Chief Master Sergeant Henry Frohn
U.S. Air Force – Power Production Superintendent
Strategic Air Command / CES / HQ-USAFE
Korea - Cold War - Vietnam
July 1951- May 1974
U.S. Air Force – Power Production Superintendent
Strategic Air Command / CES / HQ-USAFE
Korea - Cold War - Vietnam
July 1951- May 1974
Henry Frohn was born in Waterbury, Connecticut in July of 1931. His father was born in Germany and came to the United States and became a machinist at the Chase Manufacturing Company in the Naugatuck Valley. His mother was a home maker and passed away when Henry was young. Henry had a brother, and when his father later remarried, he had a half-sister. During the Depression, Henry always had food to eat and clothes to wear.
Henry made it as far as the eighth grade and at the age of 16 he dropped out of school and went to work in a local factory for 80 cents an hour. He also had a job working on Young’s Farm in Watertown, CT to earn extra cash. He also briefly worked at a Ford dealership in Watertown in 1949, as well. In 1951, at the age of 19, Henry received a draft notice, but he decided to enlist. He went to see the Army recruiter, but before he could walk into the office the Air force recruiter grabbed him and said, “You don’t want to go down to the swamps in Louisiana. They have alligators.” He handed Henry a test and told him to take it. Henry handed him the completed test and waited. The recruiter came back and said, “You qualify.” Henry headed to Hartford, Connecticut for his physical exam and passed.
Henry boarded a bus for the Springfield Armory and then headed for basic training at Sampson Air Force Base near Lake Seneca, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Basic Training lasted for two months. From there, Henry went to Ohio School of Trades for training in vehicle maintenance. Henry completed school in late 1951 and his next stop was Korea, where the Korean War was underway.
Henry landed in Korea and found his way to Seoul with the 502nd Tactical Control Group. Henry recalled being in positions between the front line and the rear line. These lines were very fluid, and he recalled getting as close as half a mile from the front line. Henry was sent to a position on a mountain top in North Korea to replace a mechanic who was wounded. Henry recalled that location being roughly six miles behind the front line. “It was so damn cold, I couldn’t go to sleep unless I had three blankets.” Henry worked on diesel truck engines and later went to the bottom of the mountain to help build a motor pool garage. He remained in that location until Easter 1952.
Henry returned to the states on a Liberty Ship used in WWII and it was a trip he never forgot. The seas were so rough the bow would crash down into the water so far that the stern would raise out of the water, exposing the propellers on the ship. Mercifully, the trip ended and Henry stepped onto firm land in San Francisco.
On June 27th, he married Joan Wasileski, whom he remains married to after 72 years. After a brief honeymoon, he reported to Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY (4700th ADF), where he worked in the motor pool, including some flightline ground maintenance. During his time at Griffiss, Henry heard of an opening at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, NY, which was closer to family in Connecticut. He put in for a transfer, and his transfer was approved to the 539th fighter squadron.
At the conclusion of this tour in 1955, Henry could have left the military, but the job market in Connecticut was not great, so he decided to re-enlist, which turned out to be a good career move. He was again assigned to Sampson Air Force Base near Seneca Lake in upstate New York. There he received additional training in ground power support and generator maintenance and operations. Later in 1955, Henry was transferred to Izmir, Turkey to support NATO operations in the 7266th Support Squadron. Joan was able to join him on this duty assignment.
In 1958, Henry returned to the states and was assigned to Castle Air Force Base as part of the ground support operations for B-52 aircraft. He went on to pass his GED in 1958 and took advantage of numerous training programs offered by the Air Force. Henry saw a posting for volunteers to enter the missile program at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which was part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Believing this would advance his career, he applied and was accepted.
After some training in Arizona, he returned to Vandenberg AFB as part of the 4300th Support Squadron in the 392ndMissile Group. At this time, he, along with 250 other airmen from the base, attended Alan Hancock Junior College and received Associate’s Degrees in June 1961. Henry later took courses at the Officer Candidate School while at Vandenberg in 1962, but did not pursue a commission. He also received training on maintaining and operating large diesel engines and his role shifted to a focus on engineering power production. These engines were capable of generating 2500kw each and were usually arrayed in groups of four, functioning as a power plant. When these engines were operational, SAC brought in Thor Missiles for test launches from Vandenberg AFB (VAFB). In fact, his squadron trained the Royal Air Force in the maintenance and support operations of Thor Missles. Henry’s performance review from that year reads, “He rectified the original unsatisfactory condition of all assigned power production equipment to working order.” In July of 1961, the couple’s son David was born at VAFB.
