USAF OCS 62-A Website

USAF OCS Class 62-A

Home

Deceased
Members

Wheel
House

The Way
It Was

Reunions

Bits &
Pieces

Links

Anecdotes

Squadrons

Roster Pages
PROTECTED
AREA

- - - USAF OCS CLASS 62-A WELCOMES YOU TO OUR WEB SITE. * * * UPDATES WILL CONTINUE TO BE MADE AS THEY ARE RECEIVED. - - - WE ENCOURAGE ALL CLASS MEMBERS TO SUBMIT INFORMATION AND PICTURES FOR THE SITE - - - CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY FOR THE LATEST UPDATES AND NEWS - - * * - -

There are individual pages that can be accessed by clicking on the names in the roster pages or squadron pages. Both these areas are password protected. Individuals must provide their biographical information and photos to the webmeister (currently Milt Birmingham) to be posted to the website.

Bulletin Board

50th Anniversary of Class 62-A Graduation

Heads up members of OCS Class 62-A!

WE HAVE THE AGENDA!

WED, SEP 21: Arrivals. Check in; informal reception activities. Visit the hospitality suite. Have dinner on the river; visit; lots of places to go and things to do. Information will be available at registration.

THU, SEP 22: 0900AM. Bus leaves the hotel for a tour of Fredericksburg (almost a visit to old Germany ). Visit the greatly updated Nimitz Museum (now known as the Museum of the Pacific War). There are numerous shops and attractions. We will gather for lunch at the beautiful (and highly rated) Friedhelms Restaurant. Back on the bus for a leisurely drive back to S/A, with a quick stop at Lueckenbach for a beer. We are told Willie and Waylon won't be there--bummer. An evening group dinner at Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant.

FRI, SEP 23 (time TBD): Bus leaves the hotel for Lackland parade ground; attend a graduation parade, followed by a class formation at the 62-A monument for a memorial ceremony. (An aside -- our monument was the first placed in an area which will ultimately become "the" area for all monuments). Return to the hotel; FREE TIME. Remember we’re on the river and pretty much in the middle of everything. A nationally known jazz band plays at the riverside café/bar at the Hyatt; visit the S/A Zoo and adjacent Japanese Gardens ; the S/A Missions; the Witte Art Museum ; the Old Pearl Brewery and Buckhorn Museum ; the Tower of the Americas (the restaurant is 800 feet in the air); the Alamo ; take a cruise on the river.

SAT, SEP 24: FREE TIME to do what you’d like; play golf; go shopping. The Rivercenter Mall is high on the list of attractions. Visit with friends; rest up for the dinner that night.

SAT, SEP 24 (time TBD): The official reunion dinner, where we will celebrate our golden graduation anniversary and pay honor to our departed brothers. The dinner will be hi-lighted by a special “TWO BELL” ceremony (a U.S. Navy rite, which is widely copied); a solemn expression of our devotion to the memory of our brothers who have gone on. Farewells to other attendees.

We are staying at the Hyatt Regency, right on the river and smack dab in the center of things.

A dinner cruise has been ruled out because of some previously reported bad experiences, the high price, and general complexity.

NOTE: We will have a “convenience” desk to help with information on areas of interest, transportation, and other “concierge” type assistance. Other group or individual activities can be scheduled or organized, depending on feedback from the attendees. Also, note that there is plenty of FREE TIME provided for individual excursions.

We will all benefit from a big attendance at this reunion. Without exception, comments from our classmates concerning the reunions have been very positive. First time attendees who missed earlier events nearly always express their regret that they did not start attending sooner. Please set aside the time to be at this very special reunion, and mark it on your calendar.

Check out the Bits n Pieces page for a song you are sure to remember. Click HERE


On April 2, 1961, a group of young men came together at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas for the purpose of attending Officer Candidate School. This group of approximately 156 men would undergo intense training over the next six months. This training would consist of academic, physical and military disciplines. There would be 825 academic hours and 726 nonacademic hours. It has been estimated that the academic portion of this six-month training is equivalent to two years of Junior College. At the end of the day on Sept. 22, 1961, only 114 would have survived the test and graduate to receive commissions as Second Lieutenants in the United States Air Force. These 114 Second Lieutenants would be forever known as the Class of 62A. These Web Pages are dedicated to those 114 graduates of Officer Candidate School, Class 62A. These men would be dispersed throughout the United States Air Force all over the world. They would proudly serve and lead many and varied Air Force Units. The members of 62A were among some of the most dedicated, qualified and highly motivated officers to serve their country. This six months' training in 1961 not only produced a very high quality Air Force Officer, but also instilled camaraderie among this group of men that would last a lifetime. This is evidenced by the comments of the individuals included in these pages after more than 41 years have passed. The purpose of this Web Site is to collect and preserve all information, both oral and written that pertains to the members of the United States Air Force, Officer Candidate School, Class 62A. Although the focus is on Class 62A, participation of other OCS Classes is welcomed. It is hoped that these pages will reflect the dedication and spirit of a very small group of elite men who with distinction, and personal sacrifice, served their country, in peace and war, to the utmost in military standards and traditions. We trust that when future generations read these pages they will be able to relate that because of men and women like those in 62A, we enjoy the most "FREEDOM" on earth.

Don Backer standing in front of the old auditorium up across from the wheel house, where we checked in on day one. Taken by Gary Belcher while scouting our class’ proposed memorial site. This is the only building still standing in the OCS area.

Click Here - Sign Our Guestbook