OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- A former 55th Operations Group Deputy Commander, Lt. Col. Michael “Happy” Edmondson, U.S. Air Force retired, spent most of his career supporting the mission of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance. After his service, he continued to support the United States as a civilian contractor for the military. He unexpectedly passed away on Aug. 3, 2024.
On Jan. 27, 2025, Edmondson was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. A crew from Offutt Air Force Base performed a flyover during a sortie in a WC-135 Constant Phoenix in honor of not only their former coworker, but their friend.
The friends collectively wrote a letter about their experience that day:
“It’s difficult to appropriately put into words the joy you get from honoring a friend and his family, while also hoping the need for such a flyover as this one never comes to fruition. The crew that flew last week for retired Lt. Col. Mike “Happy” Edmondson’s interment wasn’t just his co-workers. We were his friends, his brothers, and his family. The crew was made up of a close-knit community of aviators who have spent their careers in the RC-135; friends who know and care about each other like family. It was a flight, with time spent in the best possible way… honoring someone we worked with and cared for during his time with the 55th Wing.
It's a testament to his character and impact on all of us that so many people jumped at the opportunity to fly on this sortie or attend the internment. It likewise demonstrates the special nature of our community that we went out our way to pay our respects to one of our own. Most importantly, we wanted to reinforce to his family, in whatever small way we could, how much he meant to the 55th Wing and how they are still part of an extended RC-135 family that spans the globe. Additionally, the opportunity to do a flyover also felt like a way we could support our friends on the ground who were there in-person and connect us to an event that many of us could not attend otherwise.
The mission planning for the sortie was more rigorous than usual due to the airspace restrictions in the National Capital Region and required detailed coordination with the personnel who would be on the ground at Arlington. The crew had hoped to use the callsign HAPPY82, in honor of Mike’s nickname and the fondness he had for his assignment at the 82nd Reconnaissance Squadron in Okinawa. “HAPPY” is the callsign used by the tanker unit at Scott AFB, but the crew secured special permission to use their callsign for the event. Unfortunately, we found out during mission planning that DRAGO51 is required for Arlington flyover events.
As it turned out, the use of this callsign caused a unique and endearing effect – as we would check in with the various Air Route Traffic Control Centers, the controllers would come back with something unusual: “Thank you for your service!” It became clear to us that either due to the callsign or the nature of our flight plan, each controller was aware of the solemn reason for our flight that day. At one point, we had one controller say, “Do you mind if I ask what happened?” We paused for a second, caught off guard by the question to the point that we all looked at each other and wondered if we had heard it correctly. The crew came up with a benign answer that didn’t speak to the cause of Happy’s passing, but instead simply and concisely conveyed that we were executing this flight in honor of a fallen wingman.
As we arrived at the holding area and set up our orbit, the typical discussions and banter came to a halt… it was time to work. The airspace is congested and timing needed to be established, along with communication with the ground crew. There was little talking for the 45 minutes or so in the holding pattern. We were focused on getting this right. We reviewed our flyover procedures multiple times, then made updates as the timing shifted slightly from the ground team. At the calculated time, the navigator directed the heading while the pilots adjusted the altitude and communicated intentions to Air Traffic Control.
Few words were spoken as we picked up our aim point and executed the flyover. Someone quietly said, “Bye Happy.” And as quickly as the flyover occurred, it was time to turn out of the busy airspace. Another crew member said, “Now I’m kind of sad,” as we quietly executed the initial climb and legs our flight plan back to Offutt. After 20 minutes or so, the flight deck began to perk up again as the crew began telling old stories about Happy including golf outings, thrown notebooks, or his infectious laugh. The flyover now complete, we took the opportunity to make an in-flight callsign change to HAPPY 82. As they had been all day, Air Traffic Control was eager to accommodate our request.
The arrival and landing at Offutt were uneventful. Our bottom-line thoughts on the day – the experience was an incredible opportunity to honor a friend and former crew mate. You never know when your last flight with your friends will be; enjoy every moment you can get.”