USAFA Class Heritage

   Was invited just before '63 graduation, along with Leo Donohue, to join the 1964 U.S. Olympic Field Hockey Team that would be competing in Tokyo the following year, but pilot training and a fiancee got in the way, so following graduation, went to pilot training at Reese AFB, Lubbock.  Married in Protestant Chapel at AFA on Dec 29th, 1963...was told  "first graduate to be wed in that chapel."  Wanted to get to combat fast, but the only assignment that seemed applicable to Class 65-A was in PACAF...wife thought it was going to be Hawaii; I thought Japan.  Turned out to be Naha, Okinawa.  First son was born in Camp Kue Army Hospital there...and ironically managed to visit the Olympic Venue mentioned above, in Tokyo in 1965.  Flew some 300 missions into and throughout SEAsia with the C-130A.  Then 30 names were drawn from a hat to go PCS into SEAsia.  I "won" and was assigned to be an O-1 FAC in III Corps.  Training at Holly Field, Florida.  Three months in III Corps at Nha Trang where I was able to give Jim Martin a  FAC ride...and astonishingly spent time at the bedside of AFA Class of '61 Army officer Captain Tom Pattie in the 8th Army Field Hospital.  Tom and our classmate Bill Wecker were great friends/wrestlers as I recall.  Pattie was riding as an observer in an O-1E FAC aircraft when it was hit by enemy fire, crashed, and burned.  Tom was comatose for weeks.  But living with 8th Army Field Hospital surgeons, I learned of Tom's crash and began to visit him regularily.  Interestingly, after some mysterious balm was applied from the Burn Center in Galveston, Texas, Pattie one day began to regain consciousness as I was by his bedside.  He grasped my finger and opened his eyes for the 1st time in nearly a month.  I was exhilarated. He was evacuated to the U.S., and years later  was able to visit him and his wife briefly in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C.      But then came orders to join the Marines at someplace called "Khe Sanh."  Lively and dangerous Marine war zone there and was honored by being made an Honorary U.S. Marine...Semper Fi!  Lots of action in and out of Viet Nam...Laos, Cambodia, N. Viet Nam.  Saw Jack McTasney at one point and Kelly Cook, our AFA English instructor, then a Major, now a Colonel.  Kelly was killed when a bomb detonated prematurely on a radar-skyspot mission over the North in '67.  In his honor, we named our 2nd son after Kelly.   Experienced the '68 Tet Offensive then was sent to the Delta and later to Phan Rang to become an O-2 instructor...a total of another 360 "reportable" FAC missions (plus 5-6 "unreportable" additionals!)    Fast forward to airline days at Continental Airlines in Houston.  On an overnight to SLCity, I found out from a flight attendant, that her father had been a Major in the South Vietnamese Army with duties at The Citadel in Hue, SVietnam.  She was 4 years old and living there as I circled overhead as a FAC during the Tet offensive in 1968...and now there she was, a grown flight attendant flying for a U.S. airline.  Had two of my sons there for dinner that night at the layover hotel; they were awestruck (as was I)!    Left SEAsia on orders to Carswell/Ft. Worth and to be a B-52 copilot.  Didn't sit well, so I bugged friend and classmate Andy Ward at the AF Personnel Center in San Antonio to rescue me from SAC.  He did...with a 90-day TDY to Hurlburt where I applied for and was accepted for the SkyLab Astronaut Program.  But the AF was losing FACs in SEAsia at an alarming rate, so @ 6 months I was turned down for Edwards and astro training.  After SOS at Maxwell and the 3rd turndown, resigned and entered MBA program at the UofUtah.  Flew C-124's for a Reserve Unit at Hill AFB for 2 years.  Graduated and was recruited to the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health faculty and to direct a program for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare  (HMOs in California, evaluating M.D.s).  While in Baltimore, flew for and directed O-2A/B Stan/Eval for the Maryland Air Guard...also had several social gatherings with Jack McTasney and his family...trips to Williamsburg, VA., and Columbia, MD.    Onward to Frontier Airlines in Denver in 1974 and the Colorado Air Guard for the rest of my 20+ years.  (B-737's alias T-43s) flying AFA cadets around the U.S., Central and South America)  After 12 years, Frontier merged with Continental Airlines.  Had moved to beautiful Grand Junction with a new wife, Chris, and 3 children by now.  In 1998 joined the B-737 training department at Continental as a instructor and check airman and moved to Houston, where mandatory retirement occurred in 2002.  Sidenote:  Had several Colorado Air Guard occasions to fly with AFA Cadets into  Hill AFB, Utah, and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona for various briefings, tours, etc.  To my great surprise and thankfulness, the Wing D.O. would always have a staff car and driver at my crew's disposal.  Will always remember the kindness "Ron Fogleman...future Chief of Staff of the USAF" paid to me and my copilots.  Mr. Congeniality certainly would deserve that position and was duly respected as COS of the Air Force for his honesty, truthfulness, and commitment to the position!  As late as last year,  was able to hook up Ron with Mitt Romney (2012 Presidential Candidate)  at the National Guard Association convention in Reno.  Mitt was impressed with Ron and later I noticed that Ron was listed as the #6 General/Flag Officer out of over 55 who endorsed Romney for the Presidency!    Started an Adventure Series back in 1982 at Frontier Airlines climbing in the Himalayas, the Alps, Andes, and Africa as well as the Rockies, and continued it at Continental.  It's still a thriving Series...we're going to climb Pike's Peak in May 2013 and Mt. Fuji in Japan in July.     After retirement, became a Licensed Massage Therapist (shades of Johns Hopkins) and an MT Instructor at The Greenspoint Club in Houston for 7 years before joining The Houston Airport System as Operations Coordinator for IAH (13,000 acres of aerial activity).  But after a year was asked to join the Romney 2008 Presidential Campaign.  And indeed additionally joined him in his 2012 bid for the Presidency as well...an enlightening experience of politics, travel, and meeting well-known people throughout the U.S.  Do not regret the effort but am disappointed with the election's results...especially from a military point-of-view.    So now I'm enjoying wife Chris, 5 boys and a beautiful daughter...all with college degrees and most with Masters or PhDs, and 6 grandchildren.  Youngest son, Kais, graduated from the AFA in '09. He was a C/Col his entire 1st class year and outshown his Dad by leaps and bounds.  Is an EC-130 pilot at DM in Tucson and pins on his Captain bars next month.  Heading for his 3rd deployment in Afghanistan, probably in November 2013.    Enjoy writing, photography, Church work, annual travel to Maui for a couple of weeks, biking (biked Ireland a couple of years ago with 9 others) and reading history, singing in a mens octet, and keeping in touch with many friends and family members all over the U.S. and Germany.    Thank the Lord and the Class of '63, for helping make this life on earth a meaningful and rewarding one!    John(ny)