The Sallee twins, Bob (USAFA ’68) and Fred (USNA ’68), left Cincinnati, Ohio for the service academies on the same day - we got Bob and the Naval Academy got Fred. While all of us were in at least two Cadet Squadrons, Bob got to know lots of us having started out in CS-16, followed by “Playboy 19” (AOC Major Stanley Beck became Commandant ’75-’78), “Frat 5,” and, after wing expansion from 24-30 squadrons, as initial cadre for CS-27 Thunderbirds (AOC Captain Tony Burshnick became Commandant ’82-’84). Bob visited his twin for a week-long “exchange” program where they exchanged uniforms, with consequences.

Following graduation, Bob went to Nav Training at Mather AFB while Fred was attending the Naval Post Graduate School nearby in Monterey. Fred attended a wing dining out at Mather, and told a lady who commented on how much the two looked alike, that they had just met that morning on the bus in Sacramento. She was so intrigued, she insisted they meet her husband. He turned out to be the Wing Commander and dining out host….

After nav training, Bob was off to Hurlburt Field for C-123 tactical training, enroute to Vietnam, where he flew 285 combat sorties as a tactical airlift navigator at Phan Rang AB with the 311th Special Operations Squadron (renamed 311th Tactical Airlift Squadron in 1970), with additional duty as the 315th Wing Information Officer and Historian. His legacy included preparing nominations of aircraft for the Air & Space and Air Force Museums. The Air & Space Museum now houses the C-123 in which Lt Col Joe Jackson earned the Medal of Honor, and the Air Force Museum proudly exhibits "Patches" – a C-123 which received more than 500 bullet holes from enemy small arms fire, earning many crew members certificates naming them to the “Order of the Punctured Provider.”

After his SEA tour, Bob went to McGuire AFB, where he became a select lead instructor navigator with the 18th Military Airlift Squadron, supporting strategic airlift and medical evacuation missions worldwide, and leading formation airdrops in the C-141A Starlifter. This assignment began before computers, and Bob initially guided transoceanic flights using celestial navigation.

Bob met Susie, then a second-grade teacher and, since, the love of his life, in 1973 while stationed at SAC HQ. He proposed 5 days after their first date, and she told him he was crazy. She married him anyway on Dec 21, 1974.

Following SAC, Bob went to AFIT at Wright-Patterson AFB for his masters in Systems Management followed by assignment to Aeronautical Systems Division as a program manager for aircrew training simulators, supporting KC-135 and B-52 weapon system trainer development and overseeing the in-house development of a KC-135 boom operator trainer that allowed SAC to reduce the number of KC-135 and B-52 sorties required for boom operators to achieve proficiency, saving millions in fuel costs annually.

In 1978, Bob was assigned to the Academy where he served as a T-43 Instructor Navigator, and associate professor and curriculum director for Aviation Science, later moving to the Directorate of Plans and Programs, where he coordinated development of a process and structure for strategic planning. One long range objective: to put a personal computer in every cadet room.

In 1981, Bob accepted a commission in the Air Force Reserve, becoming an Individual Mobilization Augmentee (IMA). His subsequent duty included the Directorate of Plans at the Pentagon, Directorate of Operations at HQ AF Space Command, and IMA to the Peterson AFB Installation Commander.

Susie and Bob welcomed their son Matthew in 1981, who is now married to Carrie, and living in Denver.

From 1981-1993, Bob worked as a senior member of the technical staff, manager of space system engineering, site manager, and director of planning and analysis at aerospace companies, supporting the development of the Space Defense Operations Center, the Consolidated Space Operations Center, and Undergraduate Space Training for the Air Force and DoD.

Bob returned to active duty in 1993 as the Joint Reserve Forces Advisor for NORAD and USSPACECOM, overseeing the integration of Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard reservists into national defense and space missions. He retired in 1998, after a 30-year career.

After retiring, Bob focused on church work as a pastoral administrator for three churches, led the Catholic Housing Corporation of Colorado Springs for 10 years, served 5 years as a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate for children in out of home placement due to abuse or neglect.

Bob now serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Pikes Peak Observatory, Inc., a non-profit organization advocating placement of a research-grade observatory with optical and solar telescopes and climate monitoring instrumentation on the summit of Pikes Peak.

Bob and Susie make their home in Colorado Springs. Bob has officially retired, except for his volunteer work. Susie, who has taught pre-school through college, now teaches the next generation of teachers, preparing them for licensure. Her expertise is literacy education, and she is regionally certified in Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS).

They see son Matt and his wife Carrie often, and keep in touch with brother Fred and his family.

Fred finished his Navy career as a Naval ROTC faculty at Texas Tech, where he earned his PhD. He is now retired and living with his wife Anna in Pearland, Texas outside of Houston.

Bob and Susie - We're proud of your accomplishments!

June 2016