Who you say? Colonel Gail Peck was the first commanding officer of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, flying MiG's over the Nevada desert.
From Heater Heatley ("The Cutting Edge" author, Top Gun Pilot etc) on Facebook a few minutes ago:
"We lost another really good one a few minutes ago. Colonel Gail Peck was the first commanding officer of the 4477th TES Red Eagles. A fantastic USAF officer, fighter pilot and terrific leader. He was Bandit #1 and I was, and will always be, Bandit 8. We remained close for the past 46 years.
We worked in Area 51 and 52 north of Nellis AFB. None of us were aware of the lethal radioactivity that contaminated those ranges.
Over a thousand nuclear bomb tests were conducted in that desert from 1951 to 1992. 100 of them were above ground, in the open air. What we didn’t know then, we paid for later.
The cancer rate among Red Eagles is far above the national average. There was a total of 514 Red Eagles involved with the program from 1976 to 1988. Including Gail, 345 of the 514 have already died.
Many of the survivors have cancer like me. Gail's battle of many months is finally over. His wife Carol was absolutely wonderful during this process.
He didn't want his death to be in vain. He hoped it would shine a light on the pain & suffering that cancer has caused among his fellow officers and enlisted personnel in America's Secret MiG Squadron. The unusually high rates of cancer were surely caused by the radioactivity in the areas we lived and worked and he wanted the VA to do something about it.
Cancer got COL Gaillard Peck today
.
Unfortunately he will not be the last Red Eagle to go this way, but if his dying wishes are granted, he will have made a difference for the survivors.
It was an honor my friend and “brother.”"
Heatley is also fighting cancer.