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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Oct '89
Salvador Enrique Felices No.15563 Class of 1946
Died 14 July 1987 in Vienna, Austria, aged 63 years
Interment: Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado, Springs, Colorado.
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Salvador E. Felices was born 13 August 1923 in
Santurce, Puerto Rico. From that day forward, he was known to
his family and friends as Cucho. After high school, Cucho attended
the A & M College of the University of Puerto Rico until
1943, when he received his appointment to West Point.
The whole class knew Cucho because of his prowess
as an intercollegiate boxer. No one who saw him box could possibly
forget his grace and catlike quickness, nor doubt his toughness
and physical courage. That same grace was certainly evident on
the dance floor, particularly to any Latin beat. He opted for
the then Army Air Corps and received his pilot wings one day
prior to graduation from West Point.
His first assignment after multi-engine transition
at Enid, Oklahoma was to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) in September
1946. He served with the 97th Bombardment Wing at Schilling Air
Force Base, Kansas in 1946 and 1947 as a B-29 pilot. In 1952,
while serving as operations officer for the 359th Bombardment
Squadron of the newly formed 303d Bombardment Wing, Cucho was
selected to represent the 303d Wing in the Strategic Air Command
bombing competition. He participated in an old B-29 equipped
with the APQ-7 radar set and a Norden bombsight rate head. This
innovative approach led to the current techniques of synchronous
radar bombing. 1953 saw Cucho in Japan during the Korean War
assigned to the 98th Bombardment Wing at Yokota as combat operations
officer for the 344th Bombardment Squadron. During this tour
he flew 19 combat missions over North Korea.
From February 1954 through January 1957, he was
stationed at Castle Air Force Base, California. A B-47 aircraft
commander, Cucho worked in the B-52 special project office, and
as a B-52 instructor pilot participated in the first jet non-stop
flight around the world in January, 1957, circling the globe
in 45 hours and 17 minutes. Afterwards he set up the combat crew
training school for all crew training in the KC-135 Jet Tanker,
the military version of the Boeing 707. He attended the National
War College and, after graduation in 1965, served as head of
the Reconnaissance Operations Division in the Office of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff. In 1967, he assumed command of a B-52 wing at
Griffith Air Force Base, New York. The following year, Cucho
became commander of the B-52 wing at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida.
He took the wing to Anderson Air Force Base, Guam and flew 39
combat missions over Vietnam. While at McCoy, Cucho was promoted
to brigadier general and assumed command of the 42nd Air Division.
In 1970 he went to Strategic Air Command headquarters as deputy
chief of staff for Logistics, and received his second star in
1972. Cucho then was assigned as commander at the 1st Strategic
Aerospace Division at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California,
where he supervised the operational testing of ballistic missiles
in the Pacific Test Range. In 1973 he was assigned as vice commander
of the Sixteenth Air Force, Torrejon, Spain. He retired from
the Air Force in August 1974.
His decorations include the Distinguished Service
Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Legion of Merit with two oak
leaf clusters; Distinguished Flying Cross; and the Air Medal
with 4 oak leaf clusters.
Following his retirement, Cucho joined a multi-bank
holding company in Boca Raton, Florida. During the next three
years, he rose to the presidency of First Bancshares of Florida
and served as president and chief executive officer for one year
following the death of the founder of the company. In 1977 Cucho
joined ComBanks in Winter Park, Florida. In this organization
he was responsible for community relations and the fulfillment
of special projects.
Cucho died on 14 July 1987 while vacationing in
Vienna, Austria. He is survived by his wife, Shirley; three children,
Sherryl, Mark, and Steven; and three granddaughters, Teri, Shon-del,
and Michelle. Sadly, he didn't live to see Michelle, who was
born 5 August 1987.
In the words of one of Cucho's classmates and very
close friends, "What is not clearly noted in the record
of Cucho's accomplishments, is the deserved respect he attained
from so many of his classmates. As a military professional in
the US Air Force, he lived up to the standards of a West Point
graduate. He could and did achieve those high standards of excellence
in performance which he demanded of his officers and airmen.
There are many who did not know the warmth and generosity of
this unique officer. His personality, his sense of humor, his
deep concern for the welfare of his subordinates placed him a
notch above the ordinary general officer. He projected his feelings
with clarity, and his dedication to his men and his mission was
always evident. He worked excessive hours to insure that a best
effort was always made.
"In his private and his social life, there
was never a more pleasant person to be with. He delighted in
being a generous host and would seek and welcome guests from
all walks of life. The friends he made throughout the world were
numerous None who got to know him will ever forget Cucho. All
who had this privilege will truly miss him. It was not difficult
to find Cucho at large gatherings among his classmates. One merely
had to look for a dozen chairs arranged in a circle. In the middle
would be Cucho. In each chair surrounding him would be smiling,
happy faces listening to this wonderfully warm man telling delightful
stories."
Cucho was no less well thought of in his second
career after he retired from the Air Force. One of his close
associates at the ComBank provided these thoughts. "Cucho
brought order and organization to our institution. He was a key
element to our long-range planning activities. He knew virtually
everyone in the growing town of Orlando. If we needed a door
opened, or a difficult issue resolved, Cucho was the person we
counted on. It was evident from his wisdom, and the way he organized
and ran meetings, that he had been an excellent student of military
discipline. Cucho wanted everyone at ComBank to succeed, He delegated
opportunities to the up and coming officers and employees of
our company, and worked side by side with them to insure their
success. He considered himself one of us, not one destined to
oversee us from a distance. To summarize, the best analogy that
I can adapt to the personality of Cucho is that, to us, he is
one that would lead us into battle at the risk of personal sacrifice,
rather than direct us into battle from a distance in the rear.
He was a dear friend, leader, and brother who is deeply missed
by all of us in Central Florida."
To this, we can only add. "Well Done, Cucho,
Be Thou At Peace."
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife, Shirley
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