Eric UNGER

1968 - 2018

UNGER, PhD, Colonel Eric Was born in Brookfield, IL on May 27, 1968 to Carol and Jerry Unger (both deceased.) He attended Northwestern University, obtaining a bachelors degree in mathematics and economics while enrolled in the ROTC program. Eric was then stationed at the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, CA as the Lead Cost Analyst for the Titan IV missile project. In 1997 he worked at the Pentagon as a Weapon System Cost Analyst. Eric then received a Masters Degree in Acquisition Management from the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, OH. Eric was next promoted to Chief of Cost Estimating for the MILSATCOM Joint Program Office, managing a $40 billion portfolio. He transformed the Air Force cost analysis department making it more accurate, responsive and transparent. In 2007, Eric earned a PhD in Policy Analysis from Pardee RAND Graduate School after which he was named Director of the Graduate Cost Analysis Program at the Air Force Institute of Technology. There, Eric taught graduate level courses to the next generation of professional analysts throughout the Armed Forces. At the young age of 42 Eric attained the rank of Colonel. He returned to the Los Angeles Air Force Base in 2012 and was made Division Chief of cost estimation at the Space and Missile Systems Center. His remarkable life and stellar career were tragically cut short by opioid addiction stemming from a surgical procedure. He died August 30, 2018. Contact ericjungermemorial@yahoo.com for memorial information.