SSgt Ed Uecker

SSgt Ed Uecker

Dates of Service: May 1966 - Nov 1969
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Bio 

Born 1947 in Jersey City NJ, where I lived until Uncle Sam came looking for me in Late 1965. I thought it best to trade a 4 year USAF hitch for a 2 year Infantry draft. One of the smartest things I ever did . Direct duty assignment out of basic, to the Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB to train OJT as an Aerial Photog. I have been married 53 years to a woman I knew for 3 weeks and have 2 really great daughters. AF took me to the desert and the jungle - still love 'em both.

Military Experiences

Started in Nov 1968
Combat Motion Picture Photographer
Ground and Aerial Motion Picture support. On call 24/7. First out w/ still photographer after the conditional "all clear" after a rocket & mortar attack. Flew bombing assessment missions most in O-1 Bird Dogs, OV-10s and A-37s. Did 3 missions in the field with Army units, including the 1st Australian Task Force AND 11th Armored Cav. Also, while grounded for 45 days with an ear infection, and working with a Tsgt from the Public Information Office, set an AF record by submitting the largest number of "Hometown News Clips" that were sent to a GIs local TV station for airing showing him hard at work.
Started in Jul 1966
Photo Instrumentation Specialist
High speed motion picture photography of Flight Testing operations on the ground and in the air as a"photo chase" photographer. Supported the XB-70, X-15, M2-F2 and many other test operations. Flew in T-38, F-104, T-33, C-130, RF-4C and several helicopters. Also pull quarterly 2 week duty at the rocket engine test site loading and operating static high speed movie cameras. Left September 1968 to begin a tour in Vietnam on my secondary job code, Combat Motion Picture Photographer.

Deployments

(3 years, 3 months)
Dec 1968 - Nov 1969
Vietnam ribbon
Vietnam War
24/7 Alert Photographer (when the base was under attack). Flew BDA missions primarily in A-37 Dragonfly, O-1E Boird Dog FAC and OV-10A FAC. Spent 3 missions in the field with units of the 11th Armored Cav, the 101st Airborne and the 1st Australian Task Force. Set a record for mopic "Hometown News Releases" while grounded w/ an ear infection. NCOIC of my one man COMDOC unit.
Jul 1966 - Sep 1968
Edwards AFB/AFFTC
Ground and aerial motion picture photographer on flight testing for numerous Test Acft incuding the X-15, XB-70, F-111, XC-142, M2-F2. Also worked a quarterly location at the Saturn Rocket Engine Test Stands on the East side of Rogers Dry Lake.

Military Credentials

Professional Development Schools

Nov 1967 - Jan 1968

Optical Instrumentation Specialist - Lowry AFB

Aug 1966 - Mar 1967

USAFI Correspondence- GED

Sep 1966 - Feb 1967

USAFI Correspondence - Motion Picture Cameraman

Individual & Special Skill Schools

Nov 1968 - Dec 1968

Jungle Survival School, Clark AB, Phillipines

Nov 1968

Escape and Evasion School, Fairchild AFB, WA

Dec 1967

Mountain and Desert Survival School, Edwards AFB, CA

Certifications

Nov 1966

Ejection Seat Training: T-33, T-38, F-4C, F-104, F-111

Foreign Language Skills

1970

VERY little German, French, It (1/1)

Security Clearance
Top Secret

Academic Degrees

Academic Degrees

1973 - 1975

UC San Diego

Bachelors Degree, Literature and Writing

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