BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- A crew from the 96th Bomb Squadron conducted a funeral flyover at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., Oct. 16, 2020, in memory of retired Lt. Col. Mark Garlow. Garlow, a native of Oklahoma, passed away at the age of 62, Sept. 25, 2020, in Destin, Fla.
“We in the 96 Bomb Squadron, are proud to honor Lt. Col. Mark Garlow and the Garlow Family, with this B-52H Stratofortress flyover,” said Capt. Joseph Lyons, 96th BS flight commander. “Having the opportunity to honor our predecessors in the B-52 community helps us stay connected to our lineage of excellence.”
Garlow followed the example of his grandfather, Maj. Maurice “Whitey” Garlow, who was a navigator on the KC-97 Stratofreighter and KC-135 Stratotanker, worked in the Strategic Air Command (SAC) Standards and Evaluation Section and was stationed at Barksdale as a reservist on active duty orders. Similarly, his son Col. Ryan Garlow graduated from the Academy in 2001, is a KC-135 U.S. Air Force Weapons School graduate, was the 2017 Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award recipient in the senior officer category, and is presently assigned as a USAF Fellow at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
Garlow graduated from Anderson High School in Austin, Texas, in 1976 before matriculating at the Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1980. He graduated from the B-52 Field Training Unit at Castle AFB, Calif., then sat nuclear alert in B-52s at Dyess AFB, Texas, before returning to Castle AFB as an initial qualification instructor. He graduated from Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Calif., in 1987, then was involved in the development and testing of the B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit bombers. His next assignments took him to Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo., and Seek Eagle at Eglin AFB, Fla.
He finished his career at the Pentagon, where he was present during the September 11th terrorist attacks. He retired from active duty with as a Command Master Navigator with 22 years of service and the rank of lieutenant colonel. He then continued to serve as a civilian employee and was involved in the testing and development of the F-35 Lightning II before retiring from civil service in the spring of 2020.