Out of the Ashes Rose a Great Nation

“Service to our country is not just my story, but the story of my family. I was born into World War II seeing four out of five brothers leave for the Pacific and European theaters of war. On November 2, 1944, I lost a brother, a B-17 bombardier, on his 36th mission over Belgium. I lost my father in the line of duty in 1949 as a policeman. My fifth brother went on to Korea in the Army. These events set me on a path of service to our Nation and were the backdrop for my love of music when I enlisted in 1957 to serve in the Air Force. I have had the honor to serve 54 years in total, in the U.S. Air Force (20), U.S. Army (3), U.S. Navy (20), and Senior Executive Service (11). Old music draws me back to the good times of a nation growing out of hard times, and of growing into manhood during happier times. ‘God Bless America' gives me pause to honor a nation that gave me so much and a time when a carefree dedication to that nation brought me into the ‘days of wine and roses' to work in the highest offices of this land.” —Tom O'Neill, Air Force, Army, and Navy Veteran