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Pilot extraordinaire passes away
Pilot extraordinaire passes away
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — A military pilot originally of Southwest Nebraska who set three new world speed records passed away earlier this month.
Brigadier General Harold Earl Confer, 92, died Monday, March 6, 2017 at his home in San Antonio, Texas, of complications due to illness.
Born in Culbertson, Neb., on Oct. 22, 1924, to Orman and Jesse (Huetson) Confer, Harold grew up on a farm in Southwest Nebraska, the youngest of three brothers and four sisters. He attended grade school at a one-room rural country school, and graduated from Culbertson High School in 1942. He then attended Colorado A& M College (now Colorado State University) for one year.
In October 1943, Harold entered active military service and after basic training became an aviation cadet. He completed pilot training and received his pilot wings and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1945. He met his wife, Dorothy, of McCook, Neb. in 1942, after she saw him on stage singing in a High School coral group and a blind date was arranged by her best friend who was dating Harold's best friend. "Hal" and "Dotie" were married on Feb. 4, 1945.
After serving as a flying instructor, he was transferred to Kadena Army Air Base, Okinawa, where he was a B-29 pilot with the 2nd Bomb Squadron. In 1948 he went with the squadron to Smokey Hill Air Force Base, Kansas, and then to March AFB, California in 1949.
During the Korean War, he completed 26 combat missions and 263 flying hours before returning to March AFB in 1951. He was transferred to Offutt AFB, Neb. in 1954, Headquarters Strategic Air Command (SAC). In 1958, after one year at Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, he was promoted to the rank of Major and transferred to Carswell AFB, Texas, where he became a B-58 pilot. He was pilot of the first B-58 select crew of the 43rd Bomb Wing. In January, 1961, Major Confer in a B-58 Hustler, set 3 new world speed records for the 1,000 kilometer closed course at Edwards AFB, Calif. For this achievement, he received the Thompson Trophy.
After returning to Maxell AFB and completing Air War College, he went to Beale, AFB, Calif. as a Lieutenant Colonel to the SR-71 program assigned as Deputy Director of Evaluation and Testing. In 1970, after increasing levels of command as a Full Colonel, he became Wing Commander of the 9th Wing. In 1972, he was promoted to the rank of General and assumed duties as Commander of the 45th Air Division, SAC, Pease, AFB, New Hampshire, overseeing 5 SAC wings, 2 with FB-111 aircraft. In 1973, General Confer went to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., assigned as Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development. In 1975, General Confer went to Randolph AFB, Tx, as Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Air Training Command where he retired in 1978, serving 33 years in the Air Force.
His military decorations and awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Emblem with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Ribbon with oak leaf cluster, and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. He was a command pilot. In 2002, General Confer was inducted into the Nebraska Aviation Hall of Fame.
After his Air Force career, General Confer earned his Texas Real Estate License. In 1979 he began a 25 year "second" career as a successful Commercial Real Estate Broker/Manger with Fuller Commercial Brokerage, Guy Chipman Company, and Bradfield Properties, Inc.
General Confer was an avid Golfer, a long-time member of Randolph Oaks Golf Course, Served on the Board of Air Force Village, and a member of Coker United Methodist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Dorthy (Reed) Confer; two sons: Kip Confer, and Ken Confer; two grandsons: KC Confer, and Cameron Confer: his brother Paul Confer; several cousins and nephews; and many close friends.
Services were March 15, 2017, at Sunset North Funeral Home. Burial was March 16, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.