"Invited to a War" -- and other career highlights

We’re excited to announce that our final speaker this year on December 15 will be Air Vice Marshall (retired) Alan Reed AO DFC (US) with Oak Leaf Cluster. His final job was leading RAAF Support Command of 12,000 people.

We’ll interview Alan about his life story and his new autobiography “Invited to a War”.

Al graduated as a Sgt Pilot in 1954 and posted to flying Lincoln/Lancaster bombers. He was lucky not to have been with his normal crew when they were killed carrying out a mercy night mission to save a dying “blue baby”.

Alan and his navigator became the first “A” crew on a RAAF Canberra jet bomber which he flew round the world to represent Australia at Nigerian Independence, 1960. In 1967 he became an Exchange Officer with the USAF flying the famous Phantoms, training US pilots on it and gaining reconnaissance skills. He sought transfer to the Vietnam conflict to complete his training but being a foreigner, the USAF could not order him there, and decided to “invite him” himself. Hence his book title “Invited to a War”.

He later commanded an RAAF Phantom squadron, taught at Staff College, flew the F111C, commanded the RAAF Academy and became Air Attache to Washington.