Whitehouse’s Ed Coggeshall is a proud Air Force veteran and career military man. In 1949, the first Volkswagon Beetle was sold in the United States, RCA perfected a system for broadcasting color television, 45 rpm discs were introduced and Ed Coggeshall joined the Air Force.

America was “on the grow” following World War II and Coggeshall was a young man heart-set to serve his country.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Coggeshall headed out to that “wild blue yonder” and landed at Keller Field in San Antonio. Not only did he gain the training and experience that would make a career military man out of him, but he also met the love of his life, Peggy. This year, the Whitehouse couple has been married for 56 years.

Coggeshall never flew the planes, said he never wanted to. He was there at the side of the pilot and copilot engineering and orchestrating what was going on.

A tree in Coggeshall’s front yard bears this sign. “I watched the co-pilot closely to make sure they didn’t touch anything they weren’t supposed to,” Coggeshall said.

On missions over Korea, Japan and Vietnam, for the most part Coggeshall said he didn’t feel like he was in harm’s way. Cam Ranh Air Base was the exception.

“Seems there were always attacks there,” Coggeshall said. “We just wanted to leave our load, refuel and get out of there.”

Cam Ranh Air Base served as a tactical fighter base, as well as a strategic and tactical airlift facility. Cargo and personnel would arrive from the United States and then be transferred to tactical airlift for movement within South Vietnam. Cam Ranh was also an outgoing aerial port.

Coggeshall engineered flights in C-124s, C-97s and the C-133. They were all cargo and personnel carriers. The C-133 carried the Titan missile.

He accrued approximately 5,000 hours on C- 133s at Dover AFB in 1959-1966 as a line engineer and flight examiner.

In 1962 he flew behind the Iron Curtain to assist in the second Berlin Airlift.

Hickam AFB in Hawaii was home from 1953-1956 then the Coggeshall family moved to Dover where they spent 10 years.

“We never owned a home or even our own furniture so long as we were a part of the military,” Peggy said. “We raised our kids in base housing and did just fine.”

Coggeshall finished up his days in military service with an assignment of three years in Schenectady, New York where he was an advisor to the Air National Guard. Senior Master Sergeant Coggeshall retired in 1969.

“I had the option along the way to go to OCS,” Coggeshall said. “But I loved what I was doing. I didn’t want to change anything. I flew with the same guys for 20 years and I’m not a bit sorry for my choice.”

Military pride runs in the Coggeshall family. He has two grandsons who have served in the Navy. One is still in the service.

While his health may not let him do everything he would like, Ed Coggeshall still stands tall and proud at the sound of his National Anthem. There is no doubt where his allegiance lies. His flag flies high as does the honor to his country, those who came before and those who serve today fills his heart.

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