Oct. 16, 1934 - Dec. 25, 2015
Date of Service: Apr. 23, 2016
Ernest A. Bedke
Major General, United States Air Force
OAKLEY – Major General Ernest A. Bedke, 81, passed away on Christmas Day 2015, in Tampa, Fla., of natural causes. He was born Oct. 16, 1934, in Oakley, Idaho, to Herschel and Ethel Alford Bedke. The oldest of eight siblings, he lived an exciting, all-American life that took him from young, hard-working cowboy to two-star general, F-16 Fighting Falcon jet-fighter pilot.
Ernie grew up on the family ranch in Basin, Idaho where his chores included feeding the chickens, driving tractors and farm equipment, and herding cattle on horseback. After attending the one-room Basin Elementary schoolhouse, he graduated from Oakley High School as class valedictorian in 1951. He graduated from the University of Idaho in 1955 with a B.S. in Business Administration, and was commissioned a 2nd Lt in the United States Air Force.
Maj Gen Bedke served 28 years in the Air Force, including two tours in Vietnam flying the F-4 Phantom, as a fighter pilot at Da Nang; and then the O-1 Birddog, as a forward air controller at Bien Hoa. He flew 576 combat missions.
The general was a command pilot with more than 5,486 flying hours. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with 19 oak leaf clusters and Air Force Commendation Medal. His aircraft qualifications included the T-37, T-33, F-84, F-4, O-1 and F-16.
He retired on June 1, 1983 from his final post as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations and Intelligence, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. He returned to Tampa, Fla., where he had commanded the 56th Tactical Fighter Wing from 1975 to 1977 at MacDill Air Force Base, for retirement. To honor him, his name was painted on the side of the F-4 aircraft on static display at the Bayshore entrance to the base, which remains there to this day.
Ernie married Marilyn Meils of Spokane, Wash. after graduation from college in 1955. They were happily married for over 60 years, and raised two sons, Curt (Ina) Bedke of Arlington, Va. and Mike (Rachelle) Bedke of Tampa, Fla.
He had originally attended college on an ROTC scholarship, planning to complete his Air Force service commitment and return to attend law school. However, he enjoyed the Air Force life so much that he decided to remain. He took great pleasure in the fact that his two sons had echoed his interests, with Curt joining the Air Force and Mike becoming a lawyer.
Ernie thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his two grandsons, Wyatt and Bryce, and was an avid and excellent skeet shooter who rarely, if ever, had to buy the round of drinks at the end of each day’s friendly competition. He was a member of the Air Force Association and the Order of the Daedalians.
Maj Gen Bedke’s official Air Force biography can be found at http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/Biographies/Display/tabid/225/Article/107702/major-general-ernest-a-bedke.aspx
Although he spent his Air Force career in far-away places from Vietnam to Germany, he always maintained his roots to his family homestead and the small-town Idaho community he grew up with. In 2011, he was feted as the Grand Marshall of the Oakley Pioneer Days celebration, where he spoke about the pioneer spirit of the community’s elders.
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at the Basin Cemetery under the direction of the Rasmussen Funeral Home of Burley, with military rites provided by the Hill Air Force Base Honor Guard.
A reception will follow in Burley after the service.
