Dave Strawn
The Tiger Photo
Dave and Karen June 1971
Dave and Karen in Colorado, May 2012
I was fortunate enough over the course of 21 years to spend most of that time in the cockpit. After UPT I went to England AFB, LA in the A-7D. In 1975 FAC assignments were becoming hard to avoid, and I flew the OV-10 for two years at Shaw and a year remote at Osan. In '78 I fell into a plum assignment to Luke teaching German lieutenants fresh out of UPT how not to kill themselves in the F-104G. After a six month, 100 hour conversion course, we were sprinkled with holy water and anointed as instructors. Incredible. I eventually became a Fighter Weapons School instructor there as well. After the F-104 program closed in '83 there were four long years flying a GSD in D.C. as an intelligence analyst at the Air Staff. Very long years. From there back to the cockpit - the F-16C (thank you, God) in Misawa, Japan, from '87-'90. That was followed by a somewhat anti-climactic final two years at Bergstrom in 12AF Safety before retiring in '92 when the base was slated for closing.
Even the worst of those flying assignments (the OV-10) was good. It had vague pretensions of being a fighter and was a great job for a young captain - a lot of responsibility, authority and autonomy. The A-7 was a great initiation into tactical aviation for a lieutenant, even though there was no afterburner connected to the go fast lever. The F-104 program at Luke was probably the best kept secret in the Air Force. The F-16 at Misawa was a dream come true - both the airplane and the mission. The Air Staff ? Living proof that if you tap dance long enough, you're bound to step in some poop.
We stayed in Austin and I worked for a few years for one of the biggest residential real estate developers there. Eventually I quit the rat race and retired for good. We bought land in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin and built a house. Clearing the land of cedar trees and rocks makes me a gentleman rancher, I guess. If you start that process when you're approaching geezerhood and have enough acreage, it has the potential to become a life long challenge.
In 2000 we jointly bought a vacation home with Karen's twin sister in Estes Park, Colorado. We manage to spend about two months there each year when it's not being used by vacation renters. We really enjoy the scenery and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. If our two children and two precious grandchildren weren't in Texas, that's probably where we'd be living today.
In spite of multiple moves over the years, Karen managed to pursue her nursing career with only a few interruptions. In the late '70s she gravitated to Emergency Room nursing and it soon became her specialty. She recently retired with 35 years active in the profession and 21 years at the same Austin hospital.
Even the worst of those flying assignments (the OV-10) was good. It had vague pretensions of being a fighter and was a great job for a young captain - a lot of responsibility, authority and autonomy. The A-7 was a great initiation into tactical aviation for a lieutenant, even though there was no afterburner connected to the go fast lever. The F-104 program at Luke was probably the best kept secret in the Air Force. The F-16 at Misawa was a dream come true - both the airplane and the mission. The Air Staff ? Living proof that if you tap dance long enough, you're bound to step in some poop.
We stayed in Austin and I worked for a few years for one of the biggest residential real estate developers there. Eventually I quit the rat race and retired for good. We bought land in the Texas Hill Country west of Austin and built a house. Clearing the land of cedar trees and rocks makes me a gentleman rancher, I guess. If you start that process when you're approaching geezerhood and have enough acreage, it has the potential to become a life long challenge.
In 2000 we jointly bought a vacation home with Karen's twin sister in Estes Park, Colorado. We manage to spend about two months there each year when it's not being used by vacation renters. We really enjoy the scenery and hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. If our two children and two precious grandchildren weren't in Texas, that's probably where we'd be living today.
In spite of multiple moves over the years, Karen managed to pursue her nursing career with only a few interruptions. In the late '70s she gravitated to Emergency Room nursing and it soon became her specialty. She recently retired with 35 years active in the profession and 21 years at the same Austin hospital.