Fred D. Bartleson, Jr.

After leaving flight schools at Bartow and VanceAFB, I spent 3 years and 3500 (C-118) flying hours at McGuire AFB. The next assignment was 5 years at the Air Force Academy as Assistant Professor of Physiology and Director of Advanced Biology. The next three years were spent in Japan and Vietnam as a Combat Airlift Operations Officer while flying Aeromed Evac missions. (Got an "easy" purple heart). Returned to the "States" and got into R&D at Eglin AFB. First as an engineer of a chemical weapons system, then as Director of Flame, Incendiary, Fuel-Air Explosives development. Also flew CIA "spooks" to Panama. Spent the next three years as Staff Scientist in the Systems Command Surgeon General’s Office and flew White House Support Missions. Back to Eglin and got involved in Air-Surface Guided Weapons and became Director of the Modular A/S Weapons Program. The program transferred back to the Pentagon and I didn’t want to go so I put in my papers and did some environmental studies for the AF.

After retirement, we bought a small orange on a river outside Ft. Myers, FL. I worked at various positions and as an Environmental Specialist. I had enough of that work and so I bought into a commercial fishing co-op and loved fishing for about 12 years, until it became too difficult for me. There was one break in the fishing when I was appointed by the governor to fill the seat of a County Commissioner (who went to jail). After the fishing we sold our place and built houses in the mountains of NC and in Melbourne, FL to be closer to three of our six children. I played a lot of golf for awhile, but can’t do much anymore. I still feel good. My first wife, Grace, and I have been married for 56 years and going strong.