Memorial services were held for retired Air Force Major Gary “Bear” Sholders at the Armed Forces Tribute Garden in Westminster, Colorado, on Veterans Day, November 11, 2024. Sholders died on October 26, 2024 at the age of 80.
“He was a highly decorated fighter pilot who fought to the end,” said his son Trevor Sholders. During his twenty years of service, Sholders received the Silver Star, for gallantry in action against the enemy, and the Distinguished Flying Cross, an honor awarded for extraordinary heroism in aerial flight.
Sholders was an F-4 Phantom pilot in Vietnam. He battled cancer for eight years, which family members said resulted from his exposure to Agent Orange during the conflict. He flew more than 100 missions over enemy territory and a total of 210 missions during his 15 months of service in Vietnam from 1972 to 1973.
During the memorial service, which took place under blue skies and warm temperatures, the pilot received three bursts fired from Buckley Air Force Base’s Air and Space Force Honor Guard. At the end of the service, an F-16 from the 120th Fighter Squadron performed a flyover and an American flag was presented to his wife Suzi. The couple was married for 57 years.
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