Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Robert Wegman Jr.
Robert was 19 years old when he left Louisiana and joined the Air Force. After 41 years of service and 16 different Air Force aircraft maintained, Robert said goodbye to the Air Force on Aug. 14, his 60th birthday.
Robert traveled to many different bases under five major commands, deployed more than 10 times all over the world, and had six different jobs in the Air Force – four in aircraft maintenance and two in aircraft weapons systems. His favorite aircraft was his first one – the F-106 Delta Dart.
The highlight of his career came in 1991, when an F-106 he’d been a crew chief on was chosen for permanent display at Tyndall AFB. It meant so much to him that on his final Friday in the Air Force, he donned his dress blues and visited his old friend one last time. He planted a goodbye kiss on the side of the aircraft display just how he’d done as crew chief before each flying sortie.
Robert retired as a technical sergeant from the 919th Special Operations Maintenance Group; he earned more than 60 medals during his four-decade tenure. He plans to spend his retirement back home in Baton Rouge taking it easy.
Thank you for your service, Robert!
Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much of the information as you can put together with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating for how to create the best submission.
Topics in this story
More Stories
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Navy Veteran Ken Mattingly, who served as a pilot during the 1950s and later became an astronaut during the Apollo missions.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Air Force Veteran Gavino Cavazos, who served from 1949 to 1973 during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Howard Brown, who served during the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1969 and the Gulf War from 1969 to 1992.