Welcome to the memorial page for
Lt. Col. George G. Myers USAF (ret)
November 3, 2017 ~ November 17, 2017Share Tribute:
Lt. Col. George G. Myers, USAF (ret), 98, of Fort Myers, Fla., passed away peacefully at home on November 17, 2017. Born November 3, 1919, in Coolville, Ohio, he was the 13th of 14 children born to Ervin E. and Louie Dell Myer.
George is survived by his sister, Catherine Moore, wife Wanda, sons Gary and Ron Myers and Sam and Dan Kirk, 9 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
George attended Barlow Rural High School in Vincent, Ohio, and graduated in 1937 from Mountain State Business College with an accounting degree. He then worked for Hope Natural Gas Company before being inducted into the Army in March 1942. He served for 28 years in the military before retiring in 1970.
His first assignment was at Berry Field in Nashville, in the Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command (ATC) from April until September, then it was off to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Miami Beach, where actor Clark Gable was his upperclassman, and gave him his first hazing. Gable was 42 and George was 22.
George received his 2nd Lt. Commission on December 9, 1942, and was assigned to the Long Beach Army Air Field, California, the Ferrying Division of the ATC. He was a squadron adjutant while at Long Beach. On March 20, 1943, he married Katherine Vincent in Nashville. They had two sons, Gary, born in 1944, and Ron, born in 1947.
George was given a permanent commission in 1945 as 1st Lt., one of the first 4000 Auxiliary or Reserve officers given permanent rank after WWII. During 1946, he was on the move: three months at Love Field, Dallas; three months at Municipal AP, Memphis; then Payne Field, Cairo, Egypt. En route, he was reassigned to European Headquarters ATC in Paris, one of four members of an inactivation team to close an Army Air Field (AAF) in Casablanca, Morocco; Mallard AAF in Dakar, Senegal; Roberts AAF in Liberia; Wheelus AAF in Tripoli, Libya; Ciampino AAF in Rome; and a communication unit in Madrid.
From 1959 to 1961, George was at the NATO Supply Center in Chateauroux, France, and was in charge of USAF jet engine overhaul facilities located in Casablanca; Torino, Italy; Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. He arranged the scheduling of engines for overhaul and the repair parts support between the USAF and the host countries, which made for a lot of traveling all over Europe, Turkey, Africa and stateside. He was in and out of Paris many dozens of times.
During 1965 to 1966, George was assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Headquarters in Saigon, on Gen. Westmorland's Joint Staff. He was Marine Col. Webb "Buzz" Sawyer's Deputy in the Plans Division. They developed combat support plans for American as well as Foreign Forces and negotiated with Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and South Korea for equipment and support agreements to get combat units, support and medical units and combat divisions into Vietnam. He was awarded his highest service medal, “The Legion of Merit,” for his service in Vietnam.
In May 1966, George was assigned to the Pentagon, but his orders were changed to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, because his wife, Kitty, had cancer. She died less than one year later at the age of 44.
From May 1966 to February 1970, George was Chief of the Plans and Programs Division at the Air Force Logistic Command Headquarters at Wright Patterson AFB, and received the Air Force Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster) for meritorious service.
He retired at Wright Patterson on February 1, 1970, after 28 years of service with the rank of Lieutenant Col. Before retiring, he remarried on February 22, 1969, to the former Wanda J. Kirk, whose first husband, 1st Lt. David A. Kirk, USAF, passed away on November 21, 1963, of cancer at age 32. Wanda and George remained in Fairborn, Ohio, with Wanda's teenaged children Sam and Dan before moving to Fort Myers Beach in 1979, and lived in Florida since then.
George was a Mason and a Shriner for 44 years and a Kiwanis member for 38 years. He also was a member of the Whiskey Creek Country Club for 29 years. George loved to golf and was an active golfer. He also was a member of the Church of the Cross. Wanda and George were blessed with 48 years of marriage.
Funeral Services will be celebrated at 1:00 PM Saturday November 25, 2017, at The Church of the Cross, 13500 Freshman Lane, Ft. Myers, FL 33912. The family will receive friends starting at 12:30 PM at the church. A reception will follow the service at the church community center. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Church of the Cross.
