Lee Shelton was the last DET 1 commander at Kadena. He and his wife Pat became very good friends with Jan and I. At the time both he and I were introduced to the personal computer. I had attended the users group meetings and tried to help Lee with his new personal computer. He would also contact me when some distinguished visitor wanted to play racquetball. On one occasion the 15th Air Force General arrived on Okinawa and Lee set up a racquetball game with the General and I. We played on the glass backed courts at the gym and we played three games. He was a bit better than average racquetball player have we had a good time. During one of the games I positioned myself for a kill shot to the corner of the court and the commander got in the way and the ball hit him squarely in the ass. Several of his staff we’re watching and were appalled that I would do such a thing, however the General had no problem with it and we played on.
In March of 1988 there was a gathering of former SR71 pilots and RSOs to commemorate the first operational flight of the SR71 from Okinawa. It was a three day event with tours and a dinner with the guest speaker General Pat Halloran. Lee asked me to be the tour guide on a bus tour to show the former crew members the changes in the local landscape. The changes we’re quite extensive since the first flight. The US had returned Okinawa back to the Japanese and the Japanese had provided much of the modern infrastructure. Okinawa had become Japan’s Hawaii with hotels golf courses connecting highways and the return to driving on the left side of the road.