PHOENIX — A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and Tuskegee Airman passed away Friday in Phoenix.
Lt. Colonel Asa Herring, born in 1926 in Dunn, North Carolina passed away on Friday at 95 years old, according to a release from the Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter, Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
An avid aviation enthusiast growing up, Herring passed the U.S. Army Air Corps Aviation exam at 17 years old, the release said.
Over two decades in the military, he served in England, Korea, Germany and Vietnam. He flew 350 combat missions in Vietnam and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star and Air Medal with 13 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Herring was a founding member of the Archer Ragsdale Arizona Chapter and he remained active in the group until his health began to wane, the release said.
After the military, Herring worked at Western-Electric in several management positions.
He also pursued civil services including serving on the Phoenix Union High School Vocational Advisory Board and Chairman of the City of Phoenix Municipal Aeronautics Board.
His last outing was the 2022 Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day Ceremony in March at Luke Air Force Base.
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