Veterinary Military Working Dog Hospital, the only one of its kind.”  Which explains, at least in part, why the monument was installed here and not somewhere more public.

The main sculpture group features a military dog-handler with four of the breeds commonly used as military working dogs … Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, and Belgian Malinois.  The front of the granite wall behind the sculptures describes the history of the teams.  On the back of the wall are etchings of actual teams that saw action in wars past and present … from WWII to Iraq.  The flags represent each of the five US Armed Services.

Unveiled in 2013, the monument is “Dedicated to all U.S. military working dog handlers
and their beloved dogs who defend America from harm, defeat the enemy, and save lives.”

The most moving part of the monument — to me at least — sits in a niche surrounded by a crescent of hedges.  It is here that the Not Forgotten Fountain can be found.  This small sculpture group consists of a dog handler pouring water from his canteen into his helmet to quench the thirst of his canine team-mate.  This group represents the Vietnam era military dog teams.  The fountain was dry today, but I understand it does function and dogs that visit the monument — there were two there today — can actually take a sip or two to quench their own thirst.  Very nicely done.

Not Forgotten Fountain

Because we ended up spending most of our spare time at the memorial, we had just enough time for a couple of selfies with the aircraft and didn’t make it all the way around as we intended.  So, we scrapped going to the Alamo this afternoon to return here instead … with the bonus of visiting two museums located on the base.  Those plans didn’t quite gel … but more on that after I write about lunch with our friends.

The C-119C "Flying Boxcar" was designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients,
and mechanized equipment, and drop cargo and troops by parachute.

We met Bill and Star on last year’s six-month voyage around the world.  Full-time RVers, they are work-camping in Schulenburg.  With us in Houston, planning a mini-reunion was a no-brainer.  We actually had plans to meet up in San Antonio in January.  Mui’s heart surgery got in the way, so our get-together was postponed until today.  Yes, we did see them for a few minutes yesterday, but that doesn’t really count.  That today was Star’s birthday added to our festive get together.

We met up for lunch at the Saltgrass Steakhouse on Cinema Ridge Road … part of the Landry’s stable of restaurants.  The food was good … the camaraderie was great.  Conversation flowed smoothly … as it tends to do when people have shared interests.  Our time today was brief, but fun.  We hope to see them again when we stop over in San Antonio for a few nights before our westward trek in the Phaeton.

A happy birthday celebration … a happy reunion.

After we bid our friends farewell, we returned to JBSAL.  Remember how I said not all of our sightseeing plans gelled.  Well, by the time we were back on base, it was getting on towards 4:00p.  We were having so much fun that we didn’t realize we’d dawdled over lunch so long.

No matter.  Since it was such a lovely afternoon — blue skies, sunshine, the chill of the morning replaced by comfy temps — we strolled the perimeter of the Parade Field and checked out the various aircraft.  Lots of photo ops and a chance to stretch our legs … perfect!

UC-45 "Expeditor" — A variation of a commercial aircraft built by Beech Aircraft, which was founded by Sgt 1st Class Walter Beech, who trained as an enlisted aviator towards the end of WWI. Following the war, after associating with the great airplane manufacturers of the time, he formed his own company. He delivered over 7,400 "Twin Beech" aircraft by the end of WWII.

P-47N "Thunderbolt" (above and right) and F-82 Twin Mustang (in the background)

Nicknamed "Jug," the P-47 was one of the most famous Army Air Forces fighter plane of WWII.
This exhibit is dedicated to Colonel Gabreski, who became the 8th "Jet Ace" in 1952.

The F-82 was The last propeller-driven fighter acquired in quantity by the Air Force.  It carried a pilot and a co-Pilot/navigator to reduce fatigue on long-range bomber escort missions.

The P-38L "Lightning” was Designed in 1937 as a high-altitude interceptor. It Debuted in 1939
by flying cross-country from California to New York in seven hours. During the North
Africa Campaign in 1942, the German Luftwaffe named it "the forked-tail devil."

A zoom shot of the Flying Boxcar from across the Parade Field.

It was 5:30p by the time we got back to the car.  A stop at the commissary to pick up healthy snacks for a light in-room dinner, and then we headed back to the hotel.  A quiet evening — Mui watching TV; me writing and downloading photos — was the perfect way to wrap up a great day.  Errands … ✔︎.  Camaraderie … ✔︎.  Sightseeing … ✔︎.

The plan for tomorrow is to check out of the hotel after breakfast, visit some missions, and then head home.  The weather forecast is not unlike what we had today.  If that turns out to be the case, it will be another great day to be out and about.

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