12TFW Memorial

. 12TFW Memorial

A permanent 12^th Tactical Fighter Wing memorial has been established at the War Memorial Park at Fremont County Airport, Canon City, Colorado.

In the fall of 1995, retired Major Ron Doughty and former NCOs Gene Rust and Bobby Sutton, all Vietnam veterans of the USAF 12th Tactical Fighter Wing, began sorting out the details of developing a 12th website for the Internet. Maj Doughty was able to get the initial website online in March 1996.
A few years later, Maj Doughty noticed an article in Smoke Trails magazine concerning F-4C 63-7551, which was reportedly written-off in December 1965 and which was, at the time of the article, being used for munitions training at Lowry AFB. It was soon determined that the airframe had been transferred to the Wings Over The Rockies aviation museum in Denver and then to the Fremont County Airport near Canon City, Colorado.
A trip to Canon City revealed that 63-7551 had become the permanent centerpiece of the Leo C. Boston War Memorial Park at the small airport. Fremont County Commissioner Myron Smith had obtained the airframe from the Denver museum when it became surplus after the museum procured an F-4E.
The airframe was especially interesting to the 12th veterans because of its XN tailcode (signifying the 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron, a 12th component). It was coincidental that Ron Packard, a native of Canon City, was a member of the 559th when he was lost in North Vietnam.
With the help of H. Ray Jones of the Canon City War Memorial Park Commission and Bill Lande, Fremont County Veterans Service Officer, the 12th veterans struck a deal with Fremont County Commissioners Jim Shauer, Joe Rall and Keith McNew which would set aside panel J of the memorial wall (the section nearest to the F-4C) for inscription of the names of all known 12th casualties.
The 12th veterans soon formed a 501(c)(19) tax exempt veterans organization named the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing History Project, Inc. Donations augmented by sales and Internet auctions of 12th memorabilia generated the needed funds, and the company which maintains the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC inscribed 104 names on the memorial wall in the summer of 2001.
September 16, 2001 was selected as a dedication date because it was a date when a flyover of Colorado Air National Guard F-16s could be accomplished. Brigadier General Peter Sutton of the 12th Flying Training Wing was to be guest speaker. Events of September 11 caused cancellation of the flyover and General Sutton's appearance. Still, the USAF Band of The Rockies, the USAF High Frontier Honor Guard / Color guard and Major Steve Sheik, Chaplain of the Air Force Falcons, were on hand to make the dedication a success.
Four additional 12th names were added to the wall in the summer of 2003.
A number of 12th veterans gather at the park every September for an informal re-dedication ceremony.

The cost of this undertaking was $7,000 and was funded entirely by the veterans and friends of the 12^th.

CONTRIBUTORS:

Lester Alford, Bend, OR
(In memory of Gary Glandon)

Kenneth Applin, Dansville, NY

Sonny Billingsley, Prattville, AL

Matthew Birkinbine

Gen J. Timothy Boddie, Jr., USAF (Ret), Plano, TX
(In memory of Glen Wilson)

Albert Borchick, Shalimar, FL

Bob Burby, Ingleside, IL

Walt Burkett, Sr., Vero Beach, FL

John Burt, Walker, MI

Lt Col William Carrothers, Phoenix, AZ

Dan Cisneros, Pooler, GA

Jimmie Cockerham, Clarendon, TX

George Devorshak, Middleburg, VA

Ron Doughty, Springfield, IL

Dan Feigenbaum, Mt. Sinai, NY

Edward Fitzgerald, Londonderry, NH

Flagworld, Springfield, IL

Jeffrey Fleck, Platte City, MO

Barry Fortier, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Dorothy (BD) Fullick, Vacaville, CA

Major Charles Garner, Austin, TX

Donald Graham, Bethlehem, PA

Joseph Grove, Baltimore, MD

David Hartin, San Antonio, TX

Henry Haven, Jr., Camp Hill, PA

Kenneth Hopkins, Hewitt, NJ

David Hutchings, Port Byron, NY

Samuel Hyde, Farmington, NM

Timothy Jackson, Eden Prairie, MN

William Johannessen, Jr., Boyertown, PA

Daniel Kaiser, Austin, TX

Donald Karpen, Talent, OR

Steve Killpack, Salt Lake City, UT
(In Memory of MG Larry M. Killpack, USAF (Ret)

Steve Knutson, Kenai, AK

James Landy, Pinon Hills, CA

Paul Lay, Red Bluff, CA

Glen Larsen, Brighton, MI

Peggy Lazarski, Golden, CO

Derrell Maxwell, Bloomingdale, GA

Thomas McManus, Stratford, CT

James Mendoza, Berkley, MA

James Mindak, Chicago, IL

John Mollison Jr., Elkhorn, NE

Lynn Moss, Memphis, TN

Reinhold Niidas, Kingfield, ME

Jay O'Mainnin, Goodlettsville, TN

Gregory Osbun, Honolulu, HI

Trenton Pauley, Fayettville, GA

Ross Peeler, Fort Myers, FL

Judith Perrill, Denver, CO

Edward Petrovic, Abingdon, MD

Linda Pinegar, San Angelo, TX
(In memory of Lt Quentin Lusby, Jr.)

Tom Pirtle, Tremonton, UT

Ron Prudence, Tucson, AZ
(In memory of Patrick J. Hayes)

Rosemary M. Quigley, Chesterfield, MO
(In memory of William D. Smith)

Gene Rust, Arvada, CO

Robert Samo, Lakewood, NJ

Max Schuermann, Grove, OK

Calvin Schuler, Gilbert, AZ

Kenneth Sherman, North Grafton, MA

Marcia Siebert, Champaign, IL

Armond Simmons, Pell City, AL

Marion and Polly Simmons, Bridgewater, VA
(In memory of Capt William P. Simmons)

Dale Simons, San Angelo, TX

Eugene Smith, Weatherly, PA

Wayne Smith, Oberlin, OH

Bill Spidle, Plano, TX

Walter Stackhouse, North Hills, PA

Kenneth Staley, Littleton, CO

William Stalnaker, Gainsville, FL

Les Stephany, Florence, KY

Gus Stritmater, Jr., Sloatsburg, NY
(In memory of: Col Charles J. Scharf, Maj John Massucci, Lt Col James A. Branch, Capt Eugene M. Jewell,
Maj Chambless M. Chesnutt, Capt Michael D. Chwan)

Bobby Sutton, Pelham, AL

Stephanie Tucker, Arlington, TX

Charles Wells, Fort Worth, TX

George Wells, Hendersonville, NC

Colonel Jerrold L. Wheaton, Riverside, CA

Major Patricia Goodman Wheaton, Riverside, CA

Elizabeth Yogerst, Surprise, AZ
A DEDICATION CEREMONY WAS CONDUCTED ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2001.
PowerPoint Slide Show of Ceremony

Memorial Re-dedications
Canon City, Colorado