Page 40 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

Homer Whitlow Air Force
omer Forrest Whitlow
was born 30 May 1931,
Hand raised in West Kress,
TX. He graduated from Kress
High School in May 1949 and
attended Lippert’s Business
College. The local Postmaster
asked him to work in the Post
Office when first class stamps
were three cents and postcards
a penny. He was paid $1.35
an hour. During that time, the
Korean War was heating up, and
he and a friend enlisted in the
Air Force on 5 January 1951. His
family drove him to Amarillo
where the boys were processed
and boarded a train bound for
Lackland Air Force Base in San
Antonio. “It was a frigid winter
night. We were assigned cots
in tents in 18-inch-high weeds.
While quartering in those tents
for 78 days, we were given a
battery of tests to determine our
skills. Upon graduation from
boot camp, March 1951, I was
given orders for Aircraft and
Engine Mechanic School, with
jet engine module, located at
Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls.
That was the start of my 26-year
Air Force journey.
40 Lubbock Senior Link
Thunderbird Pilot
as told to Larry Williams
“Upon
graduation, I
was assigned
to Nellis
AFB, NV as
a Crew Chief
on an F-86,
which was the
designated
fighter aircraft
at that time.
While I was
at Nellis, I
applied to
take the test
for pilot training. It was a 5½
hour test. Many college students
were there since they wanted
to serve in the Air Force instead
of the Army. I passed the test
and could choose to be either a
navigator or pilot. I chose to be a
pilot.
“Anyone desiring to be a pilot
in the Air Force had to take the
Officer Qualifying Test, which
is the same test used to select
college graduates for entry-level
officer positions in the Air Force.
It helps determine which military
occupation would fit best for the
applicant. The tests are rigorous
and designed to measure skills
and aptitudes based on what the
Air Force needs in its recruits.
Those who desire to be fighter
pilots face substantial physical
and cognitive challenges. One
of the first major challenges
is dealing with G-forces.
Understanding what these
forces do to your brain when
the blood flows down to your
lower extremities and leaves the
brain without adequate oxygen is
critical.
“I was in the Aviation Cadet
class of 53-G, and we started
our journey as pilots in the T-6.
It was not a friendly aircraft but
is the ideal aircraft for teaching
pilots to fly. After finishing
basic training in the T-6, I was
transferred to Williams AFB,
outside of Phoenix for primary
training in the T-28s and T-33s—
both two-seat jet trainers. Upon
graduation in November 1953,
two of us were designated
distinguished graduates and
were commissioned 2nd
Lieutenants. We could select
any aircraft for training, and
both of us selected fighter pilot
training at Nellis AFB, NV where
we would attend the Fighter
Weapons School.
“On graduation from Fighter
Weapons School, my first duty
station was Bitburg, Germany
where I was assigned to the
22nd Fighter Day Squadron. I
met and flew with Buzz Aldrin
and Ed White, who were future
astronauts. Chuck Yeager flew
in from a nearby base and joined
us at the Officer’s Club. What a