STORMY BOUDREAUX
Stormy Boudreaux (Maj. USAF Ret.) earned his wings in 1969 and went on to garner 6,500 military and 1,500 civilian hours of flying time as well as the Distinguished Flying Cross and 19 Air Medals. He arrived at Beale AFB in 1979 flying the U-2C and U-2R before flying the SR-71, which he piloted from 1982-1986.

DAVID BURNS
David A. Burns (Master Sgt. USAF Ret.) entered the USAF in 1970 and, following Jet Aircraft Maintenance Specialist (Jet 1 & 2) training, worked on aircraft including the SR-71A and B models. While with the SR-71 program, Burns served as the Crew Chief of #956, the Air Zoo’s SR-71B trainer, at Beale AFB and was awarded SAC Master Crew Chief.

ROBBY BUTTERFIELD
Robby Butterfield (Master Sgt. USAF Ret.) joined the USAF in 1973. He served in the Blackbird program from 1982-1984 as crew chief and 1984-1989 as superintendent of maintenance at Mildenhall RAFB, England. He retired honorably after 20 years of service. Shortly after his retirement, an illness acquired from his participation in the Gulf War paralyzed Butterfield from the neck down. He pushed through to walk again, and his resolve carries him still.

BUZ CARPENTER
Buz Carpenter (Col. USAF Ret.) completed pilot training in 1968. In addition to flying aircraft including the T-38 and U-2, Carpenter flew the SR-71 worldwide as an aircraft commander and later, as an instructor pilot with over 65 operational missions in which he accrued 777 hours. He shares his stories at events, in videos, and as a Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center docent. Buz is a member of the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.

GREG CRITTENDEN

Greg Crittenden graduated from USAF pilot training in 1980. He was a T-38 instructor and an RF-4 Instructor/Evaluator before joining the SR-71 program in 1987. He accrued 265 hours in the SR-71A/B before the program closed in 1990. Crittenden is now a simulator instructor at Delta.

JERRY GLASSER
Jerry Glasser (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) has over 900 hours in the Blackbird (1980-86). An SR-71 instructor pilot and director of simulator and aircraft systems training, Glasser flew 110 worldwide operational missions. In 1986, he flew the first Libyan SR-71 post-strike mission. He flew integrated SR-71/Space Shuttle evaluations and sorties as well as the 1000th flight of the Air Zoo’s SR-71B #956.

ARNIE GUNDERSON
Arnie Gunderson started his career with Pratt & Whitney in 1974. He was assigned to the J58 Engine Group and after five years became a Field Engineering Representative. He spent the next ten years supporting the SR-71. Arnie took over the J58 Overhaul Line. He was part of the accident investigation team when SR-71 #974 crashed near the Philippines. Arnie continues to support the Blackbird legacy at the Evergreen Air & Space Museum.

ED HALL
Elwin “Ed” Hall (Master Sgt. USAF Ret.) was assigned to the 9th Organizational Maintenance Squadron at Beale AFB in 1965. He serviced and inspected SR-71s and became a Crew Chief. After 20 years, he retired as Assistant Branch Chief of the 9th OMS Maintenance Branch. Fifteen of those years he worked on the SR-71s. After retirement Ed worked for a year at a remote site on the U-2R and a year at RAF Mildenhall in England as a Lockheed Maintainer.

AL JOERSZ
Al Joersz (Maj. Gen. USAF Ret.) served in the USAF for 31 years piloting numerous aircraft, with over 60 operational missions in the SR-71. In 1976 he set the World Absolute Speed Record of 2,193 MPH in the SR-71. After his Air Force service, he worked for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, retiring in 2011. He was awarded three Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal.

FLOYD JONES
Floyd Jones (Master Sgt. USAF Ret.) entered the USAF in 1966. Assigned to Beale AFB in 1967, Jones became an SR-71 Crew Chief/Phase Inspector. After international assignments, he returned to Beale AFB in 1980 where he became an SR-71 Inspection Dock Chief. Later, Jones worked with SR-71 flight testing and scheduled an SR-71 aircraft wash at Beale AFB.

STEPHEN JUSTICE
Stephen Justice retired from his dream employer, Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works, in 2017. His experience bridges from operations analysis based requirements derivation through system flight test. A Skunk Work’s Historian, Justice also held numerous leadership roles, including configuration lead, chief engineer, and program manager.

