Captain William Terrence "Bill" Busch D.O., U.S. Navy (Retired)

1954 - 2025

Captain William Terrence "Bill", D.O., U.S. Navy (Retired) Busch

August 7, 1954 - October 26, 2025

Captain William "Bill" Terrence Busch, D.O., U.S. Navy (Retired) 71 years old. A Dual Designated Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Surgeon, Ophthalmologist, and Mentor to generations of aviators - passed away Sunday October 26, 2025, peacefully at his home in Kissimmee, Florida. Throughout his distinguished career, he built a legacy that will continue to touch countless lives and inspire both pilots and physicians for years to come.

Bill was born in Hinsdale, Illinois on August 7, 1954, and raised in Lexington, Illinois by his loving parents, Francis Terrence Busch (who passed away on November 3, 2013) and Barbara Ann Ott Busch (who passed away on February 8, 2025). He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1976 and served as captain of the wrestling team and field goal kicker for the football team. After graduation, Bill entered the United States Navy as an Aviation Officer Candidate at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida earning his Wings of Gold as a Naval Aviator in 1978 – along with his call sign "Wedge". Wedge would go on to fly the S-3 Viking from the decks of America's aircraft carriers during the height of the Cold War, serving with distinction aboard the U.S.S. FORRESTAL (CV-59) completing deployments across the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, North Atlantic, Arctic, and Caribbean and participated in missions off the coast of Lebanon and in the Libyan Gulf of Sidra. During his Navy fleet service, he served as a Landing Signal Officer (LSO) and (NATOPS) Standardization Officer, earning recognition as the Atlantic Fleet Pilot of the Year in 1982 while also qualifying to fly the A-7E Corsair that same year. Wedge's professionalism, leadership, and calm precision under pressure marked him as one of the Navy's elite aviators.

Following his initial Naval Aviation career, Bill turned his focus toward medicine - a transition that reflected his lifelong curiosity about the human mind and body under the stresses of flight. He entered the Navy's Health Professions Scholarship Program in 1983 and upon graduation in 1987 he completed a year of training as a Family Practice Resident at the Naval Hospital, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida. Bill continued his medical training, earning his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Miami, Florida and completed Naval Flight Surgeon training in 1988 where he earned his Naval Flight Surgeon Wings, becoming a dual-designated Naval Aviator and Flight Surgeon - one of the rarest qualifications in the U.S. military. Bill then joined the Viking Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Jacksonville, Florida, as one of only a handful of dual-designated Naval Aviator/FlightSurgeons. While there, in addition to his flight surgeon duties, he became qualified as an instructor pilot and re-qualified as a carrier pilot and Wing Landing Signal Officer. His follow-on orders were to the Admiral's Staff of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic where he functioned as Senior Wing Flight Surgeon for 23 separate F/A-18, S-3B and A-4F tactical jet squadrons. While there he continued to fly as an instructor pilot in the S-3B Viking and became qualified in the F/A-18 Hornet.

In the summer of 1992, Dr. Busch reported to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland as a Physician Resident in Ophthalmology, where he completed his residency, becoming board-certified in ophthalmology in 1995. Later that year, he served as the Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology at Naval Hospital Camp LeJeune, North Carolina and served as Director of Clinical Services for the fleet hospital on deployment to Okinawa, Japan. He also qualified as a NASA/DOD Space Shuttle Operations Flight Surgeon.

In late 1997, he became the Chairman of Navy Aerospace Ophthalmology at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) in Pensacola, Florida where he trained and mentored Navy Flight Surgeons and Aviators. While at NAMI, he was a senior member of the Navy Aeromedical Dual-Designator Program, Chairman of the U.S. Navy Aviation Vision Standards Working Group and directed data collection for the Naval Aviation Refractive Surgery Program. He deployed as the Senior Medical Officer with Central Identification Laboratory, Honolulu, Hawaii and Joint Task Force-Full Accounting on MIA Mission 98-4L to the jungle of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. While there he established a liaison with the Laotian Government to provide humanitarian relief services to Hmong Villagers. Dr. Busch deployed as a surgeon on humanitarian missions to Guatemala in 1997, to India in 1998, and later going to Nicaragua every year from 1998 to 2000.

In 2001, as a Navy Captain, Dr. Busch was appointed Head of the Navy Aero-Medical Dual-Designator Program and Senior Flight Surgeon at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida, where he continued to fly, instruct, and advance the Navy's integration of aviation and medicine. Dr. Busch also continued to serve as a consultant to the Repatriated Prisoners of War Program and to NASA's Medical Operations on vision standards. He retired from the United States Navy in 2005 after 29 years of active service, having logged over 5,000 hours in more than 30 military aircraft and hundreds of carrier landings. Bill has been awarded the Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Navy Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and Sea Service Ribbon (three awards).

Following retirement from the United States Navy, Dr. Busch continued his lifelong commitment to aviation. He served as the Corporate Officer and Senior FAA Designated Aviation Medical Examiner at AvDoc 51, in affiliation with Stallion 51 and UAT, in Kissimmee, Florida, providing medical certification, flight physiology training, and ophthalmologic care to aviators worldwide. As a FAA Certified Air Line Transport Pilot, Certified Flight and Ground Instructor, he shared his expertise and knowledge through classroom and video presentations conveyed by his unique delivery. He amassed over 6,000 hours of flight time in all; over 5,000 hours in military aircraft and over 1,000 hours in vintage World War II aircraft, sharing his love of flight with generations of pilots, both old and new. He has published aero-medical and aviation related papers using his unique background and perspective. He was an Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and member of the International Association of Military Pilots and Flight Surgeons.

Captain William T. Busch is survived by his beloved wife, Milagros Nazario-Busch "Millie", stepson Mark Hernandez, (Luis Morales) and his cherished granddaughter Ixchel. He is also survived by his brothers - Patrick (Michelle) Busch, of Bloomington, Illinois, David (Elisa Winterland) Busch, of Bloomington, Illinois and James (Laurie) Busch, of Saint Louis, Missouri - as well as his nephews, Michael and John (Arin), and his nieces, Catherine and Caroline. Bill is also survived by his aunt, Marilyn (Howard) Brown, of Jupiter, Florida; their children, Jeff Brown (Su Li) and Barbara (John) Hornyak; and their granddaughter, Gia.

Together with his many friends, colleagues, and fellow aviators, they remember him for his integrity, compassion, and lifelong passion for helping others reach their highest potential.

A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at St. Patrick Catholic Church of Merna, 1001 N Towanda Barnes Rd., Bloomington, IL. Visitation will be from 9:15am to 10:45am at the church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. Calvert-Johnson & Musselman Memorial Home, Lexington is assisting the family with services.

Captain Busch was known for his quick wit and good humor, often shown through his uncanny ability to give people the perfect nickname or call sign - always fitting, always memorable. Beneath that humor was an unshakable professionalism and a lifelong dedication to aviation and the people in it. We will never fully know how many lives he saved - through his work as an instructor pilot, mentor, flight surgeon, and HIMS Senior

Aviation Medical Examiner - his influence was felt everywhere he served. Whether in the cockpit, the classroom, the clinic, simply sharing wisdom through hangar flying or training videos, Captain Busch's steady guidance made aviators safer and more confident. His mentorship came naturally, often unspoken, as his very presence inspired others to aim higher and do better. Captain Busch will always be remembered by family, friends, patients, students and colleagues as a man of integrity, intellect, and steady composure - a true aviator whose influence continues to soar in the lives he touched. Honor, Courage, and Commitment!