Posted by Michael Robert Patterson on February 7, 2002:

Richard Joseph O'Keefe, the former Commander of the 17th Air Force in Libya, died July 21, 1993 at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was 87 and lived in Fairfax, Virginia. The cause of death was cancer of the stomach, said his son Joseph Kirk O'Keefe. He took over as Commanding Officer of the 17th Air Force at Wheelus Air Force Base, outside Tripoli, August 1956. Under the command were U.S. bases in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Moroco as well as Libya. After receiving his second star in Tripoli, he returned to the Pentagon in July 1958, where he served in the Office of the Air Force Inspector General until his retirement in 1960. He had received his first star as Commanding Officer of the Dhahran Air Transport Base in Saudi Arabia in 1949, where he had served for 3 years. He gained renown in 1952 as Director of Air Force Flight Safety Research, heading the investigation into the crash of a C-124 Globemaster at Moses Lake, Washington, in which 87 servicemen died. According to the official findings, pilot tried to take off with his controls at least partially locked. As result of the inquiry, it was recommended that the unlocking device be redesigned. He was born at Brooklyn, New York, and enlisted in the New York National Guard in 1924. He was appointed to the United States Military Academy and graduated in the Class of 1930. He became a Second Lieuetnant in the Army Air Corps on graduation from the Air Corps Flying School, Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas. During World War II, he served as a Colonel with 1st Air Svce Area Command, based in Cairo, responsible for air logistics in North Africa. His medals included the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters. Besides his son Joseph, survivors include his wife, Louise; another son, Richard Dennis; two brothers, and four grandchildren. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to West Point Memorial Fund, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York 10996, or the American Cancer Society. September 20, 1905-July 21, 1993. He was buried with full military honors in Section 34, Grave 117-A, Arlington National Cemetery. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.com/rjokeefe.htm

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