MIKE KITCHELL
Mike Kitchell served at Beale AFB from 1970-1972. Mike was an Environmental Control Specialist. His work on heating, air conditioning, and pressurization systems, along with supporting breathing and liquid nitrogen systems to pressurize the fuel tanks. He worked for the 9th Field Maintenance Squadron with Chief Master Sgt. Dutch Holland, Tech Sgt. Harold Webster, and Tech Sgt. Davacato.

JOHN MANZI

John D. Manzi (Col. USAF Ret.) entered the USAF in 1978. Among numerous achievements, Manzi joined the Blackbird program and 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale AFB in 1985. He flew as Reconnaissance Systems Officer (RSO), Instructor RSO, and Standardization Board RSO, earned 479 SR-71 hours, and completed 42 operational missions.

JOHN MURPHY
John Murphy (Col. USAF Ret.) entered USAF active duty in 1972 and, after serving assignments including B-52 navigator and bombardier and flying combat missions, he entered SR-71 RSO training at Beale AFB. He was teamed up with Buz Carpenter and years later, they remain brothers and best friends. Murphy looks forward to teaming up with Buz again at the Air Zoo.

STEPHEN MYERS
Stephen Myers graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1957 and spent the next 12 years as a U.S. Navy Pilot. In 1969 he joined the Lockheed Aircraft Company in Burbank, CA as an Engineering Test Pilot and retired from the company in 1994 as the Vice President of Flying Operations & Quality Assurance after decades of working on classified projects like the SR-71, F-117, and U-2.

DAVE PETERS
Born in 1942, Dave Peters started his Air Force career flying F-4s during 3 tours in Vietnam in ‘67, ‘68, and ‘69. Afterword, he instructed on the T-38 and in 1974 joined the SR-71 program. In 1977 he flew the Blackbird in missions over Japan, the Korean DMZ, and the Chinese coast. Peters retired in 1986 from USAF and went on to fly for American Airlines.

MIKE RELJA
Mike Relja entered the USAF in 1966. He earned the Kelly Johnson Trophy for outstanding Blackbird program contributions. Relja was the first Staff Sergeant to crew the SR-71B model #956, served as an SR-71 Maintenance Control Technician, and performed several Blackbird maintenance recoveries and deployments.

JACK SCHAAB
Jack Schaab arrived at Beale AFB in 1975. He spent two years on the flight line doing BPOs, preflights, launches, recoveries, lubes; was qualified on all checklist, refuels, defuels, Yo-Yos; and did two refuels off the tanker on road trips. Jack was assistant crew chief on #958 on swing shift and was part of the crew that participated in the 1976 speed and altitude record setting.

BERNIE SMITH
Lt. Col. Bernie Smith was born and raised in Antioch, IL and commissioned in the USAF in 1969. He was a Pilot/Instructor/Evaluator in both the SR-71 and T-38 aircraft. During his AF career his awards included the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Air Medal with Ten Oak Leaf Clusters. Bernie has nearly 14,000 hours of flying time, including over 1,000 hours in the SR-71A/B.

CAROL STAYER
Carol Stayer is a retired USAF veteran of 22 years. She is from Lawton, Oklahoma. As an Avionics Communication Specialist, her SR-71 assignment included radio equipment on the SR-71, UHF secure voice with ranging and boom interphone on the KC-135Q, and T-38 radio systems. She had numerous tanker TDYs in her assignments to earn her the nickname: Comm3Carol.

RICH STAFFORD

Rich Stafford (Col. USAF Ret.) served as an intelligence officer with both SR-71 and U-2 operations; initially as an SR-71 Intelligence Ops Officer, then as a member of the Strategic and Pacific Reconnaissance Centers, and as the 13th Intelligence Squadron Commander at Beale AFB. A career intel officer, he is currently the Deputy Director of the Defense Debriefing Service, Directorate of Operations, at the DIA in Washington, DC.

BC THOMAS
Bredette C. “BC” Thomas (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) holds the record for the most hours flown in SR-71s, and is the only person to have flown all three high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft: the RB-57F, U-2, and Blackbird. His USAF career includes assignment to Beale AFB where he flew as an instructor, evaluator, test pilot, and garnered 65 missions in the Air Zoo’s SR-71B.

ED YEILDING
Ed Yeilding (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) received his pilot training in 1973. In 1983, he was selected for the SR-71 at Beale AFB, flew 93 SR-71 overseas reconnaissance missions, and became a Blackbird instructor, evaluator, and test pilot. In 1990, when the SR-71 was retired, Yeilding and his RSO, JT Vida, set a coast-to-coast speed record from LA to DC upon delivering a Blackbird to the Smithsonian.