Lt. Col. Ron Evenson

[ironputts]

May 5, 2021

Lt. Col. Ron Evenson
Sioux Falls Composite Squadron
South Dakota Wing

Ronald C. Evenson, (Lt. Col USAF Ret.) age 62, went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, April 4, 2021.   

Col. Evenson was born 1958 in Minnesota and grew up there with his parents and one older brother until leaving for college and joining the military.  At an early age, Ronald developed a passion for flying.  He joined the Civil Air Patrol in Junior high school, and earned his pilot's license even before he could legally drive himself to the airport.  Following high school, while attending North Hennepin County Community College, Ron found the love of his life, Karen.  In addition to finding Karen, he also found the love of his savior Jesus Christ. Ron's relationship with the Lord would continue to grow, along with his family, for the rest of his life. Ronald and Karen were united in marriage in 1980.  In 1982, he graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Studies. He later attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Science in 1997.

Ron started his military career in 1978 with the North Dakota Air National Guard (NDANG) 119th Fighter Group (The Happy Hooligans).  He spent the first four and a half years of his career progressing through the enlisted ranks as an Aircraft Armament Systems Specialist on the F-4 aircraft, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He received a pilot slot and attended the Air National Guard Academy of Military Science where he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in 1983. From there, he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB in Oklahoma and graduated with his wings in 1984.

In February 1985, Col. Evenson flew the A-7 with the 180th Tactical Fighter Group in the Ohio Air National Guard. It was here that Ron became a father to Alan in 1986.  Ron later transferred to the 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Des Moines, Iowa flying an A-7 modified for Low Altitude Night Attack. It was on this assignment that Ron, after experiencing a severe engine malfunction, nearly ejected from his aircraft. Upon grabbing the ejection handles, Ron examined the trajectory of the aircraft and realized the impact point would be directly into the apartment complex where his family was living. Ron made the conscious decision to stay with the plane and maneuver it away from a populated area, despite the decreasing odds of survival as he rapidly lost altitude. By continuing to work the problem, Ron was able to successfully re-light the engine and limp the aircraft back to base for an uneventful landing. The Evenson family expanded yet again as Ron and Karen welcomed Adam to the family in 1988. Ron's growing family was always on his mind and a priority in his life. In June of 1989, he transferred to the active-duty Air Force with hopes of providing more stable income and career opportunities. His first active duty assignment was flying the AT-38 at Holloman AFB (New Mexico) teaching new pilots how to be fighter pilots. It was here that his third son, Aaron was born in 1990. Following Hollman, Ron trained in the F-16 Fighting Falcon (known as the Viper by those who fly it) at MacDill AFB, Florida. This became his favorite airplane and the one he always longed to get back into. He sent his family to live with relatives on a farm in Hibbing, MN while he went on his mandatory one-year remote tour at Kunsan AB, Korea. After this remote tour, Ron turned down a prestigious follow-on assignment in the F-16 so he could spend more time at home with the family.

Col. Evenson was selected for a foreign materiel exploitation position at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio with the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC). This expanded his test experience as this position involved a number of highly classified programs assessing the capability and limitations of foreign fighter aircraft. Through his efforts, radar jamming methods of certain foreign aircraft were quantified for the first time, which led to direct changes in the radar software for the F-15 and F-16 aircraft, and partially led to the decision to buy the F-22. Given the impact and sensitive nature of his work, Col. Evenson met on multiple occasions with the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Secretary of the Air Force, Air Combat Command Commander, and Secretary of Defense personnel. Col. Evenson was nominated for the Air Force's highest award in research and development, the Harold Brown award.

In September 1994, Col. Evenson was selected to fly the F-117 at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. After two years of operational F-117 flying, he was hand-picked to become one of only four Air Force F-117 operational test pilots as a member of the "Dragon Test Team." He served as the Program Manager and was instrumental in designing the pilot vehicle interface for the EGBU-27 laser guided bomb, which was the F-117 weapon of choice for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM.

In 1999, Ron separated from the Air Force in hopes of providing a stable home life for the boys during their formative years . They spent the next three years in Minnesota re-connecting with family and friends. Ron served as the Chief Experimental Test Pilot for an aircraft manufacturer, obtaining full membership in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. After the 9/11 terrorist attack, Ron returned to active duty in January 2003, flying the R/MQ-1 Predator. After two years and flying hundreds of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and being on the ground in Pakistan launching the Predator, Col. Evenson was selected to lead the MQ-9 Reaper test program. As a side effect of his service in the Middle East, Ron developed Gulf War Syndrome and retired from the Air Force in 2007.  During this demanding assignment, he stood up Operating Location-Gray Butte, prepared for an Operational Assessment, and met with staffers from both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. Ron was nominated for Field Grade Officer of the Year, guest lecturer at the Air Force and National Test Pilot Schools (NTPS), and completed academic and flying courses at NTPS.

Ron was adamant that his illness not stop him from living out his life.  In his retirement, Ron continued flying with the Civil Air Patrol, won numerous precision shooting competitions, created a defense-intelligence consulting business (Kinetic-Ops), and developed a passion for cybersecurity and emerging technology.  He spent two years working for Northrop-Grumman on many "green door" projects, the subjects of which he told us were highly classified, we would not believe, and the technology would not be made public until 20, 30, or 50 years in the future. Above all, Ron loved spending time with his wife, their three sons and all his grandchildren. For those who knew him in the military, Ron would seem a different person after the arrival of his grandchildren. The once hard, no-nonsense man that routinely intimidated the boys' friends transformed into a large, lovable, goo-goo gah gah-ing Grandpa who gushed over each and every grandchild. The transformation surprised everyone, in the most wonderful way. Through Ron's sickness, his closeness to God and family grew, which in turn led him to be the best version of himself in the latter years of his life. Ron was very proud of his service to our country and loved that his sons all followed in his footsteps in serving our great country. Ron and Karen made their home in Brandon South Dakota in 2013 to be close to their Minnesota roots and family, knowing they would visit the boys at their various military bases around the world. They were faithful members of Celebrate Community Church of Brandon.