In October of 1962 the United States and Cuba faced off in the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was the major confrontation between the free world and Communism during the Cold War. For 13 days, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were deadlocked in a high stakes game of political brinksmanship. The Soviet Union had begun the construction of launch sites for medium and intermediate range nuclear ballistic missiles, putting them within easy reach of many of America’s cities. President John F. Kennedy advised the Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev the U.S. would not permit offensive missiles to be deployed to Cuba and a Naval quarantine was established to prevent the delivery of those missiles. The world approached nuclear war, but on October 28th negotiations were able to avert a war. The missiles were removed from Cuba, and the launch sites were dismantled in return for the U.S. removing its missiles from Turkey.
In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis the Air Force decided to send people with missile experience to various parts of the world to work on missile projects. Henry recalled 125 people being sent to Alaska, Johnson Island and Christmas Island shortly after October 28th. Henry did not go due to a minor hospitalization. Instead, they decided they would use Henry in Turkey at the Karamursel Air Station (KAS) TUSLOG Detachment 58, not far from Istanbul. KAS was a very large base and Henry was involved in the operation and maintenance of the power generation equipment. In January of 1963, the couple’s second son, James, was born on Karamursel Air Station.
Toward the end of 1963, Henry was told there was an opening for a power production supervisor back at Vandenberg AFB as part of 4392nd CES (SAC). He jumped at the opportunity, and his former base commander had his papers changed to transfer him back. He returned to Vandenberg AFB where he directly managed over 160 airmen. He played an integral role in the combination of two power plants. His performance review from March 1967 reads in part, “Outstanding Performance. Sgt. Frohn’s extensive background in maintenance enables him to quickly grasp the situation and immediately begin planning possible solutions to any problem. A firm, but understanding, supervisor and excellent technician.” Henry remained there until 1969, reaching the NCO rank of Master Sergeant. He had numerous Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY) to Johnson Island atoll in the Pacific during this period under the Joint Task Force 8 (JTF-8).
In July of 1969, Henry, who continued to earn the respect and confidence of his commanding officers, was sent to the 377th Civil Engineering Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base in Saigon, Vietnam (TSNAFB). He was the senior most NCO running the power plant; running ten diesel units to power the largest Airforce Base in Southeast Asia. He also had to coordinate the training of South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) airmen to take over the maintenance and operations of generators and hydraulic equipment as part of the Vietnamization effort of the war. This was coordinated with the 505th TCG. During his year in Vietnam, Henry was responsible for over 300 people and was awarded the Bronze Star for his training efforts. The base was subject to frequent shelling by the North Vietnamese during his time there. Henry left Vietnam in July of 1970.
Henry came back to the states and served at Vandenberg for 18 months before he was sent to Lindsey Air Base in Wiesbaden, Germany, again as part of SAC. At that time, Lindsey was the HQ-USAFE (United States Airforce Europe) EUCOM. Henry had reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9). His responsibility was to conduct inspections of power production plants at various military bases and missile sites in Europe and spent considerable time on the road (TDYs) in Turkey, Spain, Greece and Italy.
In May of 1974, Henry and the family returned to the United States where he retired after a successful 23-year Air Force career. Over his military career he was awarded a total of 29 medals and ribbons, including the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, 7 Airforce Outstanding Unit Awards, one of which was awarded with a Valor attachment. The 377th received the Valor attachment as a result of the shelling of TSNAFB. Both his Vietnam and Korean ribbons reflect 3 campaign stars each.
Throughout his career, Henry climbed the ranks of the military beginning with only an 8th grade education. He earned his GED, received an Associates in Arts Degree and took OCS classes and participated in many other trainings made available to him to help advance his career and better serve his country. Through his determination and hard work, he earned the respect of his superior officers. His performance review from his deployment to Vietnam in part read, “…superior technical ability. A thorough analytical approach that enabled him to solve a multitude of critical power problems, which have plagued Tan Son Nhut for years. An extremely dedicated NCO and his initiative and sound management practices have enabled his section to accomplish a tremendous volume of work…I recommend he be promoted to Senior Master Sergeant immediately”.
Though many would remain retired after achieving the rank of E9 from his 23 years in the Air Force, Henry did not stop there. He went on to work at Connecticut Light and Power (NU) for another 20 years before fully retiring. In addition to this, though not part of his military career, Henry was an avid private pilot from 1959 to 2018.
