WEBVTT

00:01.179 --> 00:03.700
Hi Billy here , uh , electronic warfare

00:03.700 --> 00:06.460
officer by trade , uh , 28 years in the

00:06.460 --> 00:09.029
Air Force , I retired in 2012 as a

00:09.029 --> 00:11.251
colonel out of Air Combat Command , but

00:11.420 --> 00:13.850
you know , rewind back to the beginning ,

00:14.060 --> 00:16.340
uh , major Air Force Base , like all .

00:17.120 --> 00:20.280
Navs and Eos back in the day , 1984 ,

00:20.840 --> 00:22.896
uh , made my way through that school

00:22.896 --> 00:25.030
and then wound up here at Offord in

00:25.450 --> 00:28.600
November of 1985 and was here until

00:28.600 --> 00:32.330
February of 1989 when I left . I was

00:32.330 --> 00:35.209
assigned to the combat set , uh , had

00:35.209 --> 00:37.265
no idea what the combat set was . In

00:37.265 --> 00:39.376
fact , I really didn't even know what

00:39.376 --> 00:41.431
the river joint was . It just seemed

00:41.431 --> 00:43.598
like a cool airplane . We had a . Crew

00:43.598 --> 00:45.820
members come out . They used to call it

00:45.820 --> 00:45.700
a command day . They brought the

00:45.700 --> 00:47.756
aircraft out when I was a student at

00:47.756 --> 00:49.811
Mayer , saw the aircraft , talked to

00:49.811 --> 00:51.922
the crew members , and I said , Wow ,

00:51.922 --> 00:54.089
this sounds like what I really want to

00:54.089 --> 00:56.089
do . So I was lucky . I was not the

00:56.089 --> 00:58.311
smartest in the class . I certainly was

00:58.311 --> 01:00.644
not . I think it was like 3 or whatever ,

01:00.644 --> 01:02.939
none of that matters , but I I got the

01:02.939 --> 01:05.989
assignment out here and um . Uh , again ,

01:06.080 --> 01:08.358
what was assigned to the combat center ,

01:08.358 --> 01:10.469
which didn't realize it , but it kind

01:10.469 --> 01:12.669
of like is a badge of honor , yet

01:12.669 --> 01:14.780
you're chastised from the rivet joint

01:14.780 --> 01:17.160
side of the house , um , at the time ,

01:17.169 --> 01:19.029
the 343rd reconnaissance was a

01:19.029 --> 01:21.140
strategic reconnaissance squadron and

01:21.140 --> 01:23.418
it was all electronic warfare officers .

01:23.418 --> 01:25.640
There were probably 100 , uh , assigned

01:25.640 --> 01:27.585
there , give or take 10% . I'm not

01:27.585 --> 01:29.918
really exactly sure what the number was ,

01:29.918 --> 01:32.140
but that doesn't matter . Uh , my first

01:32.140 --> 01:34.362
commander was , uh , Lieutenant Colonel

01:34.362 --> 01:36.585
Pete Lebowski . Last commander before I

01:36.585 --> 01:38.862
left was Lieutenant Colonel Mark Smith .

01:38.862 --> 01:41.029
I think Al Felcamp was there maybe for

01:41.029 --> 01:40.889
Lieutenant Colonel Al Felcamp was in

01:40.889 --> 01:43.111
there for a short period of time before

01:43.111 --> 01:45.111
I left , like I said in February of

01:45.111 --> 01:47.167
1989 . Lots of great memories in the

01:47.167 --> 01:49.167
combat . It's kind of interesting .

01:49.167 --> 01:51.167
Every year they give out the trophy

01:51.809 --> 01:53.809
awarding the best crew that did

01:53.809 --> 01:55.753
missions that have never been done

01:55.753 --> 01:58.050
before . That's still the case . I

01:58.050 --> 02:00.272
happened to be on a crew that was named

02:00.272 --> 02:02.790
Crew of the Year . Two years in a row ,

02:03.160 --> 02:05.559
uh , I was trained in a variety of

02:05.559 --> 02:08.080
positions on the on the plane , a

02:08.080 --> 02:10.880
manual EE operator is a Raven 5 , then

02:10.880 --> 02:12.839
I moved up to the Raven 8 position

02:12.839 --> 02:15.029
which at the time we had a um . A

02:15.029 --> 02:18.539
sensor at the back was a IR

02:18.539 --> 02:22.070
electro optical infrared camera that

02:22.070 --> 02:24.539
was able to detect things that were

02:25.270 --> 02:28.509
near the aircraft flying up flying up

02:28.509 --> 02:30.509
from the rear , and then I wound up

02:30.509 --> 02:32.731
being a tactical tactical coordinator .

