Philip Louis Abold
May 23, 1946 - December 6, 2022

Lt. Col. (Ret) Phillip Lewis Abold passed away on Dec. 6, 2022. Born May 23, 1946, in Baldwinsville, N.Y., to Marvin and Una Abold, he graduated from USAFA in 1968. After graduation, Phil married the love of his life, Carol (Scotty), in the USAFA Chapel. Following pilot training, Phil completed a tour in Vietnam as forward air controller where he was awarded six Air Medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions which saved numerous lives.

After Vietnam, Phil served as an instructor pilot in T-39s and T-41s and then attended AFIT, where he earned a double masters and was inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Association. Phil subsequently served as a test engineer developing next generation aircraft. Some of his fondest memorabilia were photographs from a gunsight eval for which he was the test engineer in what he believed was the first shoot-down of a drone by the F-106.

After Systems Command, Phil returned to his first love -- flying. Phil was assigned to the 509th TAC FTR Squadron, RAF Bentwaters, England, where he served as an A-10 flight commander. After England, Phil was an air operations officer, NATO Allied HQ Air South, Naples, Italy. Italy was one of his and his family's most loved assignments. Phil travelled all around southern Europe helping implement major enhancements to NATO's land- and sea-based air forces, for which he was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. Phil's last assignment was director of Operations at the Warrior Preparation Center (WPC) in Germany. This assignment perfectly matched Phil's skills in strategy, his love of technology and the military's generational move to embrace the computing revolution. For his vision and successful modernization of the WPC's wargaming capabilities, Phil received the Legion of Merit.

In 1992, Phil retired from the Air Force following 24 years of great assignments. When Phil and his family were first assigned to the United Kingdom, he thought he could be flying combat missions against the Warsaw Pact. By the time Phil retired, the Berlin Wall had come down, the Cold War was coming to an end, and his family was sponsoring exchange students and girls' softball teams from countries that had been in the Warsaw Pact.

Phil is survived by his wife of 54 years, Scotty; his son, Justin; his daughter, Katherine; and his three grandsons, Nicholas, Christopher and Gabriel.                                                                                        (Submitted by his wife, Scotty Abold)

Condolences may be sent to his family in care of his wife, “Scotty”:
Mrs. Carol Abold, 13469 Fowke Ln, Woodbridge, VA 22192-3901