Chris McKee knew in tenth grade that he was going to serve at least 20 years in the United States Air Force, and that’s exactly what he did.
“The Air Force recruiter knew he had me in the tenth grade,” McKee said. “I’ve always wanted to be a mechanic, and airplanes were the common thing at that time. So, I went into the Air Force to be a jet engine mechanic. That’s what I wanted to be, and that’s what they allowed me to do.”
McKee was born in Toronto, Canada, but was raised on the East Coast of Florida. He became a naturalized citizen in 1964.
In 1965, he enlisted in the Air Force where he served the country for 21 and a half years. During that time, he served throughout the Vietnam War.
“One thing that my dad, who was a World War II vet, instilled in me from the time I can remember, was to go into the Air Force, or he wanted me to go into the Navy, because was a Navy guy, but I went into the Air Force, and ‘stay for 20, stay for 20, stay for 20. You get to retirement, you can do anything you want.’ So, I did. I went in with the sole intention of spending 20 years, and didn’t think I’d make it, but I did.”
He describes his meeting with his Air Force recruiter and his eventual discovery of his desire to go into the Air Force as an accident.
“Actually, it was an accident,” he said with a laugh. “I was suppose to go to one class and somehow I got turned around and went into the auditorium, because that’s where I thought the class was, and here’s the Air Force recruiter giving his spiel. It was supposed to be all seniors, but I was in the latter year of my tenth grade, and boy I loved it. I loved what he had to say.”
During his time in the Air Force, McKee was stationed in multiple locations including Orlando, Florida, Riverside, California, Utapao, Thailand, England and more.
“I was fortunate, at one point in my career, to have a fly-in job as a ground crew member, and we flew all over the world,” he said.
He served two long tours in Guam and said that’s the one place in the world he’d “go back to in a heartbeat.”
He said, “I was fortunate. When I was flying with the ground crew, I got to fly VIPs and IG Teams, and things like that, all over the United States and all over the world. It was a good tour of duty.”
A particular memory from his time during the Vietnam War sticks out to him – Operation Babylift.
“I was in Guam actually when it (Vietnam War) closed out,” he said. “They brought the last of what they called the ‘babies’ home from Vietnam in Operation Babylift, which the engine shop I worked in was wall to wall mattresses. They brought the kids in on that last flight, and all the wives and the ladies of the squadron, they all brought food, and they fed all these kids, and I mean there were hundreds of them. That was a high point.
“We as a squadron, and a base, actually received commendations for it. That was a long time ago, but it was an interesting time to say the least.”
He worked on B-52 and KC-135 engines as a jet engine mechanic, and eventually found his niche on the flight line.
“I love the flight line,” he said. “There’s just something about the airplanes getting pushed off the ground, and you know they’re going out on a bombing mission, and you’ve got to get the airplane off. So, you’re troubleshooting, and they’ll have what we call red ball. Something will go wrong, and you’ll have to go in quick and fix it.”
This love for troubleshooting continued after his service.
“After I got out, I did two things,” he said. “I got my A&P license, which is airframe power plant, and I got my private pilot’s license.”
He has earned an Applied Science four-year degree and worked at the Lockheed Martin Space Center, among other things. At Lockheed, he worked on multiple space shuttles including The Columbia, The Endeavor, The Discovery and more.
McKee explained that the best piece of advice he’s ever gotten was from his father, Bill. He said, “He told me that you’re going to see places in this world that you never knew about, and he said, ‘The one thing you’ve got to remember is treat the people you meet like you’re a guest in their house, and you’ll never have any problems,’ and boy I’ve always lived by that. I look back on it, and it was the best piece of advice. I’d give that advice to anybody who is in the service right now.”
McKee is married to his wife, Linda, and the two have four kids: Chris Jr., Rick, Don and Amber.
He currently serves in the North Georgia Honor Guard and belongs to the American Legion. He explained that he considers it an honor to be able to serve in the honor guard where he “honors the vets that come along.”
As a veteran, he said it took him time to pay attention to what that meant.
“For the longest time, me being a vet, I didn’t pay much attention to it,” he said. “When people talk about veterans, 99% of the time, they’re talking about the guys who were shot at, or got killed, or got wounded and that kind of thing. And for those who never had a shot fired at us in anger, at all, and maybe it’s just me, but I think there are others who feel the same way, they were part of it, but they were just kind of in the background. It took me awhile to realize that without the bunch of us in the background, the guys in the front would have had issues too.”
He encourages veterans in the area who are not involved in the local veterans organizations to consider joining and finding out more about what they’re about.
Those interested in attending meetings and getting to know more about the organizations can email Ray Arthur at fanninveterans@yahoo.com or learn more on the Fannin County Veterans Organizations Facebook page.