05/25/2026
As Memorial Day winds down, I’d like to once again share some thoughts on this day, and the story of Lieutenant Edward Moerbe, and several other heroes who happen to serve in and support AIRPOWER in the various branches, all from my hometown of Thorndale, Texas…..enjoy….”we live in fame, or go down in flames – nothing can stop the U.S. AIR FORCE”…..;-)
150 years ago, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. It was first declared by General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, on May 5, 1868, and he writes: “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.”
Decoration Day would eventually be more aptly named Memorial Day, and it is on this sacred occasion which we give thanks for the American soldier, who gave everything they had. In the history of warfare, a relatively new iteration of the soldier has attained prominence, as technology moved mankind upward, as George Jefferson might say, to the "Sky, high high." These soldiers, every bit as lethal to the enemy as a Marine with an M-14, we call the Airman. From days of men with swords, to the invention of cartridge-fired rifles and projectiles, few advancements in military technology have led to the quantum leap in destructive power, nor the paradigm shift in operational and tactical planning, as the advancement of airpower. Hoo-rah.
Even still, ancient tenets of battle such as Sun Tzu's famously quoted 'Know your enemy and know yourself', continue to be taught in military service academies, because they ring true even millennia later. Age old military philosophy notwithstanding, and understanding that boots on the ground can never be fully replaced nor replicated by aerial assets, I'm endeared to the Airman because I spent nearly a decade in the uniform of the United States Air Force. These are my people, and though borne of the Army in the mid-century, today, the Air Force is one of a kind, a branch that stands all on it’s own. In fact, during my tenure, we also controlled most space-borne assets, which have now been pawned off on the newly-formed Space Force, who many us original Long Blue Line cadre have yet to fully embrace, now accept into the family, like a new child that garners all the attention of it’s adoring parents. The Air Force once also controlled two legs of the nuclear triad, the strategic bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ready to bring about the Apocalypse in the blink of an eye, but have sat dormant since the Cold War through the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction. Any honest broker of mutually assured destruction will tell you the US Navy controls the most feared leg, that being the stealthy and undetectable ballistic submarine, which can park offshore from any adversary and launch a first strike with nigh impunity, should the threat ever arise which would necessitate that most chilling scenario. But you couldn’t pay me enough to pull submarine duty, I’ve watched far too many movies, and while glamorous on the big screen, I don’t think I’d enjoy hot-bunking underwater for months at a time without sunlight. No sir, I’ll stand by my comment that the U.S. Air Force is the most lethal, capable, and awesome man-made force in the history of the world, and certainly we had better Chow Halls and golf courses. No offense to my brothers in the Navy, or the Marine Corps, or even my grandpa’s alma mater the United States Army.
WAR is sometimes necessary, a necessary evil at that, and described as the continuation of politics by other means, another age-old adage from von Clausewitz. Politics at it's basic level, is the affairs of the state in governing a society. Opinions on political systems and how to operate them are quite diverse, and while we won’t make this a political discussion today, I will say that any institution governed by mankind is inherently going to become dysfunctional over time, because we human beings are inherently encumbered by such things as greed, lust for power, ideological differences, ancient religious conflicts, et cetera. It's no wonder that we as inhabitants of the Third Rock constantly find ourselves engaged in the Clausewitzian euphemism of politics by other means. Peace is fleeting. Good and evil are both pervasive, and eternally bound.
Setting the politics aside, I’m here today to recognize the pointy end of that spear, the soldier, and the Airman. War is directed by the government, but it's led by the brass, the Generals and Admirals, and their subordinate officers. But it's fought, by the soldiers in harm's way, and therein lies the altar upon which sacrifice is made to God and Country. All the above must be held accountable by We The People. A government that goes to war against the will of it's people should soon find itself out of power. At least in this country, We the People still collectively, wield the ultimate power at the ballot box. Remember, they work for us. End of that particular sermon.
