My name is Jimmy Muniz, and I am a USAF Veteran.

I served 20 years in the Air Force from 1977 to 1997 and started in the Army later, cross training into the Air Force. I’m also a Gulf War vet.

I was a Crew Chief, on the KC-1345R and served with 479th TTW Holloman AFB New Mexico, 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kadena AB Okinawa Japan, 14th FTW Columbus AFB, MS, 48th TFW RAF Lakenheath, England, 14th, FTW Columbus AFB, MS*, 28th OMS Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, 92nd AFW Fairchild AFB, Spokane WA. I enlisted, because I believed it was an obligation and a duty to serve my country. I had two uncles that served and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. Since I worked providing air support, I had the fear of us getting shot down.

It feels like it was yesterday that I was working on that beautiful bird. It was flown by none other than “Triple Ace” Col. Robin Olds during the Vietnam war. He retired in 1973 as a Brigadier General. I never got the chance to meet him. But I remember sitting in that cockpit and thinking about how it must have felt to fly that beast in a dog fight. The hairs in my back stand up. I was a Crew Chief in Okinawa at the time. I have so many fond memories.

Thinking back, being away from my wife and my little girl and the fact that she was pregnant at the time was something that I constantly had in the back of my mind. I kept thinking if I was to die, I would never get a chance to see or know my baby. It was a very hard situation. Back then we had no cell phones or computers, so I had no way of communicating with my wife or daughter.

Both my daughter and my son served. My daughter joined the Air Force soon after 9/11 and my son chose to enlist in the Army about 5 years after. My son was deployed to Afghanistan, but he chose not to talk about it. My daughter was medically discharged.

The reception coming back home was not what I expected, no ticket parade for me. The war changed me, as I suffer from PTSD and can no longer work due to disability.
~ Jimmy Muñiz USAF Gulf War Veteran

We are very grateful to Jimmy for sharing his personal story and invite you to share your family military service here as well.

God Bless all who serve and keep us safe.

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