COMM U N I T Y
BY: BILL MOAKLEY
Veteran of the Month: Betty Worley The Force Behind The Force
B
etty Worley is proud of her service to her country. She should be.
“A lot of people know me, but not as a retired veteran,” Worley noted. “Most people don’t ask women if they are veterans.” Born in Brinkman, Okla., Worley is a 1956 graduate of Capitol Hill High School and Central State College, now known as the University of Central Oklahoma. She served three years active duty in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1962. She would have stayed in the Navy, but at the time, women were not allowed to serve more than three years. Married women were not allowed to serve at all. Following her three years of active duty, which she served in Washington, D.C., Worley married, found her way back to Oklahoma and, in 1976, resumed her military career with the U.S. Air Force Reserve program, specifically the 72nd Aerial Port Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base. The 72nd APS performed cargo buildup and shipment for worldwide distribution. She did the heavy lifting as a forklift, terminal tugs and aircraft loading equipment driver. On Nov. 26, 1990, Worley’s squadron was called to active duty in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm. The squadron was one of only six Air Force Reserve units worldwide to be activated. “We were among the first 72,000 members to be activated,” Worley pointed out. “In 12 hours, our unit was in place.” On Thanksgiving Day alone, the cargo terminal at Tinker processed 950 tons of cargo, moving items ranging from MREs (meals ready to eat) and pudding to M&M’s and top-shelf meals as well as medical equipment and supplies, sand bags and tires. Worley explained that seven-person teams load aircraft. A typical C-5 plane can take up to four hours to load. “At times, we had a backlog of cargo equal to 17 C-5 loads
14 December 2020
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CENTURIONCG.NET
