Foil: 13 Panel: 4 Column: 3 Line: 43

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Lance J. Miller

Starting out as a private in the Infantry and retiring as a United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, my service career spanned a period from January of 1941 until August, 1970.
I applied for flight training in 1942 as an Aviation Cadet. I attended pilot training, completing Primary and Basic, but was eliminated half-way through Advanced Training. Radar Operator, a new field other than Bombardier or Navigator, was just opening in 1943 and my application for this new program was accepted.
A prerequisite was to be a graduate of Aerial Gunner School. This was accomplished at Buckingham AAF at Fort Myers, Florida. Next came the highly classified Radar Operator Training at Boca Raton AAF. I graduated from this school and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in March of 1944.
My next assignment was to the new United States Army Air Corps Night Fighter training program. Pilots were paired with Radar Observers (“RO’s”) for training in P-70 aircraft. After completion of the training, aircrews were assigned to a Night Fighter Squadron. My pilot and I were assigned to the 548th NFS in April 1944, and flew P-61 “Black Widow” aircraft in Hawaii, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Ie Shima until VJ Day in 1945.
We flew 48 missions and logged 156 hours combat time. Night Fighter aircrews and ground crews were truly pioneers in the beginning of modern aviation electronics technology, both in the air and on the ground.
I had a service break in 1946 and served on reserve status until recalled to active duty at the start of the Korean War. My active service continued until retirement. My duty assignments were in Air Defense Command, Training Command and Tactical Air Command. Flying assignments as a Weapons System Operator to squadrons equipped with F-94s, F-89s, Canadian CF100s, this while on exchange duty with Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 1957-1959, F-101Bs and F-4 Phantoms. Additional schooling included: 1952-Academic Instructors School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama; 1960 – Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB; 1962—Navigation Upgrade School at James Connolly AFB in Waco, Texas and 1969 -- Fighter Commanders Weapons Course at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As the first non-pilot in Tactical Air Command to command a squadron, my final assignment was as Commander of the 4457th Combat Crew Training Squadron at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona 1967-1970. I also served as a member of the Presidential Scientific Advisory Committee (PSAC) for Nav/Strike during this time.