Portland, Check Our Contrails

Author David E.B. (DEB) Ward was fortunate to have had a fantastic military career in the Air Force and the Oregon Air National Guard. PORTLAND, CHECK OUR CONTRAILS outlines David's impressive military career. David was operationally qualified in two different jet trainers and a progression of jet fighters, including the F-102 Delta Dagger and F-101 Voodoo interceptors, the F-4C Phantom tactical fighter, and the air superiority F-15 A and B model Eagles. All of these aircrafts have since been retired. Even though David hung up his G-suit 30 years ago, veterans still maintain a kinship with the current cadre of F-15 pilots, who are in the process of retiring their F-15C models while transitioning into the new, highly mission-capable F-15EX.

Fighter pilots, as well as their Weapons System Officers, are a distinct and individualistic breed. When operating a highly maneuverable aircraft and one of the most powerful air-breathing machines in the world, you might be expected to take on certain distinguishable personality characteristics. PORTLAND, CHECK OUR CONTRAILS brings you into the cockpit and gives you a first-hand recount of this experience.

Born in Miles City, Montana, in 1938, David Ward moved to Portland, Oregon, with his family in 1945. His early education was scattered across six grade schools in Montana, Oregon, Washington, and the Territory of Alaska. He graduated from Cleveland High School in Portland and went on to complete four years at Willamette University in Salem.

A lifelong dream of becoming a pilot was sparked during a childhood move to Anchorage, Alaska, where he first saw F-80 jets in flight. Through the Air Force ROTC program at Willamette, he earned his private pilot's license and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1960. After an injury at pilot training in Bainbridge, Georgia, he transferred to Moody AFB and became Student Class Commander in a joint U.S.-foreign pilot program.

He graduated from the new Undergraduate Pilot Training program in March 1961 and married the next day. Assigned to Laughlin AFB in Texas, he became a T-33 instructor pilot, later transitioning to the supersonic T-38 and instructing the first UPT class.

In 1966, he completed a one-year tour in Korea as a Forward Air Controller and helped establish the Korean Air Command's T-33 target force. After returning stateside, he joined the Oregon Air National Guard and flew the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-101B Voodoo, F-4C Phantom, and F-15 Eagle. His command positions included Aircraft Maintenance and Operations Deputy Group Commander, Air Commander, 142nd Fighter Interceptor Group Commander, State Commander of the Oregon ANG, and Special Assistant to the Commander of USAFE. He retired at the rank of Major General.

He also served as an international airline pilot for Pan Am and Delta, flying a range of Boeing, Airbus, and Lockheed aircraft. He remains active in veterans' and civic organizations.

He married Antje Rickert, a former Pan Am stewardess, in 1986. They now live in Yacolt, Washington, with a large and healthy extended family. His first book, Pull the Chocks, I'm Launching, was published in 2022 and kicks off a planned autobiographical trilogy chronicling a life filled with humor, tragedy, and once-in-a-lifetime moments.