Lt. Colonel (Ret’d) Frederick Donald Belknap died at his home in Good Hope, West Virginia (near Clarksburg) on February 23, 2017, after a long but courageous battle with dementia with lewy bodies and melanoma. His wife and his daughter cared for him at his home for over five (5) years. Colonel Belknap was 87. He was born on July 31, 1929 on a ninety-seven (97) acre farm on Little Tenmile Creek, two miles west of Wallace, Harrison County, West Virginia to Dewey and Thelma Belknap.
Colonel Belknap graduated from Wallace High School in 1948 and went on to attend West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia from 1948-1952. While at WVU in Morgantown, he was a member of the Air Force ROTC and waited tables at Terrace Hall (then Women’s Dorm) for three and a half (3 ½) years for “three meals a day” while living in Men’s Dorm (now called Boreman Hall South). During his senior year at the University, he married Hester “Hedy” Ogden, also of Wallace, West Virginia, on September 10, 1951. He graduated from the University in 1952 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and received his Commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force through the Reserve Officer’s Training Course (ROTC).
Following graduation, he was assigned to Navigation Training at Ellington Air Force Base in Houston, Texas; and, subsequently, he was assigned to Advanced Navigation Training at Harlingen Air Force Base in Harlingen, Texas. After completing these training programs, he received his rating as a Navigator in 1953, graduating first in his class. He continued as a Navigator for the duration of his twenty-five (25) year Air Force career, and he later earned the rating of Master Navigator after fifteen years of service.
During most of the “Cold War”, and particularly the early years, a Distant Early Warning System (DEWLINE) was required to warn against a Russian attack. He flew in support of construction of the DEWLINE system navigating C130 and C124 aircraft.
Upon graduation from Navigation School, Colonel Belknap was assigned to the Tactical Air Command (TAC) in Greenville, South Carolina at Donaldson Air Force Base from 1954-1960. During this time, he flew missions worldwide. On these, he was a Navigator for troop carrier and cargo missions to Germany and the rest of Europe on C124 “Globemaster” aircraft with the Third and Fifteenth Squadrons. One of his missions in early 1957 required him to leave South Carolina for six (6) months on “temporary duty” and travel to Rhein Main, Germany when his daughter Dianne was only five weeks old. During July and August of 1957, he was involved in airlifting Marines to Lebanon on the orders of President Eisenhower and carried out other missions throughout the Mediterranean in countries such as Greece, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Morocco.
In November 1959, Colonel Belknap was assigned to Missile Launch Officer Training at Lowery Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. After this training, he attended Crew Training at Orlando Training Facility in Florida and Mission Control Training at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Upon completing the Mission Control Training, he earned the title of Missile Launch Officer in the Mace B Missile (TAC) program which was part of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. The Mace B is now on display at the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
Following missile training, Colonel Belknap was assigned to Bitburg Air Force Base in Germany as a Nuclear Missile Launch Officer from February 1961 until July 1964.
After Germany, he was next assigned as Element Leader to the Air Training Command at James Connally Air Force Base at Waco, Texas.
In May 1965, Colonel Belknap was assigned as Flight Leader followed by Ops (Operations) Officer to the Air Training Command at Mather Air Force Base near Sacramento, California until June 1970.
Colonel Belknap’s next assignment was to Saigon, Viet Nam where he served as Psychological Warfare Officer with the Joint United States Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO) until June 1971.
Upon returning from Viet Nam, Colonel Belknap was reassigned to the Tactical Air Command (TAC) at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia. He navigated missions on C130 aircraft until April 1977 when he retired. While stationed at Langley, he flew missions in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia for a six (6) month period in 1972. At the time of his retirement in 1977, he held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with twenty-five years of service; had flown into 54 countries; had 6,079.4 flight hours in C124, C119, and C130 aircraft, including 88.4 hours of combat flight time throughout Southeast Asia, and held the rating of Master Navigator. During his Air Force career, Colonel Belknap received many military decorations including: Meritorious Service, Bronze Star, the Viet Nam Service Medal, as well as other service medals.
Upon retiring from the U. S. Air Force, Colonel and Mrs. Belknap built a home in the Good Hope community of Harrison County and returned to West Virginia.
He served as the Personnel Coordinator for District 4 of the West Virginia Department of Highways from 1978 until his retirement on January 1, 1989, six days before the birth of his grandson David B. Lunsford. He also ran for a seat in the West Virginia House of Delegates and for the office of Harrison County Assessor.
In his early years of retirement, Colonel Belknap was a member of the West Milford Lions Club. He was also a member of the VFW. He served as an adult leader in his grandson’s Boy Scout Troop in Huntington, West Virginia for several years. He enjoyed taking the Scouts camping to many areas of West Virginia, including his camp in Bemis, West Virginia. He was a strong supporter of his grandson attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Colonel Belknap and his grandson were inducted together into the Order of the Arrow as well as Ordeal members of Order of the Arrow.
Throughout his retirement, Colonel Belknap enjoyed spending time hunting, fishing, doing yardwork, boating, gardening, tailgating and attending Mountaineer football games with his family and their friends as well as spending time at his camp in Bemis, West Virginia. For eighteen (18) years, he and Mrs. Belknap enjoyed spending winters in the Tampa, Florida area with friends from all over the United States and Canada.
In addition to his parents, Colonel Belknap was preceded in death by an infant daughter and his infant grandson, Michael Christian Lunsford.
Colonel Belknap is survived by his wife of sixty-six (66) years, Hester (Hedy) Ogden Belknap, his daughter and son-in-law Dianne Belknap Lunsford and David H. Lunsford of Huntington, West Virginia, his grandson, David Belknap Lunsford and David’s girlfriend, Maggie Burrus.
A protestant by faith, Colonel Belknap’s life was remembered at a private family memorial service with full military honors. Interment followed the service at Shinnston Memorial Cemetery. Perine Funeral Home of Shinnston, West Virginia assisted Colonel Belknap’s family with the arrangements.
The Belknap family would like to thank the Veterans’ Administration Home Health program, Vicki McLaughlin of Central West Virginia Aging Services, Inc., family friend Cathy Oldaker, Dr. Paul D. Davis and People’s Hospice for their excellent care and support during Colonel Belknap’s illness.
Condolences may be extended to the family at www.perinefunerals.com. The Perine Funeral Home is honored to serve the Belknap family.

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