| 25 Years of Honoring &
Remembering 2013 Honored Guests (additional Honored Guests will be listed as they are confirmed) |
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| 25 Years of Honoring &
Remembering 2013 Honored Guests (additional Honored Guests will be listed as they are confirmed) |
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 General Frank J. Grass, US ArmyGeneral Frank J. Grass, US Army, 27th Chief, National Guard Bureau and Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he serves as a military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense, National Security Council and is the Department of Defense's official channel of communication to the Governors and State Adjutants General on all matters pertaining to the National Guard. He is responsible for ensuring that the more than 470,000 Army and Air National Guard personnel are accessible, capable and ready to protect the homeland and to provide combat resources to the U.S. Army and U.S Air Force. |
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Brigadier General Thomas A. Bussiere, US Air Force Brigadier General Thomas A. Bussiere is the Commander, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman Air Force Base, MO. He is responsible for the combat readiness of the Air Force's only B-2 wing, including development and employment of the B-2's combat capability as part of the Air Force's Global Strike Task Force. He is a distinguished graduate of ROTC from Norwich University. He is a command pilot with more than 3,300 hours in the T-38, F-15C and B-2. He led F-15C combat missions during operations Southern Watch and Vigilant Warrior and B-2 combat missions during operations Allied Force and Iraqi Freedom. |
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Colonel Hubert C. Hegtvedt, Commander, 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman
AFB Colonel Hubert C. Hegtvedt, Commander, 442nd Fighter Wing, Whiteman AFB is is responsible for the combat readiness of approximately 1,800 Air Force reservists and 48 A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft as well as the 476th Fighter Group at Moody AFB, Ga. And the 917th Fighter Group at Barksdale AFB, La. He is a command pilot with 3,980 hours of flying time, which includes 61 combat missions and 195 combat hours in support of Operation Deliberate Guard, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Southern Watch, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. |
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Lieutenant General Dennis Cavin, US Army (Ret) Lieutenant General Dennis Cavin, Commanding General USA Accessions Command, Ret. General Cavin retired after completing 34 years of service in the USA, which included Commanding General USA Recruiting Command and directing the USA Advertising and Marketing Program launching the highly successful “Army of One” Campaign in 2002. He most recently retired again as Vice President, International Air and Missile Defense Strategic Initiatives, Huntsville, Alabama Division of Lockheed Martin Corporation. |
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Major General
Roger Combs, Mo National Guard (Ret) Major General Roger Combs, Mo National Guard, Ret., Director, J-5 National Guard Bureau. The General has been a member of the armed services since 1968 when he attended Officer Candidate School in the USMC and served a tour of duty in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. He has over 2,500 flying hours in four types of rotary wing aircraft, including more than 500 hours of combat time in a CH-46. He holds both Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Missouri. |
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Major
General Arnold Fields, US Marine Corps (Ret) Major General Arnold Fields, USMC, Ret., Deputy Commander, USMC Forces, Europe. Major General Fields retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2004 after over 34 years of active military service. At the time of his retirement he was serving as the Deputy Commander of Marine Corps Forces in Europe. During Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, General Fields commanded the 3rd Infantry Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment in operations against Iraqi Armed Forces. After retirement, he served as a member of the U.S. Department of Reconstruction and Management Office. He then served as the Deputy Director of the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Department of Defense. He then served as Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction until 2011. He was recently reappointed by the Secretary of the Navy to a second term on the Board of Visitors, Marine Corps University. He will close the Honored Guests Banquet, as he has for many years, by singing “God Bless America”. |
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Brigadier
General Denis L. Shortal, US Marine Corps (Ret) Brigadier General Denis L. Shortal, USMC Ret., Commanding General, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Camp Lejeune, N.C. General Shortal enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in October 1962 and was commissioned via the NROTC Program, as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve upon graduation from the University of Missouri in June 1964. He received a regular commission from the Commanding Officer, The Basic School and underwent flight training at the NAS Pensacola, Florida, and upon completion was designated a Naval Aviator in 1966. |
