Obenland, Roland R. – KIA

“Born October 10, 1935, Obenland was the son of the late Robert and Violette. After graduation from high school, Ron attended the University of Minnesota for two years where he excelled while pursuing a course in accounting. A man of action, he soon found that accounting was not nearly as appealing as a military career. (1) He became a distinguished graduate of the United States Naval Academy in 1959, and one of only 47 graduates out of 798 to come to the Air Force to become a pilot.(2)

At the Academy, he displayed a great interest in Plebe and varsity fencing as well as in other sports. Never one to under emphasize academics, he succeeded in starring. One could always find him working on the Log, going to club meetings or delighting in the various pleasures of dragging. Ron’s favorite motto was, “there are a lot of pebbles on the beach so after a weekend it’s time for a change.” (1)

After pilot training, Obenland became a test pilot instructor before attending the Air Force Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a Master of Science degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1965.

In August 1967, Obenland volunteered for a two year tour of Vietnam, but he never returned home.

“Obenland demonstrated extraordinary skill and bravery as a pilot. He recalled that on March 13, 1968, they flew three missions together from the alert pad at Bien Hoa. On the third mission of the day, just after sunset and while supporting troops in contact, a 50 caliber site opened up…Noticing where the ground fire originated, Obenland approached the site and took three hits during a face-to-face confrontation with the enemy…

On May 18, 1968, Abrams and Obenland had an early breakfast together before going on separate combat missions. Obenland was flying a close-air support mission a few miles from his home base at Bien Hoa. During a mission drop, his jet received automatic weapons fire and crashed before he could eject. It was his 238th combat mission.

Obenland received many medals and awards during his career, including the Silver Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. In addition to his pilot service, Obenland also worked as a project officer on the development of the Martin X-23A PRIME re-entry vehicle, setting the foundation for space vehicle development today. The last remaining PRIME re-entry vehicle is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. ”

“As an interesting side note, Roland’s name was submitted to NASA in 1997 for their STARDUST mission to space. This is what NASA says about the program: “Placing names onto the STARDUST spacecraft was a public outreach effort. It allowed people to be personally involved with the STARDUST Mission and helps to promote public interest, awareness and support of the space program. It also provided a way to honor individuals by enabling them to be associated with mankind’s most advance technological endeavor and to be part of the quest of the human species to reach for the stars.” Roland’s name will remain in space forever. What a way to honor a pilot!

For more information on the STARDUST mission, go to http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/overview

Roland is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. His name is inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 62e, Line 21. (2)

In his honor, the Roland R. Obenland Memorial Engineering Award was established.(3)

Sources: HonorStates.org; (1) VMH: ROLAND R. OBENLAND, CAPT, USAF (usnamemorialhall.org) (2) findagrave.com; (3) TogetherWeServed.com