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(dramatic music)

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(gun loading)

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- [Officer] Order, arms.

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- I first met Ollie Crawford when I was

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on the Air Staff in the 1980s.

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And at that time, he had already become

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a sort of a national name
in the aviation business.

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But that was about the
time that he really got

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into the senior leadership
of the Air Force Association.

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- I met him in 1983 in the
Commemorative Air Force.

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It was then called the
Confederate Air Force

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and he and I became the co-chairmen

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and we created the American
Combat Airmen Hall of Fame

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of the Commemorative Air Force.

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And for 14 years, we
inducted aviation heroes

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who served America

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into the American Combat
Airmen Hall of Fame.

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And I'm talking about people
from General Paul Tibbets,

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pilot of the Enola Gay, the Flying Tigers,

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the Doolittle Raiders and we lived that

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for 14 some-odd years together

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and that's how I became
acquainted with Ollie Crawford.

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And in my opinion,
there's no greater patriot

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that ever walked the Earth than Ollie.

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- I was a young captain in San Antonio

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and I got involved with
the Air Force Association

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and that's where I met Ollie Crawford.

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What a gracious gentleman,
just the salt of the Earth.

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So we developed a friendship
through all those years.

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- After the Second World War,
you know when it became clear

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because of the Army
Air Force's performance

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during the Second World
War, that there was

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a requirement for an
independent Air Force.

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One of the groups of
people who made that happen

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were the founder members of
the Air Force Association.

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And Ollie Crawford was a founder member.

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He joined in 1946, before
we had an Air Force.

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So it was his participation
in that organization

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during the '50s and
'60s and '70s, the '80s

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and that group of people that made

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the American public aware of what it is

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that their Air Force does for them.

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- To honor the memory of those who served.

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- And he knew everybody,
I mean from presidents

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to Chiefs of Staff of the Air Force.

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He taught John Connolly how
to fly in his campaigns.

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He drove LBJ all over the Texas Panhandle

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during those campaigns.

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And not only that, but was a founder

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of the Air Force Association
and his culminating achievement

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of his life was the creation
of the Air Force memorial.

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But today was truly a highlight of my life

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and I think General John
Bradley and I concur.

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John did a beautiful job
in the service as well.

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And we gave Ollie the send off

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that he deserved today, in every way.

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(solemn music)