800th Lifetime Member

…is Chet "Wink" Martindale.

I thought it would be fun to track the career of the 800th Lifetime Member of the 80th Association and bugged him for a recap. Here it is:

Quick & Dirty Biography of Chet Martindale, Lt Col (ret.), USAF

• ROTC at Auburn University, graduating in 1970

• George RTU

• Two Vietnam Tours and 300 combat missions, Korat and Ubon, 1971 -1973 as an F4 WSO and Fast Fac

• Selected for pilot training in 1975 at Reese AFB, TX

• F4s at Eglin AFB in 1976, Air to Air and Pave Spike IP, Wing SEFE

• F4 RTU IP at Macdill AFB in 1979

• Selected F16 initial cadre for Macdill, sent to 16 TFS at Hill AFB for checkout in December 1979

• 61 TFS at Macdill, IP and FCF in Black Nose Block 5 F16s in May 1980

• Assigned to Nellis 57FW in 1981 in F16 Test Project Office, flew with 422 TES

• Wrote the syllabus and trained initial two students at Edwards for LANTIRN F16 program

• Sent to Kunsan in 1984, first six months as Asst Ops of the 35th Pantons

• Selected as Ops Officer of the Juvats in 1985 under L/C Barry Johnson

• Returned to Luke in the 4444 Ops squadron, later Commander

• Flew with the 312th and 314th as IP, also as Operational Test Pilot for deployed 422 TES

• Retired in 1990 at Luke

• Flew for Delta Air Lines until 2005, retired as MD88 Captain and Line Check Pilot

• Totally retired now playing with Corvettes, Chris Craft Boats, and riding my Harleys

Notable Events

• Flew every year I was in the Air Force!

• Flew with some of the greatest fighter pilots ever!

• At the Kun*Watched Conan the Barbarian and Caddy Shack at least twice a week in the LT barracks

• Was there when “what is good?” and “two snakes” SOF salute started

• Fought the OSI over the infamous Juvat “pallet burning and pig roast” incident and won!

• Took the squadron to New Zealand and Australia, introduced them to the Juvat salute

• Had the best bunch of Lts and Captains ever, quite a few went on to FWS and/or made General!