News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
USAF Lt. Colonel (Sel.) Dean James Anderson, not a worry in his life.
It isn't every day that I get a phone call from one of my sons with: "Hi Pop, I just thought I'd call and let you know I've made Lt. Colonel." That sort of news, dear friends, got my attention.
When Dean was just about a year older than the photo above he and his brother, Ross, loved flying in my restored 1947 Piper Cub on a Sunday afternoon. I'd strap them into the back seat, side-by-side, and when we got some altitude I'd turn the stick over to them (neither of them could reach the rudder pedals).
It was one of those lovely moments of awareness that kids suddenly discover. When they pushed the stick forward the nose of the old J-3 went down, and when they pulled back on the stick the nose went up -- sometimes faster and more energetically than either of them expected.
Roller-coaster rides and wifferdills in the Cub became a regular Sunday afternoon event.
Maybe that's why both boys went into the Air Force ROTC program at OSU and are flying F-16s today. The introduction of mild positive and negative 'G's in the backseat of the Cub might have also helped them to handle the incredible nine 'G's their bodies withstand on most trips aloft in their Viper Jets.
Not for me. I can remember those Piper Cub days all too vividly saying, "OK, boys that's enough for today," waiting for my stomach to get back to where it belongs.
USAF Lt. Colonel (Sel.) Dean James Anderson now faced with the concerns for his squadron and his Homeland.
When Dean left OSU in 1987, he headed for Laughlin AFB in Texas and said he was coming out of the program in the top of his class. After a lot of hard work he did what he set out to do. That got him into MacDill AFB in Florida where he became a qualified warrior -- armed with the best fighter in the world, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, known today as the "Viper."
Then in 1990 he was off to join the 35th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Korea for a year. What a way to build hours in the fighter of your choice... (And get more birds on his Life List than I have.)
The Korea assignment started him on his way to the Senior F-16 Pilot that he is today with over 2,600 total hours and 519 combat hours in the Viper.
Ramstein AB in Germany was his home from 1991 to 1994 where he achieved two more significant events in his life. He became an Instructor Pilot in F-16s and met his lovely wife, Carol-Anne, who is Mom to four children that bless their lives today.
Dean also flew over 80 Operation Deny Flight and Provide Comfort missions over Bosnia and Iraq and became a Flight Commander for the 555 FS while stationed in Aviano AB, Italy. He then went on to complete the grueling Air Force Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis AFB in Nevada.
The Air Force doesn't let a guy sit on his tail very long, especially when he's good at what he does. Dean took his family off to Japan where he became Squadron Weapons Officer and Flight Commander with the 13FS in Misawa AB in Japan. He also led the Pacific Air Forces F-16 William Tell air to air gunnery team, winning the Top F-16 Operations Element for the competition.
After a brief visit to his Homeland and the opportunity for me to meet three of my four grandchildren, the Air Force Andersons went back to Germany where Dean became Chief, F-16 Weapons and Tactics for the 52FW at Spangdahlem AB.
He led 14 missions during the allied force operation over Belgrade, including seven night raids, garnered USAFE "Outstanding" rating during a Functional Inspection, and was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Talk about being a little proud of my kid, here's a list of Dean's Awards and Decorations:
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