Firefighters, community preserve Air Force history

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Stephen Collier
  • 49th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFPN) --  People of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron fire and emergency services department here recently finished restoring a 1958 O-6 Cardox fire crash truck. They presented it to the military firefighter’s heritage museum at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas, during a dedication ceremony May 18.

Mark Giuliano, fire chief here, said restoring the crash truck was a testament to the ingenuity of firefighters everywhere.

While visiting a friend, Mr. Giuliano passed the truck sitting behind a dusty café. The café’s owner, Albert Tengefitsch, purchased the truck from the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office here after its decommissioning in the early 1970s. Mr. Giuliano said he wanted the truck back.

“I felt that such a unique piece of Air Force fire-protection history should be on display at Goodfellow with other historical firetrucks,” Mr. Giuliano said. “It was suggested that we keep the truck here to put on display. But because we believe this is the only O-6 in existence, it needs to be where it can be honored.”

A local firefighter’s union purchased the crash truck for $500 after learning of Mr. Giuliano’s intentions to restore it. Then, the organization donated it to the base fire department. Local businesses also donated more than $1,500 for the restoration project, said Gregory Bouten, a firefighter here.

An auto body shop stripped the truck to the metal and repainted it. A paint store donated primer and safety-red paint for the restoration.

Mr. Giuliano said the truck held a nostalgic value for both present and future-day firefighters.

“I want both (current) and future Air Force firefighters to look at the truck and wonder what it was like to be a firefighter in the early days of the Air Force,” Mr. Giuliano said. “I hope they appreciate how far we have progressed as a firefighting profession over the past 40 years.”

“[Nearby} Alamogordo and its residents have always had a strong bond with Holloman,” Mr. Bouten said. “We can’t thank the local community enough for helping with this restoration.”