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<em>Herbert Owen Brennan </em>was born in Gainesville, FL, where his father, Class of ’17, was serving as an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor at the University of Florida.</p>
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"Bert" attended Mallard’s in 1943 to prepare for West Point and entered the Academy in June 1944 from his family’s hometown of O’Neill, NE. He began his cadet years in Company B-2, excelled in the military training program, and graduated as cadet captain of Company D-2, in the last three-year class of the WWII period.</p>
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2LT Brennan and both his roommates were commissioned into the Army Air Corps. All three completed basic flight training in T-6s at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, TX. On Graduation Day, Bert was selected for advanced pilot training at Williams AFB, AZ, where he flew P-51s and F-80s and earned his fighter pilot wings. Bert began his operational career with the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Pope AFB, NC.</p>
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From Pope, 1LT Brennan was assigned to fly F-84s with the 55th Fighter Squadron in Shaw AFB, SC, and served as Squadron Adjutant, Assistant Operations Officer, and Flight Commander. As the Korean War erupted in 1951, CPT Brennan was assigned to the 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in Itazuke, Japan, as Flight Commander leading F-80s into combat. He concluded his tour, based from Korea, as Operations Officer with 103 missions and more than 200 combat flying hours.</p>
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Bert then was assigned as Flight Commander, 132d Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Dow AFB, ME, where he again flew F-80s. His next assignment took him back to West Point as a tactical officer. It was there that he met, fell in love with, and married Mary Farabaugh. Her brother, Chuck ’50, had been a plebe in Bert’s company and had been posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for gallantry in action in Korea.</p>
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Bert and Mary were very happy living in the old Army quarters at West Point. In 1954, Bert and copilot James Allen, a fellow tactical officer, made the front page of the <em>Pittsburgh Post—Gazette</em> when their twin-engine C-45 lost power. They successfully belly-landed on a hill outside the city rather than risk taking the aircraft into the Greater Pittsburgh Airport.</p>
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At the end of his tour at the Academy in 1955, MAJ Brennan was assigned to the 78th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, where he flew F-84s for three years from RAF Shepherds Grove and RAF Sculthorpe, United Kingdom, and served as Squadron Executive Officer and Operations Officer.</p>
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In 1958, MAJ Brennan attended CGSC at Ft. Leavenworth, KS. He then was selected for the Commandant of Cadets’ Plans and Programs staff at the newly formed Air Force Academy. He advanced to Plans and Scheduling Chief, was promoted, and transferred to HQ, USAF, in 1962, where he became an action officer in War Plans. LTC Brennan quickly earned the respect of colleagues and superiors for his skill with national security issues.</p>
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He went on to attend the National War College and earned a master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University.</p>
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His talent, capabilities, and accomplishments confirmed he was well suited for higher levels of responsibility and rank.</p>
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Bert ached to return to the cockpit after four years in Washington, DC. He volunteered and received orders to Viet Nam following flight training with the 15th Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill AFB, FL. Bert, Mary, and their five children traveled from McLean, VA, to Tampa, FL, in a secondhand Cadillac limousine acquired at a bargain price. The family made quite a sight as they towed their travel trailer cross-country to Fairchild AFB, WA, for Bert’s survival training before finally trekking south to MacDill.</p>
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In February 1967, Bert reported as Plans Division Chief to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at DaNang Air Base, South Viet Nam, and began flying combat missions. By May, he was Assistant Deputy Commander for Operations and, in October, was promoted to colonel. On 26 Nov 1967, with more than 100 combat missions to his credit, he was shot down during bomb release while leading a flight of F-4s on an air-to-ground mission over North Viet Nam. Both he and his back-seater were reported missing-in-action. COL Brennan’s status officially was changed to killed-in-action on 18 Oct 1974. No remains were ever recovered.</p>
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COL Brennan was a command fighter pilot with more than 3,500 hours flying time. His decorations include two Silver Stars, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Bronze Star for valor with one oak leaf cluster, four Air Medals, and two Air Force Commendation Medals. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in 1974.</p>
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Bert is survived by his wife, Mary, and their five wonderful children: Mike, Tim, Kathleen, J.J., and Jack; and nine grandchildren. Mike served 12 years as a Marine Corps officer. Tim graduated from the Air Force Academy, became a weapons systems officer, and flew reconnaissance and fighter aircraft like his father. Tim still serves on active duty.</p>
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Bert was a great American, loved by family and friends, a skilled fighter pilot destined for a prominent leadership role in the Air Force, and a distinguished officer who contributed significantly to the prestige of the Long Gray Line.</p>