Biography - Cary John Bacon
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Both my parents were in the Army; my dad was a Sergeant while my mother was a Private First Class. They met and married 16 May 1945 at Neuill-sur-Seine, in Ville de Paris, the Republic of France. Dad was in the 5th Engineer Special Brigade, 1119th Engineer Combat Group and mom in the 3321st Signal Corp, WAAC/WAC after which she was discharged September 1945.
She began flying while pregnant with me in 1947 and always said “that is what gave me the flying bug.” I was born and we lived in Tucson, Arizona and dad homesteaded on Chirikof Island of the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska as a cowboy for Jack McCord’s Cattle Company. They lost their shirts and when he came home he divorced her in 1950. Dad joined the Air Force and served in Korean War and Vietnam until medical retirement as Chief Master Sergeant in June 1968. Then I got my draft notice in July.
I left college and was serving as a US Navy Civil Servant, at the time, waiting for acceptance in the Navy when the draft induction notice arrived, reported to Fort Ord and then got my Navy acceptance letter three days too late. Fortunately my flight experience was enough to pass the written and was sent to Fort Rucker to attend Aircraft Maintenance Advanced Individual Training (AIT) while waiting for my Flight Physical. December 1968 got me 67N20 graduation and Prior to Overseas Training with orders to Ft. Wolters class 69-29. My follow-on training was Hunter Stewart, graduation with almost all my class going stateside. My orders had me reporting to Ft. Bragg, 17th Cavalry. Then my orders to Vietnam came six months later in March 1970 and assignment to D Troop, first as a slick pilot, then a Vung Tau Cobra Transition in July. Learned a great deal from all my Pilot in Command (PIC) Aircraft Commander’s and crew. Held over to receive commission as 2nd Lieutenant Armor and returned stateside in May 71.
Armor School at Ft. Knox was followed by assignment at Ft. Hood and a great assignment learning and developing how to shoot rockets and missiles from a hover. The Reduction in Force hit and Armor walked my records over to the Transportation Corps (TC) where I began Aircraft Maintenance Test Pilot assignments and schools before reporting in 1974 to Schweinfurt Germany and the start of the Combat Aviation Battalion concept. Couple of promotions and assignment to the TC Advance Course and a TC School assignment in the Directorate of Evaluation and Standardization (DOES) with the project to start a World Wide Standardization Team and Aircrew Training Manual for Maintenance Test Pilots. Took my turn commanding a company of AIT and Noncommissioned Officer students in the Transportation Brigade and in 1983 received orders for Chinook Transition and Aircraft Maintenance and Test Flight Course training with assignment to Camp Humphreys S. Korea 1983-84 with 271st Inn Keepers and that special mission.
My return stateside was to my alternate specialty Acquisition Management with the Sergeant York Air Defense Gun System in Rock Island until released (RIF) from active duty 30 days short of my eighteen year lock in.
Took a Civil Servant position as a Reserve Technician, Maintenance Test Pilot, at the Des Moines Aviation Support Facility (ASF) and as a Reserve Officer in the 103rd Corps Support Command, USAR. Fixed wing transition followed by Active Duty to the G-4 office of the 3rd Corps Support Command in support of the first Gulf War at Wiesbaden Germany. Was retained on active duty and retired a Major in 1993.
I remained in Germany working as a civil servant for the 12th Aviation Brigade Resource Management Office (RMO) as Special Projects Officer until that position was abolished at end of 1997.
Started my own company in Frisco Texas and was asked to join Boeing as a Technical Manual and Courseware writer and developer. Instructed on the platform teaching Rockwell Collins and Thales Glass Cockpit for Chinook Pilot Ground School and Composite Repair for Apache and Chinook until 1993 when I retired.
Began sub-contract evaluation and writing of Aviation Emergency Response Plans in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements for Aviation Companies.
Have had a wonderful experience in aviation all because of my assignment in D Troop 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry. Each member of the troop supported me and provided me the ability to return and for this I am eternally grateful.
Thank you my brothers....Cary