Veterans Day

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Westminster Academy 2019 Veterans Day Assembly

Keynote Speaker: Lieutenant Colonel Cecil H. Brunson

November 11, 2019 @ 8:10 a.m.
Westminster Academy, 2520 Ridgeway Road

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Lt. Col. Brunson is a 1970 graduate of Memphis State University. He received his commission in the Air Force through the ROTC at Memphis State. While on his honeymoon, he received orders to active duty assigning him to Navigator Training at Mather Air Force Base, California.In February, 1972, Lt. Col. Brunson received an operational assignment to the 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat, Thailand, for a combat tour in Southeast Asia. While at Korat flying the F-4 Phantom, he logged 160 combat missions and more than 380 hours of combat time.On October 12, 1972, Lt. Col. Brunson’s plane was shot down while on a mission over North Vietnam. He was captured and held prisoner by the North Vietnamese.After his release, Lt. Col. Brunson returned to America where he was selected for Pilot Training. He graduated with top honors and was awarded the Air Training Command Commander’s Trophy for Outstanding Graduate. He received an assignment back to the F-4 Phantom, training initially at George Air Force Base before going on to his operational assignment at Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, NC.

In March, 1980, Lt. Col. Brunson resigned from the Air Force and returned to Memphis with his wife, Jean, and two children, Kevin and Angela. He joined the Tennessee Air National Guard, this time flying the C-130. In August, 1986, he saw his dream come true as he began his career with FedEx, flying the Boeing 727, the Airbus A-300/A-310, the DC-10, and finally the Boeing 777. In 1991, he retired from the Tennessee Air National Guard with 21 years of military service, and in 2010, he retired from FedEx as a Boeing 777 Captain, culminating a 25-year civilian aviation career.

His awards and decorations include:

  • The Silver Star
  • 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses
  • The Bronze Star (for Valor)
  • 2 Purple Hearts
  • 13 Air Medals
  • The Air Force Commendation Medal
  • The Prisoner of War Medal
  • The South Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry

Lt. Col. Brunson is credited with one Mig-19 destroyed over North Vietnam. On November 3,2018, Lt. Col. Brunson was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame.

Lt. Col. Brunson’s daughter Angela will also be speaking with him. Angela is in the Doctoral program at the University of Memphis working on a dissertation on Music in the POW camps of Hanoi.

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