02:32.731 --> 02:34.953
That was my last job . Great missions ,

02:34.953 --> 02:37.539
great , great flights , great TDYs over

02:37.539 --> 02:40.429
to the United Kingdom , like 90% of

02:40.429 --> 02:44.279
them . We did get to fly one time to uh

02:44.279 --> 02:46.520
Hellinikon to Greece . It was kind of

02:46.520 --> 02:48.687
interesting . This was a big hush hush

02:48.687 --> 02:50.909
deployment . Uh , we weren't allowed to

02:50.909 --> 02:52.964
tell our wives . Nobody knew we were

02:52.964 --> 02:56.160
going , and the day before we left , I

02:56.160 --> 02:58.271
happened to call my wife on the phone

02:58.271 --> 03:00.327
and she's like , Hey , I hear you're

03:00.327 --> 02:59.880
going to Greece . Make sure you bring

02:59.880 --> 03:01.880
us home some cartouches , which was

03:01.880 --> 03:04.102
jewelry at the time , and it's what the

03:04.102 --> 03:06.158
wives knew we were going . We didn't

03:06.158 --> 03:08.436
know we were going anyway , good stuff .

03:08.436 --> 03:11.339
But after I left off at the first time ,

03:11.520 --> 03:13.631
I went back to May Air Force Base and

03:13.631 --> 03:16.119
became an instructor out there and I

03:16.119 --> 03:18.759
had a great opportunity to train and

03:18.759 --> 03:20.789
teach at the undergraduate level

03:21.309 --> 03:24.919
several heroes that came to the 34,030

03:24.919 --> 03:28.089
after there was array of folks that

03:28.089 --> 03:30.080
became colonels , ultimately Eric

03:30.080 --> 03:31.524
Paulson . Dave Priisman ,

03:34.770 --> 03:36.881
Chris Luther , there's several others

03:36.881 --> 03:38.992
in there . I don't mean to leave them

03:38.992 --> 03:41.214
out , but it was , it was really just a

03:41.214 --> 03:43.214
great opportunity to have all those

03:43.214 --> 03:45.381
guys that eventually became colonels ,

03:45.381 --> 03:47.381
and I missed that I'm mixing up the

03:47.381 --> 03:49.326
dates of that , but that's OK . It

03:49.326 --> 03:51.548
doesn't matter . Then I went back after

03:51.548 --> 03:53.714
I left May 3rd in 1993 , we closed the

03:53.714 --> 03:57.139
base . I came back to and this time . I

03:57.139 --> 03:59.460
was a recovering combat scent raven ,

03:59.539 --> 04:01.706
so they let me go into the river joint

04:01.779 --> 04:04.419
and I became a river joint raven I . I

04:04.419 --> 04:06.641
was here for less than 3 years before I

04:06.641 --> 04:08.880
packed a lot of great things in that

04:08.880 --> 04:11.860
time I was here again . It was the new

04:11.860 --> 04:13.916
aircraft , the new mission . Most of

04:13.916 --> 04:16.138
the time was spent over in the desert ,

04:16.138 --> 04:18.304
which was just the way of the world at

04:18.304 --> 04:20.638
the time , if you recall the time frame .

04:20.638 --> 04:24.539
Um , from '93 to 96 , um I was

04:24.539 --> 04:26.761
became the chief of Sandoval . I became

04:26.761 --> 04:29.669
the uh assistant uh deputy of

04:29.669 --> 04:33.049
operations . Uh , I got here . Dave

04:33.049 --> 04:35.271
Trask , Lieutenant Colonel Dave Trask ,

04:35.271 --> 04:37.549
was the commander . I flew with him as .

04:37.549 --> 04:39.438
He was a major when I was a first

04:39.438 --> 04:42.565
lieutenant and a captain my first tour

04:42.815 --> 04:45.037
and then he was a squadron commander so

04:45.037 --> 04:47.259
we had already had a relationship which

04:47.259 --> 04:49.454
was which was nice uh and then uh um

04:49.454 --> 04:51.287
Zonker came in , uh , Lieutenant

04:51.287 --> 04:54.575
Colonel Mark uh Mike , what the hell

04:54.575 --> 04:55.686
was his last name ?

04:58.420 --> 05:01.359
Mike Smith , Mike Can't remember . Wow ,

05:01.440 --> 05:03.607
that's terrible . I'm sorry . Uh , and

05:03.607 --> 05:05.662
then , uh , Lieutenant Colonel Randy

05:05.662 --> 05:08.239
Timmons , he was a DO , and , um , lo

05:08.239 --> 05:10.017
and behold , uh , did all those

05:10.017 --> 05:13.589
positions and left in 1997 or 196 ,

05:13.600 --> 05:15.822
went to Air Command and Staff College .

05:15.839 --> 05:17.950
Fast forward out of there . I went to

05:17.950 --> 05:20.172
CENTCOM . I was in the . The J3 and the

05:20.172 --> 05:23.825
C2 shock there wound up becoming Major

05:23.825 --> 05:26.005
General Sandy Sandstrom's executive

05:26.005 --> 05:28.695
officer . He was a J3 there , great guy .

