Jay Gainer Bachman
Jay Bachman climbing into a Stearman Bi-Plane. Circa 1943.(USAAF).
Three Round the World B-52’s at either Castle or March AFB January 1957. Dads “Lonesome George” TNB52B398 in back. Name clearly evident. (USAF).
Mormon Trail flight aftermath at Hill AFB July 1957; Jay Bachman is second from right.
Life Magazine cover January 28, 1957.
Jay Gainer Bachman 1921 - 2012
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Jay Gainer Bachman, born in Eden, Utah, on November 19, 1921, to Rhea Murphy Bachman and Heber Gainer Bachman, enjoyed a normal Valley upbringing, until December 7, 1941, changed his future forever.  Enlisted in the United States Army in 1942, by November 1944, he had been trained to fly a Stearman biplane, the B-17, the B-25, and was now deep into learning the newest technology, the Boeing B-29 in New Mexico.  By May 1945, Lieutenant Bachman was stationed on the island of Saipan in the north central Pacific, flying a B-29 with so many others on regular bombing missions over Japan.
 
On September 2, 1945, Lieutenant Bachman was flying his B-29 aptly named the “Agony Wagon”, one of many B-29’s, circling over Tokyo Bay.  Below him in the armada was the Battleship USS Missouri, where General Douglas MacArthur was accepting the unconditional surrender of Japan, ending World War II in the Pacific. The greatness of the United States of America, its industrial might, and the wonder of its People who met the call to serve in all ways to end “the ancient evils” was on full display below; and it all came together as he and many others in flight, on the ships, and on the ground celebrated the Victory that too many of their colleagues had given everything they had to achieve.  The epiphany happened:  The United States Air Force was going to be his future calling and “Peace is our Profession”, the motto of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) a lifetime ambition.
 
Returning to the United States after VJ Day, Jay met his future Wife, Nedra Butler, in Ogden, married, completed his degree at the University of Utah, and by 1949, he and Nedra, were “Back in the Service” at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.  Thus, ensued a career with The United States Air Force (USAF) that he often referred to as a “GIFT”, Dad brought certain skills, abilities, a love of America, and the personal experience of what it would take to help keep the American Dream alive to the USAF.  The USAF gave Dad the opportunity to magnify those attributes in the best way possible: through service.  A few of the high points of that service:
 
  • Pioneer in air to air refueling.  A challenging business: in late 1951, his B-50 and the refueler B-29, collided over the Arizona desert.  Many airmen lost their lives that day.  In 2001, Jay revisited the crash site, and with the assistance of Native American reservation marshals walked the site reliving the experience and looking for the remnants of a Book of Mormon that had gone down with the aircraft as he came down under a parachute, breaking an ankle upon impact.  Of course, the Book was long gone, but the marshals assured him they would look for it every time they hunted the area.  A lot of tears were shed that day; and a lot of mutual respect gained between Americans.
 
  • Pioneer in the conversion of USAF air power from prop to jet power.  Jay was early in the B-47 program, a beautiful six engine bomber built by Boeing for the Strategic Air Command.  He met his second true love (Nedra’s only rival) in late 1955 when the first B-52s came to Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California.  In January 1957, three of those eight engine wonders of their time took off from Castle and flew Operation Power Flite, the First Ever Non Stop Jet Powered Flight Around the World in slightly over 45 hours.  Among other purposes, this mission demonstrated in no uncertain terms that the USAF had the will and capability to deliver a thermonuclear package anywhere in the world, an example taken to heart by people on the other side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.  Captain Bachman was trusted to be at the controls of one of the three B-52s, the “Lonesome George” for much of that flight.  At March Air Force Base in Riverside, California, the members of all three B-52 crews were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, on the tarmac, under their B-52s shortly after landing.  The photos, memorialized in many periodicals of that time show some very weary airmen.  Dad remained in contact with many of the flight crew members, grounds crew, and SAC leadership over the ensuing years; their reunions at Castle were celebrations of the goodness of America, the wonders of the USAF, and the remembrance and gratitude they all had for each other: no one did anything in the service by themselves:  teamwork was everything to getting the mission done.
 
  • In July 1957, Jay was offered the opportunity to fly a T-33 (jet fighter trainer) over the Mormon Trail, a trail he had a personal relationship with, where his great grandfather, Heber J. McBride tragically succumbed during his trek to the Salt Lake Valley. The flight took just a few hours: a tip of the hat by the USAF to those incredible pioneers of the past whose months’ long journeys to home, here in “This is the Right Place” are legion.
 
  • Helped train the first generation of B-52 crews at Barksdale Air Force Base, Bossier City, Louisiana (still a major B-52 base today).  By then (1958-1961), Jay (then Major Bachman) and Nedra’s family had grown to include Jay, Robert, David, and Margaret: collectively the SAC BRATS (four, among thousands of children born to dedicated military families throughout the USAF during 1949-1958 and later).
 
  • Subsequent assignments included SAC headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base (Bellevue, Nebraska); two high level Defense and War Planning schools in Norfolk, Virginia and Montgomery, Alabama; two tours at the Pentagon (Washington, D.C.); a “hardship” tour at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as a USAF attaché to CINCPAC, final retirement as Full Colonel near home at Hill Air Force Base.
 
  • CODA.  In 1966, Lieutenant Colonel Bachman was 45 years old with 24 years rated service with the United States Armed Forces.  He felt strongly that he was needed by the United States of America to help in Viet Nam, so volunteered for a 13 month tour that took him to the Tan Son Nhut base outside Saigon.  A long separation from his family, who, after many moves, had “come home” to Ogden/Eden, for the duration of his absence, was moderated by tape recordings sent each way between us for those months (it was a different time, then:  no cell phones, no internet, and overseas long distance when you could get it was probably $12 a minute).
 
Dad retired from the USAF in 1975, returning to his beloved Eden where he and Nedra built the permanent family home (their first) on the hill above the Mountain View Cemetery where both rest today.  He and Mom were both involved with education at Weber State College (now University), Eden water/irrigation and neighborhood activities, their eight grandchildren, and many other interests and activities.  Dad was a dedicated temple worker for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for many of those years and he and Nedra served many Callings for the Church in many places throughout their travels.
 
By the way, it wasn’t all work and worry.  As Dad liked to say, “We had a lot of fun growing up together”.
 
The SAC BRATS      May 10, 2026
 
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