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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Curtis Burns graduated from Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1952. He entered the U.S. Air Force three months later and graduated from basic flying school in September 1954. He flew the F-86E/R at the Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada fighter school, and then was an instructor pilot at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. Next he was assigned to the 53rd Fighter Day Squadron (later Tactical Fighter Squadron), 36th Fighter Day Wing (later Tactical Fighter Wing) at Aviano Air Base, Italy where he was the group director of safety from 1957 to 1958.

From 1961 to 1967 he was with the military assistance flying training program at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia and at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He was with the RF-4C replacement training unit at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

For the first half of his Vietnam tour he was with the 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 12th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW), Cam Ranh Bay. For the second half of his Vietnam tour he was the briefing officer for the 7th Air Force commander, Gen. George Brown, at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon. His subsequent assignment was as chief of flight safety and director of safety at Headquarters, 17th Air Force at Ramstein Air Base,Germany from 1969 to 1970.

His last assignment was as director of safety in the 52nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany from 1971 until his retirement in 1973.