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Nov. 20, 2015 Feature Thunderbolt
http://www.luke.af.mil
16 www.aerotechnews.com/lukeafb
Luke Airman survives
58th TACTICAL TRAINING WG three wars, plane crash
by Tech. Sgt. fresh out of high school in 1943 during World
TIMOTHY BOYER War II.
Tech. Sgt. Timothy Boyer 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ´, ZDQWHG WR EH D KRWVKRW ÀJKWHU SLORW Courtesy photo
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Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen displays “I should have been shot down,” he said, Lt. Col. Alma Skousen poses with his
KLVÀLJKWVXLW2FWLQKLV0HVDKRPH recalling one of his 133 missions in his F-4 6NRXVHQEHFDPHD&6N\PDVWHUÁLJKW
6NRXVHQÀHZFRPEDWPLVVLRQVLQWKH Phantom II during the Vietnam War. “I was engineer, but held onto his childhood dream F-4 Phantom II in 1967 during a Vietnam
patrolling a river just above the demilita- of being a pilot. When the war ended, so did
Korean and Vietnam wars, was awarded rized zone. There was a large cargo boat his enlistment. Skousen went back to civil- deployment. In the six months Skousen
the enemy used to transport supplies, so I ian life until he joined the relatively new Air ZDVLQ9LHWQDPKHÀHZPLVVLRQV
the Distinguished Flying Cross for acts ÀJXUHG,PLJKWDVZHOOVLQNLW,HVWDEOLVKHG Force in 1951.
a run to drop a rocket into it. I should have and, often packed with razor-sharp coils or
of heroism and extraordinary achieve- noticed it was tied shore to shore, which was ´,ZHQWWRÁLJKWVFKRRODW:LOOLDPV$)% other destructive contents, would destroy
unusual. It turned out to be a trap.” right here in Mesa,” he said. “I went off to the target.
ment while participating in an aerial WKH.RUHDQ:DULQÁ\LQJDLUWRJURXQG
ÀLJKW6NRXVHQHQGHGKLVÀ\LQJFDUHHU Retired Lt. Col. Alma Skousen, a humble, missions as part of the 8th Fighter Bomber ´%XWWKLVWLPHLWGLGQ·WH[SORGHµ6NRXVHQ
ZLWKPRUHWKDQÀ\LQJKRXUV VRIWVSRNHQ\HDUROGÀJKWHUSLORWVHUYHG Wing in an F-80 Shooting Star.” said. “It went on up about 10,000 feet above
his country during three wars, encountered XVDQGH[SORGHGWKHUHVRZHPDGHLWRXWµ
6RYLHW0L*ÀJKWHUVLQEDWWOHDQGVXUYLYHG His missions were dangerous from the
D MHW FUDVK EHIRUH HQGLQJ KLV Á\LQJ FDUHHU very start. Skousen’s illustrious career continued for
as the 311th Tactical Fighter Training many years. He worked his way into lead-
Squadron, now known as the 311th Fighter ´0\ ÀUVW PLVVLRQ WKHUH ZDV ERPELQJ D ership positions and eventually ended his
Squadron, commander in 1973 at Luke Air place just across a demilitarized zone on the Á\LQJFDUHHUDW/XNH$LU)RUFH%DVHDVWKH
Force Base. KLOOVLGH EHWZHHQ 1RUWK DQG 6RXWK .RUHDµ commander of the 311th Tactical Fighter
Skousen said. “I had a little scare because Training Squadron, where he trained young
“Just as I was in my run pretty good, ,IRXQGRXWODWHUWKHUHZDVDÁLJKWRI0L*V pilots to be war-ready Airmen.
they were over me, under me, behind me,” waiting to surprise attack us, but we made
KHVDLG´,ZDVWDNLQJÀUHIURPHYHU\ZKHUH it out before they acted.” “My favorite memories of Luke were
Somehow every shot seemed to go behind Á\LQJ WKH ) 3KDQWRP ,, JRLQJ GRZQ WR
my airplane, and I made it out with my life.” Skousen had become no stranger to dan- the ranges and teaching the students how
JHUEXWLWZDVGXULQJDQRQFRPEDWÁLJKWLQ to maneuver that plane,” Skousen said. “I
Skousen’s love for aviation began at a the U.S. that he survived a crash. showed new students what the airplane
young age. FRXOGGR7KH\ZHUHWHQWDWLYHDWÀUVWEXW
“I had an accident, the only one I ever then when they saw what the airplane could
“When I was a little boy I saw an airplane had, in a T-33 Shooting Star,” he said. “I do, they became much more aggressive and
Á\LQJµ 6NRXVHQ QRZ D UHVLGHQW RI 0HVD was stationed at Travis and they sent me up had fun with it.”
said. “It was 1934. I got my brother to go with to Washington to be a part of an inspection
me to the little dirt strip the pilot landed team. Before returning to Travis, I noticed These stories represent a mere glimpse
on. At that time, pilots wanted to help any- there was something wrong with the turbine into the life of Skousen who spent his life in
body who was interested in airplanes. They wheel. I prepared to hop on a C-47 Skytrain service to his country. He was the recipient
wanted to keep it going. Talking to that pilot WRÁ\EDFNZKHQWKHVHUJHDQWUDQXSDQGVDLG of the Distinguished Flying Cross for acts
ZDVWKHEHJLQQLQJRIP\GUHDPWRÁ\µ WKH\JRWWKHSDUWVWRÀ[P\MHWLI,ZDQWHGWR RIKHURLVPDQGH[WUDRUGLQDU\DFKLHYHPHQW
wait. So I did.” ZKLOHSDUWLFLSDWLQJLQDQDHULDOÁLJKW%XW
Skousen enlisted in the Army Air Corps most importantly, Skousen left a legacy of
After hours of repairs, the maintainers H[FHOOHQFHIRUWKRVHZKRFDPHDIWHUKLPWR
Courtesy photo FOHDUHG6NRXVHQ·VMHWIRUÁLJKW emulate, and has advice Airmen now.
6HFRQG/W$OPD6NRXVHQIDUULJKWSRVHVLQIURQWRIDQDLUFUDIWLQDIWHU¿QLVK- “We got up to about 24,000 feet when I “Work hard,” Skousen said. “People
LQJÀLJKWVFKRRODW:LOOLDPV$LU)RUFH%DVHLQ0HVD heard a loud bang and saw a piece of the nowadays want to start at the top and not
turbine wheel fall off at the 10 o’clock posi- at the bottom. I had to do a lot of things I
tion and cut my rudder cable,” he said. “I didn’t want to do, but I did them because
found out I lost a pie-shape piece of the you start at the bottom and work your way
turbine wheel. I tried to eject the canopy, to the top. Always do your best.”
but it malfunctioned, so I had no choice but
to look for somewhere to land.”
Skousen’s wheels touched down on re-
cently plowed farmland, but his body paid
the price.
“When the jet hit the ground the canopy
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pression fractures of my vertebrae. I spent a
month-and-a-half in the hospital. That was
LQDQG,ZRUULHGWKDWP\Á\LQJFDUHHU
might be over.”
Skousen recovered and in 1967 was sent
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over Hanoi, Vietnam.
“He said, ‘We’ve got a missile on our tail!’
It was too near to do anything,” he said,
laughing at the memory of his fellow Air-
man’s fear. “It came right by us which was
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7KHSUR[LPLW\IXVHKDGDUDGLRWUDQVPLW-
ter and receiver that detected an object in
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