After OCS, Milly, my bride and best friend of 43 years, and I departed
Lackland for Harlingen, TX and about six months of navigator training,
class 61-01K.
Upon completion, I didn't want to become a SAC navigator so I asked for
an assignment to Keesler AFB and Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO)
school. In October of 1961, a daughter was born to us and we, newborn
and all, were assigned to Lincoln AFB, Lincoln, NE where I became the
307th Bomb Wing Penetration Aids Officer. Flying time was garnered in
the venerable C-47 and B-47E. October of 1963 was another good month as
we were blessed with a second daughter. In April of 1964, SAC sent me
to the 43rd Bomb Wing were I became a Defensive Systems Officer (DSO or
Crow) in the B-58A Hustler. Six months later the
complete wing moved to Little Rock AFB, Jacksonville, AR where we
remained until 1970. It was six years of great crew duty. When the
B-58's were sent to the "bone yard" at DM and the wing disbanded, I was
a DSO instructor in the B-58 CCTS. SAC, in all its' wisdom, took me out
of the EW field and sent me to KC-135As in the 2nd Bomb Wing, 913th ARS,
Barksdale
AFB, Bossier City, LA as a navigator. I thought I had found a
home there as a majority of the tanker navs had been stationed there for
eight years or more. However, this was not to be my situation. Within
12 months SAC called and I was off to the 24th Strategic Reconnaissance
Squadron (SRS), 6th Strategic Wing, at Eielson AFB, Alaska. That,
however, was
a blessing in disguise. Shortly after I transferred to Alaska, the bomb
wing
was sent to southeast asia (SEA) for those 179 day TDYs. I spent the
next four years rotating every two weeks between Shemya AFB, RC-135S, in
the
Aleutians and Eielson AFB. While there I moved from crew member to crew
commander to project head as Director Operations and Training for
Electronic Warfare (DOTE). It was a great assignment for both the
family and myself. Alaska is a magnificent State. Where else can you
go for
an outing and see moose, bear, fox, eagles, and salmon before you return
home. In July of 1976 we returned to the "lower 48" and an assignment
to the 343rd SRS, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, as a RC-135V recon
crew
commander. That became my last assignment. I retired August of 1977.
The family settled in North Little Rock, Arkansas and I entered the civilian job market. For the last 23 years I have been working in the data processing industry as a programmer, systems analyst, project manager, college instructor, and data processing manager.
Milly became a registered nurse with a MEd, certified in gerontology, psychiatry, and school nursing. She is published and also teaches for a university that has a campus extension at Little Rock AFB. Our daughters have presented us with six grandsons. The oldest, Kelly, has her PHd and is Dean of Allied Health at Cisco State College, Abilene, TX. Stacy, the younger, is working on her masters degree and works in cancer research at Utah State University, Salt Lake City, UT.
The last 10 years of my work history have been spent as the data processing manager for the State of Arkansas Insurance Department. In April of 1996, I retired from State employment. Also, for the past 15 years I have taught night school computer science classes for two universities that maintain a campus extension at Little Rock AFB. When I am teaching a class at the air base I have to smile. It was about 35 years ago that I sat in the same building, same rooms, taking night school classes in pursuit of an education. And, now I am on the other side of the podium, certified in data processing, three bachelors degrees, and one masters degree, giving instead of taking.
We are very aware that God has had a hand in each and every endeavor of our lives. Just as if He was weaving a beautiful quilt, He has kept us together as a family and protected me from harm during all these many years. May God bless all of you and your families as He has blessed us. All of you are among my most cherished memories even though I would not go through OCS again, even as a spy.