Bill E. Myers

1919 - 2018

Col. Myers had a military career spanned 35 years. Starting with the Colo. Nat. Guard in 1938, he went on to fly the P-47 Thunderbolt in WWII with the 511th Fighter Squadron (FS), 405th Fighter Group (FG), 9th AF in France. He was shot down and wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. After, in an Army hospital he met his physical therapist Louise Ablen (Sept. 7, 1921-April 14, 2007) who was his wife of 61 years. He flew over 200 combat missions in Europe. Bill flew the iconic P-51 Mustang in Korea with the 67th Fighter Squadron, compiling another 200 combat missions in Korea. He flew the F-100 Super Sabre at Thuy Hoa Air Base, Vietnam, with another 100 combat missions, bringing his total missions for three wars to over 500. He flew over 25 different aircraft, starting in open cockpit trainers and ending with the supersonic jet fighter F-4 Phantom II, before retirement in 1973. Bill's decorations include: Legion of Merit; 4 Distinguished Flying Crosses; Bronze Star; 34 Air Medals; two Purple Hearts; French Croix de Guerre; and Belgian Fouragiere. After USAF retirement, Col. Myers worked 10 years in Saudi Arabia with Northrup Aviation, eventually retiring to the Denver area and his ranch homestead in Buffalo Creek. Bill was a real cowboy, and at 95, still rode horseback. Bill is survived by brother Horace C. Myers, daughter Terri S. Miller, six grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren. Two children, son Peter Mitchell Myers (1999) and daughter Sally Louise Hingley (2018) are deceased. Colonel Myers was interred with full military honors on Dec. 3, 2018, beside his wife Louise, also a veteran, at Fort Logan National Cemetery.