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LT. COLONEL DONALD L. "RODE" RODEWALD, USAF (RET) Army Air Corps and AVG "Flying Tiger" Armorer: Following AVG service, Colonel Rodewald volunteered to remain with Chennault and the fledgling China Air Task Force as an armaments officer. At the end of his tour with the CATF, Rodewald returned to the U.S. to attend Army flight training. Following flight training, Rodewald was assigned to the Army Air Force's combat development center at Eglin Field, Florida as a test pilot. Late in the War, Rodewald was able to rejoin Chennault's command by returning to China as a fighter pilot in the 23rd Fighter Group. Following the War, Rodewald returned to test flying as an aerial gunnery expert. Rodewald returned to aerial combat during the Korean War, where while evaluating new air-to-air weapons and tactics, was credited with the shoot-down of a Soviet built MiG-15. Forced to retire from Air Force service in 1954 following a near fatal aircraft crash, and though confined to a wheelchair, Colonel Rodewald pursued a very active career in the U.S. aerospace industry. In 1984 Rodewald made aviation history by piloting a single engine sport plane on a solo around-the-world flight.
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