CAPTAIN
BERNIE REYNOLDS
Student Pilot in George W. Bush's Class 70-04

REMEMBERING GEORGE W. BUSH . . .
In January of 1968, after being commissioned a Lieutenant in the USAF, I joined George W. Bush at Moody AFB, Georgia, for UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training). It was a grueling year, and many candidates failed to successfully complete the course. All of us, except ‘W,’ were competing for assignments (aircraft), and, therefore, the pressure to do well in both flying and academics was palpable.

The assignment process was simple. The number one graduate got to choose from among the pool of aircraft available; the student who finished last, got the last remaining aircraft. This is significant because ‘W’ was a Guard Member, and, as such, was guaranteed an F-102 if he simply graduated. He finished very near the top of our class, when all he had to do was just pass with ‘a gentleman's C,’ not for assignment purposes, but just because that's the kind of guy he was (and is).
BIOGRAPHY
During 1968 and 1969, Lt. Bernie Reynolds attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Moody AFB, Valdosta Georgia. Following graduation and training at survival school, he was assigned to fly KC-135s based at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. He then spent a good portion of the next 4 years in Southeast Asia, flying combat air refueling missions in support of F-4s and F-105s. During this period, Reynolds received several commendations, including two Air Medals. Since returning to civilian life, Reynolds has worked for three different airlines. He is now completing his twentieth year at Southwest Airlines, and he will retire in just under 2 years.