~ IN MEMORY ~
DL pilot, ret. USAF Lt. Col. Richard John Silong
October 7, 1965 – February 20, 2022
Notice of passing…..Delta pilot, USAF ret. Lt.
Col. Richard “Rick” “Wyatt” John Silong, age 56. Lt. Col. Silong joined Delta Air Lines
10-07-2001. He is survived by his wife
Gina and his children plus many more close family members. Obituary information may be viewed online at
http://www.ridgecrestfuneralhome.com/obituary/richard-silong
For those who may wish to send a personal note,
whitepages lists the family address as
125 W Franklin Ave., Ridgecrest, CA 93555-7692
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary : Lt. Col. Richard John Silong, Ret.
Rick Silong, call sign Wyatt, was born October 7,
1965 in Northridge, CA to Peggy and John Silong.
He grew up in Palmdale, CA, attended St. Mary's
School and Paraclete High School, and attended both the University of Idaho and
UCLA on a ROTC scholarship. He graduated from UCLA in December 1987 with a
degree in Aerospace Engineering.
He was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy
on December 14, 1987. Rick received his wings of gold on May 11, 1990. He began
flight training in the F/A-18 Hornet at NAS Lemoore and was assigned to the
VFA-27 Chargers. He completed an "Around the Horn" on the USS Kitty
Hawk, and was later deployed to support Operation Restore Hope and Operation
Southern Watch, flying combat missions over Iraq.
He attended the Defense Language Institute in
Monterey, CA for Spanish language training for his assignment in Barquisimeto,
Venezuela for an exchange tour with the Venezuelan Air Force flying the T-2D
and F-5. He returned to NAS Lemoore to VFA-125 for F/A-18 Instructor Duty. He
served as Department Head in VFA-137 and made two Western Pacific/Arabian Gulf
deployments on board the USS Constellation in support of Operation Southern
Watch.
After 14 years in the Navy, Lieutenant Commander
Silong executed as inter-service transfer from the U.S. Navy to the U.S. Air
Force, accepting his new commission as a Major. Major Silong was stationed at
Holloman AFB, NM, where he flew the F-117 Stealth Fighter. Upon graduation from
the 7th Combat Training Squadron, he was assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron.
Later, he became a Black Sheep with the 8th
Fighter Squadron, where he deployed to Qatar in support of Operation Southern
Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying combat missions over Iraq. During
combat, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He then reported to
Detachment 1, 53rd Test and Evaluation Group as Director of Operations and to
perform operational testing of the F-117A. He assumed command of this squadron
until the unit's inactivation in 2006.
Lieutenant Colonel Silong then reported to Naval
Air Weapons Station China Lake with VX-9 as the F/A-19 Strike Fighter and
Special Programs Operational Branch Head, where he served his final tour of
duty, retiring May 1, 2011.
Wyatt served more than 23 years of honorable
service in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force.
He is distinguished with the Meritorious Service Medal, three Air
Medals, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps
Achievement Medal and other various campaign and unit awards.
After retiring from the Air Force, Rick flew for
Delta Airlines, flying both domestic and international routes out of Atlanta,
GA for a year before landing his dream job back here at China Lake. At the time
of his passing, Rick was a developmental test pilot for the F/A-18E/F and
EA-18G with Boeing. He was an Associate Technical Fellow with more than 5000
mishap-free flight hours and over 600 arrested landings. He loved his job and
always said he was the luckiest guy alive. When he wasn't flying at work, he
was flying his Bellanca Super Viking.
Despite all of his lifelong accomplishments, his
greatest accomplishments were his two children, Garrett John (1LT, U.S. Army)
and Paige Elise (Gonzaga University - GO ZAGS!). He also leaves behind his wife
of 31 years, Gina, his mom Peggy Osterman and her husband Paul, his brother
Mitchell and his wife Yoshiko and children Codey and Keannan, his sister Cindy
and son Finnley, in-laws Keith and Edmee Hoyt, brother-in laws Jonathan and
wife Liliana, David and children Jake and Ryan, niece Samantha and fiancé
Moises and children Zoie and Nolan, Aunt Sue and daughter Cherie, Aunt Sally,
Willa Dean Hunter, the Langford cousins, his four-legged children Dusty,
Hamilton and Windy plus many other family and friends whom he loved dearly. He
is preceded in death by his father, John Silong, his grandfather Richard
Rybolt, and grandmother Betty Rybolt.
Rick's funeral Mass will be Friday, March 4 at
1:00 p.m. at St. Ann Catholic Church, Ridgecrest, CA. A reception will
immediately follow in the Parish Center.
Flight suits are encouraged.
Interment will take place on May 18, 2022 at
Miramar National Cemetery at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family has
requested that donations be made to St. Ann School, the Navy League, or the
Ridgecrest Animal Shelter. We would like to thank E.R. doctor, Dr. Cho, for
giving Rick additional hours to share with his wife, Gina. We are grateful to
Fr. Jim, who stayed by Rick and Gina's side in the E.R the entire time. Rick
was a registered organ donor and will give the gift of life through his
donation.
Finally, the outpouring of love, support, kindness
and food from family, friends, the military community, Boeing, and the
community of Ridgecrest is beyond measure.
We cannot thank everyone enough. We are truly
blessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment