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Harry Pawlik
Following graduation from pilot training Harry
Pawlik went to McConnell AFB, Kansas for B-47 co-pilot
training. My next assignment (along with a handful of
fellow classmates) was Lockbourne AFB, Ohio in the
RB-47 and the 26th Strat Recon Wing. In 1959 I
attended Squadron Officers School at Maxwell AFB,
Alabama. 1961 took me back to McConnell AFB to check
out as B-47 Aircraft Commander, and then I returned
back to Lockbourne. During the Cuban Missile Crisis
we dispersed and stood on alert at the Philadelphia
International Airport.
In 1962 I traveled to Castle AFB, California to
check out as a B-52 Aircraft Commander. My next
assignment took me to Seymour Johnson AFB, NC and the
51st Bomb Sqd in the B-52G. In 1965 I returned to
Maxwell AFB to attend Air Command and Staff College.
After graduating in 1966 I received a “fat-cat”
four-year assignment to Rhein-Main AB, Germany. I did
not want it. Instead I wanted a fighter assignment.
So, I swapped assignments and got my wish flying
F-105s.
In August 1966 I returned to Seymour Johnson and
the F-105 RTU in the 334th TFS. I left for southeast
Asia in November with a stopover at Clark AB,
Philipines, for Jungle Survival School.
I arrived at Korat RTAB, Thailand and the 34th
TFS on 14 Dec 1966 with a whopping 100 hours of total
fighter time. I flew a total of 122 combat missions.
101 were over North Vietnam including 33 missions over
Hanoi. An additional 21 missions were flown over
Laos. I finished my tour in August 1967.
My next assignment was to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas,
Nevada. I flew the F-105, the T-33, and later in the
F-111.
In 1972 I received an assignment to the Naval War
College in Newport, RI and graduated in 1973.
In 1973 I left for England and my assignment to
the 20th TFW at RAF Upper Heyford, UK in the F-111. I
served first as assistant and then Operations Officer
in the 77th TFS. This was followed by a one-year
assignment as Commander of the 79th TFS Tigers.
I returned to the states in 1975 and England AFB,
Louisiana. There I served mostly as Wing “trouble
shooter” and Commander of three maintenance squadrons,
Chief of Command and Control, Chief of OPS Plans, IG
Team Chief and assistant and Deputy Commander for
Maintenance.
I retired in 1980.
In 1981 I returned to North Carolina - Greenville
– to join my best friend in a real estate development
project which did not materialize. I retired
completely in 1985.
In 1958 I married my first wife. The marriage
did not work, so I filed for divorce in 1961. There
were no children. In May 1986 I married my lovely
present wife, Muriel, who had a lovely six-year old
daughter, Gwen. In December 1987 we were blessed with
my first and only child, a lovely daughter, Elizabeth.
She is presently a junior in high school. Our older
daughter, Gwen has blessed us with three lovely grand
children. At the present time we also have an
exchange student from Germany, Nele Reitenbach, who
will stay with us for one year.
In November 1999 I had right shoulder surgery.
In November 2000 I survived a prostate cancer
operation. Unfortunately, the cancer reoccurred in
March 2004. I have survived 42 radiation treatments.
I now play a lot of golf and travel annually to
Las Vegas and Myrtle Beach for retired military golf
tournaments. I have also played 21 consecutive years
in the DuPont World Amateur Golf Handicap
Championships.
My very best to all fellow classmates.
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