Former Cannon commander dies

Upon meeting him, a person might never guess Lt. Gen. Donald Peterson was a high-ranking Air Force officer who commanded his own base.

"He was a three-star general, but you would never know it. That's just the kind of guy he was. He was so humble and personable," said Rob Spencer, Peterson's brother in law.

Peterson served in the U.S. Air Force for 35 years and "loved every minute of it," according to his wife, Gayle, who said she thinks her husband would have done the job for free if asked.

Peterson, whose call sign as a pilot was "Peteo," flew a variety of aircraft and was a command pilot with more than 4,000 flight hours, including 597 combat hours. He was also a Vietnam combat veteran.

From 1988 to 1990, Peterson commanded the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing at Cannon Air Force Base.

He died on Monday at age 72. Services are scheduled for Saturday in Allen, Texas.

Gayle Peterson, who lives in Fairview, Texas, said her husband loved New Mexico from the time he was a boy from visiting his aunt in the western part of the state.

"To say that he loved being able to command a base in New Mexico is putting it mildly," she said with a small laugh. "He loved New Mexico. We always found that people were down to Earth and kind-hearted and generous. To have everyone in the community be so open-hearted toward our military families and embrace them while they lived there - what a wonderful gift to our military families. The community and the base worked so well together and for the community to welcome all our families meant so much."

Cannon received some of the highest Air Force awards and honors under Peterson's leadership, including the Installation Excellence Award, but it was because of "team effort" by "excellent people," Gayle Peterson said.

Gayle said when part of the wing was sent to Desert Storm in 1990, her husband was heartbroken that he could not go with them, because his tenure as wing commander was over, and he had been selected for another job.

"One of the things that I think meant the most, they had worked very, very hard to be combat ready ... I think he felt like all the hard work everyone had put into being combat ready was a huge blessing when they all got called to go. There is no bigger task for a commander than making sure his people are combat ready," she said.

"It was hard for him to not go with them, but he had faith that they were combat ready, and from what I understand, they did a bang up job."

Clovis businessman Randy Harris said he picked up the phone one day in the late 1980s and called Cannon and asked for the wing commander.

"I told him, 'I don't know anything about the military or CAFB, but I know it's a very important part of our community' ... We met for dinner, and we became lifelong friends," Harris said.

Harris and his wife have gone on water rafting and snow skiing trips with the Petersons over the years, along with other vacations around the country.

"He enriched my life and every life he touched," Harris said. "I could never thank him enough for his friendship, his mentorship and his love. He was truly a great man. He made you laugh; he was humble; he was a leader. He wasn't a stuff shirt. He was just a real, genuine person."

Harris recalled a story when Cannon had a large, formal dinner on base in which a four-star general was in town to attend.

Harris said the visiting general was more of a "hard-nosed" guy.

"Everyone was kind of tense around this guy. He was sitting right next to Gen. Peterson at the time. This waitress was carrying a tray of food, and she stubbed her toe and dropped the tray all over Don (Peterson)," Harris said.

"With great grace and composure, he looked at the four-star general and said, 'Sir, at least it was me.' It made everyone at the table laugh and it eased the tension for the rest of the night. That's the Donald Peterson I remember. Those are small things, but they make a big statement about what kind of character he had."

Spencer said Peterson was so much more than a brother-in-law for him. He was a personal hero.

"My sister and brother-in-law were about 10 years older than me ... he was someone I looked up to from the time I was 8 years old; he was just an amazing guy. He was always ready to help somebody and look after people. He never sat down," Spencer said.

Gayle Peterson said her family is going to try not to be sad, because Don Peterson had "a wonderful life."

"In looking back, it was such an adventuresome life," she said of being a military wife. "It was beyond anything I had thought of. It was my husband's dream, and I went along. I have the most wonderful memories and experiences. The people who are our military families are the best in our nation, and are what make our nation strong. It was a privilege to be with them."