Colonel Richard Lee Ramer (USAF retired)

Colonel Richard Lee Ramer (USAF Retired), passed away on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at his residence in Universal City, Texas. Richard was born in Peru, Indiana, on September 20, 1922, son of Thomas Jefferson Ramer and Madge Waite Ramer. His father was a C & O Railroad engineer. He is preceeded in death by his parents, brother Donn Ramer and his sisters Margaret Bender and Suzanne Stiene. Richard is survived by his wife of 58 years, Margaret (McCaleb) Ramer; daughter Rebecca Lee Ramer and son David Cole Ramer (Gina). Richard graduated from Peru High School in 1940.

Colonel Ramer lived a long and colorful life. During his teen years he was employed at Westleigh Farms, the fabulous estate of Kate Cole Porter, mother of Broadway and Hollywood Superstar Composer Cole Porter. He was a driver and aide for Mrs. Porter and for Cole and Linda Porter during their visits to Peru. His experiences at Westleigh Farms prepared him to be comfortable among the so-called “rich and famous” society.

Richard proudly served his country for 29 years in the United States Air Force which began when he joined the Army Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet shortly after Pearl Harbor, and graduated as a pilot and 2nd Lt. in March 1943. He then completed 4 months of flight training with National Airlines. After graduation, he flew Lockheed C-60 transport planes to Prestwick, Scotland. At Prestwick, he completed the RAF Instrument Flying Course. He also flew two North Atlantic anti-submarine missions with the RAF, during which 2 German submarines were sunk. Soon thereafter, he was transferred to the 8th Air Force, where he served as a pilot and operations officer with the legendary 27th Air Transport Group until returning home in December, 1945.

As an air transport/troop carrier pilot in the European theater for 2 ½ years, Richard flew numerous missions in support of allied ground forces before and following D-Day. Many of those missions were flown in support of General Patton’s illustrious 3rd Army during its spectacular dash from Normandy to Berlin. He also air-evacuated prisoners from concentration camps as they were rescued by U. S. Army ground forces. Richard was seriously injured in a near-fatal Jeep accident on the last day of WW-II, but recovered and served in the Army of Occupation until December 1945.

After World War II, Colonel Ramer was assigned to Bolling AFB as one of the first Special Air Missions pilots who flew high-ranking military and civilian dignitaries on special flights. He also held positions as an operations officer and as a squadron commander. His last assignment at Bolling was as Director of Special Services (Athletic Director). He was hand-picked for that position by the Commanding General, who said that he was “damn tired of his football team getting beat by teams from the other Services”. Under then Major Ramer a new team, “The Hq. Command USAF “Generals”, soon experienced a spectacular turnaround, and went on to win two National Football Service Championships. In addition, his baseball team won an Air Force Baseball World Series; and one of his boxers qualified for the U. S. Olympic Boxing team.

Colonel Ramer left for Korea in 1952, where he flew 53 night armored reconnaissance interdiction missions as a B-26 pilot assigned to the 17th Bomb Group. During those missions, his B-26 aircrew destroyed numerous enemy trucks, railroad cars, and army encampments. He also served as the 17th Bomb Group Operations Officer and was a Military Airlift Command pilot and Squadron Commander in the Pacific theater for 5 years.

After completing his Korean Tour, he was assigned to Travis AFB, California, as a C-124 (at that time the world’s largest transport plane) pilot and Executive Officer. That assignment lasted for nearly 4 years. Next, in 1956, he attended the Air Command and Staff College, Air University, at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Upon graduation, he was selected as an Instructor (lecturer) at the Squadron Officers’ School, an assignment that lasted 4 years. As a Senior Instructor, he won the Outstanding Speaker’s Award 4 times.

In 1961, Richard was granted a scholarship to attend the University of Tennessee for 1 year of advanced management study. While there, he met and married the love of his life, Margaret. After graduation he was assigned to RheinMain AB, Germany, as the Director of Transportation. His 2 children, Rebecca and David, were born during that assignment. Also, while at RheinMain, he was promoted to the Grade of Colonel.

His next, and final, military assignment was to the Hq. USAF (Pentagon), Washington, D.C., as Chief of the Systems and Logistics Division serving as a Staff Officer for 4 years. That was an exciting and especially rewarding position at a very critical time during the Vietnam War. During that assignment he served on a special fact-finding mission to Vietnam and other Asian countries.

After retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Ramer and his family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he joined three others in forming the United Services Mutual Fund, which continues today as the publicly-owned U.S. Global Investors. When the United Services Fund became public, Richard decided that he needed a new challenge. So, he went to work for the State of Texas as a Child Support Enforcement Officer in the newly- formed Child Support Enforcement Branch of the Welfare Dept., which later became a branch of the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Before retiring from that office after 13 years, Richard had risen to the position of Regional Director.

Colonel Ramer’s military decorations include 2 Distinguished Flying Crosses, 5 Air Medals, the Bronze Star Medal, the Chung-Moo Medal with Gold Star (Korea), 7 wartime battle stars and numerous WW-II and Korean Campaign Medals. And as a final tribute to his outstanding service during World War II, Colonel Ramer was awarded the French Legion of Honour (for Valor) by the French Consul General which is the highest French order of merit both military and civil, on December 2, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. This distinction was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and has been retained by all French governments and regimes.

He thoroughly enjoyed flying and logged more than 6,300 hours as a military and civilian private pilot, to include owning our family airplane, a Piper Cherokee Arrow.

He is a graduate of the Air Force Staff and Command College (Air University), has a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from the University of Tennessee, and a Master’s of Science Degree from the University of Southern California.

His mantra as a Commander and Staff Officer was: “FOLLOW ME…………………THEY DID”

-Colonel Richard Lee Ramer (USAF-retired)