USAFA Class Heritage

Relva L. (Lee) Lilly grew up in a rural area of WV. The oldest of 10 children in a coal mining family, he and his oldest brother essentially ran the family farm during his teenage years. He graduated from a 2 room elementary school and a high school class of 34. He was appointed to the USAF Academy by Sen. Robert Byrd in 1959 and graduated in 1963. At the Academy, cadet Lilly was a member of the Falcon Handling Club and club president one semester as a senior. He trained the falcons and performed flying demonstrations during half time at AF football games. During his senior year he met Leslie Ellen Wood who was attending Colorado College. Upon graduation Lt Lilly and Ms Wood were married in her hometown of Galesburg, IL. In attendance at the wedding was her brother, the late James W. Wood class of 1965 5th Sq. Lt Lilly entered the active Air Force with an assignment to Williams AFB, AZ in the civil engineering field pending future pursuit of an MS degree at the Air Force Institute of Technology. In 1964 he entered under graduate pilot training from which he graduated in 1965. He then flew various variants of the F-4 Phantom fighter jet at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ; Eglin AFB, FL; Cam Ranh Bay, RVN, Bitburg AB, Germany and Nellis AFB, NV and served as an Instructor Pilot and Squadron Weapons and Tactics Officer. He completed 192 combat missions and was promoted to Captain while at Cam Ranh Bay. Other assignments during his AF career included: Wright Patterson AFB, OH where he was a program manager of an electronics system in the F-15 System Development Office. During this assignment he flew T-39 aircraft to maintain flying currency and was promoted to Major. After graduating from the Air Force Staff College, he served as Squadron Operations Officer Adviser & Instructor Pilot to the Royal Saudi Air Force flying F-5s. He was next assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency as Chief of Current Intelligence Publishing Section. The section produced daily & other periodic intelligence briefs and sanitized compartmentalized intelligence data for release to operational users. He then moved to Headquarters USAF Directorate of Plans Conventional Munitions Division as an Action Officer / Division Chief / Program Element Monitor where he planned AF conventions munitions force structure and shepherded this portion of AF budget. He was promoted to Lt. Col. during this period. His next assignment was to Hq Air Force Systems Command under the Test & Evaluation Deputy where he was Chief of Aircraft and Flight Operations Divisions and subsequently became Director of Operations for Flight Test. In 1984, then Lt Col Lilly made a decision to decline his selection for promotion to Col and accept an offer to enter private industry. He spent 21 years as Program Manger of various development, production and logistics programs with Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems. In 2006, after 6 months of retirement he founded a consulting and staffing company, which he has since run. Mr. & Mrs. Lilly will celebrate their 50th Anniversary in July 2013. They have 2 sons Michael and James and 5 grandchildren. They reside in Lithia, FL and enjoy traveling extensively. Military Decorations include Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 11 Oak Leaf Clusters, AF Meritorious Service Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Service Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.  Lilly's education began with his BS from the US Air force Academy, MS in Systems Management, University of Southern California, Air Force Command & Staff College, Industrial College of the Armed Forces and USAF Fighter Weapons Instructor Course