Salute to Veterans: Air Force vet racked up impressive stats

Way back when, being in the military was a great way of life, Peter “Scotty” Burns said.

Burns spent 28 years in the Air Force, enlisting in 1956 in New Jersey and retiring in September 1984 at Castle Air Force Base in Atwater as a master sergeant. During his career, the 78-year-old Mercedian racked up some impressive statistics.

He flew 448 missions as a B-52 tailgunner during the Vietnam War, which totaled about 2,600 combat flight hours. He logged 7,000 flight hours in B-52 bombers.

Burns said he didn’t have any close calls while over Vietnam. But one time he saw a missile go by the tail of his plane. Fortunately it didn’t explode nearby and disappeared.

“I enjoyed it (the service),” Burns said. “Back then it was a great way of life; I’m not sure what it’s like now. If you obeyed the rules and didn’t get into trouble, it was very rewarding.”

When he retired from the service, Burns worked in the B-52 and KC-135 Weapons Simulator Trainer, training new crew members to fly missions in those aircraft. He stayed in that role until Castle closed in 1996.

Duties included running Weapons Simulator Training operations in Guam during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, training B-52 crews to fly missions and penetrate combat airspace.

Burns said the Air Force is still using simulators although the components have become progressively more sophisticated. Simulators give prospective pilots a chance to experience malfunctions and other challenges in a realistic setting without an actual in-flight emergency.

His service life took him to McDill AFB in Tampa, Fla.; Newfoundland, Canada; Turner AFB in Albany, Ga.; Loring AFB in northeastern Maine; McCoy AFB in Orlando, Fla.; Columbus, Miss.; and Castle.

He is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9946 in Winton and a life member of the Castle Air Museum, where he serves on the board of directors. He also belongs to the National Association of Uniformed Services and the B-52 Stratofortress Association.

Burns received the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal, 22 Air Medals and two Commendation Medals.

Burns and his wife, Naomi, have a son, three daughters, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

The military lifestyle apparently rubbed off on some members of his family – his son, a grandson and a granddaughter served in the Army while another granddaughter is in the aviation branch of the Navy.

This story was originally published November 10, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Salute to Veterans: Air Force vet racked up impressive stats."