More detail on this person: Obituary -- Bill
J. Comer, 59, a retired Army lieutenant colonel
who also had a career as a National Aeronautics
and Space Administration aerospace safety
manager, died of a liver ailment June 27 at a
hospital in Ocoee, Fla. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
10/23/2024
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Col. Comer was a Missouri native and a graduate
of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona
Beach, Fla. He lived in Springfield before moving
to Florida in June to be closer to his relatives.
He served about 25 years in the Army until his
retirement from active military duty in 1985 as
an aviation safety officer at Fort Rucker in
Alabama.
He was an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam during
the conflict there. He later commanded an aviation
company at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he also was
the aviation officer for the Golden Knights Army
Parachute Team. He also commanded a field
artillery unit in Germany and pursued advanced
studies in fixed and rotary wing aviation.
After retiring from active duty, he joined NASA
at its headquarters in Washington as an aerospace
safety investigator and served on the team that
investigated the explosion of the Challenger
shuttle in 1986.
His military decorations included two
Distinguished Flying Crosses and the Bronze Star.
At NASA, he received awards for exceptional
performance and superior accomplishment.
Since his retirement from NASA in 2000, he formed
a company called Air Safety Associates and
authored an unpublished book about saving lives at
the risk of one's own, titled, "The Glorious
Quest."
His marriage to Sharon Comer ended in divorce.
Survivors include a son, Troy Comer of Winter
Garden, Fla.; a brother; and a grandson.
From: Jill E. Redington, Head of Public Services,
Aviation Technical Library, Building 9204, Fort
Rucker, AL 36362
I just read the obituary on LTC Comer and I think
you got one of your facts wrong. When I enetered
the Army in 1974, then CPT B.J. Comer was
Commander of Battery A (TA) 1st Bn 25th FA. CPT
Comer was my Battery Commander and he was a
great soldier however he mentioned to me that
during his tour in Viet Nam with 1st AVN BDE he
flew O-1E Bird Dogs as Aerial Observer. When his
year was up he extended his tour by 6 months and
then retiurned to CONUS for the Field Artillery
Officer Career Course then the Q-Course at Ft
Rucker for rating in Helicopters followed by an
assignment to Ft Bragg, NC where he flew the
Golden Knights then served as XVlll Airborne Corps
Artillery Staff Aviation Officer and then assumed
command of Battery A 1/25 FA. In 1975 he rotated
to USAREUR to 2nd BN/ 41st FA at Bad Kissingen
where he commanded HHB/2/41 until he was
promoted Major. I lost track of him after that.
Walter G. Dobinson, Jr., MAJ FA (Ret)