This photograph was taken in the earlier years of Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) Ralph Weber’s military career. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – Aviation was a main focus in Chief Warrant Office 4 Ralph Weber’s military career.

Entering the U.S. Army in 1968, Weber completed basic training at Fort Polk, La. and flight school at Fort Wolters, Texas and Fort Rucker. “In 1969, I was ordered to the Republic of Vietnam as AH-1G Cobra pilot, C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 17 Air Cavalry. We flew visual reconnaissance, escort and fire suppression missions,” Weber said.

While in Vietnam, he was promoted to CW2.

Weber was assigned as flight instructor at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. in UH-1H Hueys and AH-1G Cobras. Hunter closed in 1973; Weber was reassigned to Fort Rucker to instruct in UH-1M Huey gunships.

In 1975, he was reassigned to U.S. Army Military Assistance Group, Iran as an Operations Advisor and Standardization Instructor Pilot, serving in Esfahan and Kermanshah, Iran. Next, he served as SIP and Instrument Examiner with 101st Airborne Division, Air Assault at Fort Campbell, Ky.

“At Fort Campbell, we transitioned into several new models of Cobra and OH-58C Kiowa. I was promoted to CW3,” Weber said. He then served three years in Ansbach, Germany.

In 1983 at Redstone Arsenal, Weber worked as SIP and IE in UH-1 and AH-1 and safety officer. He was promoted to CW4. He returned to Germany with 227th Aviation Battalion and 3rd Aviation brigade.

Back at Fort Rucker, Weber instructed enlisted aerial observers in OH-58 aircraft and served as Operations Officer for Aviation Training Brigade and later as Officer In Charge (OIC) of first SimNet facility. He retired in 1992 as Chief Warrant Officer 4.

Giving “a tour of our facility to a group from Redstone Arsenal … led to a job offer from Computer Sciences Corporation in 1992,” Weber said. “The lure of superior schools led to our decision to locate in Madison.”

While on duty, Weber earned associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in aeronautics with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Currently, he works as a Senior Principal Systems Analyst at Dynetics. He will retire this month.

He and wife Diane were married in 1972. “We were blessed with three boys (John, Scott and Matthew). All graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville” in engineering/IT disciplines, Ralph said.

Ralph has held office with Tennessee Valley Republican Club, Saving our Flying Heritage and Vietnam Helicopter Pilot’s Association.