Page 63 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine
P. 63
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carrying home. He would fly the spring of 1979 the couple’s Air Force
the coffins to either Travis AFB first son and my dad, Zachary,
in California or Dover AFB in was born. Not long after, Roger’s
Delaware for identification. No leave ended and he was assigned
matter the time
of day or type (Standardization/Evaluation). In
of weather, 1984, he was chosen to work at
military the headquarters of the Inspector
personnel General’s team in San Antonio.
in full dress That December, Roger and Mary
uniform would welcomed their second son,
meet Roger Russell. During his time with the
and his team IG team, Roger created a multi-
on the ramp to media presentation called “Enemy
download the in the Mirror”, which outlined all
fallen soldiers. the steps pilots and bases should
take to avoid accidents. The
In October presentation was so well received
1973 Roger was that Roger was asked to take it
selected to fly around the country and present it
a secret cargo to McChord AFB in Tacoma, to every Air Force and Navy base
mission, Operation Nickel Grass, Washington to fly C-141s again. in the United States.
into Tel Aviv to deliver weapons
and supplies to the Israelis In 1980, Roger was selected to be In 1986 Roger was promoted to
during the Yom Kippur War. a T-37 jet instructor pilot and he
He and his team flew into Tel went to Pilot cont.’d on next page
Aviv in the dark of night with no Instructor
lights on the runway or aircraft. Training in
The mission was so dangerous San Antonio.
that they had to be escorted in After 6
and out of the country by two months,
Navy F-14’s. Roger
graduated
After two years of flying cargo, number one
Roger was transferred to a in his class
remote radar site in Northern and received
Alaska. On the site, located on a the Top Gun
mountain called Murphy Dome, Award. He
Roger and his buddies ran the moved his
radar scope and the NORAD family to Del
Control Center to monitor Rio, Texas
Russians trying to enter the where he
country. If detected, they would served for
send up F-4s to intercept the four years as
Russians and turn them back. an Instructor
Pilot, working
When the Vietnam War ended his way up
in 1976, there was an excess of to the top
USAF pilots and no flying hours job of Chief
were given. Roger accepted an of Stan/Eval
optional leave from 1976-1979.
He and Mary moved to Houston,
where he did civilian work. In
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