Lantz Romer:
CLASS OF 1966
Custer County High SchoolClass of 1966
Miles city, MT
Lantz's Story
Sorry, forgotten I had this service until today when I got a new email from them. I have to say up front what a GREAT experience Miles City was for me. I had been to 13 different schools by the time I came to Custer County High in Jan of 1964 as a sophomore. I was used to moving often and usually never bothered to make many friends, but when I played baseball the summer of 1964 for the Legion team and went back to school in the fall EVERYBODY was saying hello to me in the halls. It took me awhile to figure it out. I did though, with Mrs Dyer's and Kippy's help. It is unfortunate, and I must apologise, but my lack of skill in staying in touch with important people of my life has separated me from people that helped me enormously! I will give the quick version now and fill in the blanks when I can.
Graduated in 1966, went to York College for two years on a baseball/academic scholarship. Then on to Middle Tennessee State University at Murfreesboro, TN. Got my BS in Physics and went into the Air Force. I flew in what was black/gray helicopter program where we caught 3500 lb reconnaissance drones out of the air over oceans and jungles to prevent them from being damaged or stolen by the enemy. After 4 years I went to fixed wing conversion and into the F-15, off to Bitburg, Germany til 1981. Next to Holloman AFB as an Instructor for the Fighter Lead-In program(4 yrs). Selected for the Navy and the Air Force Test Pilot programs, but USAF personnel wouldn't let me attend either one. I was trying to get to the Shuttle Program, but without the Golden Arm patch, it is almost impossible. Spent a year in Korea with the 314th Air Division, so I could get in shape again. Got a call in the middle of the night and was invited to fly a black pro...Expand for more
ject, "Sorry I can't tell you what it is, I'd have to kill you" routine. Turned out to be the F-117A, it went gray in '98 at Nellis AFB. I had been out of it for almost 10 years at that point. We flew it out of Area 51 and Tonopah Test Range along with our surrogate fighter, the A-7(SLUF).
Retired from the USAF at Nellis and flew the Canyon for a couple of years. (If you have never been there, you need to visit. It is amazing. Get away from the people and sit on the rim at sundown...it is like it's God's own chapel.) I flew in various jobs, moving celebrities and ex-presidents here and there.
Met Miss Amy in VA while flying her boss' jet and helicopter. She is very sweet to me. We moved to Columbia in 2000 and set up camp with a bunch of rescue animals. Her sister, nephew and parents all followed us here. She works at a local Ford dealership for now. Went to Orlando for a reunion of Bitburg F-15 pilots last year and picked up her Mustang while we were there.
Just finished a non-flying stint with the TBI Meth Task Force. Now flying again for the US Army as a helicopter instructor and working with the Maury County Sheriff's Dept as a Reserve Deputy.
Have two daughters, Katy and Lisa. Katy is in Germany with her husband, Randy Bell and they just had a little boy, Brady. Germany is where both she and Lisa were born in '78 and '80, while I was in the F-15. Lisa lives in Athens, AL, with her husband, Dave. (That's only about an hour away.) Katy, Randy and Brady, on the other hand, live a little farther away...(New) Katy and Brady are back in the states now. They were in Germany with the Army, now only 45 minutes away. Randy is in the Middle East again.
Be safe. Thank you for being my friends when I really needed friends in my life.
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