Colonel Ernest Bankey began making his mark early in life, and never stopped. Born August 28th, 1920, he grew up in the great Buckeye state, and turned heads with early achievements ranging from building model airplanes to soap box derby winnings, and then going on to become an All-American. Somehow Bankey found the time to graduate from high school, and soon thereafter signed up with the Army Air Corps at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, on the first of April, 1941.

Early in his career as a staff sergeant, Bankey taught aerial gunnery techniques in Las Vegas. Around this time, he married his sweetheart, Ginny, and also awaited his acceptance to Air Cadet School. Acceptance arrived, and he earned his wings with class 43-G at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona.

Immediately Bankey was assigned to the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Group that opened Van Nuys, California Air Station and Oxnard, California Flight Strip. He went with the 364th to England flying on the group’s third combat mission, also its last. He was reassigned to the 385th Fighter Squadron, then the Groups Operation Section. In two tours of duty, Bankey compiled over 100 sorties and 500 combat hours.

Bankey rightfully received many awards for his bravery during his service. Mission reports credit him with 10 air destroyed, one probable, five ground destroyed, and five enemy aircraft damaged. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for shooting down 5 aircraft on one mission during the Battle of the Bulge, December 27th, 1944, when the group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. Additional awards include the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with Clusters, Air Medal with Nine Clusters, and the French Croix De Guerre with Palm.

In 1946, Major Bankey returned to civilian life with his wife and worked as a general building contractor, but a call to the skies returned him to active duty in 1953. He moved his young family to assignments in Germany, Libya, and North Africa to serve as a Fighter/Bomber/Officer/Chief USAF Europe. Five years later, he accepted an assignment to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as Site Commander in Fort Vandenberg’s newly formed missile program. He participated as Launch Control Officer in the first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch by an Air Force Crew on September 19th, 1959.

In 1968, Colonel Ernest Bankey did retire from the United States Air Force at Strategic Air Command Headquarters, Nebraska. This courageous and loyal legend returned to civilian life, and moved his family to California and joined the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena where he worked on deep-space projects, some of which, remarkably, fly on the outer edges of our solar system still today.

Presently, Ernest Bankey and his wife, Ginny, enjoy life in Newbury Park, California. Two sons and two daughters have given them eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.