PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Florida –
The 12th Flying Training Wing lost one of its former squadron commanders New Year’s Day.
Retired Col. Jimmy Carver was 81 when he passed away in Foley, Alabama. He commanded the 451st Flying Training Squadron from April 1979 to June 1981 at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California. Burial was at Barrancas National Cemetery at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, Feb. 5.
An American flag that flew in front of squadron headquarters was presented to Carver’s family at the funeral by the attending Air Force Honor Guard.
Second Lieutenant Michael Scasny, Carver’s grandson, is currently a pilot in training at the 451st Flying Training Squadron.
A 1960 U.S. Military Academy graduate, Carver was commissioned as an Air Force officer and earned his navigator’s wings in 1964. He flew in Vietnam during 1965-66 and was part of the flight team for Bob Hope’s USO Christmas tour. Carver’s primary aircraft was the C-130.
Prior to commanding the 451st FTS, he was assigned to the Special Weapons Center at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Departing the 451st FTS, Carver was the Director of Operations at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. He retired in 1987 at Kirtland Air Force Base after serving as the division chief at the Air Force Operation Test and Evaluation Center.
Carver is survived by wife, Robin, and children, Kimberley Scasny and James Carver.