Colonel William T. Creech "Bill"

Air Force Hero Dies-Colonel William T. "Bill" Creech died Thursday, March 15, 2012 in El Paso, TX. His passing was the result of a long fight with prostate cancer. He is survived by his loving wife for 65 years, Jody, and his four daughters, Terry Hill of Knoxville, TN, Connie Belcher of Clovis, NM, Sue Watkins of Midland, TX, and Pam Teicher of El Paso, TX.

Col. Creech was a veteran of all three major wars; starting as a 19-year-old P-51 Mustang fighter pilot in the India, Burma Theater during WWII. He was shot down two times in this major scrap. The first time was in the North Burma jungle and the second was a bail-out over the Gobi Desert in North China. He flew F-86 fighters for the defense of Japan during the Korean War.

During the Vietnam war, Col. Creech was assigned as commander of an F-100 Fighter Squadron at Phan Rang. After 302 combat missions, Col. Creech's squadron was declared the "show squadron" of the Wing. After this, he was promoted to Colonel.

His decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross twice, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal 15 times and numerous other service awards. Upon return to "stateside", he was assigned as Commander of Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, NM.

After a total of 31 years of service, he retired from the Air Force to work for a major insurance company. This final career change took the Creech family to El Paso, TX. In his spare time, he organized a chapter of Air Lifeline, which provides free Air Transport to people in need. He flew his personal airplane on innumerable flights. This, and other efforts, resulted in Bill being voted into the El Paso Aviation Hall of Fame. Bill's flying was his life. He flew thirteen different Air Force Fighters during his Air Force career and over 2,000 hours in his personal Piper Comanche after his retirement. He was a licensed pilot for over sixty-seven years.

In 1989, Bill was elected president of the International Comanche Society, an organization of over 3,000 Piper Comanche aircraft owners worldwide. He also authored an autobiography entitled, "The 3rd Greatest Fighter Pilot".

Col. Bill Creech will be sorely missed by all who knew him, but mostly by his lovely wife Jody, and his devoted daughters Terry, Connie, Sue, and Pam. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2012 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Martin Funeral Home West. Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at 11:30 AM at Martin Funeral Home West. Interment will follow at Fort Bliss National Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Gathering Foundation, 3951 Merlin Dr., Kissimmee, FL., 34741. Services entrusted to Martin Funeral Home West, 128 N. Resler Dr., El Paso, TX 79912. www.MartinFuneralHomeWest.com