George will be truly missed by his family and friends and will always remain in our hearts.
George is survived by his sister, Catherine Moore, wife Wanda, sons Gary and Ron Myers and Sam and Dan Kirk, 9 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.
George attended Barlow Rural High School in Vincent, Ohio, and graduated in 1937 from Mountain State Business College with an accounting degree. He then worked for Hope Natural Gas Company before being inducted into the Army in March 1942. He served for 28 years in the military before retiring in 1970.
His first assignment was at Berry Field in Nashville, in the Ferrying Division of the Air Transport Command (ATC) from April until September, then it was off to Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Miami Beach, where actor Clark Gable was his upperclassman, and gave him his first hazing. Gable was 42 and George was 22.
George received his 2nd Lt. Commission on December 9, 1942, and was assigned to the Long Beach Army Air Field, California, the Ferrying Division of the ATC. He was a squadron adjutant while at Long Beach. On March 20, 1943, he married Katherine Vincent in Nashville. They had two sons, Gary, born in 1944, and Ron, born in 1947.
George was given a permanent commission in 1945 as 1st Lt., one of the first 4000 Auxiliary or Reserve officers given permanent rank after WWII. During 1946, he was on the move: three months at Love Field, Dallas; three months at Municipal AP, Memphis; then Payne Field, Cairo, Egypt. En route, he was reassigned to European Headquarters ATC in Paris, one of four members of an inactivation team to close an Army Air Field (AAF) in Casablanca, Morocco; Mallard AAF in Dakar, Senegal; Roberts AAF in Liberia; Wheelus AAF in Tripoli, Libya; Ciampino AAF in Rome; and a communication unit in Madrid.
From 1959 to 1961, George was at the NATO Supply Center in Chateauroux, France, and was in charge of USAF jet engine overhaul facilities located in Casablanca; Torino, Italy; Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. He arranged the scheduling of engines for overhaul and the repair parts support between the USAF and the host countries, which made for a lot of traveling all over Europe, Turkey, Africa and stateside. He was in and out of Paris many dozens of times.
During 1965 to 1966, George was assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Headquarters in Saigon, on Gen. Westmorland's Joint Staff. He was Marine Col. Webb "Buzz" Sawyer's Deputy in the Plans Division. They developed combat support plans for American as well as Foreign Forces and negotiated with Australia, New Zealand, Philippines and South Korea for equipment and support agreements to get combat units, support and medical units and combat divisions into Vietnam. He was awarded his highest service medal, “The Legion of Merit,” for his service in Vietnam.
In May 1966, George was assigned to the Pentagon, but his orders were changed to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, because his wife, Kitty, had cancer. She died less than one year later at the age of 44.
From May 1966 to February 1970, George was Chief of the Plans and Programs Division at the Air Force Logistic Command Headquarters at Wright Patterson AFB, and received the Air Force Commendation Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster) for meritorious service.
He retired at Wright Patterson on February 1, 1970, after 28 years of service with the rank of Lieutenant Col. Before retiring, he remarried on February 22, 1969, to the former Wanda J. Kirk, whose first husband, 1st Lt. David A. Kirk, USAF, passed away on November 21, 1963, of cancer at age 32. Wanda and George remained in Fairborn, Ohio, with Wanda's teenaged children Sam and Dan before moving to Fort Myers Beach in 1979, and lived in Florida since then.
George was a Mason and a Shriner for 44 years and a Kiwanis member for 38 years. He also was a member of the Whiskey Creek Country Club for 29 years. George loved to golf and was an active golfer. He also was a member of the Church of the Cross. Wanda and George were blessed with 48 years of marriage.
Funeral Services will be celebrated at 1:00 PM Saturday November 25, 2017, at The Church of the Cross, 13500 Freshman Lane, Ft. Myers, FL 33912. The family will receive friends starting at 12:30 PM at the church. A reception will follow the service at the church community center. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The Church of the Cross.
George will be truly missed by his family and friends and will always remain in our hearts.
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