Colonel John Boyd is an American patriot. John was instrumental in the design of and spearheaded the use of the US Air Force F-15 and F-16 fighter plane. He developed the protective tactical theory known as OODA (Observe, Operate, Design and Act), Destruction Creation Theory and Patterns of Conflict.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he was the leader of the Military Reform Movement, which changed U.S. war tactics. Vice President Cheney, then a congressman, and later Secretary of Defense, conferred with John about his theories and sought his advice on more than one occassion. The theories presented to Vice President Cheney and other military leaders, were used in Desert Storm, and are currently being applied to the disciplines of economics, law, business, finance and medical surgery. John has been compared to Sun-Tzu, the world's greatest military theoretician.

John's father, Hubert, died when he was three years old. His mother, Elsie, raised John and his four siblings at the family homestead, 514 Lincoln Avenue in Erie. John, a student at Strong Vincent High School, was a member of the swim team and captain of the water polo team.

John worked summers as a lifeguard at Presque Isle State Park. At the peninsula, he came under the influence of chief lifeguard Frank Pettinato. Frank became a mentor and surrogate father to John.

John enlisted in the Air Force in April, 1945. He could not participate in the graduation ceremony at Strong Vincent. On his Air Force application, he listed his occupation as lifeguard.

John became a pilot, graduated from the University of Iowa and Georgia Tech, and rose to the rank of Colonel while stationed at numerous Air Force bases in the U.S. and abroad. He flew in the Korean Conflict where he was known as "40 Second Boyd."

Colonel Boyd died March 9, 1997 at age 70. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Many books have been published about John's accomplishments including Robert Coram's "Boyd the Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War." Many news articles have been written about John in national news media including "Time Magazine," "US News," "New York Times," and has been highlighted in a "60 Minute" episode.

John Boyd was an innovative thinker who exercised the courage of his convictions to bring to fruition ideas that altered America's military and American lives in a positive way. His life was the epitome of integrity, loyalty and patriotism. John's life also is a reflection of a strong family life and strong community values.

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