Major Pettit was honored at the Combat Air Museum with a dedication ceremony.
SURPRISE, AZ, September 13, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Lawrence H. Pettit has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Pettit spent over four decades in the service of his country and his civic community. His undergraduate education was the first step on his path to success. Mr. Pettit attended Saint John's University in Queens, NY and graduated in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He later attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff AZ and graduated in 1976 with a Masters of Arts degree in Education.
Mr. Pettit served twenty distinguished years in the US Air Force and retired as a Major. His military assignments varied. He served as a Minuteman missile deputy at Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri, and as a navigator for KC-135 Strato tankers at the Altus Air Force base in Oklahoma. Major Pettit served as a F4 Phantom weapons systems officer based in Udorn, Thailand. This Thailand based unit provided air support over Vietnam.
He was assigned to the Luke Air Force Base in Arizona as a Radar Systems Instructor and Life Support Officer for the 56th Fighter Training Wing. He also served two tours in Korea, and was the vice commander at the Gila Bend gunnery range in southwest Arizona. His last military assignment returned him to Luke Air Force Base as a Command Post Supervisor.
Major Lawrence Pettit retired from the US Air Force in 1984. During his military service, he was awarded two Silver Stars, seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Meritorious Service Medals, seventeen Air Medals, and three US Air Force Commendation medals that exemplified his bravery and dedication to his country.
After his retirement, Mr. Pettit settled in central Arizona. He continued his lifetime of service within the community serving as the Director of the Guiding Star Lodge in Phoenix AZ. This facility provided addiction rehabilitation to Native American women and children.
Mr. Pettit returned to Luke Air Force base as a civilian, in the role of training and instruction developer for F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots. He spent eighteen years in this civilian position.
Concurrently, Mr. Pettit volunteered as a 911 operator with the Glendale Police Department. His civic service also included a twenty-two year affiliation with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Posse, to include ten years as the organization commander.
Never content with inactivity, Mr. Pettit continued with his service to the community by assisting children with special needs. Mr. Pettit applied and obtained a special education teacher position in Arizona and taught students to overcome their learning challenges in the classroom. He held teaching positions at the Career Success Charter School in Phoenix AZ and the Avondale Elementary School in Avondale AZ.
During his lifetime, Mr. Pettit has received many tributes and commendations. However, he takes special pride in the award commemorating his fifty year membership with the American Legion Post 1. This American Legion organization had been exiled from Shanghai, China due to political upheaval. This American Legion Post is currently headquartered in France. And despite the exiled status, its membership doggedly continues to meet globally. This distinguished achievement was awarded to Mr. Pettit in 2023 with a ceremony at the American Legion, Mary Ellen Piotrowski Post 94, in Sun City West, AZ.
Another source of pride for Mr. Pettit was the recognition that acknowledged his combat efforts in the Vietnam Conflict. The Combat Air Museum at Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas notified Major Lawrence H. Pettit that their Combat Air Museum had obtained and would proudly display one of his two F-4 Phantoms that were flown in combat. His aircrafts were responsible for downing two enemy Mig-21s.
Major Pettit was honored at the Combat Air Museum with a dedication ceremony. The second F-4 Phantom that Major Pettit flew in, was provided to the Kansas Air National Guard, and is currently displayed at the Kansas Air National Guard Headquarters in Topeka, Kansas.
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