Elmer D. Schlicher

MSgt. Elmer D. Schlicher, age 86, passed away Monday, December 22, 2014. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Merle Schlicher, Sr., and Geneva Westover, Elmer served our nation in the U. S. Army Forces, and then later the U. S. Air Force, for a total of almost 27 years. During World War II, he was too young to serve in the Army, so he joined the Merchant Marines for about a year in support of our National Defense effort. Upon turning 17 years of age, he joined the United States Army Forces in the fall of 1945. After boot camp and initial training as a radar technician, he was assigned duty as part of the occupational forces in the Pacific Theater. While stationed at Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, he met and married Juanita de la Cruz, a native-born citizen of the Philippines, in October 1950. In July1951, they had their first-born son, Rex. Six months later, in January 1952, after completing his second hitch in the now United States Air Force, they came to the United States by passenger ship, making port at San Francisco, California. He delayed re-enlistment until the early fall of 1952, re-enlisting when Juanita became pregnant with their second son, Cid. Elmer and Juanita would be married for 63 years and have a total of nine children—Rex, Cid, Floyd, Paul, James, Mary, Bob, John, and Bill—mostly born in assorted States and territories as the U. S. Air Force determined where Elmer’s skills were needed. One of the highlights of his career in the U. S. Air Force was a three-year assignment (1957-1959) to Elmendorf AFB, at Anchorage, Alaska. Being an adventurer, Elmer decided to take his family, then consisting of his wife and four boys, by automobile from Harlingen, Texas, to Anchorage, Alaska, via the Alcan Highway. At the end of his assignment in Alaska, and with their fifth child, James, aboard, they all drove back down to his new assignment to Kelly AFB, at San Antonio, Texas, again via the Alcan Highway. The greatest achievement of his U. S. Air Force career was a six-and-half-year (fall 1962 early spring 1969) assignment with the Strategic Air Command at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. During this time he was assigned to a top secret Cold War program called the Emergency Rocket Communications System (ERCS). The mission of the Emergency Rocket Communications System was to provide assured communications to the United States strategic forces in the event of nuclear attack. ERCS was basically a rocket or missile that carried a UHF radio transmitter as a payload instead of a nuclear warhead. In the event of a nuclear attack, ERCS would launch the UHF radio transmitter into suborbital space to transmit an Emergency Action Message to Strategic Air Command units. Tragically, during this period of his life, Elmer’s fourth child, Paul, took ill and died suddenly in July 1967. After this assignment, while undergoing en route training at Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi, during August 1969, Elmer and his family endured one of the worst natural disasters in U. S. history, Hurricane Camille. After surviving the great hurricane and upon completion of his final assignment, on June 30, 1973, Elmer retired from the USAF 644th Radar Squadron, Homestead AFB, Florida. During his long career, Elmer received numerous awards, citations and medals for his outstanding performance in the line of duty. After retiring from the Air Force in 1973, Elmer moved his family to Biloxi, Mississippi, where he and his family stayed until this day. Elmer had a passion for fishing, and during that time Elmer enjoyed living on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. His photo albums are filled with many pictures of family and friends displaying successful fishing trips with catches of jack crevalle, red fish, black drum, bonito, cobia, speckled trout, white trout, mackerel, and sharks. During retirement, Elmer also took the time to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, where he completed a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). Elmer is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Juanita, his brother Gilbert, and his twin-sister, Jean, as well as by his son, Paul, and daughter-in-law, Nancy. He is survived by his older brother Merle, children Rex (and daughter-in-law Jeannette), Cid, Floyd (Louise Helms), James (Rhonda), Mary, John (Joanne), Bob (Linda Graham), and Bill (Jamie), and close friends considered family, Melanie Caldwell and Robert Harenski. He is also survived by his grandchildren Paul L. (M. Luisa), Mary E. Logan (John), Zeph Leduc, Gary, Thea Albertson (Jay), Robyn, Jacob (Ashley), Ryan, Samuel, Jason, R. Michael, Joshua, Julian, Zakk, Sebastian, Jack, Matthew, and Patrick. Great-grandchildren Nadia, Jacob Logan, Shawn-David Logan, Madeleine Albertson, Destiny, and Heather also survive. Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Sunday, January 11, 2015, at Bradford-O'Keefe Funeral Home, 2511 Pass Road, in Biloxi. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11:15 a.m. Monday, January 12, 2015 at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, 2090 Pass Road, Biloxi, where friends may visit from 10:00 a.m. until service time. Interment will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery with military honors.