McDermont, Alexander V.

Alexancer V. McDermont, LtCol USAF, Ret., “Headed West” on December 2, 2017.

LtCol Alexander McDermont, 78, U.S. Air Force, Retired, passed away December 2, 2017, with his loving family and spiritual advisor by his side. Alex was born April 22, 1939, in Hollywood, California.

He was raised in Atherton, northern California. After graduating from Oregon State University in 1961 with a degree in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, he immediately accepted an appointment as an officer and pilot candidate in the U.S. Air Force. Alex, known as “Deadly” in the U.S. Air Force, served honorably for 20 years as a Tactical Fighter Pilot, Fighter Weapons Instructor and Test and Evaluation Pilot. His Air Force career was highlighted by three tours of combat in Vietnam. Deadly was a passionate aviator. Some of the most memorable airplanes he flew in the Air Force include the F-100, A-7 and the A-10. Alex and his family settled in Las Vegas during his final assignment at Nellis Air Force Base, where he retired flying the A-10 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

In Las Vegas, Alex was a small business entrepreneur before he retired again as a gentleman cattle rancher outside of Bozeman, Montana. After enough ornery cattle and Montana winters, Alex returned to Las Vegas in order to be closer to sunshine, and to his son and daughter-in-law.

“Deadly” was a warrior and enthusiastic fighter pilot. Alex was an inspirational father and his friends remember him as funny, energizing, passionate and artistic. Service, will military honors, will be at 12:40 p.m. Tuesday, January 16, at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 1900 Veterans Memorial Drive, Boulder City. There will be a celebration of his life following the service, at his son’s home. In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in honor of the McDermont family to “Keep Memory Alive” at Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

He is survived by his son, Marc; daughter-in-law, Shea; and granddog, Vegas.

The following poem was submitted by Marc:

“Flying West”
I hope there’s a place, way up in the sky
Where pilots can go when they have to die.
A place where a guy could buy a cold beer
For a friend and a comrade whose memory is dear.
A place where no doctor or lawyer could tread,
Nor a management-type would e’ler be caught dead!
Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke,
Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke.
The kind of a place that a lady could go
And feel safe and secure by the men she would know.
There must be a place where old pilots go,
When their wings become heavy, when their airspeed gets low,
Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
And songs about flying and dying are sung.
Where you’d see all the fellows who’d ‘flown west’ before,
And they’d call out your name, as you came through the door,
Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,
And relate to the others, “He was quite a good lad!”
And there, through the mist, you’d spot an old guy
You had not seen in years, though he’d taught you to fly.
He’d nod his old head, and grin ear to ear
And say, “Welcome, my Son, I’m proud that you’re here!
For this is the place where true flyers come
When the battles are over, and the wars have been won.
They’ve come here at last, to be safe and alone,
From the government clerk, and the management clone;
Politicians and lawyers, the Feds, and the noise,
Where all hours are happy, and these good ol’ boys
Can relax with a cool one, and a well deserved rest!
This is Heaven, my Son. You’ve passed your last test!”

(source: Https://obits.reviewjournal.com/obituaries/lvrj/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=187773171)