Robert Barry Beene/Brock
15 May 1949
Temple, Texas
The Younger Years
Mom |
RB |
Don |
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Las Vegas New Mexico
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Albuquerque New Mexico
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Germany
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Mixed
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USS General R.E. Callan
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Barry & Ranae |
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Sandi |
Ranae |
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Cynthia Susanne Huffman
|
Garla |
Linda |
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56th Birthday |
Red Cross Letter |
| Bio: Born May 15th 1949 to Frances Florine Lewellen and Robert Barry Beene in Temple Texas. Father worked in road construction so the family traveled quite a bit moving from job to job thoughout central Texas, up through the panhandle of Texas and into New Mexico. Mom and Dad divorced when I was 18 months old. Mom and I moved back to Temple, Texas and we lived there until I was three. Mother met and married Donald Hope Brock who was in the U.S. Air Force, and soon the family was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Charming sister Donna Lynn was soon part of the family. At the age of five father was reassigned to Wiesbaden, Germany. Dad left early and soon mom, Donna, and I were on the Liberty Ship the General R.E. Callan headed for Germany. Soon I had a brother, Brian Keith. We stayed in Germany until I was ten at which time the family was reassigned to Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque New Mexico. At the age of fourteen we were reassigned to L. G. Hanscom AFB, Bedford Massachusetts. Two years later we were reassigned to Bangkok Thailand. I elected to stay in the States at that time, and the rest of the family went to Thailand. I stayed with friends and went to school in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and later stayed with my grandmother and attended school in Temple, Texas. My first real job was working at the local theather in Temple, Texas. The family was soon back together again when we were reassigned to Davis Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona. While in Tucson, I met a "sweet young thang" by the name of Sandra Kay Morey. I graduated from Palo Verde High School in June 1968. As I had never had the opportunity to travel while I was young <Grin>, I joined the U.S. Air Force in September. 1968 "To see the World.” After a brief stay at Amarillo AFB, Amarillo, Texas for Basic Training I was assigned to Technical School at Keesler AFB, Biloxi Mississippi, for a year to study Aircraft Avionics. In June 1969, I married that “sweet young thang” Sandra. We lived in Biloxi, Mississippi until I graduated Technical School in September 1969. During our first three months of marriage, Sandra had an emergency appendectomy and we lost everything we owned in the great Hurricane Camille. Needless to say, it was an exciting start to our marriage. My first assignment out of Tech. School was to Holloman AFB, Alamogordo New Mexico, training on the F-4E (Phantom). We were there for only a couple of months when I received orders to Cam Ranh Bay AB, Viet Nam. I spent 1970 at Cam Ranh Bay AB and at Phu Cat AB, Viet Nam working on the Phantom F-4E. During my tour of duty in Viet Nam, Sandra lived for awhile with her parents in Florida, and then with my mother in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1971 upon my return from Viet Nam I was assigned to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada, where I worked on the F-111A (Aardvark). In 1972, I was assigned to RAF Upper Heyford, Upper Heyford, in Oxfordshire, England, again working on the F-111A. During our stay in England I was able to fulfill a life long dream of learning to fly. I flew gliders at RAF Bicester for four years (two of those years as a flight instructor). The highlight of our stay in England, of course, was the birth of our daughter Frances Elizabeth Ranae in 1975. What a blessing. Our next duty assignment was in 1977 to Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home, Idaho where I continued to work on the F-111A. During this assignment, I was selected to be part of the Initial Testing and Evaluation Team, and the Follow-up Testing and Evaluation Team for the EF-111A (Raven). Sandi enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at this time, and after her Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas and Administrative Specialist School at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi, she was assigned to the 366th Security Police Squadron at Mountain Home AFB. Our next assignment was in June 1981 and again we headed back to Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada. I was assigned to the 4450th Test Group. This was only a cover, however, as I was working on the F-117 (Nighthawk) Stealth Fighter in Area 51, a very top-secret project. Security being extremely high, Sandi and Ranae never knew what I was working on or where I really was. I don’t know why people make such a big deal about the Aliens located on the top-secret Area 51 base in the Nevada desert. I never met an Alien I didn’t like…<grin>. During this time, Sandi was also assigned to Nellis AFB and worked at the Tactical Fighter Weapons Center (TFWC) Protocol Office, for General Jack I. Gregory. This office supported military and foreign military dignitaries visiting Nellis AFB. Her next duty assignment at Nellis, was with the 554th Operations Support Group, providing administrative support for the Base Commander. Our next and last duty assignment was in Aug 1984. this assignment took us back to Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home Idaho. Again working on the F-111A. Sandra left the service and became a full time Mom and Homemaker. We stayed in Mountain Home until I retired from the U.S. Air Force in November 1988. Sandi and I were divorced in 1989 and she and Ranae moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. For the next three years, I lived in the Puget Sound area in Washington State and in San Rafael, California. In 1992, I too moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to be near Sandi and Ranae. Since moving to the Springs, another dream of mine was realized when I started my own business - The Audio Works. It’s a very small business (Me). I service and repair Consumer Electronics i.e., TV’s, VCR’s, DVD Players, Stereos equipment, etc. I work out of the home and enjoy what I do. Also, since moving to the Springs, I received a letter from the Red Cross, putting me into contact with my sister Cynthia Susanne Huffman, Dallas, Texas. It was quite a pleasant surprise learning that I had four sisters and a brother living in Texas. They were a part of my family that I never knew. Sadly, I did not have the opportunity of meeting and getting to know my father, R.B., before he passed. My sisters and I keep in contact and it’s been a joyful and exciting experience learning about each other. Ranae was married to Christopher Michael Scarbrough July 1, 2000. Their son, Lotez Torrin Dragonfly, arrived April 23, 2003 and deeply blessed our family. He just turned two at the time of this writing. Needless to say Sandi and I are overjoyed, thrilled, and proud of Ranae’s marriage and the birth of our Grandson, Lotez. He is such a joy!! |
List Of Assignments
| 3330TH
BMS, Amarillo AFB, Amarillo, Texas
|
Sept
1968 – Oct 1968 |
| 3409TH
ATC, Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi |
Oct
1968 - Sept 1969 |
| 49TH AMS,
Holloman AFB, Alamogordo, New Mexico |
Sept 1969
– Dec 1969 |
| 12 AMS,
Cam Ranh Bay AB, Viet Nam |
Dec 1969
– Mar 1970 |
| 37th AMS,
Phu Cat AB, Viet Nam |
Apr 1970
– Dec 1970 |
| 474th
AMS, Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada |
Jan 1971
- May 1972 |
| 20th AMS,
RAF Upper Heyford, Upper Heyford, England |
Sept 1972
- Jan 1977 |
| 366th
AGS, Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home, Idaho |
Feb 1977
- Dec 1979 |
| Det 3
TAWC, Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home, Idaho |
Dec 1979
- May 1981 |
| 4450th
TG, Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, Nevada |
June 1981
- July 1984 |
| 366th
AGS, Mountain Home AFB, Mountain Home, Idaho |
Aug 1984
- Nov 1988 |
| Meritorious
Service Medal |
| Air Force
Commendation Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters |
| Air Force
Outstanding Unit Award with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters |
| Air Force
Organizational Exc Award |
| Air Force
Good Conduct Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters |
| National Defense
Service Medal |
| Vietnam Service
Medal with 4 Campaign Stars |
| Air Force
Longevity Service Award Ribbon with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters |
| NCO PME Graduation
Ribbon |
| Small Arms
Expert Marksman Ribbon |
| Air Force
Training Ribbon |
| Republic Of
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Device |
| Republic Of
Vietnam Campaign Medal |
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