Highly Decor ated Jack Funke '57 Remember ed Upon gr aduation in 1960 from the United States Air Force Aviation Cadet Progr am for Navigator Tr aining, Jack?s fir st assignment was the 445th Fighter Interceptor Squadron F- 101B at Wur tsmith AFB, MI, where he and his wife, Judy, spent 4 year s and began their family with the bir ths of Renee, Elizabeth, and Bret. The tur moil of flying activity dur ing the Cuban Missile Cr isis was memor able. Jack was reassigned to the 444th Fighter Interceptor Squadron flying the F- 101B at Charleston AFB, South Carolina where his four th child Jeffrey was bor n in 1966. Jack was finally accepted to Pilot Tr aining at Reese AFB, TX, that year and gr aduated 2nd in his class. He was ?rewarded with an all- expense paid
tr ip to the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Phan Rang AB, Vietnam? where he flew 222 combat missions in the F- 100D. Upon retur n, Jack spent 3 year s as a T- 37 Instr uctor Pilot in Selma, Alabama. Jack then received order s to fly the F- 111A with the 429th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Las Vegas, Nevada and was rewarded with another all- expense paid tr ip? to Takhli AB, Thailand in 1972. He flew 147 combat missions in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Following his second combat tour, Jack became an F- 111 Instr uctor and Oper ations Officer in the 428th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nevada. In 1976, Jack was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Shor tly thereafter, the entire Wing, four Squadrons, approximately 75 F- 111A aircr aft, all suppor t units and per sonnel moved from Nellis AFB, NV to Mtn. Home AFB, Idaho where Jack was an Oper ations Officer then
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Commander of the 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron. After a 3year assignment involving NATO Allied Air Forces Centr al Europe in Boer fink, W. Ger many, Jack and his family (who had the unique exper ience of living autonomously in a Ger man village) retur ned to Mtn. Home AFB in 1982. Jack was Chief of Quality Assur ance and continued with Flight Instr uctor duties until retirement from the Air Force in 1986. Jack was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 OLC, Defense Mer itor ious Ser vice Medal, Mer itor ious Ser vice Medal with 1 OLC, Air Medal with 20 OLC, AF Commendation Medal, AF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and 5 OLC, and Vietnam Ser vice Medal with 5 Bronze Star s. Jack also found time to obtain a B.S. in Aeronautical Studies and an M.S. in Aeronautical Science from Embr y- Riddle Aeronautical Univer sity.