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Captain William Bond, US Navy (Ret) Captain Bond retired as the Commander, Fighter Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, F-14 Tomcats. He is a graduate of Hickman High School, the University of Missouri and has a Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, RI. He received his Navy Wings of Gold in June, 1980. He was the Squadron Operations Officer for Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. As Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations he deployed aboard the USS John F. Kennedy in support of Operations NOBLE EAGLE and ENDURING FREEDOM. He is currently the President and Owner of RenCon Industries, LLC. |
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Colonel Charles McGee, US Air
Force (Ret) Colonel McGee entered Army Air Corps Flight Training in 1942 and received his Silver Wings as a pilot in Class 43-F, Tuskegee Army Air Field. During his 30 years of active duty he flew fighter aircraft combat tours in three major wars: WWII, Korean War and the Vietnam War in P-39's, P-47's, P-51's, F-51's and RF-4C's. When he retired he held the USAF fighter combat record of 409 missions and 1,151 combat hours. He is the former President of the Tuskegee Airmen of America and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen. He is a graduate of Columbia College (Kansas City Campus). |
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Colonel
Charles DeBellevue, US Air Force (Ret) Colonel DeBellevue is our Ace of Aces from the Vietnam War. As a member of the famed "Triple Nickel," the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, he is credited with downing six North Vietnamese MiGs. Altogether he logged 550 combat hours while flying 220 combat missions, 96 over North Vietnam. After 30 years of distinguished service he retired from the Air Force in 1998 as the last American Ace on active duty. His final assignment was as Commander of the AFROTC Detachment 440 at the University of Missouri - Columbia. His decorations include the Air Force Cross, three Silver Stars, three Legions of Merit, and six Distinguished Flying Crosses. |
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Captain
James R. Fancy, Royal Canadian Regiment Captain James R. Fancy, Resources Coord 2, Land Forces Doctrine and Training Systems HQ. Captain Fancy Joined the Canadian Forces Reserves as an infantryman in 1978. During his Military career, he has served with the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment in Germany, the Toronto Scottish Regiment; the 33 Canadian Brigade Group HQ; and the Canadian Parachute Centre. While there, Captain Fancy served as Administration Officer with the Canadian Forces Parachute Team the Skyhawks. He completed a component transfer into the regular force in 2010 as a member of the Royal Canadian Regiment. |
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Captain Ron
Sharek, US Air Force Captain Sharek served for 8 years in the USAF and flew 233 missions in Vietnam. After growing up in Kansas City Ks, Ron Sharek attended Parks College of St Louis University. There he received his degree in Aeronautical Engineering and his commission through the Air Force ROTC program. He received his pilot training at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls TX and upon flight school graduation, he went to transition training in the F-100 at Luke, AFB outside Phoenix AZ. After training in the F-100, he was assigned to the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing at Phan Rang Air Base in the Republic of South Vietnam. While at Phan Rang, he flew 233 combat missions in the F-100 and during his year tour he was awarded the Air Medal with 13 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster and the Silver Star. After Vietnam, he served as an instructor pilot, flight commander and flight examiner back at Sheppard AFB. His final assignment was with Headquarters Air Training Command Standardization and Evaluation team where he was awarded the Commendation Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. Ron now resides in St Louis Mo. |
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Mrs.
Patricia Young, WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) Mrs. Young was in WASP class 44-W-1. In high school she had to write a letter about a vocational interest and communicated with Amelia Earhart, who advised her to read her book. She did. It wasn't long after that she started flying lessons. Her WASP flying was in PT-19's and BT-13 Vultee's. She wrote us that "as far as my time with the WASP, it was the greatest experience of my life and I was very appreciative of being able to be flying and to serve my country." At the 2010 Salute to Veterans Honored Guests and Volunteers Banquet Mrs. Young received her bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal that was presented by a grateful nation to all the WWII Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). That says it all.
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