Lt. Col. Brian K. Billing

[ironputts]

December 19, 2023

Lt. Col. Brian K. Billing
Fallbrook Senior Squadron 87
California Wing

No obituary

Received this today from CAWG/CC:

It is with considerable sorrow that we report that Lt Col Brian K. Billing, CAP, a long-time member of Civil Air Patrol, passed away on Thursday, December 14th after a long illness.  His family, including his wife, Sue, were with him.

Lt Col Brian K. Billing, a California native, joined Civil Air Patrol in 1959 and was active as a cadet until June 1963.  He progressed to C/Second Lieutenant and was the Cadet Squadron Commander for Squadron 15, Group 15 in Monrovia, California, achieving the Certificate of Proficiency (COP), the highest level attainable at the time.
Following graduation from high school in June 1963, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and attended basic training at Lackland AFB and later served as an Air Policeman.  Following his enlistment, he returned to California and joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.  He missed the Air Force however and decided to join the Air Force Reserve where he could remain with the Sheriff's Department while continuing to serve in the Air Force.  He retired as a Master Sergeant in 1988 and was the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of training for the 146th Weapons Systems Security Flight (Security Police).
In March 1993 he rejoined CAP and ultimately served as the Deputy Commander for Francis Gary Powers Squadron 39, a Senior Squadron in Lancaster, and the Administrative Officer for Group 9 (prior to the current group structure) in Antelope Valley.
In 1996 he retired from the Sheriff's Department after twenty-nine years and worked as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal for 3 more years.
After moving to Carlsbad in December 2001, he joined Skyhawk Composite Squadron 47.  He served in a number of roles, including Administrative Officer, Personnel Officer, Deputy Commander for Seniors and on February 1, 2005, became the Squadron Commander.  After serving the seniors and cadets of Squadron 47, Lt Col Billing transferred to Fallbrook Senior Squadron 87 in April 2018.  Upon joining the squadron, he immediately and enthusiastically assumed the roles as Personnel and Administrative Officer.  He continued in those positions, overcoming considerable health challenges along the way.
Lt Col Billing was proud of his Air Force career, his tenure in law enforcement and his long-time association with Civil Air Patrol.  He was a mentor to many senior members and a role model for all of his cadets.  Even when his health made it unadvisable, he made every effort to attend cadet orientation flights just to be around the cadets.  He will surely be missed.