Ronald F. Kozma ’65
RONALD F. KOZMA, Centerville, OH, died June 4, 2023. A Rome, NY, native he majored in economics at Saint Michael’s before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force directly after graduation. In 1965 he entered navigator training at Mather Air Force Base in California and earned his silver wings in 1966. He continued on to navigator bombardier training which he completed in 1967. He then was assigned to the 465th Bombardment Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, where he flew B-52 aircraft. Ron was assigned to the 509th Bombardment Wing, Peace Air Force Base, NH in 1969. One month after arrival, he and the entire wing deployed to Guam where he flew 69 combat missions in the B-52 over South Vietnam Laos and Cambodia. He then returned to Pease AFB only to be re-assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis Air force Base, Las Vegas in 1970. He entered F-111A combat crew training that spring and in 1971 was awarded Tactical Air Command’s Aircrewman of th Distinction Award for assisting in the safe recovery of the F-111 he was flying when it experienced a bird-strike on a low-level training mission causing the catastrophic loss of all the canopy glass. This was the first time an F-111 damaged that several because of a bird-strike was not lost. Later in 1971 he was transferred to Laughlin AFB in Texas before his reassignment to Mt. Home AFB in Idaho. As a member of the initial cadre, he was one of the first weapon system officers in the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing to become combat-ready in the Tactical Air Command’s newest aircraft, the F-111F. In 1972 he was temporarily assigned to the 474th Tactical fighter Wing, Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, where he worked in the Radar Strike Target cell in support of the Linebacker II bombing operations over North Vietnam. In 1973 he returned to Idaho where he became an instructor and standardization and evaluation weapon system officer at Mt. Home. Ron returned to Thailand in 1974 assigned to the 347th Tactical Fighter Wing, Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. As lead weapon system officer, he flew three combat missions in support of the recovery o f the supply ship Mayaguez, which had been commandeered by the Cambodians, in May 1975. He was then re-assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, where he remained until 1977. During this time he earned his master’s in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. From there It was back to Mt. Home Air Force Base and the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. This time the entire wing of F -111As at Nellis was transferred and Ron was in charge of the bed-down and resumption of flying activities in Idaho. In 1978 he was selected as the assistant operations officer for the 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron. He was transferred to Detachment 520, Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, in 1979. Ron was appointed Commander and Professor of Aerospace Studies in1981 and led the unit of over 190 cadets to its highest retention level since the all-volunteer course was instituted at Cornell. In 1983 he was assigned to Allied Air Forces Central Europe (NATO), Boerfink Bunker, Germany. There he was Chief of the Operations Information Cell, totally responsible for providing the status of allied forces to the multinational senior Battlestaff. He also implemented a computer driven color graphic display system that maintained real time intelligence data of enemy battle positions and assets. In 1986 he was assigned as Assistant to the Deputy Commander for Aeronautical Equipment, Aeronautical Systems Division, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, OH. In 1987 he assumed the position as Director of Subsystems/ Support Equipment where he was responsible for directing acquisition activities of over 50 professionals dealing with airbase performance, aerospace ground support equipment, and automatic test equipment. Ron was a Master Navigator with more than 2600 hours of flying time. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, three Air Medals, the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and two oak leaf clusters, the Tactical Air Command’s Aircrewman of Distinction Award, the National Defense Service Medal with a bronze star, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with three campaign stars. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1992 with the rank of Colonel, Ron and Judy moved to Bloomsburg, PA, where he was the Director of the Department of Public Safety for Columbia County. He ran the county 911 call center and Emergency Management Agency. After retiring a second time in 2006, Ron and Judy moved back to Dayton, OH, to be close to their children and grandchildren. Ron was an avid Penn State football fan, and in his free time he enjoyed playing golf, watching all kinds of sports and motorsports, and in his younger years, he loved downhill skiing. Ron also loved dogs, especially his three beloved cock-a-poos, Sparky, Luka, and Sascha. Ron is survived by his wife of nearly 57 years, Judy, a son, a daughter and extended family.
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