September 2001

Remembering Randy

by Fred Boyer

Randy and I had an immediate affinity for each other. Not surprising, since we shared identical middle names, beaming smiles, great personalities, and a membership in the finicky fraternity of AF navigators. When we met, though Randy was long retired, I was still one of perhaps 14,000 navigators on active duty. Later, we commiserated over the loss of better than half of that number to GPS. We found comfort in the knowledge that we aviators not burdened with “radiator wings” had provided more than just a positioning system: we understood the responsibility of keeping Uncle Sam’s planes on track and outside the charted areas marked “R” (ask Denny and Rich).

Randy was a fascinating character. He had an incredible record, serving in three separate branches of the military. He enlisted in the USN during the big war, was discharged, and somehow later got funneled into a Marine Corps OCS program. Inexplicably, about the time he met Millie, he received his USAF commission and the aforementioned navigator wings.

In 1951, Randy and Millie were married in the UU church of Louisville, Kentucky. While he served in Korea (I think on B-26’s) and knew accomplishment, frustration and courage, Millie found herself stranded in places like Louisville and Newport News.

America’s next war, Vietnam–one to which I could relate—continued Randy’s “Terry and the Pirates” adventures in foreign lands. He loved the service and was a dynamic, outspoken patriot. A WWII leather aviator jacket with squadron patches was his favorite garb when winds kicked up and the temperature dipped. He refused to sell it to me though I insisted a medium would actually fit. (It wouldn’t.)

Randy’s other love was a 1952 MG-TD. It was meticulously maintained, yet didn’t always provide reliable transportation. On days that it did, we often debated the clues and itinerary of his latest road rally. Having sponsored exactly one such event for my Nav class (64-13) in Waco, Texas, I considered myself an expert on this most mobile of social encounters. Randy, indeed, was the real expert. One of my life regrets is not having participated in one of his rallies.

My memory of our UU Fellowship at Carmel Drive is superimposed on my friendship and regard for Lt. Colonel Clarence Randall Williams, USAF (RET.) The sweet gum along our Bayshore Drive sidewalk, donated by the Bonsai Society of FWB, is a living reminder of our quite memorable warrior, our unforgettable friend. I miss him, and I am not alone.