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<p>America lost another patriot on March 1, 2021, when <em>Michael Roy “Mike” Keating</em> died peacefully in the night. He left quietly, without fanfare, much like he lived his life. He was quiet and unassuming and fiercely dedicated to family and country.</p>
<p>Mike was born on November 24, 1934 in Omaha, NE to John and Beatrice Keating. His father, a career Army officer, was stationed at Fort Crook, NE. Thus began a lifelong association with the military. His character and dedication to duty were molded by childhood experiences. Graduation from West Point and a military career were inevitable. Mike was blessed with natural athletic ability, keen sense of humor, and dedication for service.</p>
<p>After graduating from St. Albans School in Washington, DC, where he was a class officer, prefect, and three-sport star athlete, he entered West Point in the summer of 1953, a fulfillment of his childhood dreams. Mike adapted well to Academy life while sustaining his quiet, easy-going manner and sense of humor. Nothing seemed to get him down; he was always cheerful and quick witted. He represented the Academy as a member of the Soccer and Track teams, was a heptagonal pole vault champion and record holder, and at graduation was the recipient of the 306th Infantry Award for standing first in the graduating class in physical education.</p>
<p>Following graduation, Mike was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force and, after flight school, was assigned to the storied 100th Bomb Wing at Pease AFB, NH as a B-47 pilot. It was here that he met Judy Lane, a senior at the University of New Hampshire. They were married in the summer of 1960 and were blessed with two children: John and Joanne. Mike loved flying and demonstrated early his aptitude and leadership by being upgraded to aircraft commander while still only a first lieutenant. </p>
<p>From 1964 to 1966, Mike pursued a master’s degree in aerospace engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). While the course was demanding, Mike made time to help fellow students, as evidenced by one of his classmates rushing over to Judy following graduation ceremonies and giving her a big hug while confessing that he would never had made it without Mike. His master’s thesis was later the basis of a paper presented at the August 1969 Aerospace Design Conference in Seattle, WA.</p>
<p>Following his AFIT graduation Mike was an instructor in the Engineering Mechanics Department at the United States Air Force Academy. His ability to identify with the cadets and involvement in other activities such as the soccer, track and cross-country teams, T-41 instructor pilot, tow pilot for the soaring program, and a National Ski Patrol System trainer and evaluator brought him into contact with cadets outside the normal academic setting. He believed his job was more than teaching them engineering: it was teaching them to be officers. It was during this tour that daughter Joanne was diagnosed with epilepsy and the challenges involved with this malady and associated learning disability thrust them into local and national organizations aimed at fostering growth and development in their daughter, as well as other similarly afflicted children. </p>
<p>Mike’s tour at the Air Force Academy was interrupted in 1968-69 with a tour in Vietnam. The one-year assignment as a U-10 (STOL) pilot was with the 5th Special Operations Squadron stationed in IV Corps. On the night of January 10, 1969, during an intense rocket and mortar attack on the airbase, Mike was cited for valor: “…Major Keating elected to stay with the wounded man even though incoming rounds were exploding all about him. Twice during the attack Major Keating was knocked to the ground and stunned but he continued to stay with the man and administer first aid… .” Mike returned to the Air Force Academy in 1969 as an assistant professor.</p>
<p>Following the Air War College (1972-73), Mike was chief, Advanced Development Division, Air Force Materials Laboratory, responsible for the development of advanced composite materials for application to future aerospace systems. He returned to the Air War College in late 1974 as a faculty member and, in late 1977, was selected for an assignment as the defense and air attaché to Stockholm. After language and intelligence schools, the family arrived in Sweden in the summer of 1979. It was during this assignment that the family faced a potentially devastating challenge. The compelling account of their son’s survival and recovery after accidentally contacting a 16,000-volt Swedish railroad power line is told in the book The Hand of God, coauthored by Mike and Judy. It is an inspiring story of courage, determination, and the power of love. The near-death experience and life-saving amputations challenged their emotional resources and offer a unique insight into this man and his family—their values, character, and faith. </p>
<p>Mike returned to the faculty of the Air War College in 1982 and after retiring in 1986 remained in the Montgomery area. Mike’s volunteer activities aimed at helping others continued into retirement. His lifelong interest in athletics coupled with a desire to “give back” prompted him to launch on a 15-year association as a National Federation football and basketball official.</p>
<p>It is difficult to separate Mike from his family because they were so closely woven in a fabric of teamwork, individual growth, and involvement. In 2003, the Keating family was recognized by the Family Guidance Center of Alabama as one of their Families of the Year.</p>
<p>Mike was preceded in death by his daughter Joanne in 2006. </p>
<p>Mike is inurned at the Alabama National Cemetery. He leaves an enviable legacy of devotion and love to his country, to his family and to his God. Be Thou at Peace!</p>
<p><em>— John Keating</em></p>
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