Before Lt. Col. David “Bush” Efferson’s first combat mission, he climbed into his aircraft, worked through his preflight routine and steadied himself for the moment ahead. Then he looked up and saw his father, Brig. Gen. Bob L. Efferson, leaning against a staff car, watching from a distance without interfering. For Bush, the image captured the kind of leader and father his dad had always been: close enough to support, disciplined enough to let others do their job.
When asked to describe his father beyond rank and uniform, Bush answered with three words: “Proud, present, and supportive.”
For the 301st Fighter Wing, Efferson’s legacy reaches far beyond an impressive record of assignments, aircraft and awards. It lives in a culture his family says he treasured: one built on fellowship, mission focus and taking care of people. That connection ran deep. Efferson served in the 301st Tactical Fighter Wing from 1972 to 1987 and later returned to lead the wing from July 1994 to April 1999. Over a 35-year Air Force career, he flew more than 5,500 hours, including more than 324 combat hours, in the F-105, F-4, A-10, F-16 and T-38.
The 301st connection began when the 457th Tactical Fighter Squadron reconstituted at Carswell Air Force Base under the 301st Tactical Fighter Wing in 1972, a period that helped shape the wing’s modern identity. Bush said his father joined the unit at that time and quickly came to love both Fort Worth and the organization. Years later, after assignments in New Orleans and Kansas City, returning to Fort Worth as the 301st’s commander became what Bush called his father’s “dream job.”
That affection for the wing was rooted less in position than in people. Bush said his father remembered the 301st for its “sense of fellowship” and for the friendships that lasted long after assignments changed. He said Efferson admired the wing’s dedication to the mission and the way its Airmen looked after one another.
The leadership philosophy Bush remembers was simple and practical. “He’s the first to tell you that you surround yourself with good people, you empower them to do their job, and then you get out of the way and let them do their job,” he said. Bush believes that same philosophy shaped how his father led the wing and why so many relationships endured long after his command ended.
At home, the same values were on display in quieter ways. Bush remembered a father who showed up for games, family outings and ordinary time together — riding dirt bikes, taking ski trips and making family a priority. He said his father carried discipline home, but always “did it with love.” The values he worked hardest to pass on were loyalty, love, compassion, friendship and family.
Those lessons did not stop with one generation. Bush served more than 28 years with the 457th Fighter Squadron and retired in 2021 after flying the F-16 in combat and command roles. His brother, Lt. Col. Mike Efferson, also served and retired from the Air Force.
Flying itself was central to who Efferson was. Bush said being a pilot was “a large part of who he identified himself as,” tracing a career that spanned Vietnam, Desert Storm and later operations connected to the Reserve fighter mission. Near the end of that flying career, Efferson arranged one final moment that said as much about family as it did about aviation: with permission, he flew his last F-16 formation as flight lead with both of his sons on his wing.
For a wing with roots reaching back to the reactivation of the 457th in 1972, heritage is more than displays on a wall or names in a history book. It is carried forward in the habits leaders leave behind: empowering people, trusting teammates and treating the unit like family. “When you’re a member of that wing, you’re part of a bigger family,” Bush said. “Take care of everybody and make sure that everyone’s okay.”