Wow!! It’s 1970. I’m a 31-year old Air Force captain with an over 5000 hours of aircrew experience, as a navigator in C-130, C-141, and C-47 aircraft. I just finished my one-year tour in Vietnam as an EC-47 Nav.
I also have an MBA, earned at the Ohio State University at Air Force expense just prior to my stint in Nam.
Ergo, Air Force assigned me to a prestigious job at a place called The Air Force Accounting and Finance Center (AFAFC) at 3800 York St in Denver, CO.
Shortly after reporting in, I was assigned to lead a group called The Special Accounts Division. This was the first Air Force leadership/management job in my 8-year career. As an aircrew navigator, I led nobody but myself.
I now had 15 GS 7-9 Air Force civil servants looking to me for guidance to manage the Air Force military pay accounts for about 300 Missing in Action (MIA) or Prisoner of War (POW) Air Force members.
The problem is, I know Squat about Air Force finance systems and I have zero experience directing people. What a challenge. What an honor!! Luckily, I had great teachers working for me in this special division.
When an Air Force member was declared MIA or POW, he continued to receive full military pay and receive on-time promotions through the rank of colonel, until the Air Force makes an ultimate finding of death. My people and I served as his personal pay master and worked closely with his family during that time. When I started in this position in 1970 many of these hero MIA/POW members had been missing for over 5 years.
I was a major connection for their families to the Air Force and, more importantly, to their money. Here’s an example of how my job quickly became the most rewarding and entangling responsibility of my Air Force career.
I spent much of my duty day on the phone with an Air Force wife, providing the best military pay service possible.
I got a call one day from a local, Denver MIA wife. She said, “ Don, I need a favor. Can you help me?” I said, “I’ll sure try. How can I help?” Don, my son is a Boy Scout. The Scouts are having a Father and Son banquet this Friday. Can you possibly escort him and represent his dad?
Just writing about this moment brings a tear to me now. His dad had been missing for over three years. His mom didn’t want to embarrass him at the banquet. I proudly represented his dad. He received an award and I couldn’t have been prouder being given this honor.
I served in this position for three years and was lucky to be present when the POWs came home in 1973. This was a terribly difficult time for MIA/POW families and I’m so happy I could provide a small service to make their struggle a little easier. Enuf