John Robert Osborn

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Elaine (Osborn) Robinson on May 9, 2006:

My dad wrote this about a year before he passed away (Boy Scout til the end!): Career highlight in air to ground school. Filled Sav slot on ret in 4 engine kc's.. followed by two fast base eng slots prior to ret for kids' school. Eng firm, jax in fac mgt, then qa finally as eng div "exec" depart due lostly to divorce. Met andremar mo in seattle.. rejoin Co in Hanford on nuc project, then Jax again until Co collapse due nuc regs. Was diag disab due emph in 87 so retir perm to sa. For a life of golf until o2 reqm became too great now program to reduce lung size and allow return to more normal life. Daughter elaine works for Boeing in sea in a responsible staff job supervising communications. Son Rob has own landscaping biz. My entry into West Point took many moons. I received a Third Alternate Appointment (ah Politics) for a '46 entry and barely missed passing the English. The other three succumbed to math and a Physical, so the Primary Appointment was offered provided I went to Bullis academy in Silver Springs. Needless to say we were in the minority there since it was touted to be a prep school for USNA. Shy Meyers was among the USMA contingent and we all managed to weather the swells and be accepted for 1947 entry. My nemesis the first two years was French, but squeaked by somehow. The whole tour was great because of all the great guys in the class. Pilot Training was civilian contract at Columbus AFB, MS, followed by Advanced and Graduation at Resse AFB, TX. At advanced we expected multi-engine training in B-25's but were split in half (for secret reasons) with the tall guys into Multi's and the shorter into all-weather fighters (six months of instrument flying). After graduation it seemed strange to be assigned to activated Air National Guard Squadrons full of WWII daytime fighter pilots flying daytime fighters (P-51's, F-84's), but in a year all that changed and we received the all-weather F-86D and later the F-102 and F-106. GE "Jerry" Dickson was assigned here with me and we had a ball flying the last of the red-hot WWII fighters. We even started in leather flying 'helmets'. My career highlight as the "best pilots airplane". Next assignment was Kimpo AB, Korea arriving just after cessation of ground hostilities in '53. We were flying the F-86 air to air fighter and still had an occasional skirmish over the South China Sea. But the pipeline and War had gotten out of sync so those of us with some all-weather fighter time were reassigned to Japan and Okinawa. I joined a squadron in Naha AB, Okinawa who was flying the F-94B's but scheduled to change aircraft soon. I next went stateside to McChord AFB, WA flying F-86D's, but shortly was sent to Squadron Officers School in Montgomery, AL, then returned to McChord where we received the F-102. Met and married Norma Elaine Stanley at the base Chapel in 1956. I was next accepted as Aide to MG KP Bergquist (his brother was an Army MG) at L.G. Hanscom AB at Concord out of Boston, Mass. We were in the Air Force ARDC command working with MIT and all the "Think Tanks" for early communications and control functions plys other Hi-Tech. Our children, Elaine and Robert were born here. Briefly saw Buzz Aldrin while he was at MIT for his Doctorate. I was IP for a local area familiarization flight and aircraft recheck flight. Next I was sent to Arizona State University at Tempe, AZ for a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (no French!) Found the course was devised to help oversee missile silo construction for SAC. Alas, the international treaty on maximum numbers of missiles was signed and the USA had their max. Therefore I was sent to England as a Base Engineer. The Base was RAF Welford, England near Greenham Common AB west of London. It was a conventional bomb supply base and we were dumping ships-full of WWII bombs into the deep Atlantic trenches, until the Vietnam build-up took all the bombs. I later probably dropped some of the ordinance I helped maintain there. Later I was reassigned to RAF Lakenheath north of London in the same capacity, but with many times the scope and resources. Throughout the England assignment I saw much of GE "Jerry" Dickson who was stationed there. We later were stationed, even roomed together in Vietnam. John Ferguson Hook visited us from an assignment in Spain. My next stop was Command Post Chief at Phan Rang, RVN. It took a year to get there via F-100 Pilot retraining at Luke AFB, AZ and other at Nellis and Eglin. And I can't forget the jungle survival training north of Spokane, WA in late December '66/ Near frostbitten fingertips didn't thaw for a year. On reassignment found SAC took pick and I then flew four engine KC-135's for a few years until they then ran short of Base Engineers and I was there. My last base was Grand Forks AFB, ND as the Base Engineer. The weather here always brings major challenges as the floods of '97 proved. It's usually JUST snow and cold winds. Earl Jeans was stationed here with me, my old wife from the C-2. he retired here shortly after I and returned to Joplin to Farm. Decided to retire in 1973 and try the civilian world, plus the kids would have some stability in their final schooling. Took a job with Commonwealth Associates, and Engineering firm in Jackson, MI. Worked for them for 10 years when the parent company decided to downsize more, as all Nuclear Power Design companies had to do in light of legislation. Sold Real Estate and played golf for two years there then moved to San Antonio to retire among the Military Hospitals. Remarried Marianne Mickler King in 1980 in Seattle, WA. Something about the great Northwest! Quit smoking too late (after 40 years) in 1987, but the lungs continued to deteriorate. Underwent Lung Reduction Surgery, a major operation in 1997 to extend life with quality.

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