This week in history: March 30 - April 3

  • Published
  • By John Murphy
  • 436th AW historian
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  April 1, 1964: Rod Serling, writer and narrator of the "The Twilight Zone," television series, jumped from a Dover Air Force Base C-124 Globemaster aircraft. The 20th Air Transport Squadron operated the airframe. Mr. Serling jumped from the aircraft over Ft Bragg, North Carolina, during a joint paratrooper training exercise with U.S. Army personnel.

March 31, 1979: As a result of a serious nuclear incident at the Three Mile Island plant, the 436th Military Airlift Wing transported equipment in support of clean-up efforts. The 9th Military Airlift Squadron transported 20 tons of equipment including lead bricks used for radiation shielding, a radiation-resistant robot and five passengers.

March 29, 1989: The 436th Military Airlift Wing and 512th Airlift Wing flew a total of seven missions to aid in clean-up efforts caused by the catastrophic oil spill from the supertanker Exxon Valdez at Prince William Sound, Alaska. Dover C-5 aircraft transported more than 200 tons of equipment including 32-foot communications van, 60-foot skiff, and several oil blockers and cranes. The wing logged a total of 130 flying hours during these missions.