OTIS Air force base

For Dad, weekend warrior-ship meant active duty at Otis Air Force Base on Cape Cod. It was at Otis that Dad renewed his friendship with then John F. Kennedy, who flew in and out of the area when visiting his home in Hyannisport. Later, upon assuming the Presidency, JFK would use Otis as his primary summer air base for Air Force One.

One insightful tale comes to light during the annual “summer camp” of 1961 which was JFK’s first summer in office. Dad — who at 6’2” and 245 lbs. had gone from a svelte USAF flight suit to needing extra fabric to accommodate his expanding waistline — lined up his troops in Wing formation on the west ramp to greet the Commander-in-Chief and his entourage. There were a few F-86s lined up there as well — all shiny and emblazoned with the bright green shamrock insignia depicting the 101st Fighter Squadron of the “Irish Air Force” (as they were unofficially known).

As Captain Mundo tells the story:

“I was close to the front ranks and as Kennedy came down the steps of Air Force One and walked over to Charlie to shake his hand, I distinctly recall him saying: “For Christ sake, Charlie, don’t tell me you can still fit into those little airplanes” [F-86s]. Of course his reference was to Charlie’s girth at the time, but it is significant because when we deployed to Europe, the ’86s were equipped with not only the regular seat pack life raft but also an arctic survival kit on top of that which tended to minimize the room between the top of the pilot’s helmet and the cockpit canopy. Additionally we were wearing the water survival [“poopy”] suits which, along with the under arm life vests and back pack parachute, really crowded you in the cockpit. Free space was at a minimum for an average, maybe 5’10” 175 pound pilot. Indeed, anyone over that height found themselves sitting with his head slightly tilted forward. So Charlie had to really be shoe-horned into the cockpit. All the more remarkable was that despite his relatively low flying hours in the F-86 coupled with this discomfort were his inherent flying abilities and leadership capabilities in leading this massive aircraft movement on the deployment to Europe.” [1]

Otis AFB offered us Sweeney children some truly significant and historic memories. This is where we had many magical moments visiting Air Force One and stealing life savers and cigarettes with the Presidential Seal on them. Tragically, this is also where we were in summer residence when Jacqueline delivered her third-child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, in August, 1963. After a premature delivery at the Otis hospital, Dad helped to clear the skies when Marine One brought the President on his emergency trip. Patrick had to be transported to the ICU at Children’s Hospital in Boston for a fatal condition called hyaline membrane disease. Dad truly understood Jack and Jackie’s pain at losing a child — our parents lost our sister Joan Marie at the age of 5 — and he did everything possible to assist the Kennedys with logistical and religious support, keeping the Catholic Chaplain at the Kennedy’s side and making sure Jackie’s Mother, Janet Auchincloss, was allowed to stay as close to her daughter as possible at the Otis hospital. Three short months later, after losing her baby, Jackie lost her husband to an assassin.

[1] Mundo, Albert  (Capt., Ret., Flight Commander,  MA ANG) Personal correspondence, 2017