The Friday Flyer, August 10, 2007 - Article: Bill Berg's love of flight leads him to become a volunteer docent at March Field Air Museum

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Bill Berg stands in front of some of the flight awards and memorabilia lining the wall of his home in Canyon Lake. Retired from the U.S. Air Force after 30 years, Bill now serves as a docent at March Field Air Museum in Moreno Valley. Two upcoming events at the Museum include a "Spy in the Sky" Exhibit, featuring U-2 memorabilia; and the "SR-71 Blackbird Weekend," featuring a black tie gala and several of the pilots who flew that famous aircraft.

Bill Berg's love of flight leads him to become a volunteer docent at March Field Air Museum

By Jeanie Corral
Reporter/Columnist

     A famous poem used by the United States Air Force entitled “High Flight” begins, “Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth – sunward I have climbed . . .” Those words describe William “Bill” Berg’s love of airplanes and every other aspect of flying since he was a boy of 7.
     A resident of Canyon Lake since 1988, Bill and his wife, Judi, have been married 44 years and are the proud parents of two grown daughters and five active grandchildren.
     Now 65, Bill says he spent more than 30 years serving his country in the Air Force, retiring as a colonel. He first got involved with military flying in the Air National Guard while earning degrees in marketing management at Arizona State University. In the Air Force, he flew missions refueling fighter jets in the Vietnam conflict as well as in Operation Desert Storm. He has recorded more than 4,000 hours of flight time and now spends at least six or seven days a month as a docent at the March Field Air Museum, located off Highway 215 at the old March Air Force Base.
     When he speaks about airplanes, it is clear he loves to share his knowledge of flight with youngsters, as well as listen to the vintage stories of aviators who flew “by the seat of their pants” in World War II or Korea. Bill traveled to Alaska, Hawaii and Maine during his tenure in the Air Force and has been an adviser for the last eight years at March Air Reserve Base.
     Bill first saw an article about docent training four years ago and decided he wanted to be part of the elite group that makes certain youngsters and adults understand the important role the Air Force has played in protecting American soldiers on the ground and patrolling skies above.
     After six Saturdays of training, he was designated as one of the docents at March Field Air Museum. He is able to conduct tours and lecture on the history of the base and Air Force and has the added knowledge that, of the 70 airplanes displayed, he has piloted six of them. One, the Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, is similar to one of the planes Bill flew while in the service.
     Begun in 1980, the museum has exhibits that date back to World War I and include planes from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.
     The all-volunteer docent group includes men and women and numbers about 200. Some work in the gift shop and some with restoration and exhibit displays. There are also volunteers who have exterior restoration projects with some of the aircraft. The museum helped restore former President Nixon’s helicopter to its original condition before it was taken to the Yorba Linda Presidential Museum.
     One of the larger planes at March, the C141, is the actual plane that brought back POWs from Hanoi, Bill explains. “Now we rent it out for weddings, parties, birthday parties or other celebrations.”
     “But our main thrust is education,” says Bill. “We have a lot of student tours and put the youngsters in groups of 25 so we can answer their questions and give them the kind of information they need. Docents run films that are also educational for adults and students alike.”
     According to Bill, the main missions of the March Field Air Museum are preservation of aircraft and education. It receives most of its income from grants and donations.
     An upcoming “Spy in the Sky” exhibit will feature the U-2 memorabilia of Gary Power and a special talk by Power’s son, Francis Gary Powers, Jr., on Sunday, September 16, at 3 p.m.
     Another event, the “SR-71 Blackbird Weekend,” will be held October 13 and 14 and will feature pilots Gil Bertelson, Pat Bledsoe, Buz Carpenter, Ken Collins, Pat Halloran, Joe Kinego, Rich Graham and several others to meet and greet visitors. Rich Graham will be the keynote speaker at the black tie gala dinner, “Under the Wings of our SR-71.”
     More than 24 SR-71 personnel will be on hand at the two-day event. For information about the Blackbird Weekend, call 951-697-6602.
     Bill encourages Canyon Lakers to come out and see all that March Field has to offer. He wants everyone to feel the sense of adventure that only comes from sitting in the cockpit of a vintage plane.
     Open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 361 days a year, the cost to visit is $7 for adults and $3 per child; family memberships are $60 a year. The last Saturday of each month is a family day geared to youth.
     The Air Museum is located at 22550 Van Buren Blvd. (take the Van Buren exit from the 215). For more information, visit www.marchfielf.org.

Armed Forces Freeway
     As of August 1, the stretch of I-215 that runs between March Air Reserve Base, the March Field Air Museum and Riverside National Cemetery has being designated “Armed Forces Freeway” in honor of the extensive military history in Riverside County. The name was approved as Assembly Concurrent Resolution 22, authored by Assemblyman John J. Benoit.
     “It is due to the valuable contributions and sacrifices made by military veterans that we remain a free people,” says Benoit. “We should take every opportunity to thank our veterans and recognize their courage – dedicating this highway is one small way we can thank veterans and families of military personnel.”