Former AF flier brings message of 'victory over adversity' to MacDill Published Dec. 8, 2011 By Nick Stubbs 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Getting what you want out of life is about overcoming obstacles, the biggest of which can be those self-imposed barriers built on a foundation of complacency, fortified by doubt and hardened by an unwillingness to forgive. Such is the wisdom of one retired Air Force Col. Richard Toliver, who was at MacDill last week to speak to Airmen and sign copies of his book. It was a homecoming, for Toliver, who first came to MacDill in December of 1965, almost 46 years to the day, where he was prepared to ship out to Vietnam. There wasn't so much preparation, however, as Toliver recalled. "I was supposed to receive more training, including my survival training," Toliver said. "My commander told me if I survived the first 30 days (in Vietnam) then I've completed my survival training." For Toliver, it was just another meeting with adversity, one of many he'd encountered, including those he faced as an African American man who grew up in a pre-civil rights America. Indeed, even as he scrambled back to Baltimore to settle his wife and child before heading out to war, he had to deal with hotels that didn't permit African American guests, and restaurants that wouldn't serve them. "Here I was going to fight for a country that wouldn't let me have a hotel room," said Toliver. How does one deal with that kind of adversity? "I told myself that one day it would get better," Toliver said. And it did. African American's still must face discrimination in some forms, but times have changed much since the days when a young African American boy could only dream about one day flying airplanes. The notion of soaring through the sky had almost been ruled out in the young Toliver's mind when life-changing events like a visit to the Tuskegee Institute and hearing a speech by Martin Luther King, revived his hopes and dreams. He earned a college degree and entered the Air Force in February of 1963. Almost three years later he was a Second Lieutenant front-seater in an F-4 fighter, running escort missions over Vietnam - 231 combat flying missions in all. He had a few brushes, his plane shot up, an engine blasted to pieces, and in one instance ran out of fuel just as a tanker's boom locked on and began refueling him in the air, but he made it through the ordeal in one piece. Toliver went on to test and evaluate as part of the F-15 fighter program. He even set a test record for the longest sustained G flight, averaging 4.5 Gs for seven minutes flying the F-15 against two Top Gun adversary fighters over the Nevada desert. Toliver logged 4,000 flying hours in the F-4, F-15, F-16, OT-37, O-2, T-33, and several civilian aircraft. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air medal with 27 oak leaf clusters, Air Force Commendation medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor and two oak leaf clusters, Air Combat Readiness Ribbon with one oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary medal, Vietnam Service medal, RVN Gallantry Cross with Palm, Republic of Vietnam Campaign, and Longevity and Marksman Ribbons. He retired as a colonel on March 1, 1989. All of Toliver's accomplishments can be traced to his core belief in "victory over adversity," the message he drives home in his book, "An Uncaged Eagle - True Freedom." The title came from a story he'd heard about an eagle that was cooped up with chickens, the subtitle a realization in his life that true freedom comes through the door of forgiveness. In that sense, Toliver was not truly free even after his book was published in 2009, as he had been unable to forgive one person. Toliver had not uttered her name for more than 30 years by the time he met celebrity actress and author Jane Fonda, who was a controversial anti war activist during the Vietnam War. They were both promoting their books when Toliver, after hearing her speak and challenging one of her assertions from the gallery, turned to walk away when something inside him made him turn back. He introduced himself to Fonda and handed her an autographed copy of his book, telling her she and he had something in common: that on a July day years before, both of them were looking at Hanoi. She was being used as a propaganda tool and human shield to prevent the bombing of a bridge by the Communist enemy, said Toliver, adding that his fellow Airmen were supporting that bombing mission. He lost several wingmen that day, he recalled. "Her eyes welled up and her lips trembled," Toliver said. "She came undone." Toliver had let go - finally. "In that moment I was made better," he said. A lot of his fellow service members upon hearing of the encounter could not forgive him for forgiving Fonda, Toliver said. Some no longer speak to him. "I realized that for some it is ritualistic the way they dismissed her all these years," Toliver said. "But I did what I needed to do for me." From overcoming adversity to arrive at a time of greater respect for diversity, to letting go of the anchors that weighed down his soul, life has been a "65-year odyssey" for Richard Toliver. He doesn't know what is at the end of his journey, just that it will continue, and he will continue to offer what he can to the young service members of today. "They are members of a volunteer force, who represent the best in us through their service and dedication," Toliver said. "I cannot thank them enough for what they do, and I want them to know that there is nothing they cannot accomplish."