Norman Patrick Quigley

COLONEL NORMAN PATRICK QUIGLEY
U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1959
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Norman Patrick "Norm" Quigley was born in Buhl, Idaho, the third son of Frank and Edith Quigley. Raised on a modest family farm outside Buhl, Norm’s early years were shaped by grit and hard work. The family farmhouse had neither electricity nor running water until the summer before his second-grade year, and the family farmed using draft horses rather than tractors until he reached the eighth grade. These humble beginnings instilled in Norm a resilient spirit, quiet humility, and an enduring work ethic.
Norm excelled academically, graduating as valedictorian from Castleford High School in 1953. He attended Idaho State College in Pocatello for a year before earning a Senatorial appointment to the newly established United States Air Force Academy in 1955. Assigned to Cadet Squadron 8, Norm distinguished himself early on through his exceptional interpersonal skills, sharp mind, and ability to achieve excellence without seeking the spotlight.

On June 3, 1959, Norm graduated as a proud member of the Academy’s inaugural Class of 1959. That same afternoon, he married the love of his life, Carolyn Jones. Their love story had begun years earlier at an 8th-grade graduation party. Hand-in-hand through every assignment and season of life, Norm and Carolyn shared an unshakeable bond. Carolyn served alongside him in spirit and career, working in Civil Service as a secretary and office manager at many of Norm’s duty stations. Though they faced the deep heart-ache of being unable to have children of their own, their home was filled with love. They later embraced their neighbors, Debra Ingram and her children, Kathryn ("Kati") and Theodore ("Ted"), as their chosen daughter and grandchildren.

MILITARY CAREER & ELECTRONIC WARFARE SPECIALTY

Following graduation, Norm’s passion for engineering and technology led him to Electronic Countermeasures School at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. For the next six years, he served as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO) on a select B-52 crew and as Wing Intelligence EWO with the 774th Bomb Squadron at Beale AFB, California.

During the heightened tension of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Norm flew grueling 24-hour airborne nuclear alert missions in the B-52. Taking off from Beale, his crew flew east along the U.S.–Canadian border, coasted out at Loring AFB, Maine, flew north along Greenland’s west coast to the North Pole, and returned south through Alaska down the Pacific Northwest coast. Loaded with nuclear weapons and requiring three aerial refuelings per mission, Norm reflected that during those tense days, the world sat "only one short message, 'GO', away from nuclear war."

Seeking to further expand his technical expertise, Norm earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in 1968. He was immediately deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, assigned as an EWO with the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron (F-105 Wild Weasels) at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. His arrival in theater was notably delayed by a month because the squadron had been running short on aircraft due to heavy combat losses. Flying 94 high-stakes Wild Weasel missions before the bombing halt, Norm performed surface-to-air missile (SAM) suppression to protect strike packages. Adhering to the Wild Weasel motto—First In, Last Out—his tactical courage earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and seven Air Medals.

Upon returning to the U.S., Norm attended the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He then served as Development Engineer and Program Manager for electronic systems on the Subsonic Cruise Armed Decoy (SCAD) at Wright-Patterson AFB. Moving to the Pentagon, he served as Chief of Operational Test of Electronic Systems for the Air Staff and Chief of Electronic Intelligence Requirements for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Following studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, Colonel Quigley became Commander of the Air Force Electronic Warfare Center (AFEWC) at Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas. Leading a 300-person organization, he directed critical electronic defense analysis and operational support across the Armed Forces. Over his 21-year military career, Colonel Quigley authored seminal military concept papers, including:

• "Military Applications of Satellite Communications" (1964)
• "Computer Simulation Study of Countermeasures for Infrared Homing Missiles" (1968)
• "Hunter Killer Wild Weasel in Southeast Asia" (1970)
• "Integrated Approach to C3CM" (1977)

CIVILIAN LEADERSHIP, HOBBIES, & LEGACY

After retiring from active duty, Norm transitioned his technological expertise into defense industry executive leadership. At Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, he served as system engineer and program manager for Command, Control, and Communications Countermeasures (C3CM) and led research on automated battle management systems.

In 1983, Norm joined Hughes Aircraft Company's Ground Systems Group in Fullerton, California, residing in Yorba Linda for 12 years. Over a decade at Hughes, Norm built a classified, worldwide command-and-control system program from a modest $50,000 concept study into a multi-hundred-million-dollar full-scale defense system—an extraordinary achievement for a boy who grew up plowing fields with horses.

In 1993, Norm and Carolyn retired to Eagle, Idaho, building their dream home near their roots. Norm earned his Master Gardener Certification, tended vibrant gardens, enjoyed fly fishing, cooked, and explored creative writing. He authored and published two western novels on Amazon, Culture Clash and Napias Creek.

Carolyn passed away in 2019 and Norm passed away peacefully in 2022, at the age of 86. He was laid to rest alongside Carolyn at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, leaving a lasting legacy of quiet strength, technical brilliance, and unyielding service to his nation.


EDUCATION & ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS


1953 High School Diploma (Valedictorian) Castleford High School, ID
1954 Undergraduate Studies Idaho State College, Pocatello, ID
1959 B.S. in Military Science United States Air Force Academy, CO
1959 Electronic Countermeasures Course Keesler AFB, MS
1968 M.S. in Electrical Engineering Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), OH
1970 Command & Staff Course Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
1977 Senior Executive Defense Course Naval War College, Newport, RI
1990s Master Gardener Certification University of Idaho Extension, ID

MEDALS & MAJOR MILITARY DECORATIONS


Distinguished Flying Cross 1
Meritorious Service Medal 1
Air Medal 7 (With Oak Leaf Clusters)
Joint Service Commendation Medal 1
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Awarded with Valor / Service Ribbons
National Defense Service Medal Star Device
Vietnam Service Medal Multiple Campaign Stars
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross With Palm

CAREER & SERVICE ASSIGNMENTS


1955 – 1959 Cadet / Student U.S. Air Force Academy (CS-08), CO
1959 – 1960 Student, ECM School Keesler AFB, MS
1960 – 1966 Electronic Warfare Officer (B-52) & Wing Intelligence EWO 774th Bomb Squadron, Beale AFB, CA
1966 – 1968 Student, M.S. Electrical Engineering Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
1968 – 1969 F-105 Wild Weasel EWO (94 Combat Missions) 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat RTAFB, Thailand
1969 – 1970 Student Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL
1970 – 1974 Project Engineer / Program Manager (SCAD) Aeronautical Systems Division (ASD), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
1974 – 1976 Chief, Operational Test of Electronic Systems Air Staff, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.
1976 – 1977 Chief, ELINT Branch / Intelligence Requirements Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), Washington, D.C.
1977 Senior Officer Student Naval War College, Newport, RI
1977 – 1980 Commander Air Force Electronic Warfare Center (AFEWC), Kelly AFB, TX
1981 – 1983 Program Manager & Systems Engineer Martin Marietta Denver Aerospace, Denver, CO
1983 – 1994 Program Manager (Command & Control Systems) Hughes Aircraft Company, Fullerton, CA