I
was born and raised in the Philadelphia, PA area. I entered military
service on October 5, 1942 in the Aviation Cadet Program. I was
eliminated from Pilot training and was sent to Aircraft Armament
School at Lowery AAB Colorado then to Aerial Gunnery School. Fort
Myers, FL where I met my wife-to-be Ann Marie Acuff. I was next
sent back to attend the CF Specialist School. I was then sent
to Salina, Kansas to join the 39th Bomb Group, 60th Squadron,
Crew P-15.
The
39th Bomb Group finished ORT and we proceeded to Guam and started
flying combat missions. In June 1945 our crew was returned to
the USA to take special radar training at MAAB. During this time
I married Miss Acuff. The crew returned to Guam in time to fly
one more combat mission.
I
returned to the USA in November 1945 on one of the Sunset Projects
and was discharged as a T/Sgt on December 13, 1945. I returned
to civilian life and we made our home in Ft. Myers, Fl. I reenlisted
in the AAF in May 1946 as a S/Sgt and was assigned to the 509th
Bomb Wing at Roswell, NM where I did duty as a CFC Gunner and
Gunnery Instructor at the Base Gunnery School. During this time
I received a direct appointment as a 2nd Lt. USAF. On March 10,
1952, I was recalled as a 2nd Lt. and assigned to the 28th Bomb
Wing (B-36 aircraft) as the Wing Gunnery Officer and the OIC of
the Base Gunnery School. The next few years I attended several
Electronics Schools and held several positions in the 28th A&E
Maintenance Squadron. Also during this time I had a return trip
to Guam with the 28th Wing on a 90-day rotation with RB-36's.
In 1955 we converted from RB-36's to B-52D's. In June 1962, I
was sent to SAC HQ working for the DM in the A & E Procedures
Branch. I retired after 22 years in the Air Force as a Major and
returned to Ft. Myers, FL with my family.
In
Ft. Myers I went to work with Bendix Field Engineering (BFEC)
under contract with NASA at the Ft. Myers NASA Tracking Station.
At the Tracking Station, we were downloading and recording data
from satellites. In January 1972, I was transferred to BFEC HQ
and worked all over the world installing new equipment in the
NASA Manned Space Network. I retired from BFEC in September 1963
having worked for BFEC and NASA for over 19 years.
My
children have all done well and each has their Masters Degree:
Jaqueline
Ann |
BS
and Masters in Nursing
University of Florida |
Mary
Helen |
BA
and Masters in Library Science
Florida State |
David
Bruce |
BA
and Masters in Gerontology |
We
have two grandsons: Peter and Jeremy
Since
I retired from BFEC I have done a little hunting and a lot of
fishing. Also Ann Marie and I have done some traveling: Alaska,
England; Canada; Panama Canal; Hartford CT and Las Vegas, NV to
name a few places visited.
Ann
Marie and I have recently celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary.
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