Our monthly Roll Call Veterans Luncheon for June was held on Friday the 24th at Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX. Our guest speaker this month was Ken Cordier, and he had one incredible story.

Ken Cordier

Ken Cordier was commissioned through the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Akron on July 16, 1960. He trained as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer in 1961, later serving as an instructor in the course before entering Undergraduate Pilot Training in January 1963. Lt Cordier was awarded his pilot wings on December 19, 1964, and completed F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training. He flew F-4s with the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron at MacDill AFB, Florida, and combat missions in Southeast Asia with the 45th TFS. In January 1965, while deployed to Ubon RTAFB, Thai-land, he volunteered for another tour in June 1966, this time flying out of Cam Ranh Bay AB in the Republic of Vietnam. On December 2, 1966, while flying his 176th combat mission, Cordier was forced to eject over North Vietnam after his F-4 took a direct hit from a surface-to-air missile. He was immediately captured and spent the next 2,284 days as a Prisoner of War before being released during Operation Homecoming on March 4, 1973. After hospitalization, he requalified to fly jet fighters. From 1979 to 1981, he directed the flying operations at Sembach AB in West Germany, and then he was selected to command the reactivation of Wiesbaden AB, also in West Germany. Col Cordier served as Air Attache to the United Kingdom, based at the U.S. Embassy in London, from 1982 until he retired from the Air Force on January 31, 1985. After his retirement, Ken represented British Aerospace in Washington, D.C., as Director of Military Aircraft. He is a past President of NAM-POWs and the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association. Col Cordier wears Command Pilot Wings as well as the Air Force Missile Badge and accumulated over 2,000 flying hours in fighter aircraft during his Air Force career.

June 2022 Roll Call Veterans Luncheon Photos

Check out additional photos on our website here.

PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF OUR LOCAL VETERANS
All stories matter! That is why we would love for you to share your personal story of service with us. Just a quick page or two with your personal story/experience, as much or as little as you are willing to share. We want your pictures too, we want to fill the walls of the museum with pictures of our veterans. Any pictures you would be willing to share with us just send with a description of where and when it took place. If you only have hard copies you can bring them to the luncheon too. We will scan them into a computer and bring them back to you the next luncheon. Help us share the history that is being lost and educate the community and younger generations. Send it to us in an e-mail (info@roll-call.org), mail it to us (P.O. Box 35052, Fort Worth, TX 76162) or just bring it to us at the next luncheon.

FULL HOUSE!
It was a packed house again for our June luncheon! RSVPs are more important than ever as we continue to grow, and we are going to change the way we do them. Starting with the August luncheon you will need to RSVP on our website. When we send out the newsletter we will include a link to the RSVP for the luncheon. You’ll just need to click on that link to RSVP for yourself and anyone you are bringing with you. The process will display how many seats are left so you’ll know how many seats are left.

Upcoming Events
July 4th—The Burleson Lions Club Independence Day Parade, featuring our own WWII veteran Don Graves as Grand Marshall—Old Town Burleson—9am

We’re holding a gun raffle fundraiser. 30 guns in 30 days. Each ticket costs $40 and is good for all 30 drawings. For more information contact Hingen@roll-call.org.

Roll Call Gun Raffle Poster

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