05:29.265 --> 05:31.964
And then from there I got assigned to

05:31.964 --> 05:35.625
the 5603rd Flying Training squadron at

05:35.625 --> 05:37.403
Randolph Air Force Base where I

05:37.403 --> 05:39.403
ultimately became a commander , and

05:39.403 --> 05:41.569
that's where the EPs and the DPs where

05:41.569 --> 05:44.399
I met those guys . Rewind coach was a

05:44.399 --> 05:47.720
student of mine , Mike , who's here ,

05:48.079 --> 05:50.301
Mike Hoskins , he was a student of mine

05:50.301 --> 05:52.357
when I was at Maer . There was a guy

05:52.357 --> 05:55.239
named Vinny Carr and Bruce Stanskin and

05:55.239 --> 05:57.200
several other guys and this is

05:57.200 --> 05:59.429
ultimately a great time . Uh ,

05:59.799 --> 06:03.070
left Randolph as the commander , went

06:03.070 --> 06:05.839
to Navy War College , uh , went to the

06:05.839 --> 06:08.679
Pentagon where I spent 5 glorious years

06:08.679 --> 06:11.809
working C2 ISR requirements . And then

06:11.809 --> 06:15.130
ultimately wound up down in um Air

06:15.130 --> 06:17.130
Combat Command at Langley Air Force

06:17.130 --> 06:19.074
Base where like I said , I retired

06:19.074 --> 06:21.570
after a 28 year one day career , I had

06:21.570 --> 06:23.626
to put in the extra day because they

06:23.626 --> 06:25.848
messed up my paperwork . I get an extra

06:25.848 --> 06:28.014
$4 a month or so because one extra day

06:28.014 --> 06:30.014
on active duty . But ultimately I'm

06:30.014 --> 06:32.070
sure you've heard this time and time

06:32.070 --> 06:34.292
again . Here I am . I have not set foot

06:34.292 --> 06:36.459
on an operational mission in an RC-135

06:36.459 --> 06:38.626
for almost 30 years , which is hard to

06:38.626 --> 06:41.549
believe , but it's it's like coming

06:41.549 --> 06:44.829
home . Two of my wonderful wife Suzanne

06:44.829 --> 06:47.549
and I have 4 children . Two of them

06:47.549 --> 06:49.649
were born here . One was born in

06:50.049 --> 06:52.510
Children's Methodist , uh , downtown on

06:52.510 --> 06:54.732
Dodge Street , and then , uh , my son ,

06:54.732 --> 06:56.954
that was my daughter . Kayla and my son

06:56.954 --> 06:59.250
Matthew was born at Erlingber was , uh ,

06:59.260 --> 07:01.220
which was of the best birthing

07:01.220 --> 07:03.276
experiences according to my wife . I

07:03.276 --> 07:05.498
didn't have a whole lot much to do with

07:05.498 --> 07:08.299
it , um , but , um , uh , just you get

07:08.299 --> 07:10.521
filled I just get filled with with such

07:10.521 --> 07:12.859
nostalgia and we come to these reunions

07:12.859 --> 07:15.026
and we see these people that we either

07:15.026 --> 07:17.100
flew with in many cases haven't seen

07:17.100 --> 07:19.220
them for years , sometimes decades ,

07:19.250 --> 07:21.472
but lo and behold they're there and you

07:21.472 --> 07:23.639
and you rekindle the stories and you .

07:23.639 --> 07:25.750
the friendships and it's like we were

07:25.750 --> 07:27.861
recruit dogs all over again and there

07:27.861 --> 07:30.119
probably isn't a single person that has

07:30.119 --> 07:32.175
not sat in this chair that would not

07:32.175 --> 07:34.440
say that they would love an opportunity

07:34.440 --> 07:37.329
to rewind the clock and relive some of

07:37.329 --> 07:39.440
those moments . There were bad ones ,

07:39.440 --> 07:41.773
not many , all good ones , great people ,

07:42.130 --> 07:44.299
and just an outstanding memory that I

07:44.299 --> 07:46.466
would take with me to my grave , and I

07:46.466 --> 07:48.688
speak to , I guess I'm in that category

07:48.688 --> 07:51.440
now where I have to . Have I told this

07:51.440 --> 07:53.679
story before , kids ? If I told this

07:53.679 --> 07:55.790
story before , please hit me over the

07:55.790 --> 07:57.957
head , and I can do it over the head a

07:57.957 --> 08:00.012
lot because I repeat myself I repeat

08:00.012 --> 08:02.123
the stories , but it's been a great ,

08:02.123 --> 08:04.235
great , great ride . I've had my wife

08:04.235 --> 08:06.869
Sue with me for 39 for my entire career .

08:07.519 --> 08:09.408
I dragged her out of Sacramento ,

08:09.408 --> 08:11.463
California when she was 22 years old

08:11.463 --> 08:13.463
and we've been married now , like I

08:13.463 --> 08:15.352
said , coming up on 39 years this

08:15.352 --> 08:18.839
August , so . I hope that this

08:18.839 --> 08:22.079
continues . I hope that the kids , I

08:22.079 --> 08:24.239
hope that the professionals that come

08:24.239 --> 08:27.070
into this unit continue to enjoy

08:27.070 --> 08:29.070
themselves and continue to do great

08:29.070 --> 08:31.160
things for our nation , and the sun

08:31.160 --> 08:33.880
never sets on the fighting 5th . Thank

08:33.880 --> 08:34.950
you very much for your time .