Today, I'd like to honor a few of those Airman from my hometown of Thorndale, Texas. Every American soldier has a special place in my heart, but in particular, the Airman I served alongside, and more specifically, those Airman from my hometown, well, there aren't that many of us. The men I bring before you today all served in capacities that were forerunners to the modern United States Air Force. The old Army Air Corps was renamed Army Air Forces in 1941, and officially became the U.S. Air Force in 1947, after the importance of a separate service dedicated to air power was formally recognized after the hard fought provenance of guys like Billy Mitchell and Jimmy Doolittle.
Now, the Army wasn't the only service that discovered airplanes. Less than a decade after the Wright Brothers first flew at Kitty Hawk, enterprising young Airmen tried launching one from a boat. Eight years later, the HMS Argus became the world's first dedicated aircraft carrier.
A few years back, I was honored to serve as pallbearer for Mr. TA Beard, who passed away at age 95. That makes him every bit an Airman just as the modern day Flightline NCO of the U.S. Air Force. Mr. Beard was the second-to-last surviving member of the Greatest Generation from Thorndale.
During the war, Mr. Beard was a sailor on the aircraft carrier USS Suwanee, responsible to ready planes for combat. He saw action in both the Atlantic during the invasion of north Africa, and more extensively in the Pacific theater as the fierce aerial and surface fighting waged between Allied and Imperial dreadnoughts. He was aboard when the Suwanee was hit by one of the first kamikaze attacks of the war, and could accurately recount how many ships they lost, and how many they sunk, almost 75 years later. He even remembered the glowing sky from the first atomic bomb, from hundreds of miles away, not knowing what had just happened, as that mission was done in complete secrecy. WW2 veterans, heroes, like T.A. Beard are fewer and farther between, and I truly enjoyed the opportunities to speak with Mr. Beard during his last few years.
Now, some of my more astute colleagues will point out that Memorial Day is reserved for those that died in battle, and not those still living. That's fine. Just be sure to read this in it's entirety. I concede your point, but I'm quite certain the memories of fallen comrades made Memorial Day far more difficult for Mr. Beard than the average citizen, and the stories they tell offer a reminder of thousands of those who died in battle and can no longer tell their story. He could relate first-hand to losing his brothers in arms. It's been said that winning the Medal of Honor, while the greatest award this country can offer, is merely a lifetime reminder for it's recipients of perhaps the worst day of their lives. Think about that.
Another great Airman I grew up hearing stories from was Lt Col Oscar Theis, with more than 100 combat missions under his belt. Colonel Theis was a stalwart in the community of Thorndale for many years after World War II. He passed away a few years back at age 92.
From his obituary:
Oscar enlisted in the Army Air Force in Nov. 1930. He flew 117 combat missions as a fighter pilot in Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air Medal with 19 Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Unit Award, and the European Theater Badge with six Battle Stars. He retired from the U. S. Air Force Reserve on Jan. 6, 1980 with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Growing up, I never even knew Mr. Theis was a war hero, nor a Colonel, until I had already joined the Air Force myself. It's funny the things we don't pay attention too, until they hit us over the head. I heard many stories from Colonel Theis over the years, but none more fitting than the final one I heard before he passed away.
After Allied Forces began to break the Axis stranglehold on Europe, he found himself on a German air base that had been abandoned, with a fleet of the Luftwaffe's finest sitting on the tarmac. His squadron commander wanted to take up one of the captured Luftwaffe Messerschmitts. Growing up in the German community of Thorndale, Oscar spoke fluent German, and since he could read the German flight controls, the commander told him to grab his gear and let's check these birds out. During the sortie, American forces began pointing their weapons and firing at the duo, and he was instructed, quite voraciously, to "get this SOB on the ground before they hit us.”
Colonel Theis was quick-witted, humorous, and a true icon of our town.
Another Airman born in Thorndale just 5 months before Colonel Theis, was Edward Moerbe. While the Colonel was a fighter pilot, this young Thorndale boy would go on to command a B-17 Flying Fortress, one of the most dangerous assignments in the entire theater.
