Riedel, Jay E.

Colonel Jay E. Riedel retired April 1, 1992, after thirty years of active service to his country. His last assignment was Senior Air Force Representative to the United States Army Infantry, Ft. Benning, Georgia.

Jay E. Riedel was born November 19,  1939, in Freeport, Long Island, New York, and graduated from Ithaca High School in June 1957. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics from the University of Buffalo, in New York, and his commission as a Second Lieutenant through AFROTC in July 1961. He also received a Masters Degree in Business Management from Auburn University, Montgomery, Alabama, in July 1974. His professional military education includes Squadron Officers’ School in March 1968, and Air Command and Staff College in June 1974, both in residence.

Second Lieutenant Riedel entered the Air Force in March 1962 after spending eight months as a scientific computer programmer at Bell Aerosystems, Niagara Falls, New York, while waiting for his pilot training class to begin. He completed pilot training in March 1963 at Reese Air Force Base (AFB), Texas. He was assigned to KC-135 air refueling tankers in Strategic Air Command at Loring AFB, Maine, in August 1963 and served as co-pilot, Standardization/Evaluation co-pilot, and aircraft commander until October 1968.

After volunteering for “F-anything” (any fighter) in 1966, Captain Riedel received an assignment to F-100 school at Luke AFB, Arizona in October 1968 and was assigned to the 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), Bien Hoa Air Base, the Republic of Vietnam in August 1969. When the 510th TFS deactivated in October 1969, Capt. Riedel was reassigned to the 615th TFS, Phan Rang Air Base, Vietnam, and served as an F-100 instructor pilot until July 1970.

Capt. Riedel returned from Vietnam in July 1970 and was assigned to the first United States Air Force A-7D squadron that was being activated at Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina—the 511th TFS that soon thereafter became the 353rd TFS. During this period, Capt. Riedel was an assistant flight commander, flight commander, squadron scheduling officer, mobility officer, and instructor pilot.

In October 1972, Capt. Riedel deployed with the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing to Korat Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, with the first Air Force A-7Ds in Southeast Asia, and he took part in the Eleven-Day War of Linebacker II (19-29 December 1972) for the final bombing of North Vietnam. During this period, Capt. Riedel also participated in the new Search and Rescue mission of the A-7D and returned to Myrtle Beach in January 1973 to be Chief of Wing Training.

In July 1973, Maj. Riedel was assigned to the Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Alabama, and graduated in July 1974. He was assigned as Chief, A-7D Operations Test and Evaluation in the 422nd Fighter Weapons Squadron, Nellis AFB, Nevada, until the A-7s were phased out of Nellis in August 1975. Maj. Riedel was transferred to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, in August 1975 and served as a formal course A-7D instructor pilot, and Assistant Operations Officer of the 354th and 357th TFSs; Operations Officer of the 358th TFS; and Chief of Safety, Tactical Training Davis-Monthan until October 1978.

Lt. Col. Riedel received an F-4D checkout at McDill AFB, Florida, from October 1978 to January 1979, and then was assigned to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing “Wolf Pack”, Kunsan Air Base, Korea, in February 1979. He became the Operations Officer, then Commander, of the famed 80th TFS “Headhunters” until February 1980.

Upon leaving Korea, Lt. Col. Riedel was assigned as Chief, Operations Requirements Division at Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hawaii, in March 1980; and Deputy Director of Support Operations in March 1981. In March 1983 he was assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, Nevada, as Chief, Operations Plans Division and, upon promotion to colonel, Wing Chief of Staff. Col. Riedel was assigned to Ft. Benning, Georgia, as the Senior Air Force Representative to the U.S. Army Infantry in August 1985.

Col. Riedel’s decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross (V) with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Air Medal with thirteen oak leaf clusters, Combat Readiness Medal with three oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal with seven service stars.
A command pilot, he has logged more than 4,000 flying hours in the F-4D, A-7D, F-100D/F, KC-135A, AT-33, T-33, T-37 with stick time in the F-16. He has also logged more than 500 combat flying hours and 323 missions in three different aircraft in Southeast Asia between 1964 and 1973. He was promoted to the grade of Colonel by a special board on 11 October 1984 with a retroactive date of rank to 1 December 1982.

“It was quite a ride! I wrote the book “Memories of a Fighter Pilot” which is available on BarnesandNoble.com; Amazon.com; Lulu.com; or from me.”