Page 14 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 14
Colonel Lou Ortiz
Retired The Big Picture
by Cheryl Goforth
Vietnam. They were a
strong influence, and
Lou always wanted
to join the military.
As a kid, he became
fascinated with crop
dusters and airplanes
in general. He wanted
to fly fighter planes,
so after high school
graduation, in 1978, he 15 years, he served as an Aircraft
enlisted in the Air Force. Logistics and Maintenance
Lou’s first tour was at Bergstrom Officer in F-15 fighter and EC130
AFB, home of the RF-4 airborne command and control
Reconnaissance Wing. Then he aircraft squadrons. Although
transferred to Bitburg, Germany, not in the cockpit, it provided
36th Fighter Wing, where he met him with many leadership
opportunities.
ou grew up in Wilson, Cheryl, who was working for the
Texas where everybody, in military postal service. He said, The Air Force is big on education,
Lsome way, was connected “It was a magnificent tour. We and Lou took advantage of the
to cotton farming. He recalls his were in our early 20s, and you opportunities, earning a master’s
early years picking cotton, then could go anywhere in Europe degree and Juris Doctorate
later spent his summer breaks on a bus or train.” Lou and from Texas Tech. His education
from school “chopping” cotton Cheryl married in 1982 and will opened a lot of doors.
(really weeds), “tromping” cotton celebrate their 40th anniversary
in the fall at harvest time and this year. After passing the bar, Lou
working at the gin. Time was ticking away for Lou returned to active duty, and
he, along with his wife and
“It was your typical small-town and his dream to become a pilot. their two children, were sent to
Texas upbringing; you could be When he was stationed in South Washington DC in September
in sports, band, and FFA raising Dakota, he went back to college 2001. He was still going through
show barrows. Because it was and earned a BBA degree in three orientation at the Pentagon on
such a small school, you had years. Immediately, he applied Sept. 11 when American Airlines
all these opportunities, which for Officer Training School, was Flight 77 crashed into the
was great. At the same time, you selected, and then commissioned building.
knew there was a bigger world as a 2nd Lieutenant.
out there, so you always wonder He had one more hurdle, the “After 9/11, we were working all
how competitive you are in the eye exam, and then off to the the Title 10 United States Code
world at large. The good news wild blue yonder. However, laws and policy provisions that
is what you find out when you when he went to take his flight had been in place forever. The
go out into the world is that you physical, he couldn’t pass the way we mobilized forces prior
are just as competitive as the next eye exam. He was color blind— to 9/11 was totally different than
person,” said Lou. not completely, but enough to how we did it afterward. All that
had to be changed to adapt to
Like many West Texas towns, disqualify him from flying. new threats and then had to be
Wilson had many veterans— At that juncture, he had to choose blessed by Congress.”
some from WWII, Korea, and something else. So, for the next
14 Lubbock Senior Link
