Five former Air Force communicators will be inducted into the Air Force Cyberspace Operations and Support Hall of Fame, Class of 2013.
General William "Tom" Hobbins
Gen Hobbins made many lasting impacts on our community even though he came to cyber late in his career.
During a 39 year career culminating as Commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, he implemented the Air Force's
C4ISR Roadmap for networks enabling predictive battle space awareness and targeting. As Chief of Warfighting
Integration, Gen Hobbins streamlined IL and CIO functions from the Air Staff and Secretariat into one cohesive
organization, SAF/XC, the precursor to today's SAF/CIO A6. General Hobbins has been a stout voice for cyber,
speaking to the NDIA, AFCEA and AFC4A communities.
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Brig Gen Buford "Randy" Witt
Brig Gen Witt was one of a very few Air Traffic Contol and Comm Officers. He was perhaps the only officer
to lead a Squadron and Group to "Best in Command" awards, and also earned "Best in AF" Group Command.
He left a lasting legacy in conceiving and implementing cyber concepts critical to the warfighter: Theater
Deployable Comm, Wing Initial Comm Package and STEP Sites. As the EUCOM J6, Brig Gen Witt
coordinated with DARPA to operationalize the Global Broadcast System and implemented it in Bosnia
for joint/combined use.
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Colonel Jack Stratford
Col Stratford's service to the AF represents a rich career applying technology to meet operational needs. As Commander, 1964th Comm Group, he expanded the Defense Red Switch Network across Europe and reconfigured the European digital telephony network. As the Chief of Contingency Support, Joint Staff, he coordinated with JCSE, JSOC and the White House on TACSAT comms and other special requirements during the invasion of Panama, Operation DESERT STORM and many other operations.
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CMSgt Laurence Patrick
Chief Patrick served in the communications field for 47 years where he was a true pioneer as both an enlisted and civilian leader. He became a technical specialist during his early years as a Morse intercept operator, airborne radio maintainer and AUTODIN switch center superintendent, where he held the world record for overseas AUTODIN switch operational efficiency at 100% uptime for 66 consecutive days. After retiring from active duty, Chief Patrick was a mainstay at HQ AFCC/TIC/AFC4A and AFCA at Scott AFB, holding 11 different division and branch chief positions.
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Mr Robert Feik
Mr Feik culminated a distinguished career as Chief Scientist for the AF Communications Service, where he developed radar systems still in use today. He honed his technical skill as an officer in the Army Signal Corps during both WWII and the Korean War. He identified constraints in the Peace Fortune system, improving the Republic of Korea Air Force's troposphere and microwave comms, for which he was recognized by the ROKAF. In 1970, Mr Feik was recognized as the AFA Outstanding USAF Civilian Employee of the Year and in 1974 was awarded the DoD Exceptional Civilian Service Medal.