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Lt. Col. Josh Batchelder gives a thumbs-up at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., during a 1999 aerospace education camp.
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Lt. Col. Josh Batchelder conducts a preflight inspection of a Cessna 172 for the Georgia Wing’s Peachtree-DeKalb Senior Squadron.
Editor's note: Since 1952, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Josh Batchelder has logged more than 5,000 flying hours and dedicated three decades of service to Civil Air Patrol. In his most recent book, “Black Watch Diary,” Batchelder documents his journey as an Air Force radar observer from 1953 to 1954.
Mitzi Palmer
Contributing Writer
At the March 1953 U.S. Air Force graduation ceremony, Josh Batchelder received his silver wings and gold bars for his commission as second lieutenant, along with an assignment that would change his life.
His orders were to travel to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga., for advanced all-weather jet interceptor training in the Lockheed Jet F-94C Starfire – the first transonic jet of its time.
With a maximum speed of 585 mph, the jet trained Batchelder and the rest of the flyboys of the Air Force 59th Interceptor Squadron, known as Black Watch, to defend the U.S. and Canada from Soviet nuclear bombers.
In 1949, Soviet bombers had posed the first direct threat to U.S. and Canada territories after successful atomic tests were performed. In addition, the Korean War’s beginning just a year later added further complications to national defense.
“Military and U.S. civilian fears at this time could be compared to our post-9/11 mindset,” noted Batchelder, now retired as an Air Force lieutenant colonel and still active as a Civil Air Patrol lieutenant colonel with the Georgia Wing’s Peachtree-Dekalb Senior Squadron.
To counter Russian bomber incursions, the Pentagon and U.S. military forces began orchestrating a network of land-based, long-range radar stations across Alaska, Canada and Greenland. Batchelder’s 59th all-weather fighter-interceptor unit was part of the massive plan to position protective squadrons in key locations along these stations.
“It was a risky adventure,” Batchelder said, recalling the harsh sub-Arctic weather of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, where he was stationed. “We oftentimes had to fly in heavy snow, ice, fierce winds and subzero temperatures.”
Batchelder, as a radar observer, and his pilot had the responsibility of intercepting unknown aircraft. When on red alert, the crew had to be in the air within three minutes after the scramble alarm sounded – prompting their motto: “When the ducks walk at Goose, we fly!”
Perhaps one of his most memorable experiences during the mission was intercepting a B-36 bomber near the Canadian border.
“Ground control intercept controllers directed us to the altitude and range where our radar screen would pick him up,” Batchelder recalled. “We were in and out of thick clouds, and at one point with our navigation aircraft lights off, we came in behind of the B-36 close enough to identify the big birds type and tail number. We had successfully intercepted.”
During Batchelder’s one-year tour, he was witness to several tragedies in the air as well as numerous humorous occurrences on land at Goose Air Base – many of which are captured in Black Watch Diary.
In addition to his Air Force service as an airborne radar observer, Batchelder served 14 years with the Georgia Air National Guard. He also flew in Vietnam, earned command navigator wings and served as wing navigator.
Combined, Batchelder has logged more than 5,000 total flying hours. He also earned his third set of silver wings as an instrument-rated private pilot, mission pilot and aerospace education officer in the Georgia Wing and the Silver Wings Fraternity.
“CAP gave me the great opportunity to learn all about the aviation pioneers and institutions leading up to the Air Force becoming a separate service just before my entry in 1950,” Batchelder said.
Since 2001, he has focused on writing and volunteering his time coordinating programs relating to aerospace science and history.
Batchelder is currently speaking about the Black Watch story throughout the Atlanta area, where he and his wife reside. A graduate of Harvard University, he is a certified graphologist and a financial adviser.
Black Watch Diary can be purchased online. Batchelder's other books include "Handwriting Reveals You" (2003) and "Personality Profiling in 90 Seconds: A 15-Point Guide for Quick Handwriting Analysis" (2006).
