Interview, Richard Bebernitz, USAF

Richard Bebernitz (b. 1946) was born in Saranac Lake, New York. His mother died when he was a small boy and his father remarried a few years later. Bebernitz moved with his family to a farm in Ontario, New York, where his step-mother worked as a teacher. In 1964, Bebernitz and six of his friends enlisted in the United States Air Force. While in the service, he did maintenance and repair work on special “Minuteman” missles. After his service, Bebernitz worked in a variety of fields, from Kodak to the lawn and garden business. He eventually returned to farming and resettled in Ontario.

In his interview, Bebernitz discusses his decision to enlist in the Air Force. He talks about the extensive training that he received in missile maintenance and discusses what it was like to be married and stationed with his family while most other servicemen were single. Bebernitz remained stateside during his four years of service and was honorably discharged from the Air Force in 1968.