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Memorial Tributes Volume 23 (2021) / Chapter Skim
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JOSEPH A. AHEARN
Pages 8-13

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From page 9...
... Once, when his habit of choosing the least athletic boy for his sandlot team nearly caused a fight among better players im­patient with Bud's altruism, the commotion caught the attention of the boy's father, the chief engineer of a major bridge design firm. The grateful man took Bud aside and, after confirming his interest in science and math, invited him to see what he did for a living.
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From page 10...
... Bud worked as chief engineer at a refueling base for long-range nuclear bombers in Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada; construction program manager for the Titan, Atlas, and Minuteman missile launch facilities at the Eighth Air Force headquarters, Westover Field, Massachusetts; a lead designer of support systems for US intelligence efforts in NATO countries from Western Europe to Pakistan while stationed in Frankfurt; commander of a combat engineering squadron that built and repaired airfields in Vietnam; a Pentagon-based director of finance overseeing all Air Force civil engineering programs; and in increasingly sensitive positions of leadership both in the Department of Defense and in liaison with NATO
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From page 11...
... He retired from service in 1992 as the branch's senior civil engineer. The citation for Bud's Air Force Distinguished Service Medal noted that his work in Europe during the Reagan era "greatly enhanced our readiness and warfighting capabilities." It further described his base-housing modernization initiative as "the largest housing program in the history of the United States Air Force in Europe," which had fortified "our readiness posture." Bud is also credited with nearly $1 billion in taxpayer savings secondary to his efforts to streamline airbase civil engineering in the era of post–Cold War drawdown.
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From page 12...
... But no gesture of appreciation meant more to him than his 1991 induction into the Order of the Sword, the highest honor bestowed by the Noncommissioned Officer Corps of the Air Force. It was another mark of his heartfelt respect for the contributions of all, regardless of their rank or station.
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From page 13...
... It's yours, and it's what you bring to market, and it's the offering of how you can multiply the force of you the person." Nona Ahearn preceded her husband in death by 3 years. Bud leaves behind a beloved family -- four children, their spouses, and eight grandchildren -- and a legion of former col leagues who remember him as an enthusiastic mentor, moti vator, and innovator; as a man who led with a huge heart, a keen intellect, and a ready smile; as their friend.
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Key Terms

  • military career
  • senior executive
  • chief engineer
  • launch facilities
  • notre dame

  • vandenberg air
  • eighth air
  • force base
  • military service
  • military families

  • military honors
  • thousand military
  • military engineers
  • numerous military
  • states air

  • force distinguished
  • american military
  • force civil
  • challenges scholars
  • repaired airfields

  • dramatic expansion
  • veterans administration
  • management team
  • chemical attack
  • honor award

  • work ethic
  • savings secondary
  • nona maria
  • bridge design
  • finance overseeing


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