Two Tours of Duty, Afghanistan

By Herb Foreman

Deborah manning one of the 7.62mm machine guns near the door of the Chinook. (Courtesy of Deborah Lamere)It was almost 10 years ago that I met Debbie and wrote an article for In Flight USA about her. She was a 27-year old computer wizard working for Corio in a new building at the south end of the runway at the San Carlos, California Airport. She could do computations using the computer that few people could comprehend.

The airport proved to be a magnet for Debbie. She joined the West Valley Flying Club on the field in 1998, and was soon immersed in aviation activities. By early 1999, she had her private license and began to work on her instrument ticket. Debbie was a quick learner and she loved to fly. She purchased a 1974 Cessna Cardinal – the year of her birth – and began to spend hours in the air. She learned how to change oil, clean spark plugs and assisted in the Cardinal’s annual inspection. She was a good pilot and had over 600 hours in her logbook.