By CLARA HOWELL

“ I ’ d never even built a model airplane ,” Bill said .

Bill was enlisted in the Naval Reserves active duty in 1964 , which meant he was on ship . He remained in the Reserves throughout college .

“ I was still in high school ( before joining ) and I thought I knew everything so I was really happy to be enlisted ,” Bill said . “ I was what they call a boilerman . I was working in the boiler room of the ship ... I was short lived in the boiler room on a destroyer escort .”

He then received an NROTC Scholarship to attend Oregon State University and studied mechanical engineering prior to attending flight school .

Bill said since he was on scholarship , he graduated OSU June 6 , 1968 , was married two days later and had to be at flight school June 15 .

He received a regular commission

as a lieutenant junior grade upon graduation from OSU in 1968 and flew planes from 1968-1974 , obtaining 1,600 hours of flight time .

He attended flight school in Pensacola , Florida and said the first three months of school were purely academic . “ You don ’ t ever see an airplane . It ’ s math , science , aerodynamics and stuff ,

and physical fitness ,” Bill said . “ That ’ s what takes up all of your time .”

After the academic portion was finished , Bill said he moved to flying . Each student in the class was ranked when training was completed and the top 10 % of the class were able to fly jets ; the middle ranking flew multi-engine planes and the lowest-ranking

Veteran Bill Moir holds a plaque that commemorates two of his friends that remain missing from the Vietnam War .

PMG PHOTO : JAIME VALDEZ

students flew helicopters . “ I got jets ,” Bill said . “ It ’ s called light attack ( and ) I flew A-7s .”

Bill said he originally wanted to fly multi-engine because when he got out of the Navy , he thought he might work for the commercial airlines . But

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