Robert Frank Pheiff

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dan Troyan on May 31, 2000:

EULOGY TO ROBERT FRANK PHEIFF Class of 1955, US Military Academy Much to our sorrow, on 23 April 1998, Bob Pheiff departed our ranks. He leaves an unreconcilable void in the formation of life's flight, but his memory shall live on and he will always be remembered. After family and country, Bob's great love was flying. All his cadet days, he aspired to "Go Air Force". He realized that dream and served with great honor and distinction on the "Blue Team". Not long after West Point, as part of our Nation's deterrent force in the grim, covert battle of the Cold War, he flew for nearly a decade with the Strategic Air Command. Later, in Vietnam, he bravely flew endless low-slow missions laying down Agent Orange with the Air Force's "Ranch-hands". With relentless and consistent valor, he always brought crew and plane back--even at times in shot-up aircraft that had been declared not flyable. Appropriately, he was awarded two Silver Stars for distinguished gallantry in action, twice received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism or extraordinary achievement while performing aerial flight, and received ten Air Medals for meritorious achievements beyond that expected while participating in aerial flight. Now Bob has shed his union with us and taken his place with the Long Gray Line in the Sky. He has "slipped the surly bonds of this Earth and dances high above on laughter-silvered wings. Going up, up the long delirious blue, beyond wind-swept heights, he has climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds. Now he flies forever...where never lark or even eagle flew..." [Variation of High Flight, J.G. Magee, Jr.] Dan Troyan, USMA '55

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