From a humble Depression Era start, Henry made the most of what was made available to him. He worked hard and achieved great success toiling behind the scenes to keep America’s military in top shape; learning, leading and training others, and yet remaining humble throughout his career. A grateful America thanks you.
Henry made it as far as the eighth grade and at the age of 16 he dropped out of school and went to work in a local factory for 80 cents an hour. He also had a job working on Young’s Farm in Watertown, CT to earn extra cash. He also briefly worked at a Ford dealership in Watertown in 1949, as well. In 1951, at the age of 19, Henry received a draft notice, but he decided to enlist. He went to see the Army recruiter, but before he could walk into the office the Air force recruiter grabbed him and said, “You don’t want to go down to the swamps in Louisiana. They have alligators.” He handed Henry a test and told him to take it. Henry handed him the completed test and waited. The recruiter came back and said, “You qualify.” Henry headed to Hartford, Connecticut for his physical exam and passed.
Henry boarded a bus for the Springfield Armory and then headed for basic training at Sampson Air Force Base near Lake Seneca, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Basic Training lasted for two months. From there, Henry went to Ohio School of Trades for training in vehicle maintenance. Henry completed school in late 1951 and his next stop was Korea, where the Korean War was underway.
Henry landed in Korea and found his way to Seoul with the 502nd Tactical Control Group. Henry recalled being in positions between the front line and the rear line. These lines were very fluid, and he recalled getting as close as half a mile from the front line. Henry was sent to a position on a mountain top in North Korea to replace a mechanic who was wounded. Henry recalled that location being roughly six miles behind the front line. “It was so damn cold, I couldn’t go to sleep unless I had three blankets.” Henry worked on diesel truck engines and later went to the bottom of the mountain to help build a motor pool garage. He remained in that location until Easter 1952.
Henry returned to the states on a Liberty Ship used in WWII and it was a trip he never forgot. The seas were so rough the bow would crash down into the water so far that the stern would raise out of the water, exposing the propellers on the ship. Mercifully, the trip ended and Henry stepped onto firm land in San Francisco.
On June 27th, he married Joan Wasileski, whom he remains married to after 72 years. After a brief honeymoon, he reported to Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, NY (4700th ADF), where he worked in the motor pool, including some flightline ground maintenance. During his time at Griffiss, Henry heard of an opening at Stewart Air Force Base in Newburgh, NY, which was closer to family in Connecticut. He put in for a transfer, and his transfer was approved to the 539th fighter squadron.
At the conclusion of this tour in 1955, Henry could have left the military, but the job market in Connecticut was not great, so he decided to re-enlist, which turned out to be a good career move. He was again assigned to Sampson Air Force Base near Seneca Lake in upstate New York. There he received additional training in ground power support and generator maintenance and operations. Later in 1955, Henry was transferred to Izmir, Turkey to support NATO operations in the 7266th Support Squadron. Joan was able to join him on this duty assignment.
In 1958, Henry returned to the states and was assigned to Castle Air Force Base as part of the ground support operations for B-52 aircraft. He went on to pass his GED in 1958 and took advantage of numerous training programs offered by the Air Force. Henry saw a posting for volunteers to enter the missile program at Vandenberg Air Force Base, which was part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC). Believing this would advance his career, he applied and was accepted.
After some training in Arizona, he returned to Vandenberg AFB as part of the 4300th Support Squadron in the 392ndMissile Group. At this time, he, along with 250 other airmen from the base, attended Alan Hancock Junior College and received Associate’s Degrees in June 1961. Henry later took courses at the Officer Candidate School while at Vandenberg in 1962, but did not pursue a commission. He also received training on maintaining and operating large diesel engines and his role shifted to a focus on engineering power production. These engines were capable of generating 2500kw each and were usually arrayed in groups of four, functioning as a power plant. When these engines were operational, SAC brought in Thor Missiles for test launches from Vandenberg AFB (VAFB). In fact, his squadron trained the Royal Air Force in the maintenance and support operations of Thor Missles. Henry’s performance review from that year reads, “He rectified the original unsatisfactory condition of all assigned power production equipment to working order.” In July of 1961, the couple’s son David was born at VAFB.
