Edward L. Callicotte, COL, USAF, Ret
Born: January 11, 1932
Passed: June 29, 2011

Commander 1945th Communications Squadron -- Best Commander EVER! 

Col. Edward L. Callicotte, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) passed away June 29, 2011.
He was born in Daytona Beach, Fla., and moved to the Panhandle as a young boy with his widowed mother to be near other family members. Two weeks after his 16th birthday he walked off the beach and into an Air Force recruiting office to begin a fascinating military career. He loved being in the Air Force and quickly rose through the enlisted ranks to the top. Upon being designated NCO of the Year, he was given entrance to Officer Candidate School. He led the OCS Wing and was named a Distinguished Military Graduate and given a commission in the Regular Air Force upon graduation. He volunteered for specialized classified training and became cloaked in a secret world that took him to hot spots in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. He was especially proud of his missions, later declassified, evacuating trapped civilians in the Republic of the Congo during the Katanga Uprising. It was only later on during a mission in the Middle East that a medical condition occurred that finally brought him safely home.
The Air Force rewarded him by sending him to Syracuse University, the University of Southern California, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and a follow-on assignment as the most junior officer ever to command the most decorated Air Force combat unit in Europe. He was then assigned to Headquarters NATO in Brussels, Belgium, as Chief of Plans and Requirements. There he was promoted to the rank of colonel and, more importantly, where he met his soul mate … his "Katie." 
After several subsequent command assignments he retired to England, where they lived for four years. He and Katie moved back to his roots here where Col. Callicotte entered the real estate business. After 18 years as a broker and the owner of his real estate corporation, Sand Dollar Realty of NW Florida, he retired again, but this time to the golf course.
He loved God, his "Katie," the Air Force, golf, and after putting out his final round would have been the first to say: "What a hell of a ride!" Col. Callicotte will be interred in Medstead, England, at a later date. 
A memorial service, with military honors, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 8, at Heritage Gardens Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Heart Association. 
You may express condolences to the family and sign the guestbook at www.heritagegardensfuneralhome.com. Heritage Gardens Funeral Home of Niceville is entrusted with the arrangements.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/192460758/edward-l_-callicotte

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