This is a list of those FACs who took their last flight during 2020 and some from other years, because we recently learned of their passing
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Flew West 2020

Slow hand salute to these brave warriors
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Announcements:


With a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I just found out that Brother Don Davie, Nail 218, passed away 1 December 2020.
Today I called his wife Pat to find out Don's status.  Don has been sick for the last year or so and was in a rehab facility.  I am not sure where he was when he died
Wife Pat and four boys; Scott, Craig, Brice and Phillip.  Pat and Phillip were with Don at the Seattle reunion.  
Don will be interned at Ft Sam Houston Nat'l Cemetery at a later date.  
Address:  16406 Ledge Park, San Antonio, TX, 78232.
Don knew everyone and could remember everything.  He created lots of stories and could tell even more.  Night Time Nail, rides into Laos in the OV, bowling ball idea to fill the Trail valleys which I believe that 7th AF didn't think was too funny, Ima Dog and lots more that some of you know about.  Don and Bob Andrews got this young, dumb, Lt back to the States on leave with them in Dec 1970.  Don retired as a Col. at AFMPC.  
Gary McDaniel, Nail 76
Robert Heckman was born on a farm near South Branch Lutheran church in Boone County NE on June 12, 1937.  He lived with his grandparents Andrew 0. and Laura Tisthammer until the age of three.  He moved to Lincoln with his parents and attended school in Lincoln and Friend and moved to Albion to attend school in the second semester of his freshman year.  He graduated in 1955 and attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He also was commissioned at that time in the Air Force.  He entered the Air Force in November 1959 and went to James Connelly AFB in Waco, Texas for basic navigator training.  On graduation went to Mather AFB in Sacramento for advanced navigator schooling.  On graduation from Mather he started B-52 upgrade training and did training at Castle AFB in Merced CA and Walker AFB in Roswell NM.  At the completion of this training he was assigned to B-52H crew duty at Minot AFB ND. In 1967 he was assigned to Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha.  In October 1967 he married Elisabeth Johnson in a full military wedding in the Chapel at Offutt AFB NE.  In 1969 he was selected for a year of training with industry.  He was a management trainee for one year with the AC Electronics division of General Motors in Milwaukee, WI.  From there he went to Viet Nam with basic duty as a forward air navigator/controller flying the night mission on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  In October 1970 he was selected for the executive officer position for the 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron. At that time the largest flying squadron in South East Asia. During his tour in South East Asia he flew 128 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with three oak leaf clusters and the Air medal with seven oak leaf clusters.  On his return to the United States he attended the Air Command and Staff college in Montgomery, Alabama and simultaneously attended Auburn University at Montgomery and completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science. He was a distinguished graduate of the Air Command and Staff College.  He then went to Wright Patterson AFB and worked for the next three years as the production officer for the Maverick Missile program. Completing that tour in 1975 he was assigned to the Hughes aircraft corporation in Culver City CA as the deputy Air Force plant representative Officer(AFPRO).  In 1977 He went to TRW in Redondo Beach as the AFPRO and then in 1978 back to Hughes Aircraft as the AFPRO. In 1979 he was selected to be the Vice Commander of the Air Force Contract Management Division in Albuquerque. In 1980 he was assigned as the Deputy Director of the Air Force Acquisition and Manufacturing Directorate in the Pentagon. He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1981. He was hired by the Ball Corporation to manage their Washington DC office.  In 1983 he returned to the Ball operations in Boulder CO and worked on various programs and projects. When he retired in 1993 he was the Director of Classified Security.   In 2000 he worked for five months for the US census. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Alice Heckman and his nephew Sean Lough.  He is survived by his daughter, Paris; ex-wife, Elisabeth; his sister, Dr. Diane Lough and niece Stephanie.  He is also survived by his friend, Damon Caylor. Memorial service will be at a later date with burial at Arlington National Cemetery.   He was particularly proud of the fact that during his military career he had held a spot promotion to Captain, and both promotions to Major and to Colonel were from below the primary zone and he was promoted to full Colonel with less than 18 years of active duty.
Jayne sent out a note just a while ago. Jon, Nail 58ski, FAC extraordinaire, Shit Hot ,  He passed away last night in Colorado Springs after a long and complicated series of problems which destroyed his body. Jayne was right there with him as he slipped away.  Jon was one of the Buds in the Nails late 1972 - 73, and was a Cambodia rat. He was a great guy, highly spirited, and wore the cape - you Nails will understand. He thought that he was something else at the 4-5-6 table, but we know the truth. Did anybody ever cash that check?  Jon, was a great lifetime friend and I shall miss him so. I was looking forward to bringing him and Jayne to the FAC Reunion in Sept and I know that he was looking forward to it too.

No details yet on services. All is complicated by the COVID-19 reality.

Jayne can be reached at trapper_jayne@yahoo.com

A slow and tearful hand salute to a dear and very special friend and fellow combat aviator..
Darrel