In October of 1962 the United States and Cuba faced off in the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was the major confrontation between the free world and Communism during the Cold War. For 13 days, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were deadlocked in a high stakes game of political brinksmanship. The Soviet Union had begun the construction of launch sites for medium and intermediate range nuclear ballistic missiles, putting them within easy reach of many of America’s cities. President John F. Kennedy advised the Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev the U.S. would not permit offensive missiles to be deployed to Cuba and a Naval quarantine was established to prevent the delivery of those missiles. The world approached nuclear war, but on October 28th negotiations were able to avert a war. The missiles were removed from Cuba, and the launch sites were dismantled in return for the U.S. removing its missiles from Turkey.
In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis the Air Force decided to send people with missile experience to various parts of the world to work on missile projects. Henry recalled 125 people being sent to Alaska, Johnson Island and Christmas Island shortly after October 28th. Henry did not go due to a minor hospitalization. Instead, they decided they would use Henry in Turkey at the Karamursel Air Station (KAS) TUSLOG Detachment 58, not far from Istanbul. KAS was a very large base and Henry was involved in the operation and maintenance of the power generation equipment. In January of 1963, the couple’s second son, James, was born on Karamursel Air Station.
Toward the end of 1963, Henry was told there was an opening for a power production supervisor back at Vandenberg AFB as part of 4392nd CES (SAC). He jumped at the opportunity, and his former base commander had his papers changed to transfer him back. He returned to Vandenberg AFB where he directly managed over 160 airmen. He played an integral role in the combination of two power plants. His performance review from March 1967 reads in part, “Outstanding Performance. Sgt. Frohn’s extensive background in maintenance enables him to quickly grasp the situation and immediately begin planning possible solutions to any problem. A firm, but understanding, supervisor and excellent technician.” Henry remained there until 1969, reaching the NCO rank of Master Sergeant. He had numerous Temporary Duty Assignments (TDY) to Johnson Island atoll in the Pacific during this period under the Joint Task Force 8 (JTF-8).
In July of 1969, Henry, who continued to earn the respect and confidence of his commanding officers, was sent to the 377th Civil Engineering Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base in Saigon, Vietnam (TSNAFB). He was the senior most NCO running the power plant; running ten diesel units to power the largest Airforce Base in Southeast Asia. He also had to coordinate the training of South Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) airmen to take over the maintenance and operations of generators and hydraulic equipment as part of the Vietnamization effort of the war. This was coordinated with the 505th TCG. During his year in Vietnam, Henry was responsible for over 300 people and was awarded the Bronze Star for his training efforts. The base was subject to frequent shelling by the North Vietnamese during his time there. Henry left Vietnam in July of 1970.
Henry came back to the states and served at Vandenberg for 18 months before he was sent to Lindsey Air Base in Wiesbaden, Germany, again as part of SAC. At that time, Lindsey was the HQ-USAFE (United States Airforce Europe) EUCOM. Henry had reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9). His responsibility was to conduct inspections of power production plants at various military bases and missile sites in Europe and spent considerable time on the road (TDYs) in Turkey, Spain, Greece and Italy.
In May of 1974, Henry and the family returned to the United States where he retired after a successful 23-year Air Force career. Over his military career he was awarded a total of 29 medals and ribbons, including the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, 7 Airforce Outstanding Unit Awards, one of which was awarded with a Valor attachment. The 377th received the Valor attachment as a result of the shelling of TSNAFB. Both his Vietnam and Korean ribbons reflect 3 campaign stars each.
Throughout his career, Henry climbed the ranks of the military beginning with only an 8th grade education. He earned his GED, received an Associates in Arts Degree and took OCS classes and participated in many other trainings made available to him to help advance his career and better serve his country. Through his determination and hard work, he earned the respect of his superior officers. His performance review from his deployment to Vietnam in part read, “…superior technical ability. A thorough analytical approach that enabled him to solve a multitude of critical power problems, which have plagued Tan Son Nhut for years. An extremely dedicated NCO and his initiative and sound management practices have enabled his section to accomplish a tremendous volume of work…I recommend he be promoted to Senior Master Sergeant immediately”.
Though many would remain retired after achieving the rank of E9 from his 23 years in the Air Force, Henry did not stop there. He went on to work at Connecticut Light and Power (NU) for another 20 years before fully retiring. In addition to this, though not part of his military career, Henry was an avid private pilot from 1959 to 2018.
From a humble Depression Era start, Henry made the most of what was made available to him. He worked hard and achieved great success toiling behind the scenes to keep America’s military in top shape; learning, leading and training others, and yet remaining humble throughout his career. A grateful America thanks you.