30 September 1966 – LtCol Walter “Mel” Fowler’s F-100 #553502 is hit in the engine by gunfire over SVN. He came close to capture or death by closely advancing Viet Cong before his wingman suppressed the advancing VC and he was picked up from the rice paddy by an Army Helo. Fowler was serving with
“My Inspiration to Pursue Military Aviation
My inspiration to pursue military aviation was driven by World War II. I was born on 16 February 1935. World War II started on 7 December 1941 when I was 6 years old and it ended in August 1945 when I was 10. I had almost 4 years of war news every day. My friends and I fought battles in the air in swings and on the ground in ditches. I could see from my backyard in Bamberg, students training in PT-17 Stearman trainers from Orangeburg and I got buzzed by B-25’s from Columbia Army Air Base.
I had aviation books and magazines about fighter and bomber aircraft, enemy and friendly, that I read about, saw in the movies, and saw flying. I had model airplanes, tanks, boats, and jeeps to play with and I played war almost every day.
The Southern Railroad carried war supplies through Bamberg to Charleston to be shipped overseas and I would run two blocks to see the trains pass and to put pennies on the track. The Seaboard Railroad and the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad did the same through Denmark. Troop trains would stop there and people would bring sandwiches and drinks to the troops.
My flying experience were flights in the Piper Cub and the Piper Super Cruiser aircraft at the Bamberg County Airport. During World War II I had enough aviation inspiration to last me a generation.
I had friends older than I that flew jet fighter aircraft when I was in high school and college, one was KIA in Korea, two flew with the SCANG, and one flew F-104’s at George AFB, California. These fighter pilot friends motivated me to fly military jet fighter aircraft. I was also in the AFROTC at USC.
On top of all that motivation, I was a very competitive person, had a need for speed, raced my parents’ automobiles, and loved to live on the ragged edge. Take all of that, put it in a big pot, stir it well, add a good portion of white lightning, which will be like giving an Indian plenty of firewater, throw in a chest poking finger, heat the mixture to boiling, and the final product will be the creation of a highly inspired and motivated fighter pilot named Jaws.”
More about Col. George Boyleston Inabinet, Jr., “Jaws”, (USAF Ret.)
Col. Inabinet was born in Bamberg, SC on 16 February 1935. He was the son of George B. and Leila Fersner Inabinet. In 1953, he graduated from Bamberg High School where he played both football and basketball for the Red Raiders and was a member of the Beta Club. He attended Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and graduated from the University of South Carolina (Sigma Nu).
Col. Inabinet began his military career in the South Carolina Air National Guard in 1957. He entered the US Air Force in December 1958 for undergraduate pilot training. He completed pilot training in March 1960 at Greenville, AFB, MS (60-F) and was assigned active duty tours at Itazuke AB, Japan, Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam, McConnell AFB, KS, Bitburg AB, Germany, Holloman AFB, NM, Luke AFB, AZ and Nellis AFB, NV. He returned to the South Carolina ANG in September 1969 as an Air Defense Command alert pilot. Col. Inabinet held positions in the Operations field including Squadron Weapons Officer, Chief of Standardization/Evaluation, Squadron Flight Scheduling Officer, Squadron Operations Officer, and was the Fighter Squadron Commander for the conversion to the F-16 in 1983. He also served as the Deputy Commander for Operations and the Deputy Commander for Maintenance. Col. Inabinet became the 169th Tactical Fighter Group Vice Commander in June 1988 and served in that capacity until his retirement in July 1990.
The action in the Vietnam War was just beginning when George volunteered to be a USAF Air Advisor to the South Vietnamese 2nd Army Division in 1962. Three times he deployed into the jungle with Vietnamese forces to engage the Viet Cong, and on two of those engagements came under enemy fire. During his tour, he was credited with 25 sorties.
In 1968, at Bitburg AB, “Jaws” received assignment orders to McConnell AFB for F-105G Wild Weasel conversion. He was to be assigned in Thailand for Operation Rolling Thunder missions over North Vietnam. However, President Lyndon Johnson halted the bombing of North Vietnam and “Jaws” was reassigned to Holloman AFB in the F-4.
During the Cold War, Col. Inabinet was on nuclear weapons alert at Osan AB (1960-1963) in the F-100 and at Bitburg AB (1965-1968) in the F-105/F-4. He was on alert when the Cuban Missile Crisis (22 Oct. 1962) went to readiness condition DEFCON 2. Pilots were in the revetments all day ready to launch. Russia blinked and the crisis ended.
During his Air Force and Air National Guard careers, he achieved recognition as his fighter squadron’s ‘Top Gun’ in the squadron’s annual bombing and gunnery competition. “Jaws” was one of the first Air National Guard pilots to convert to the F-16 Fighting Falcon. He was a distinguished graduate in his F-16 class at Luke AFB and was an instructor pilot and flight test pilot in the F-105, F-4, A-7, and F-16 aircraft. He was a Command Pilot with 5700 hours total flying time of which 5100 of those were flown in jet fighter aircraft. He also flew the F-100, F-102, O-1, and the C-131 base support aircraft. Col. Inabinet received numerous awards and decorations during his Air Force and National Guard careers.
Col. Inabinet married his high school sweetheart, Sally Zeigler, in 1963 and he has always said that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. They have two sons, Lee (Letty) and George III (Claire). They also have six grandchildren – Alyssa, Audrey (Lee and Letty), Christian (Holly and Rob), Paul, Matt, and Andrew (George III and Claire). George is close to his brother Gerry (Anna Louise) who lives in Lake City, SC.
George and Sally are members of Shandon Baptist Church in Columbia, SC, and have worshiped there since 1980. Col. Inabinet is also a member of the Lower Richland Masonic Lodge.
