JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
It's been more than 40 years since then Capt. Bruce Ott flew the T-38 Talon for the 97th Flying Training Squadron, but even a hundred years can't weaken the bonds of family, and Bruce was a member of the DevilCat family.
So, in early February, when Bruce's son, Lt. Col. Dennis Ott (also a DevilCat family member), contacted Lt. Col. Matt Sallee, 97th FTS commander, to let him know that Bruce had succumbed to COVID-19, the DevilCats grieved with the Otts, and then they got to work on a plan to honor the squadron alumna.
The obvious honor would be a missing man flyby, but there were challenges.
"As you might know, getting a request for a missing man flyby through all the wickets in two-and-a-half weeks is unheard of," Sallee explained, but that's how much time they had before the scheduled ceremony and interment in the Dallas National Cemetery.
Bruce, who retired a major, flew with the 97th from 1975 to 1978. In those days, the squadron was at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona.
Dennis, who flew for the 97th from 2014 to 2018 at its current Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas location, is now assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 10th Air Force in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so his knowledge of the process and proximity to approval authorities was helpful.
"The longest pole in the tent is always the paperwork," Sallee explained. "Typically getting a flyby approved is a 7-to-10-week process, but Dennis pushed it through in less than two weeks."
While Dennis coordinated the paperwork, Sallee worked to get the jets and commander approval from the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard, and Lieutenant Colonels Paris Hollis and Jeremy Downs did the flight-planning and coordination with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which is about 12 miles from the cemetery. DFW is one of the busiest airports in the country, so it took a lot of phone calls and radio calls to make it happen safely.
"We managed to get a beautiful four-ship of T-6s - including the (97th) squadron jet as number three doing the pull-up!" Sallee said.
While all seemed to be on track, nature worked hard to blow the plan off course. As Devilcats worked to get approval, schedule planes, and coordinate with various affected entities, "Snowpocalypse" was bearing down on the Lone Star State, bringing snow and freezing temperatures in its wake.
The DevilCats were not to be deterred, though. The second day after their return to base, they and the four-ship were airborne, winging toward Dallas to honor a fallen DevilCat above the Dallas National Cemetery.
Sallee's joy was palpable. "We made it happen!"
More than 40 years may have passed since Bruce last flew T-38s with the DevilCats, but time does not erase the bonds of family. Whether four years or 40, the DevilCats were going to fly their brother home.