Another chapter in the "War of Bells" was completed on February 4, 1980 when two bell snatchers on TDY at Pease AFB, N.H. succeeded in returning the prizes to "their rightful owners".

The War of Bells began in 1977 between Pease AFB and Plattsburgh AFB, and according to bomb squadron officers, bell snatching was a tradition between the bases. Although one of the bells was engraved to a tactical fighter wing at Nellis AFB, Nev., from Kadena AB, Okinawa, nobody knew where the bells actually came from, how they got in this area or how long they had been around! Pease had the bells displayed in its Officer's Club for a number of years. In the spring of 1977, a couple of 380th BW's people "borrowed" them and brought them to Plattsburgh AFB. They remained in the Plattsburgh Officer's Club in a tamper-proof area, until the spring of 1979, when a couple of Pease bomber personnel "borrowed" them back while there on temporary duty. And so, naturally, when Captains John Plantikow and Steve Harman were on temporary duty at Pease AFB, they dutifully "borrowed" them back. This time, however, the bells were a bit of a challenge. Pease had them welded to a rock which was cemented to a 3,000 pound rock.

Retrieving the bells seemed to be no problem for Captains Plantikow and Harman, though. They just twisted them loose with their three foot torque wrench and left. "We smuggled a three foot pipe wrench into the club at lunch, and then after going to a late supper, hid until the mess closed." said Captain Plantikow. "After a suitable wait, we walked into the bar, and 'torqued' the bells off the iron rods that were sunken into the large, ugly granite mount. We got them off base around midnight, and Ed McKim drove over from Plattsburgh to get them out of New Hampshire before the next duty day began. At the daily briefing the next morning, Col. Swart (509 vice or CC ?) asked me if I'd slept well the night before. He had been our DO at Plattsburgh before being exiled to Pease, and I still don't know why he picked on me and Steve that morning." added Captain Plantikow about the rest of the events. The bells were now bolted over the Officer's Club bar at Plattsburgh, on a bell hook, up high. Bomb squadron and Officer's Club people knew Pease would be back for them, of course.

"It's humorous," said Lt.Col. Raymund O'Mara, 528th Bomb Squadron commander. "We enjoy seeing how long it takes for each base to get the bells back and what strategy they use to keep them there. The rock Pease had the bells soldered to had a plaque on it which read, 'Presented to the 509th Bomb Wing from the 380th Bomb Wing'. Why would the 380th BW present a rock to the 509th BW ?" added Colonel O'Mara.

On February 16, the two bell snatchers, Captain Plantikow and Harman from the 528th BMS were ceremoniously awarded the Distinguished Bell Snatch Award. The Plattsburgh bomb squadrons celebrated "the return of the bells" at the Officer's Club on March 7. The celebration also honored the masterful strategies of Col. Joe Williams, assistant deputy commander for operations, and the heroic bell borrowers for a "job well done".