CORBY L. HARRISON Major USAF (Retired)

USAF OCS CLASS 57C, OC LT, 3rd Squadron Flight Lieutenant

Born on December 21, 1929, the middle child of what became a family of 15 children, life was not boring. My father was an Armco steel worker who by necessity owned small farms of various sizes in and around Middletown, Ohio. Needless to say my early life was full of hard fieldwork-hoeing, weeding and plowing. After graduating second in a class of slightly over a hundred and having few financial resources for college, I worked at odd jobs and took off-campus courses through Miami University for several years in Middletown, Ohio, where I was born. In 1950 using a draft deferral, I attended one year of college at Ohio State University. I decided not to take any chance on a draft call and enlisted in the Air Force and left for service in March 1951 at the age of 21. My draft call came through three months later. whew (almost became a ground pounder).

Because of my ROTC training in college I was made a squad leader in basic training. Being of small stature I was constantly in fear of being marched over by the six footers directly behind me but I survived. After basic and making sure I rated high in math, electrical, and mechanical skills and somewhat low in English and typing skills on the aptitude tests, I managed to get assigned to an electronics school at St. Louis University. After completing that course, I was sent to a Gun Sight System School (gun sight systems compute lead angle and range for firing guns in the early fighter planes). After that, I was assigned to a fighter squadron on Long Island as an electronic technician. The Connecticut National Guard planes assigned there did not have the sight system so I helped maintain the radios and IFF equipment when the planes were turned over to us regular AF personnel. From Long Island I went to the AF base at Newburgh, NY where I saw my first jet airplane and it had the gun sight for which I had been trained. While there I married Barbara Meachum (Barbe) and our first child (Robin) was born at the West Point Hospital. Last summer we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary. We have five wonderful children. Robin is a marine biologist and works for NOAA in Seattle and has done extensive marine life studies along the Pacific coast and Alaska area. He often goes to sea as an observer on Russian and Japanese fishing boats to assure proper types and quantity of catches. Wendy, our oldest daughter, enlisted in the Air Force and served about 12 years before meeting her future husband (Randy Maheux, Lt Col and B52 Navigator). They lived for years in Tampa, FL but moved here (Escondido, CA) a few years ago. Tammi, our middle daughter, lives in Chelmsford, MA and is married to a High Tech sales agent. They gave us our only grandchild, Ashley, who is now 14. Vikki, youngest daughter and fourth child, lives in Seattle and works for Virginia Mason Hospital as a perfusionist-she runs the machine that circulates the blood out of and back into the heart during open heart surgery. Five years ago, she lost her veterinarian husband to an avalanche while he was mountain climbing in Alaska but luckily she was not on that particular trip with him. Two of his best friends were killed with him. Kelly, our last child, has an "eye" for antiques and collectibles and is following in his mother's footsteps. He will be opening an antique shop in New England in the near future.

As is true with others, OCS was a rather blur for me but some of my most memorable occurrences were: (1) after one of our Friday night bashes at our OC club and while driving home, Barbe threw up in front of the base commander's house (she barely got the car door opened). You know, I think that was the only time she ever threw up from too much drinking. (2) visiting Barbe at the base hospital where she came close to losing her arm to a massive infection caused by excess cortisone treatment. (3) those &@#$% ad lib speeches we had to give in one of our training courses. I attended AFIT in the early 60's and got my BS in Engineering Sciences- Electronics. After AFIT I became Subsystem manager for most of the avionics on the F-111. Here some of my most memorable recollections were: (1) President Kennedy was assassinated. (2) Shortly after assuming additional temporary duties as Armaments Subsystem manager and in two weeks becoming an "expert" on the Navy Shrike missile, I gave a presentation to the F-111 Configuration Management Board to recommend the proper level of Shrike capability the F-111 should have. (3) The presentation I gave at the Pentagon to the Scientific Advisory Board on the F-111 Avionics capabilities (they were some very smart cookies and asked some very tough questions).

In the mid 60's I returned to AFIT and obtained my master's degree in Systems Engineering, Reliability and Maintainability. From there I went to Thailand as an Avionics Maintenance Officer. Returning from SEA, I was assigned to the Electronics System Division at Hanscom AFB, in Massachusetts. After retiring from Hanscom AFB in 1972, Barbe and I stayed in the New England area and opened an antique business. We had been doing antique shows for a few years and were very successful. We had Harrison House Antiques for almost 12 years and decided to fully retire and moved to California in 1983. These have been among the best and happiest years of our lives. Since coming to California, we have extensively traveled the world-Mexico, China, Tahiti, most of Indonesia, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Pakistan, Italy and Nepal. We have also traveled the glorious West for thousands of miles and many years in our motor home.
Corby