Robert Earl Beckett, Jr.
USAF 1967-1991
Robert Earl Beckett, Jr. was born Feb. 5, 1944, and grew up in South Memphis where he was captain of the 1962 South Side High School football team. At his graduation, the school honored him by retiring his jersey number. After Earl graduated from Memphis State with a degree in business, he followed his big brother into the U.S. Air Force, getting his commission through the ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) program in 1967. He and his brother were the first Beckett family members to serve in the U.S. military.
Earl completed his initial flight training at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, in 1968. After being selected to pilot the Lockheed EC-121 “Warning Star” aircraft, he headed to McClellan Air Force Base, California. His assignments included the U.S. Air Force Base Kadena, Okinawa, Japan, where he flew off the coast of Korea tracking North Korean aircraft and a reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. He also flew missions from Korat, Thailand, to monitor ground sensors used to track North Vietnamese in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. His next duty station was Loring Air Force Base, Maine, to transition to the Boeing KC-135 “Stratotanker.” As aircraft commander, he was responsible for a crew of four airmen tasked with refueling fighter and cargo aircraft, including the massive Lockheed C-5A Galaxy. In 1975, he was assigned to manage a Disaster Preparedness Program at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. Although the program was rated as marginal when he arrived, within three years it earned an outstanding. In 1978, he received orders to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. While there, his unit earned an outstanding rating from the Tactical Air Command, Europe. In 1980, the newly promoted major was transferred to a KC-135 squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. As part of the Strategic Air Command, he trained crews on decoding messages to determine when to take off, recover, or strike wartime targets. After five years, he transferred to the 2nd Bomb Wing Command Post where he was responsible for coordinating and assigning the wing staff, maintenance, and aircrews.
After a highly successful 24-year career, Earl retired on Oct. 31, 1991. For his service to our Nation, he earned the following: Air Force Command Pilot breast device, Meritorious Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Oak Leaf Cluster, National Defense Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
During Earl’s marriage to Donna Taylor of Memphis, they joyously welcomed a daughter and then were honored to be chosen to adopt identical twin boys. The boys followed their father’s example by joining the U.S. Marine Corps. Following his Air Force retirement, he worked as a sales tax auditor for Bossier City, LA. In 1994, he moved to Brighton to marry Faye Trumbo. After briefly selling Medicare supplemental insurance, Earl found his calling in the Special Education department at Munford High School where he was also a volunteer school bus driver. He spent 17 years at Munford High School. Since 1996, Earl and Faye have been active members of the First United Methodist Church of Covington. His community service includes Covington Care, the Church Men’s Thursday Morning Breakfast, and the Methodist Church Food Pantry.
Earl was nominated for Veteran of the Month by Robin Wallace, the June 2021 Veteran of the Month.