Vere Andrew "Andy" Hotchkiss, D'55, passed away on October 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Lifetime Member. Vere Andrew Hotchkiss, a resident at the Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington D.C. passed away on October 17, 2019.
Vere was born on May 27, 1937, in Orange County, California, the son of Vere and Ramona (Gilbert) Hotchkiss. His sister, Mona Lee, was born a year later. He joined the US Air Force from Boys Town, Nebraska. Upon going to Basic Training at Parks AFB, CA, his training flight was made up of seventy-five members of his senior class of Boys Town High School class of 1955. After basic training, Vere attended the Air Force Tech School and his first assignment was to Walker AFB, NM, where he went Sentry Dog Handler School at Fort Carson, CO. His dog’s name was Prince, and he became Vere’s big pet for the next four years at Walker. From there, Vere went to Earnest Harmon Air Base in Newfoundland, which he thought was the best kept secret in the Air Force due to his assignment and the semi-remote location. While Vere was stationed there, he got to go on a refueling mission around the North Pole and watch the refueling of B-52. That was an experience he has never forgotten. After being in Newfoundland for twenty months, where he had not seen a temp
Vere was born on May 27, 1937, in Orange County, California, the son of Vere and Ramona (Gilbert) Hotchkiss. His sister, Mona Lee, was born a year later. He joined the US Air Force from Boys Town, Nebraska. Upon going to Basic Training at Parks AFB, CA, his training flight was made up of seventy-five members of his senior class of Boys Town High School class of 1955. After basic training, Vere attended the Air Force Tech School and his first assignment was to Walker AFB, NM, where he went Sentry Dog Handler School at Fort Carson, CO. His dog’s name was Prince, and he became Vere’s big pet for the next four years at Walker. From there, Vere went to Earnest Harmon Air Base in Newfoundland, which he thought was the best kept secret in the Air Force due to his assignment and the semi-remote location. While Vere was stationed there, he got to go on a refueling mission around the North Pole and watch the refueling of B-52. That was an experience he has never forgotten. After being in Newfoundland for twenty months, where he had not seen a temp