Jung Park, Kai Kazuk

Jung Park, Kai Kazuk

Period: 1

Honors American History

3/21/2016

William F. Gavitt Jr.

US Air Force

1956 - 1986

4/16/2016

William F. Gavitt Jr.

William F. Gavitt Jr., born in Westerly, Rhode Island on September 14, 1934, and served in the United States Air Force for 30 years before retiring, as a Colonel, in California with his wife Shirley Ann. He and his wife have 3 children, two boys and one girl, and 2 granddaughters, all of whom live within an hour of Riverside. He went to Dartmouth College during the Korean War in 1955, and while there he joined the Air Force ROTC to avoid being drafted. He entered the United States Air Force in May 1956. Col. William Gavitt spent most of his time in the Strategic Air Command in Ballistic Missile Operations and Maintenance as a Missile Combat crew member. He was one of two officers who held the key to the missile. The two keys to launch the missiles were held by two officers, the Crew Commander and his deputy. Both were always on alert just in case the launch command was received.

During his career, Col. Gavitt worked with the Atlas, Titan, and Minuteman ICBMs. There were 12 missiles at the Atlas base and 150 missiles at a Minuteman base. The Minuteman took 30 seconds to fire while the Atlas took around 3 to 5 minutes to load and launch. He test fired the Atlas missiles for reliability, where the scores were based on proximity to a target. He was in the 15th Air Force and served in strategic missile operations and maintenance for 30 years.

During his career, he had overseas assignments in Germany and Vietnam in radar operations. Before William Gavitt went to Germany, he got married so that his wife, Shirley, could accompany him. He worked in Germany for a time as a radar operator, and tested missiles and prepared for their usage. The missile silos he worked at had constant training drills. Launch messages were identified by a white dot call sign, whereas a real threat would have appeared as a red dot. The missiles were controlled by two separate keys that were held by two separate officers, who carried them in small envelopes around their necks. This was to ensure that no one could ever have both keys and, as a result, have total control of the missiles. During his time in the Minuteman program, he was a member of the Minuteman Education Program (MMEP) and got his masters degree in Economics from South Dakota State University. He served in Danang for a year and worked there during the Vietnam War. There were 6 US radar site around their area and no Vietcong ever got close to their area. The US never lost a plane and never had any penetrators while he was working there. A new American radar site was being built closer to the DMZ in Vietnam during his time there.

During William Gavitt’s military time, he says he liked the experience he had and didn’t regret it at all. He says that although everyone was friendly to each other, people teased one another in a friendly way, doing things like calling each other names. For example, he was affectionately known as “Dirt Farmer Bill” due to his affinity for gardens. Through all of this, however, they had to make sure their jokes never got in the way of their ability to work. He says his experience was positive because he was helping those in need who couldn’t help themselves. He couldn’t do anything that would affect service, always did what he was told and tried his hardest to be his best. He prefers positivity over negativity and believes good people do good things for other good people.

During his training in the Air Force, there were 2 alerts people had to remember. The red dot meant that real war is going to happen. The white dot meant it was a practice message, to simulate a real attack. The goal of this was to ensure everyone was constantly alert, and that they were prepared for anything that was about to happen. William Gavitt always kept a picture of his wife on a necklace as a charm. His wife wrote to him everyday and he was only able to get one phone call from Vietnam to his family in Rhode Island during the entire year.

William Gavitt Jr. earned 9 medals for his service. He earned Legion of Merit, The Meritorious Service Medal with 3 OLC. Combat Readiness Medal with one OLC. USAF Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and four OLC. The USAF Commendation Medal with 1 OLC. National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 OLC, USAF Longevity Service Award with six OLC. Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Cross with Device, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, USAF Overseas Long Tour Ribbon, USAF Overseas Short Tour Ribbon, the Master Missileman Badge and the Senior Weapons Controller Badge.

Colonel William F. Gavitt Jr. serves as an inspiration to us all. His time in and out of the service was incredibly honourable and without his service and those who worked with him, our country would undoubtedly be very different. He says he does not regret his time in the service whatsoever because he helped his country, which is beyond honourable. It was an honour to speak with Col. Gavitt, as he is a true American hero.