Obituary for Charles Fenton Emmons
Lt. Col. Charles F. Emmons, USAF (Ret.), age 88 passed away September 23, 2019. Charlie was born on August 16, 1931, to Martin and Velma Johnson Wardner Emmons of Bloomingdale, New York.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sylvia Muggli Emmons, and six of their seven children; Jeffrey & family; Kevin & family; Andrea & family; Keith & family; Danielle & family; Eric & family and sister V. Louise LaFountain. He is preceded in death by his parents; son Terence and half-siblings Ruth Wardner Freeman; Robert Wardner, and Richard Wardner.
Charlie entered the USAF as an enlisted airman immediately upon high school graduation to avoid the mandatory draft then in existence due to the Korean War. He received his college degree later during his Air Force career at Omaha U., via Operation Bootstrap. While attending tech school, he was selected for Aviation Cadets and entered primary pilot training during June, 1952, graduating from basic training as a fighter pilot during July, 1953. From there he went through the Air Force Instrument School and all-weather interceptor pilot school and served in that capacity for the next 2 ½ years in Iceland and Presque Isle, Maine.
In early 1956, Charlie was selected to become an Air Training Office (ATO) at the new USAF Academy, located at the temporary site of Lowry AFB, Colorado. The ATO’s served as “upper classmen” for the first three classes of cadets that entered the Academy. During this assignment, he met his future wife, Sylvia, and they were married June 8, 1957.
He flew B-47’s from early 1958 until they were phased out of the AF inventory in 1964. After completing the Air Command & Staff College and “Bootstrap,” he became a Crew Commander in the B-52G at Griffiss AFB, New York, until June 1968 when he was assigned to a one-year tour in Vietnam. That led to four years as a staff officer at HQ. PACAF (Hawaii), then six years at the Pentagon, and finally two years in the Special Activities Division, NORAD, in Colorado Springs, where he retired July 31, 1981, after having served over 30 years of continuous active duty. He was a command pilot with over 3,500 flying hours in 11 different military aircraft, and many thousands of hours of alert duty with nuclear weapons on board and targets in Russia during the Cold War. His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, AF Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Battle Service Star, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Battle Service Stars, RVN Gallantry Cross with Palm Leaf, and several other awards and decorations.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00AM, Monday, October 7, 2019 at St. Peter Catholic Church, 55 Jefferson St., Monument, Colorado 80132. Burial will take place at 2:30PM at United States Air Force Academy Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The United States Air Force Academy Endowment, www.usafaendowment.org, or 719-472-0300, Ext. 200 or checks made payable to USAFA Endowment, 3116 Academy Dr., Ste. 200, USAF Academy, Colorado 80840-4475 or to Catholic Charities, 228 North Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sylvia Muggli Emmons, and six of their seven children; Jeffrey & family; Kevin & family; Andrea & family; Keith & family; Danielle & family; Eric & family and sister V. Louise LaFountain. He is preceded in death by his parents; son Terence and half-siblings Ruth Wardner Freeman; Robert Wardner, and Richard Wardner.
Charlie entered the USAF as an enlisted airman immediately upon high school graduation to avoid the mandatory draft then in existence due to the Korean War. He received his college degree later during his Air Force career at Omaha U., via Operation Bootstrap. While attending tech school, he was selected for Aviation Cadets and entered primary pilot training during June, 1952, graduating from basic training as a fighter pilot during July, 1953. From there he went through the Air Force Instrument School and all-weather interceptor pilot school and served in that capacity for the next 2 ½ years in Iceland and Presque Isle, Maine.
In early 1956, Charlie was selected to become an Air Training Office (ATO) at the new USAF Academy, located at the temporary site of Lowry AFB, Colorado. The ATO’s served as “upper classmen” for the first three classes of cadets that entered the Academy. During this assignment, he met his future wife, Sylvia, and they were married June 8, 1957.
He flew B-47’s from early 1958 until they were phased out of the AF inventory in 1964. After completing the Air Command & Staff College and “Bootstrap,” he became a Crew Commander in the B-52G at Griffiss AFB, New York, until June 1968 when he was assigned to a one-year tour in Vietnam. That led to four years as a staff officer at HQ. PACAF (Hawaii), then six years at the Pentagon, and finally two years in the Special Activities Division, NORAD, in Colorado Springs, where he retired July 31, 1981, after having served over 30 years of continuous active duty. He was a command pilot with over 3,500 flying hours in 11 different military aircraft, and many thousands of hours of alert duty with nuclear weapons on board and targets in Russia during the Cold War. His military decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, AF Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Battle Service Star, Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Battle Service Stars, RVN Gallantry Cross with Palm Leaf, and several other awards and decorations.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00AM, Monday, October 7, 2019 at St. Peter Catholic Church, 55 Jefferson St., Monument, Colorado 80132. Burial will take place at 2:30PM at United States Air Force Academy Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The United States Air Force Academy Endowment, www.usafaendowment.org, or 719-472-0300, Ext. 200 or checks made payable to USAFA Endowment, 3116 Academy Dr., Ste. 200, USAF Academy, Colorado 80840-4475 or to Catholic Charities, 228 North Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, Colorado 80903.