This past April, I sent Al Woolgar a list of questions in preparation for a follow up visit.  I visited Al and Jolly the last week of April.

Listed below are the questions asked and answers Al provided.  However, these are just facts.  I am totally unqualified to begin to tell the Al Woolgar story as it pertains to his founding and work with the SAC Drill Team and his efforts to give SAC Elite Guardsmen at least rudimentary training in Judo.

John Achelpohl

Q & A with Al Woolgar on April 28, 2009  (Note answer in blue were prepared before my arrival.)


 
1.      Where were you born and raised?  Born Ft Snelling, MN  05/08/1930
 
2.      When did you first join the military?  Joined the W.S. Army in WWII January 2, 1943  (I observed that Al would have been 13 years old.  He responded, "yeah".)
 
3.     Where were you in June 1950 when the Korean balloon went up? Arrived at Otsun, Japan on 03/02/1950.  Went to Korea in July 1950. Departed Korea 30 Nov 1951. (NOTE:  Understandably, WWII and Korea were defining moments in Al's life.  As you guys probably know, it was hard to keep in focused on issues involving the Elite Guard.)
 
4.     I understand when you first crossed over to the Air Force (about 1951-1952) it was your desire to be an aircraft gunner.  Were you forcibly cross trained to Air Police or did you have a desire for that career field? March 1952 was air gunner on B-29 for four months then transferred to Air Police.
 
5.     Where were you working in 1955 when the first special security force was established with their painted helmet liners and Sam Brown gear?  Were you involved?  Offutt AFB 3902nd Air Police Sqdn Training section.
 
6.      Was Carl Flood your introduction to Judo, or just your first teacher at Offutt. Yes.  Carl Flood and I worked together in the 3902nd Training section.
 
7.     Carl Flood had a regular session with the Hq generals whenever General LeMay was on base.  Were you involved in teaching Judo to the generals?  Yes
 
8.     As interested as General LeMay was in both Judo and shooting,  what anecdotal evidence do you have that he wanted that for his special security force?  All persons in the training section 3902nd AP Sqdn had to report to General LeMay.  He wanted all Air Police Squadrons in SAC to be trained in base defense, plus a special security unit to guard SAC HQ.
 
9.      When Detachment A was being formed and procedures and policies developed, what led Major Meyers and his team to you?  Major Meyers came to me and the training section to train the special unit.
 
10.      Evidently you became very proficient with weapons during your Army days.  Was this known in the squadron – in other words, if Meyer and crew knew LeMay wanted a drill team – what led them to you? Major Meyers knew that I was on the 82nd ABD, 508 Parachute Regiment Infantry Honor Guard.
 
11.     I understand you learned of those 1903 Springfields being in a local arms storage area (since the statute of limitations is past) how did they come in to our hands.  Major Meyers got (the '03 Sniper Rifles) out of storage and used them to replace the M-1 Gerands then in use.
 
12.   There was a desire for the Detachment to go from .45s to .38s.  Were those US Navy model 10 .38s also in that warehouse or were they found somewhere else? The .38s were in the same warehouse.
    
13.    Whose decision to chrome the weapons and was it done locally?  It was my decision to chrome the weapons.
 
14.    When LeMay decided on a drill team, what were your original ‘marching orders” no pun intended.  All personnel on Detachment "A" took manual of arms close order drill.  The best were selected for the Honor Guard and Drill Team.
 
15.   Did you start with 21 or a lower number and move up to 21?  We started with 21 men.
 
16.    By the time I arrived in 1964, you were training in Hanger A (I believe) Where did you and the men first train?  The drill field? Yes, we trained on the drill field.
 
17.    It was obvious to me that you desired to involve as many men from the Guard in Judo as possible.  However, I find no evidence that it ever became a formal part of Guard training.  What stopped it?  LeMay’s departure? I don't know.  Capt Swing had all SAC Guards take some judo training.
 
18.    When the  guardmount ceremony was designed,  from where did the basic formation derive.  I seem to remember you saying you thought it was the formation used as Spandau Prison when the four nation security force changed guards. I was in the U.S. Constabulary, U.S. Army in Germany.  We escorted German generals, colonels, SS officers to the Palace of Justice in Nuremburg.  We also went to Spandau Prison for guard duty.  I told Lt McGee and Lt Balcer about the changing of the Guard at Spandau Prison.  This is how the Changing of the Guard was made up.  General LeMay liked it, so we did it.  (Note. It is my sense, not that our actual guardmount formation was a copy of that performed at Spandau, rather, the name of the ceremony, "The Changing of the Guard" was taken from the Spandau ceremony.  The actual formation was put together by Lt McGee, Lt Balcer, and SSgt Woolgar.  The only guidelines Lt McGee brought from the headquarters was that the ceremony was to be silent.  The only commands were "Mount The Guard,", and "Guards Post."  The commander of the SAC Band wrote the musical score for the formation.  Al says that took longer than the actual design of the formation.
 
19.   When the drill team started, from where did you pull the routines.  I am sure you must have had some basics from you past Army life.  I do know many of your routines were designed by members of the team.  How did that come about.  The routines for the drill team came from and some of the things we did on the 82nd Air Borne Honor Guard and Drill Team.
 
20.   Joe Steward asked if you remembered the Stewart Manual used in some performances.  Yes.  I might add that when I first came to the Air Police Sqdn, Joe Stewart was an area supervisor.  He was a good NCO.
 
21.   Who picked where the drill team performed.  There is evidence that, in some cases, team members would get family members to go to the local chamber of commerce and get them to request the drill team.  This question I cannot answer because I don't know who picked where we drilled.
 
22.     Was Gandor AFB your only overseas tour while in the Air Force?  Yes, Harmon AFB 1960-1962.
 
23.    You retired in 1966 and went to work for 3M.  How long did you maintain active interest in Judo? Until April 1982.