Breckner, former fighter pilot, dies in car crash (William Breckner)

A former fighter pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam who retired from the Air Force as a major general has died in a crash on Colorado 105.

State troopers say William “Bud” Breckner, 74, of Monument, was driving home when he lost control on a curve and slid into some trees early Saturday.

In the late 1970s, he was assigned to the Air Force Academy, where he served as deputy commandant and later as vice commandant of cadets.

Breckner loved the Colorado Springs area, and he loved the United States, his son, Rand Breckner, 41, said Sunday.

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

EB-66 Destroyer Vs MiG-21 Fishbed (Irby Terrell)

As explained by Peter E. Davies in his book B/EB-66 Destroyer Units in Combat, orbiting at the edge of heavily-defended territory, during the Vietnam War the vulnerable EB-66 Destroyer electronic warfare aircraft identified and jammed the enemy’s radar frequencies with electronic emissions and chaff to protect the American bombers. Their hazardous missions resulted in six

Read More »

To Capt. Butcher ‘From A Grateful City’

Air Force Capt. Jack M. Butcher who a few years ago was playing “Hail To The Victors” as a member of the University of Michigan Marching Band, heard that fight song played in his honor Saturday afternoon. Ann Arbor’s first prisoner of war to return from Vietnam was welcomed home

Read More »