Fred G West Obituary (1924

FRED G. WEST, COL Retired Texas State Guard and CMSGT Retired USAF Air Force. Jan 23, 1924, May 29, 2023 He faithfully served his country and the State of Texas fulfilling 38 years of Military Service. He retired from the US Air Force as CMSGT after 23 years of service, and then joined the Texas Adjutant Generals Department and served as the Staff Communications Officer there for 13 additional years. He is survived by Fred D. West, and his wife Deborah West; grandsons, David M. West, and James G. West; great grandchildren, Elizabeth West, Abigail West, Layla West, Colin West, and Gabriel West. His wife of 50 years, Trudy Price West, proceeded him in death in 1994, after a long and happy union. During WWII he served as a flight radio operator in a B-25 squadron in North Africa. Also, the China Burma India Theater in C-46. He then served in the 63rd Aircraft Ferrying Group flying B-17, A-30 and B- 26 to the UK. After he later flew B-17E in the 53rd Long Range Weather Recon Squadron "The Hurricane Hunters" from the Atlantic area to the Far North Atlantic. In1945 he was transferred to the Pacific area and remined flying there until WWII ended. After the war he was stationed in Bermuda flying in the 53rd Recon Squadron and B-29LR Aircraft until December of 1948. At this time, he transferred to ground communications until his retirement from the United States Air force in 1965, and later his retirement from the Texas Guard in 1980. A memorial Service will be held at Berkeley United methodist Church, 2407 Berkeley Ave., Austin, Texas, 78745 on June 17th at 12:00 p.m.