29 June 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Inspired by her father’s stories of the Korean War, Angie Fuson decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and joined the military in 1982.
Fuson went on to Navy Technical School to become a yeoman, and for her first duty assignment, she would work with one of the best-known naval aviation training squadrons — something she says felt a little bit right out of the movies.
“Many people said, ‘You know, they’re so cocky, is it like Top Gun?’, and it kinda is,” Fuson said. “There’s a lot of joking that goes on in that aviation community as with each unit, but it’s also very serious business.”
As a yeoman, Fuson would initially be assigned to Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, home of the VT-21 Fighting Redhawks.
“We trained aviators to go out further in the fleet and, and fly other aircraft, F-16s, and so forth, and so I got to spend a lot of time, you know, working with many of the aviators, taking care of their paperwork, and so forth,” Fuson said.
Her squadron would frequently go on weapons detachments in central California, where Fuson volunteered to go to work on A-4 Skyhawks.
“We did everything from wiping down the dew on the canopies, and you know, to fueling and oiling those A-4 jets and sending those aviators out on the flight line,” Fuson said.
One morning, while Fuson was oiling an A-4, she says she would catch a glimpse of something she would never forget: the Blue Angels practicing nearby.
“One morning when the sun was coming up, I looked over, and they were stepping into their aircraft, up to what they called a ladder, and keep in mind, there’s no air show going on, it’s just, they’re just out there to practice, and as I watched them, each of their steps, as they stepped up the ladder to get into the cockpit of their aircraft, was in sync,” Fuson said.
Fuson says her job required her to have a top-secret SCI clearance. After her first tour with the Redhawks, Fuson received an assignment to serve under the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command during the Gulf War.
Angie Fuson’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
Angie Fuson’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
“We specifically went to Bahrain. I worked directly with an intel officer, logistics officer, the rear admiral of my unit,” Fuson said.
Fuson says she worked support for the relatively new command and was the only enlisted person there from her unit.
“You know, it was an intensive job because we were actually communicating with all the commanders in the fleet in real-time,” Fuson said. “You know, whose, exactly where the ship movement, exactly when and if and how things will or will not be engaged. It was fairly intense.”
After four months in Bahrain, Fuson would make her way back to the Redhawks for a second tour.
“Just ready to do what I had signed up to do was be there when I needed to be there. It’s just always that good to kiss the ground in the USA,” Fuson said.
Fuson retired in 1992 after 10 years in the Navy.
“It was just an honor to serve with, with so many people that I did serve with. And then since then, being a veteran and meeting so many of my fellow veterans, true, true war heroes, it’s been an honor to get to know them and have them in my life,” Fuson said.
Fuson would go on to work with the Chamber of Commerce in Corpus Christi, Texas. She would then go on to work for several criminal defense attorneys.
If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN reporter Jason Lamb at [email protected].