November 2021

T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E

HIGHER PURPOSE BY KARA HUMPHREY

N ovember 11 is a special day in the United States as it commemorates the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when in 1918, the first World War ended. Since that time, Americans have used this special day to honor all the brave men and women of this country who have answered the call as freedom fighters and who have given us the invaluable gift of security we sometimes take for granted. Randy Norfleet is among those gracious warriors who have selflessly sacrificed in and out of combat. A retired Captain from the United States Marine Corps, Norfleet served as a pilot in Operation Desert Storm/Shield, Operation Laser Strike, Operation Eastern Exit and NATO Teamwork 92. “I was in the

After completing The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, Virginia, and Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas, Norfleet began his military career. His primary military duties were as a KC-130 Aircraft Commander. Like countless other service members, his time in the military landed him in places and situations he never could have predicted. Norfleet’s first combat experience was in Desert Storm from January through March 1991. Notably, February 26 and 27, 1991, American-led coalition air and ground forces attacked Iraqi military leaving Kuwait in what would later become known as the “Highway of Death.” “Major [Tom] Brehm and I spent seven combat flight hours refueling USMC F-18’s the afternoon and evening of February 26. This was during

Marine Corps from November 1985 until October 1995,” said Norfleet. “My sole reason for joining the military was to be a pilot,” he said. “I chose the Marines for two reasons. First, the United States Marine Corps has a Navy flight school contract which guaranteed I would be assigned to flight school and if I washed out of flight school, I did not have to stay in. Second, my grandfather was a Marine Rifleman in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. After I joined the Marine Corps, my brother Jeremy joined, and then my cousin Scotty. So, it has become somewhat a rite of passage in our family.”

the ten hours of peak bombing time. After returning to base for crew rest, we returned the next day, February 27, to support continuing operations for another six combat flight hours,” he recalled. “My second combat experience was in Peru. About three months after returning home from Desert Storm, Major Brehm hand- selected me for a covert mission to assist in hunting down Pablo Escobar in June 1991.” With a small crew, the two headed toward Lima, Peru. “Unbeknownst to us, there was a war brewing between Ecuador and Peru. It would eventually turn into the Cenepa War. Since we were in a military aircraft, the

photo by Matt Cornelius

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