Greg Anders
Born in Albuquerque, NM, in 1962, Greg is married with two kids. He lives in Bellingham, Washington and is the Senior Vice President and Executive Director of the Heritage Flight Museum. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel having served 23 years in the United States Air Force.
With over 4,500 hours, Greg's flying background is primarily military. He served 15 years in the USAF on active duty prior to joining the Air National Guard. In the Spring of 2003 he was activated for a four month deployment to Kuwait and Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he flew numerous combat sorties during the build-up and 27 sorties during major combat operations. The highlight of his deployment was being selected as part of a small contingent of forward-deployed pilots flying combat sorties out of Tallil Air Base in Iraq. Like the P-47 "Thunderbolt" forward basings in France during WWII, the A-10 "Thunderbolt II" proved its combat mettle by being the only USAF fighter to stage off of Iraqi soil during the major combat operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Greg has also flown combat sorties in the F-15E during Operations Southern and Northern Watch.
In addition to being mission-qualified in the A-10, Greg is mission-qualified and an instructor pilot for both the F-15E (1,000hrs) and the B-52 (2,000hrs). His military flying experience also includes flying the T-37, T-38, AT-38, F-15 B&D, F16 B&D and F-18. As a civilian, Anders is currently flying the P-51 and most of the other aircraft of the Heritage Flight Museum. He also flies air show formations in his T-6 "Texan" WWII trainer with his father and brother.
Lt. Col. Greg Anders is a third-generation military officer and third-generation Academy graduate. His grandfather, Cmdr. Arthur Anders (USNA class of '27) earned the Navy Cross and Purple Heart while serving in China on the USS Panay when it was bombed by the Japanese. With the Captain disabled, the Executive Officer, (then Lt.) Anders, took command of the ship and ordered "open fire" on the Japanese—several years before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Greg's father, Maj. Gen. William Anders (USNA class of '55), served as an interceptor pilot in the Air Force during the Cold War. He then served in NASA on the crew of Apollo. Greg graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1985.
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