One man who'd certainly be proud of these Thorndale Airmen is General Mark Welsh, another Texas boy, who served as Chief of Staff of the Air Force from 2012-2016. General Welsh was a combat fighter pilot, flying and commanding a squadron of F-16's in the first Gulf War. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General just as I was entering my first-class year at the Air Force Academy, where he became Commandant of Cadets. He was the first man I saluted as I was handed my diploma and walked across that stage 26 years ago.
In the years following, as I grew as an officer, he continued moving up the ranks as a Flag officer. I followed his career, and in 2006 I received orders to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, just as he became the 4-star Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe. That would be my last assignment, but not the last time I'd serve General Welsh.
He went on to become the Air Force's highest ranking officer, only the 20th Chief of Staff in Air Force history. Upon retirement, he became Dean of the Bush School of Public Service at Texas A&M, and then President of the entire university, and I've had the pleasure of serving BBQ at a handful of events in which he has spoken. After one of these events, he sent me a Commander's Coin from his time as Chief of Staff.
Coins are highly sought after in the military, and Law Enforcement; awarded by the higher ups, Colonels, Generals, and Chiefs, as recognition for going beyond the call of duty. One should carry a coin on them at all times, else they be "coin checked" by another service member. If they don't have a coin, they have to buy a round of drinks. If they do have one, the challenger must buy the drinks.
4-star General coins are hard to come by, and a Chief of Staff coin is exceedingly rare. While there are 1.4 million soldiers on active duty, there are only 4 to 5 military chiefs at any one time. This one is even more special to me because the name, General Mark A. Welsh III, is not only on this coin, it's on my Air Force Academy diploma. It's the only Chief of Staff coin I ever received, at least, up to that point.
This coin is one of the most cherished items of military memorabilia in my possession. It's rare. It's historic. It's personal to me, and it marks a period of time in my life in which a boy became a man, who left Thorndale, spread his wings, and flew as high as he could, across the country, over to Europe, to the Middle East, and finally returned home. It bears the name of a man I consider a personal hero, who was proven in combat, raised to the highest echelons of the most powerful military in the history of the world, yet who maintains a humility to this day, which every human being should endeavor to emulate.
I left Thorndale as a boy, and returned as a man. Mark Welsh left Texas as a boy, and returned as a General. On February 10th, 1944, Lieutenant Edward Moerbe, having left Thorndale as well, pushed four throttles forward and four massive radial engines came to life, as his crew departed the shores of England at 0740 hours in a Boeing B-17, tail #42-31336, bound for Brunswick, Germany. 169 B-17 bombers embarked on a mission to strike at the heart of the German War Machine's aircraft production.
Meager to heavy flak was seen when crossing the enemy Coast. Intense flak was encountered at the target where 13 of the aircraft received major flak damage. Enemy fighter opposition was the most intense that this Group had seen since receiving long range fighter support. The Group to the right was attacked by 25 FW 190's. At 1100 hours in the vicinity of Lingen, Germany, they were attacked by enemy fighters in groups of three. As they neared the target, twin engine aircraft fired rockets into the formation. Bombs were away at 1200 hours from 23,000 feet. They remained under attacks until reaching the Zuider Zee on the return route. Friendly fighters were outnumbered, especially in the target area.
29 of those B-17's never returned. 300 airmen were killed, wounded, or missing in action.
Lieutenant Edward Moerbe became a hero in the most seminal fight for Good this planet has ever seen, with the destiny of millions hanging in the balance. He led men into battle in perhaps the most famous and feared flying machine ever constructed to that time. Lieutenant Moerbe was last seen along the Dutch Coast of the North Sea. Unlike myself, and General Welsh, and Colonel Theis, and Petty Officer TA Beard, Ed Moerbe never returned to Texas.
On behalf of General Welsh, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force, I gave that special coin to Lieutenant Edward Emil Moerbe, and placed it on his headstone. Pilot, missing in action, 1944. He deserves it far more than I ever will.
Here's a toast to the host of those
Who love the vastness of the sky,
To a friend we send a message
Of his brother men who fly.
We drink to those who gave their all of old,
Then down we roar
to score the rainbow's pot of gold.
A toast to the host of men we boast, the US Air Force
