Lieutenant Colonel Robert Medley Gatewood served his country and contributed to the advancement of aviation through a 24-year career as a USAF officer. Military service in brief:

Attended the University of Colorado, graduating in 1962 and commissioned a Reserve 2nd Lieutenant by the AFROTC Detachment 105 “Thunderchiefs.” Completed pilot training in the T-37 and T-38 aircraft at Williams AFB, AZ, and F-100 Super Sabre Combat Crew Training at Luke AFB, AZ. First flew the “Hun” operationally with the 20th TFW, 79th TFS “Tigers,” at RAF Woodbridge, U.K., with a primary mission of nuclear war deterrence, from July 1964 to June 1967. Second Hun tour was in the conventional warfare role with the 3rd TFW, 510th TFS “Buzzards,” at Bien Hoa AB, July 1967 to March 1968. Then PCS’d to 7th Airborne Command and Control Squadron as a Duty Controller, operating out of RTAFB Udorn, Thailand, until July 1968 when offered a Regular Air Force commission and returned to the States.
Assigned as a Line F-100 Instructor Pilot to the 4510th CCTW,4515th CCTS, at Luke AFB till selected for the initial instructor cadre for the new A-7D in mid-1969. As the first A-7D Weapons Academic Instructor, helped develop training courses and courseware using Instructional System Development (ISD) methodology, the first application of this emerging disciple to aircrew training by Tactical Air Command (TAC). PCS’d to the 355th TFW in July 1971 when the A-7D pilot training program was moved to Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, en masse. Returned to SEA as an A-7D “Sandy” pilot with the 388th TFW, 3rd TFS, at RTAF Korat, Thailand, from June 1974 to June 1975, serving as a “Sandy Low” in the Search and Rescue (SAR) role. Returned to Davis-Monthan AFB and selected as the first Chief of the A-10 ISD Team, heading development of training courses and courseware for this important new Close Air Support aircraft.
In August 1977, selected to head the ISD branch of the Deputy for Operations’ Training Development Division at HQ TAC. Responsible for ISD and simulator programs for 14 major weapons systems including the F-16, F-15, A-10 and Ground Launched Cruise Missile. In January 1980, returned to operational flying as USAF Air Advisor to the 150th TFG, 188th TFS, New Mexico Air National Guard, again flying the A-7D. PCA’d to the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Kirtland AFB, NM, serving as Assistant Director for Program Control.

After military retirement in April 1986, continued working in aerospace programs of national importance with Logicon, Inc., and later with the non-proliferation and space monitoring systems unit of Sandia National Laboratories on Kirtland AFB, NM. In full retirement by 2001, was a founding member of the Super Sabre Society in January 2006, serving as Chief Information Officer, and Editor/Publisher of their thrice a year journal, The Intake, thus, contributing significantly to their mission “…to preserve the history of the F-100 Super Sabre and the men who flew her.”