Roll Call Tribute

The (Hot Springs AR) Sentinel-Record - Published: 12/25/2011

Duane E. Vandenberg
Duane Evert Vandenberg, 81, of Hot Springs, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011, at National Park Medical Center.

He was born Nov. 12, 1930, in Scottsbluff, Neb., to Nielson Evert and Pearl Wayman Vandenberg. He was reared in Houston, Texas, and graduated from John H. Reagan High School in 1948, lettering and excelling in JROTC. He is a 1952 graduate of Texas A&M University, where he served in the Corps of Cadets and the prestigious Ross Volunteers – the Texas Governor’s Honor Guard. In his senior year, he married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Joyce Ward.

Following graduation, he was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. During his career, he was stationed in Texas, Georgia, Alabama, California, Japan, Missouri, Arkansas, Hawaii, Virginia, Germany and Florida. He retired as a senior colonel after 31 years of service. In the course of his career, he served in the Vietnam War as a navigator on RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft. He was awarded one of his two Distinguished Flying Crosses during a sortie, when his aircraft was hit by a surface-to-air missile, piercing a wing and destroying flight controls. Despite the damage to the aircraft, he was able to complete the mission and return the crew safely to base. Later in his career, he served as Chief of Air Force Intelligence at Central Command at MacDill AFB, Florida.

He retired to Arkansas in 1989 to be close to his family. He was active in Rotary International as a Paul Harris Fellow, the Air Force Association, the VFW, Toastmasters, the Former Students Association of Texas A&M, the Lions Club, Sons of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, and the Holland Society of New York. He and his wife, Peggy, enjoyed traveling and spending time with family and friends, especially those at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Peggy; daughter, Linda Kay White, and her husband, Newton, of Hot Springs; daughter, Rene’ Starr, and her husband, Joe, of Little Rock; a son, Dr. David Duane Vandenberg, of Hot Springs; and a son, CDR James Nielson Vandenberg, of Arlington, Va., and Little Rock, and his wife, Diane S. Vandenberg. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Emily Chase White (predeceased), John Gabriel Starr, Matthew Cooper White, Matthew Killian Vandenberg, Kathryn Grace Starr, and Emelie Adeline Vandenberg. He is also survived by a brother-in-law, Merle (Buck) Ward and his wife, Lynda, of Conroe, Texas; sister-in-law, Julia Ward, of Rolla, Mo.; and four nephews, James (Skip) Ward, of Houston, Texas, Larry Ward, of Wexford, Pa., Bill Ward, of Tulsa, Okla., Major David Ward, of Fort Riley, Kan.

A memorial service will be held at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 228 Spring St., Hot Springs, on Wednesday at 11 a.m., officiated by the Rev. CB Baker. A U.S. Air Force fly-over will be held around noon over Hot Springs to mark Col. Vandenberg’s service and devotion to his country.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1117, Hot Springs, AR 71902 or your favorite charity.

Arrangements are by Hot Springs Funeral Home.

Online condolences at http://www.hotspringsfh.com.
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Sent by son

