Glenn Jewett was born to a military family and joined a long line of American patriots dating back to the pre-Revolution era. His forebears were colonial militia ‘Minutemen’ and Continental Army soldiers.

He would prove his mettle, not with a rifle, but as a combat pilot in the United States Air Force.

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Glenn first stood up as a military aviator during one of the most intense periods of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. The four-year period from 1958 to 1962 was especially confrontational and would put the USA and the Soviet Union on a path to nuclear showdown, and Glenn had a front-row seat. The tension between the two powers peaked with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

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Joining the Aviator Cadet Training Program in 1955, Glenn then flew as a Radio Operator in the Lockheed F-94 ‘Starfire’, followed by a stint in the Northrup F-89 ‘Scorpion’, part of the USAF effort to counter the growing Communist threat. These fighter interceptors were designed to thwart Russian bombers and shield North America from the regime’s increasing belligerence.

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After Primary Pilot Training in 1959, Glenn flew co-pilot in the Boeing KC-97 ‘Stratofreighter’, a crucial aerial refueling tanker aircraft that played a significant role in extending the range of bomber and fighter aircraft for the USAF under the Strategic Air Command (SAC), particularly during the Cold War.  The next five years was witness to some of the most crucial world events of that time. Looming threat from the Soviets occasioned multiple readiness “Alerts” which Glenn served in air bases from Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, to RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, UK, most notably at Hanscom AFB near Boston, MA during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, when SAC dispersed bomber and support assets in readiness for war with the Soviets. In 1965, Glenn was promoted to the rank of Captain / Aircraft Commander and soon reassigned to Tactical Air Command (TAC) 777th Troop Carrier Squadron.

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Captain Jewett landed at Pope AFB to start flying missions of reconnaissance and airlift in the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, often in conjunction with the Army Rangers of the 82nd Airborne at the adjoining Fort Bragg. Missions with Green Beret Special Forces units there were also common during 1966/67. The following year, Captain Jewett was seconded to the Composite Air Strike Force (CASF) out of Langley, VA and performed covert operations in multiple locations around the world. North Africa, Dominican Republic, Cuba, East Germany and the Middle East were some of the key mission points, some with classified code-name status. Covert NASA missions during 1967 included support for the Apollo Program during early development of the Space Race with the Soviets.

   

Toward the end of January 1968, Captain Jewett and his crew were tasked with the recovery and return of the men of the USS Pueblo, captured by the North Koreans on January 23rd. Enroute, it was determined that the sailors would not be immediately released by their captors, and the flight crew was forwarded to South Viet Nam to engage the Tet offensive by the Communist North Vietnamese that began on January 30th. Based at Cam Ranh Bay, the crew flew round-the-clock sorties to supply combat troops and Special Forces in remote jungle locations, many in danger of being over-run by hostiles. Often, these drop-zones were only illuminated by barrel fires in the pitch-black night. During the overnight of March 19th, a Special Forces base near Can Tho in the Mekong Delta ran desperately short of supplies and ammunition and needed immediate resupply. Another C-130 crew had attempted a supply drop earlier in the day and was turned away by intense ground fire. Captain Jewett made the decision to take his own aircraft and crew to the besieged forces. On approach to the drop they took heavy fire from the enemy who had learned the flight path from the earlier attempts by prior air crews. Multiple hits from small arms fire were taken but they were able to complete the drop and swing back East. With wet wings now looking like “Swiss cheese” and bleeding fuel, they attempted to land first at Soc Trang and, failing that, at Vung Tau without success, before limping back to base at Cam Ranh Bay. They ran out of gas on touchdown. For that extraordinary effort, Captain Jewett was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

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Captain Jewett would leave his military career behind in April and start his commercial aviation career, joining United Airlines in July. Civil flying took him from Second Officer in the newly introduced Boeing 727 to Captain in the Boeing 767, flying the entire Boeing 700 series over 28 years, most of that time based in hometown Seattle. Soon after retiring in 1997, Glenn and his wife Louise left Hawaii and returned to the mainland, living in Sammamish outside Seattle before settling in Palm Springs, CA in 2000. He took up racing vintage autos to partially satisfy his need for speed. Glenn spent his last years back in Sammamish with his family, now three sons, two granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren. A continued celebration of a life well lived.

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Captain Jewett personified the Attributes of a defensive warrior and true American Patriot: Duty to country, even when the political leadership was sometimes misguided; Courage in the face of withering attack; Persistence to complete his missions under extreme duress; Leadership to successfully lead other warriors into harm’s way. His story is but one of many thousands of other American heroes who stand up to defend against the enemies of Liberty, foreign and domestic. Hope that the coming Cold War with the Chinese Communists is populated with patriots such as these.

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