75-year-old going strong as F-15 mechanic at RAFB

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE -- Vietnam veteran Walter Riddle turns 75 on Christmas Eve, but he is still helping defend America.

He works as an F-15 mechanic at Robins. He climbs around on the fighter jets with co-workers young enough to be his grandchildren.

He retired once for a total of three months before deciding he didn't much care for it. He thought that even at his age, there was more to life than just keeping his lawn cut.

"I think if you don't have something to get up and go to each day, it can be detrimental to you," he said as he paused while working on a plane recently. "You need a purpose."

He has a diverse background. He once served in the Air Force, where he did maintenance on nuclear bombs. When Vietnam came along, he switched over to the Army and became a helicopter pilot. He flew the UH-1 Huey in combat before leaving the service as a captain.

After the war, he started a crop-dusting business in Middle Georgia in which he used helicopters and an airplane, doing much of the maintenance himself. He said he was the first person in the area to do helicopter crop-dusting.

Five years ago he was working at the Andersonville National Historic Site restoring old cannons. When that work ran out, a co-worker suggested that he apply for a job at Robins Air Force Base. He was hired there even though he was 70 at the time.

He is not one to beat down on the work ethic of the younger generation.

"The ones I've run into I've been quite impressed with," he said. "You always find a few that don't work out, but I can't say I've run into any here I've felt that way about."

His supervisor, Tommy Veator, said Riddle is the oldest mechanic who has ever worked for him.

Veator said he doesn't exactly ask Riddle to do everything a younger mechanic might do, but he said Riddle does a good job.

"He's a very interesting guy," Veator said. "He's got a very interesting personality. He does everything we ask of him."

Michael Jennings, who also supervises Riddle, said Riddle is also a good influence on the younger workers.

"They listen to him," he said. "They give him respect."

Riddle, who lives in Montezuma, thinks he may go for another two or three years at Robins, but he still doesn't plan to retire. He wants to grow and sell vegetables after he gets too old to climb on jet planes.

To contact writer Wayne Crenshaw, call 256-9725.

This story was originally published December 23, 2015 at 2:46 PM with the headline "75-year-old going strong as F-15 mechanic at RAFB ."