Duane Evert Vandenberg
Husband, Father, Navigator, Vietnam Veteran, Navigator, Intelligence Officer, Cold Warrior, Scouter, Speaker, Volunteer, Patriot, Christian.
Duane Vandenberg was born into the depression on November 12, 1930 at Scottsbluff, Nebraska; grew up during the Second World War, at a young age moved to Omaha and was in the Boy Scouts. Later he moved to Houston, Texas where his father was a steam fitter in the Texas oilfields. He worked summer jobs at the Grain Elevator at the Port of Houston, Houston Chronicle newspaper carrier, and as a messenger and clerk for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He attended John H. Reagan High School in the Heights where he was a reporter and columnist on the Statesman newspaper. He was a Company Commander in the JROTC Battalion at the school and help lead the school to an unprecedented seventh straight American Legion Cup championship in drill and ceremonies. He was the youngest sergeant in the history of the Texas National Guard, working the Texas City disaster in 1947. Graduating in 1948, he had a strong desire to attend the best military school in the country and become a flyer.
Colonel Vandenberg enrolled in the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, starting in the fall of 1948 as a freshman and was with the other freshmen sent to Bryan Field to be part of the fish class separated from the upperclassmen because of the prevalent hazing during the post war era. At Bryan, assigned to Squadron 2, he was elected as freshman class secretary; and his fellow squadron fish buddy Dan Davis President. There was a self-governing military organization established, with leadership and training opportunities. Interested in drilling he joined the second fish drill team and was selected as an assistant drill director. 300 fish tried for positions, 38 ultimately made up the team. The drill was intense as reported in the school newspaper “The Battalion” at the time: “Drilling every evening after retreat ceremonies and sometimes postponing the evening meal for hours, they often drilled on the Saturdays which all Aggies reserve as a day of leisure. The team practiced diligently throughout the long and cold winter months, become quite skilled in their precision movements. The team has been quite successful in all its exhibitions and has been called, at times, ‘one of the world-famous drill groups,” “best in the south,’ and has received many other equally complimentary praises”; the fish drill team of 1952 established the benchmark followed since. Elected numerous times as class sophomore Secretary-Treasurer, and junior Vice-President, he was a Senior Senator, President of the Business Society, and Business Manager of the Aggieland. Later he was invited to be in the prestigious Ross Volunteers – the Texas Governor’s honor guard as rising as Third Platoon Guide. His Senior year he was a Major in the First Air Force Wing as Supply Officer, Air Force R.O.T.C and married the former miss Peggy Joyce Ward of Houston. Upon graduation he was conferred a degree in Business Administration. He was elected as Class of ’52 Agent representing the interests of his 800 man class. Upon graduation in the spring of 1952 went to work for IBM as a salesman until recalled in August to Active Duty as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force during the height of the Korean War. His first child, Linda Kay was born this year in Houston, Texas. After basic air training, he reported to Spence Field near Moultree, Georgia in 1953 for pilot training. There his second child, Rene Denise was born. Next assignment was to Bryan AFB in 1954 and followed in 1955, relocation to Tachikawa Air Base, Japan for the turnover of U.S. Military governorship to a sovereign Japan. There he and Peggy climbed Mount Fuji over a long weekend. In 1957, returning to the US, the family moved to Harlingen, Texas, and then in 1958 to Mather Air Force Base (AFB), Sacramento, California for Navigator training following promotion to Captain. Upon completion of training and a new assignment in 1959, the family moved to Whiteman AFB to be on a B-47 bomber crew with the 490th Bomb Wing. Here his third child, David Duane was born in 1959 and his fourth, James Neilson in 1960. During his tour at Whiteman made numerous transatlantic flights to Zaragoza, Spain, and other European bases. In 1963, promoted to Major, the family moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas where Duane was teaching leadership to R.O.T.C. cadets at the University of Arkansas. In 1967, he reported to Udorn Thani AB, Thailand to navigate aboard RF-4C reconnaissance flights. He completed two 100 mission tours earning two Distinguished Flying Crosses, one for valor after nearly being shot down over North Vietnam by a Surface to Air Missile going through the wing of his aircraft but completing his photographic mission and returning safely to base. Upon his tour Vietnam completion, he was sent to Air Force Intelligence School at Langley AFB, Hampton Roads, Virginia. Promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and a follow up assignment as reconnaissance pilot training officer to Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas where he reported to the 467th Reconnaissance Squadron. It was here, he with his two young sons got started with the Boy Scouts which would continue for the next 15 years; and his two daughters graduated from Reagan High School and went on to college. From Austin, he attended the Defense Intelligence College at Bolling AFB, Washington, D.C., and upon graduation and promotion to full Colonel, he was assigned as the commander of the 548th Technical Reconnaissance Group (RTG) at Hickam AFB, Honolulu, Hawaii. This was the end of the Vietnam war, but in his role as intelligence commander was the lead intel provider for the USS Mayaguez incident in Koh Tang Island, Cambodia in 1975 earning the award of his first Legion of Merit. His next tour was as Commander of the sister RTG in Europe, the 497th RTG at Schierstein, West Germany during the height of the Cold War and setting the stage for the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the early 1980s leading to the earning of his second Legion of Merit. In 1980 he reported to his last military posting as the chief of Intelligence – J2 at new U. S. Readiness Command which later evolved into the U. S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida. This is the command created to manage US military operations in the Middle East. Duane Vandenberg retired in 1983 with 31 years of military service and a senior Air Force Colonel. Over his military career, he relocated 17 times and served on three continents. In 1983 he started a second career as Chief of Identification Department of the Tampa Police Department, then as Vehicle Fleet Manager for the city of Tampa, Florida, retiring a second time in 1990 to move closer to his daughters and grand-children in Hot Springs, Arkansas. During his retirement period, he became active in numerous volunteer, self-improvement groups and genealogical organizations holding many leadership positions as officers including, Rotary, Air Force Association, The Retired/Military Officers Association, Toastmasters-President, Lions Club, Sons of the American Revolution-Chapter President, the Mayflower Society-State President, and the Holland Society of New York. Earlier he was a Mason, and Shriner in the Aloha Shrine in Honolulu. He was appointed to public service commissions in Hot Springs when not volunteering with the Garland County cooperative. When not working with these organizations, Duane and Peggy; traveled and spent time with friends and relatives.
He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Peggy; daughter, Linda Kay White, and her husband, Newton, of Hot Springs; daughter, Rene' Starr, and her husband, Joe, of Little Rock; a son, Dr. David Duane Vandenberg, of Hot Springs; and a son, CDR James Neilson Vandenberg, CEC, USN, of Arlington, Virginia, and Little Rock and his wife, Diane S. Vandenberg. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Emily Chase White (predeceased), John Gabriel Starr, Matthew Cooper White, Matthew Killian Vandenberg, Kathryn Grace Starr, and Emelie Adeline Vandenberg. He is also survived by a brother-in-law, Merle (Buck) Ward and his wife, Lynda, of Conroe, Texas; sister-in-law Julia Ward of Rolla, Missouri; and four nephews: James (Skip) Ward of Houston, Texas; Larry Ward of Wexford, Pennsylvania; Bill Ward of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Major David Ward of Ft. Riley, Kansas.

