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 .