SSS Election Statement Eddie Bracken
I sincerely want to continue serving as Vice President of the Super Sabre Society. For the past two years it has been a privilege and an honor to serve as Don Shepperd’s number two. Shep has brought new life to the organization and has established a viable vision for the future. Upon assuming the VP role, I investigated the future direction that the Society should take and came to the resolute conclusion that our membership criteria should not change and now firmly believe our organization should follow the Jimmy Doolittle model—Last Man Standing. The many achievements that Shep has initiated such as a new web site, extending an olive branch to the founder of SSS and many others designed to calm the waters of rancor that exists in some of the membership, are laudable.
Unfortunately, the founder continues on his path of self-destruction that I hope in the long term will diminish as he realizes that he has a role to play in this organization but it does NOT involve a decision making role. That time has passed and he needs to step aside gracefully and let the next leadership set the course of the organization, which by the way are in consonance with the original vision and by-laws of the SSS.
I also support the candidacy of Dick Pietro as the Director-at-Large.
Eddie Bracken retired from the Air Force in 1992 after 33 years of service. For the first 25 years of his service he held various positions in fighter aircraft operations culminating as the Commander of the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing in the United Kingdom, operating the F-111F. His career in fighter aviation started off in the F-100 and included tours with the 615th TFS at England AFB and the 35th TFS at Itazuke AFB, Japan. While at Itazuke he transitioned to the F-105 and then moved to Yokota AB Japan. His period of time in Japan was marked by numerous TDYs to Korea and Thailand in both the Hun and Thud. He returned to the United States in 1966 and was assigned to Nellis AFB as an instructor in the F-105 and in the initial cadre of the F-111. The tour at Nellis was short lived as he was reassigned to the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards AFB.
After graduation he was assigned to Test OPS at Eglin AFB where he was involved in F-100, F-105 and F-111 testing. In December 1969 he returned to Takhli AB Thailand in the F-105. He returned to the states in August of 1970 to attend Command and Staff and then on to the Pentagon where he served a four-year tour in Fighter Requirements and a fifth year at the National War College. Moving to Mountain Home AFB in 1976 he served as Chief of Weapon and Tactics and Commander of the 391st TFS. In the summer of 1977 the entire wing of F-111Fs moved to RAF Lakenheath where he was stationed for seven years first as Commander of the 493rd TFS and finally as the Commander of the 48th TFW. He was promoted to B/Gen when he left Lakenheath.
The last eight years of his service was focused in Logistics operations. He was the Vice Commander of an Air Logistics center that had over 25,000 civilian and military personnel assigned. He served a three-year tour in the Pentagon where he was the Director of Air Force Logistics Plans and Programs. In this capacity he was responsible for the formulation, advocacy and execution of a $50 Billion yearly budget for Air Force Logistics operations. His last assignment was at Wright Patterson AFB as the Chief of Staff for Air Force Logistics Command. In that time frame, Air Force Logistics Command had close to 90,000 military and civilian personnel assigned.
- 4129 flying hours primarily in fighters
- 25 Types
- 740 Hrs. F-111, 1179 Hrs. F-105, 853 Hrs. F-100
- 325 combat hours & 160 combat sorties over North Vietnam and Laos in the F-105
- Test pilot, F-111A, F-105 and F-100
Since his retirement from the Air Force he worked as a consultant to numerous aviation and space companies advising them on long range plans, financial strategies and business process re-engineering practices. He also worked on various studies for Air Force and Department of Defense. In the last 12 years he has volunteered in a pro-bono status for numerous activities in the Colorado Pikes Peak region such as the El Paso County Planning Commission, the Colorado Springs Airport Advisory Commission, Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Pikes Peak Combined Federal Campaign Board of Directors, the Chamber of Commerce’s Eliminating Barriers to Business Working Group, the El Paso County Highway Advisory Committee and the Black Forest Fire Department where he served as Chairman the Board of Directors. Most recently he was instrumental in standup of Black Forest Together, Inc., a 501 ( C ) 3 charitable organization responsible for the recovery and restoration of the Black Forest community which suffered the loss of 488 homes and 17000 acres of forest, the worst in Colorado’s history. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board and co-founder of this organization.
Eddie’s wife of 53 years passed away in February 2012 from Pancreatic Cancer. His has four children, Mary lives in Colorado Springs, Erin Lives in Lawrence Kansas, Pattie lives in Vancouver Washington and Eddie Jr. lives in Colorado Springs Colorado. He has six grandchildren. In 2103 he married Nancy Gorsich Bracken who also lost her husband due to Cancer after 49 years of marriage. Together they have embarked this new journey in life. 
