By Oliver Pinckney – Staters Union
Lieutenant Colonel Tom Frier started his military career in 1959 by entering the ROTC program at the University of Wyoming. When Frier realized that he enjoyed ROTC and wanted to go into the Military, he transferred to the Air Force Academy, where he graduated in 1963 with John F. Kennedy speaking at his graduation. Frier trained in Arizona before going into TUY in Tucson, and ended his military time in the states at Eglin Air Force base in Florida. In 1966 Frier was sent overseas to Thailand.
During his time overseas Frier flew the F4 Phantom, a plane originally created by the U.S. Navy which was then improved upon by the Air Force. When discussing his time overseas Frier said one of the most interesting things he ever did was in-flight refueling. When flying beneath the tanker a pilot had to keep the plane in one position, and continue to fly at a constant speed. We discussed the fact that in-flight refueling was a very effective yet very dangerous way to get planes refueled.
When Frier returned to the states he became a faculty member at the Air Force Academy. After his time in the Air Force, he came to Manhattan KS, and started working for a local bank. He also started playing golf when he returned stateside. Frier will be missing Thursday’s events for the 100th anniversary of the 1st Infantry at Fort Riley.
Photo Credit Julian Kincaid]]>
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