COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.—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.
“That’s why he put so much of his retirement time invested in this community,” Rand Breckner said. “He was deeply proud of being an American—his favorite country on Earth, of course.”
The Ohio native began his career as an Air Force fighter pilot in 1955 and went on to fly missions in Vietnam. In July 1972, he was captured after his plane was shot down over Hanoi, and he spent nine months as a prisoner of war.
He remained active after his retirement and loved riding his Harley, Rand Breckner said.
Bud Breckner’s wife, Cheryl Breckner, died last August.
He had participated in Air Force Academy booster groups, pilot organizations, military groups at the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and was on the Colorado Springs Airport advisory board.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
———
Information from: The Gazette,