A Memorial Service will be held at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 228 Spring Street, Hot Springs, on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 11 a.m., officiated by the Rev. C.B. Baker. An Air Force fly-over will be held around noon over Hot Springs to mark Col. Vandenberg's service and devotion to his country.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1117, Hot Springs, AR 71902, or your favorite charity.

Military Awards and Decorations include: (15 medals and ribbons)
Defense Superior Service Medal (US REDCOM-1983)
Legion of Merit (USPACOM-1977 and USAFE-1980 – 1 Bronze Oak Leaf)
Distinguished Flying Cross (V device for Valor – May 22, 1968; Meritorious – July 7, 1968 – 1 Bronze Oak Leaf)
Air Medal (11 awards – 2 Silver Oak Leafs)
Air Force Commendation Medal (3 awards – 2 Bronze Oak Leafs)
Distinguished Presidential Unit Citation (11th TAC)
Air Force Outstanding Unit Commendation Ribbon (5 Awards – 1 Silver Oak Leaf)
AF Combat Readiness Medal (2 awards – 1 Bronze Oak Leaf)
National Defense Service Medal (2 awards – 1 small Bronze Star)
Vietnam Service Medal (4 awards – 3 small Bronze Stars)
USAF Overseas Long Term Service Ribbon (USAFE)
Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon (6 awards – 1 Silver & 1 Bronze Oak Leafs)
Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Bronze Palm Device
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Civilian Awards and Achievements include:
President of respective local and state chapters of
- The Mayflower Society
- Sons of the American Revolution
- Toastmasters
- Lions Club International