Raymond R. Klocke
Vietnam War
Ray Klocke was born in Carroll, IA on November 9, 1943, to Raymond J. and Alma (Tigges) Klocke. He attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Kuemper High School with the class of 1962. After high school, he attended Iowa State University for one year.
On January 6, 1964, Ray enlisted in the US Air Force along with Dale Schlichte of Templeton. Ray was assigned serial number 17 676 069. Ray and Dale were sent to Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio, TX for basic training. They were both members of a unit known as FLT-31. By February 28, 1964, they had completed the Air Force BMT (basic military training).
Ray’s next assignment was the Aircraft Radar Electronics School at Kessler Air Force Base near Biloxi, MS. On March 21, 1964, he was promoted to A3c (airman third class). One of the areas of emphasis in this training was electronic countermeasures used by aircraft.
By the end of 1964, Ray had completed training and was assigned to the 4758th Defensive System Evaluation Aircraft Squadron. This unit had been formed in 1962 and was developing and evaluating the electronic countermeasures systems used on the EB-57E Canberra aircraft. On June 25, 1965, he was promoted to A2c (airman second class) and his job was as an aircraft radar technician. Ray was to stay with this unit throughout the remaining three years of his enlistment. These duties included time at Biggs Air Force Base near El Paso, TX, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, AZ, and Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, NM.
Ray was discharged from the US Air Force on January 5, 1968, with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He returned to Templeton and, on August 30, 1969, married Joleen Venteicher at St. Mary Church in Willey, IA. The couple moved to Maryville, MO, where Ray attended Northwest Missouri State University. He graduated in 1972 and went to work for the Farmers Home Administration. He was to remain with the FmHA at various Iowa locations (primarily Crawford County) until retirement in 1996.
In 1973, Ray joined the 185th Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard based in Sioux City, IA. This unit had been activated during the Vietnam War and released from active duty in 1969. The unit flew F-100 fighter aircraft when Ray joined. They later converted to A-7D attack aircraft in 1977 and to F-16 fighter-bomber aircraft in 1991. Federal records indicate Ray was called to active duty on May 2, 1984, and released back to the Air Guard on October 9, 1984. The reason is unknown. Ray became an officer and rose through the ranks ultimately reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Ray lived the last 20 years of his life in Denison, IA. On March 16, 2000, Ray was killed in a farm accident near Bedford, IA at age 56. He was just a few months away from his retirement from the Iowa Air National Guard. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.