Willms, Lyndon G.

Lyndon G. Willms was born in Vandalia, Illinois, and raised in St. Elmo, Illinois. He attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and earned his B.S. in Administration of Justice. He also completed the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Program and won a flight training position to become an Air Force Navigator.

After flight and combat training in California, Lyndon was assigned to K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan to fly as an electronic warfare officer in B-52H aircraft. He then moved to Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska, where he flew on the RC-135 "Cobra Ball" reconnaissance aircraft. Lyndon also found time between work and family to get a masters degree in Business Organizational Management from the University of LaVerne.

Lyndon then spent the following three years in Hawaii working for the Commander U.S. Pacific Command. From there, Lyndon then moved to Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, just outside of Omaha, where he returned to flying the RC-135, but this time, in the "Rivet Joint" aircraft. Just after completing his re-qualification in the aircraft, he deployed to the Middle East to fly combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.

He then moved across the base to become the Chief of Reconnaissance Plans for U.S. Strategic Command. After that tour, he returned to the RC-135 to serve as a squadron Operations Officer responsible for the squadron's worldwide deployments and operations. Lyndon also found time to be a board member of the Nebraska Parents of Blind Children, and represented Nebraska at the National Federation of the Blind's national convention.

Lyndon was then assigned to the Pentagon to work at Headquarters, United States Air Force, as the Deputy Chief for Information Superiority. He quickly earned a solid reputation for attention to detail. In 18 months, he saved the country over $2 billion in budget cuts and restructuring military programs.

Lyndon was selected for assignment to The Joint Staff, the support staff for the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. Lyndon was in the Pentagon on 9/11, and served the next six months as an executive officer for a Joint Staff's Crisis Action Team. In his limited spare time, Lyndon work with young children at his church, and was the President of the Virginia Parents of Blind Children.

Lyndon's last military assignment was as commander of an information warfare unit at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. While in the military, Lyndon was a graduate of several military service schools to include Armed Forces Staff College and Air War College.

After retiring as a lieutenant colonel, Lyndon attended Southern Illinois University's School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor degree. Lyndon and his family make their home in Murphysboro, IL. Lyndon and his wife, Rita, have been married for over 30 years. His wife is a Family and Consumer Science teacher in Pinckneyville, IL.

Education  - Other

Air War College – United States Air Force
Armed Forces Staff College – National Defense University
Air Command and Staff College – United States Air Force
Marine Corps Command and Staff College – United States Marine Corps