Richard David LaReau
"Lash"
d 2025
Service
United States Air Force
Highest Rank
Captain
Years of Service
7
Combat
Yes
Biography as of Mar 19, 2013
One of my videos is the story of my successful two year attempt to get into the Air Force Academy. To this day, I am thankful to have been awarded the opportunity for the education and experience. The other video is the story about flying the "Midget Mustang" which my brother built.
Some of you will know that I was married in Denver the day after our graduation. Since my parents drove out from Wisconsin, it was convenient to combine the wedding with graduation.
I was assigned to pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma which did not begin until mid-August. This provided an 8 week "honeymoon" which was spent in Denver, Wisconsin and a leisurely trip to the East Coast including New York and Washington DC, and included a ferry ride across Lake Michigan on the Milwaukee Clipper.
I arrived at Vance AFB ready to learn to fly and thoroughly enjoyed the training program. My first solo in the T-37 occurred at my having an average amount of dual training. Of course, my first solo was a high point in my training.
From pilot training at Vance I was assigned to Travis AFB Calif. flying C-124's until November 1966. I then volunteered for a Vietnam assignment flying EC-47's out of Saigon. I arrived in Vietnam in March of 1967 after C-47 training and jungle survival training in the Philippines. The major tet offensive which was very interesting occurred in early 1968. I returned to Hill AFB Utah in March 1968 for another year of C-124 flying before resigning from the AF in March 1969.
After leaving the service, I joined the Factory Mutual System and was trained as a fire protection engineer and spent nearly 5 years in that position. This experience and training led me to General Mills Inc. in Minneapolis, MN as their corporate fire protection engineer. I remained with General Mills until early retirement.
I now am enjoying my retirement, living in Crystal MN, a suburb of Minneapolis.
Some of you will know that I was married in Denver the day after our graduation. Since my parents drove out from Wisconsin, it was convenient to combine the wedding with graduation.
I was assigned to pilot training at Vance AFB, Oklahoma which did not begin until mid-August. This provided an 8 week "honeymoon" which was spent in Denver, Wisconsin and a leisurely trip to the East Coast including New York and Washington DC, and included a ferry ride across Lake Michigan on the Milwaukee Clipper.
I arrived at Vance AFB ready to learn to fly and thoroughly enjoyed the training program. My first solo in the T-37 occurred at my having an average amount of dual training. Of course, my first solo was a high point in my training.
From pilot training at Vance I was assigned to Travis AFB Calif. flying C-124's until November 1966. I then volunteered for a Vietnam assignment flying EC-47's out of Saigon. I arrived in Vietnam in March of 1967 after C-47 training and jungle survival training in the Philippines. The major tet offensive which was very interesting occurred in early 1968. I returned to Hill AFB Utah in March 1968 for another year of C-124 flying before resigning from the AF in March 1969.
After leaving the service, I joined the Factory Mutual System and was trained as a fire protection engineer and spent nearly 5 years in that position. This experience and training led me to General Mills Inc. in Minneapolis, MN as their corporate fire protection engineer. I remained with General Mills until early retirement.
I now am enjoying my retirement, living in Crystal MN, a suburb of Minneapolis.