A product of our nation’s “Greatest Generation,” CW4 (Ret.) Willie Ruf (Deceased) dedicated his life in the service of our country and contributed directly to the heritage of Army Aviation. He began military service in 1941, enlisting in the Army as an Infantryman. By the age of 22, he had risen to the rank of regimental sergeant major after serving 34 months in the Pacific.

His aviation career began in 1955 as the first warrant officer candidate to graduate from flight school at Fort Rucker, AL. He flew in excess of 16,000 hours, of which 1,200 hours were flown in combat in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon and the Dominican Republic. In 1958, he was selected for assignment to the newly activated Presidential Flight Detachment. During this assignment, he flew Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. He also became the first pilot to fly a Presidential helicopter outside the continental United States during President Eisenhower’s 1959 world tour.

Upon retiring from active duty, CW4 Ruf continued his career as a civil service instructor pilot, retiring in 1993 with 52 years of total federal service. Always wanting to contribute more, he remained active as a civic volunteer and a tour guide for the Army Aviation Museum. He also served as the principle instructor for all Aviation Branch history classes, instilling in the next generation of Army Aviators their heritage and traditions.

As a pioneer, CW4 Ruf’s contributions are inextricably woven into the very fabric of Army Aviation and his legacy will live on forever.