We are here today – family and friends – to honor the memory of Col. Samuel Thomas Dickens.

What an incredible life and adventure my dad had: being raised in Argentina, traveling the world, attending West Point, and serving our country in the U.S. Air Force.

On behalf of my family, we would like to thank you for all the very kind and thoughtful notes.

While they have warmed and touched our hearts, they also remind us of our loss. Dad was described as a good friend, a patriot, an inspiration, and a man of convictions. He was also the best husband, father and grandfather we could ever hope for.

My dad had incredible passion – a passion for our country, our military, flying, and his friends and family – a passion for life. He also had a most amazing “larger than life” personality and a gift for making an immediate impression on everyone he met.

His journey began 80 years ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born to Fred Dickens and Grace Gesell Dickens, he was the fourth of five children. His father was in the YMCA and since the early 1920s had worked in Argentina with young athletes in all areas of sport. He became highly respected throughout South America, having coached the Argentine Olympic Track and Field Team in the 1924 games in Paris and in the 1928 games in Amsterdam. He also was a co-founder of the Pan American Games. Dad’s mother, Grace, was a prolific poet, (you can find a poem she wrote for him on the back of the program), and she was an avid reader and student of history. Together, my grandparents instilled in their children the virtues of family, duty, responsibility, fairness, sport, and service – the same virtues my dad passed along to us. My father had wonderful memories of his childhood and often told of many family adventures and travels he had enjoyed while living in Argentina, Chile, Indianapolis, or visiting relatives in Moorhead and La Crosse. He grew up in a very close family who played sports, told stories to each other, and of course played numerous pranks. When they went their separate ways, they always made a habit of gathering for family reunions – on all points of the compass, including Mexico City, Madrid, Athens, Caracas, Rio, Buenos Aires, New York, London and Washington, D.C., just to mention a few.

In the summer of 1955, one of these reunions was in Acapulco. There he met Marcy Smith, who was vacationing with some of her teaching colleagues from Fort Lauderdale, and as my uncle told the story – he didn’t see much of my dad the rest of the vacation! Last year at one of my mother’s reunions, he discovered that she had had quite a few suitors, and one of her requirements for a husband was someone – “not in the military!” This prerequisite was dropped as soon as they met – how could she resist!

Growing up during the ’30s and ’40s, Dad became enthralled with flight and followed the exploits of the famous aviators of the era, as well as the air battles and aces of WWII. His dream was to fly – and he lived his dream. He joined the U.S. Army and pursued an appointment at the United States Military Academy at West Point. After graduating in 1951, he joined the U.S. Air Force and attended flight training with the class of 52-E. Then he was off to Korea. The close friendships made during those years would be dear to him his entire life. Seven years ago, we finally found out what he was doing in Korea after the war and why his DFC from 1954 was so nondescript. He was selected to assist in planning and taking part in top secret overflights of the Soviet Union and China, and on April 3rd of 1954 he was privileged to fly wing on Captain Griffin on an overflight of Vladivostok. These important missions remained classified for almost 50 years and he worked tirelessly to have them declassified and to honor the men who flew them. This work led to symposiums as well as an RF-86 exhibit at the U.S. Air Force Museum that highlights these very important missions. Such top secret missions required top secret clearance, which entailed an incredible amount of paper work. One of the stories he enjoyed telling was that his clearance was approved in extremely short order – much to the surprise of his peers. His older siblings were also in the service of their country, with Fred and Joy in the U.S. Foreign Service, and Charles in the CIA – this probably assisted in expediting his clearance.

Dad’s unique Air Force career took him to England, where he flew with the RAF as an exchange pilot; the U.S. Naval Academy where he was company officer responsible for West Point-type discipline and military training; two tours in Spain, first as Assistant Air Attaché, then as Base Commander and Deputy Commander. And, of course, the combat tours in Korea and Vietnam. But his greatest joy was that he had the opportunity to fly some of the hottest planes in the U.S. and British inventory.

After retirement from a successful career in the U.S. Air Force, he continued in the service of his country, working with the American Security Council and other organizations, and tirelessly combating Soviet aggression and expansion in Central America and elsewhere in this hemisphere. He was an ardent supporter of the Monroe Doctrine and advancing democratic movements – particularly in El Salvador and Nicaragua. His passion and dedication were clearly on display in his Congressional testimonies, op-ed writings, and boisterous policy debates at American colleges, as well as lively television appearances on such TV broadcasts as Crossfire and Larry King Live. What most of you don’t know is that he did his part for peace in the Middle East. In the spring of 1974, just a few months after the Yom Kippur War, Dad decided it was a good time to take us to Israel for a family vacation over Easter Break. One of our tourist stops was a shop in Hebron run by a fierce-looking Palestinian man. After a few minutes shopping, Dad decided to tell the shop keeper that he had recently been with his good friend King Hussein of Jordan. The man gave a stunned look and then reached down and unsheathed his knife – resulting in an even more stunned look by Dad. The shopkeeper then smiled widely and showed him the medallion of King Hussein embedded on its handle. So there was peace for one day – and many free trinkets for the Dickens kids.

Full retirement never seemed to come, but we were not surprised. He continued writing, speaking, and working with the James Monroe Foundation and other organizations on issues important to our country. Dad had an incredibly adventurous and fulfilling life, and we as his family consider ourselves blessed to have been along for the ride. The tours we had in Spain and the U.S., as well as the numerous family vacations throughout Europe, Israel, and the States were all fantastic and memorable experiences. My dad was a very loving husband, father, and grandfather. We will always hold dear our nightly tuck-ins and prayers, and the way he would balance us on his hands when we were children – as he continued to do with his grandchildren. As children we grew up idolizing him – he was like Superman, James Bond, Sinatra and Elvis rolled into one. We would enjoy hearing both the stories of his youth and his adventures as a pilot. Having a dad who was a fighter pilot – well, it doesn’t get much cooler than this. Only when we became adults did he tell us his more harrowing tales, so we were more able to appreciate how dangerous a job he had had.

Over the last 20 years we had opportunities to share many of his joys with him, such as West Point reunions and luncheons, Air Force reunions and RF-86 symposiums, the opening of the exhibit at the Air Force Museum in 2005, and numerous air shows and visits to the Air & Space museums. I will never forget his immense pleasure in meeting with old friends and exchanging stories, or the time at the 50th reunion of the class of ’51, when he broke out in song, or seeing him collecting autographs from the men who participated in the RF-86 overflights. More important than these memories are the life lessons given to us by the marvelous example he set. He was always available for advice on any subject. More importantly, though, while he never told us what we should do with our lives, he gave us the tools to find our own way in the world. He was our biggest cheerleader and always reminded us how proud he was of us. He took great pride in his grandchildren as well, and recognized their accomplishments in school, on the pitch, gymnastic tournaments, and school and church plays. His only regret was that he would not see them grow up.

For those of you from the West Point class of ’51, 52-E, 15th TAC RECCE, it was both an honor and a privilege for him to know and serve with you and he was very proud of your accomplishments and service to our great country.

He lived his life by the West Point creed: Duty, Honor, Country. For us, he is immortal. Yes, we, his grandchildren, and someday, his great-grandchildren, can visit the RF-86 exhibit at the Air Force Museum and see the plane, his photo, and even his 15th TAC RECCE cap, representing a part of his life in which he took great pride. But more than this, his spirit will live forever in our minds, hearts and spirits – the spirit which I see in my brother and sister, and in his grandchildren.

It is fitting that our hero be laid to rest among other heroes. Whenever we said goodbye, he would always say, “I love you, dear son” or “I love you, dear daughter.”

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