SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Bob Moler was a 24-year Air Force veteran, entering service in 1951 and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1975. Bob went to pilot school in Waco and became a fighter pilot in the Korean War, flying 36 combat missions in an F-86 Sabre jet.
After the war he was stationed at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where he got married and started a family.
As a captain at Eglin, he served as a test pilot to help develop the first Mach 2 F-104 Starfighter drone.
On one particularly eventful day, Moler had to jam the remote controls of an unmanned plane at the air force base in Florida so it wouldn’t crash into a hangar mechanics.
Trouble was, even though it landed safely, averting danger to the mechanics, the plane drove right into the Moler family station wagon (brand new) parked on the tarmac.
The ensuing conversation with the car insurance agent was hilarious: “Captain Moler, you said a plane you piloted flew into your car? Were you injured?”
“No, I wasn’t in the plane.” “So, you were in your car?”
“No, I was piloting the plane.”
During this time at Eglin, Moler was also involved in drone testing during Operation Teapot which involved a series of nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site in 1955. group charged with following behind F-104 unmanned planes controlled from the ground.
Part of the test was to witness what happened to these planes during a nuclear blast. It’s unclear how far the chase planes were behind the drones during the blast, but Moler recalls putting his gloved hand over his face shield and being able to see right though it like an X-ray.
Following Eglin, the Air Force sent Moler to school at Texas Tech to earn a mechanical engineering degree. During this time, he had to maintain his flight time while also attending classes and raising a young family with his wife, Margie.
Upon graduation, Moler assigned Vandenberg Air Force Base, to be involved in the Atlas Agena missile program launching satellites into deep space. He was eventually responsible for the management of aircrew personnel and aircraft involved in astronaut flight training and airborne spacecraft recovery.
Later, Moler served one year in the Alaskan Air Command at King Salmon Air Force a o n servi n g air operations officer ile Margie their u r moved from Vandenberg to Palos Verdes, California.
In 1970, Moler’s final Air Force assignment moved him and his family from the west coast to the east coast when he was transferred to Hansom Bedford, Massachusetts. There, Bob was involved in the Electronic Systems Division (ESD), serving in roles such as the staff development engineer as well as the research and development director. All positions supported the Strategic Missile and Space Surveillance Systems efforts of the Air Force at that time.
Moler retired in 1975 as a Lieutenant Colonel, moving into the private sector but still working in support of the Armed Services.
Moler was a dedicated father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before his passing in April 2010 at age 81. He is greatly missed by all who knew him.
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