AsMA HQ Staff were saddened to hear of the death of Captain William “Bill” T. Busch, D.O., U.S. Navy (Retired) in late October. He was a dual designated Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Surgeon, ophthalmologist, and a mentor to many aviators. He earned a BA in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1976, after which he joined the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Officer Candidate assigned to Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida. He earned his wings in 1978 and served during the Cold War aboard the USS Forrestal (CV-59). He served deployments across the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, North Atlantic, Arctic, and the Caribbean, participating in missions off the coast of Lebanon and in the Libyan Gulf of Sidra.

Dr. Busch later served as a Landing Signal Officer and Standardization Officer, earning recognition in 1982 as Atlantic Fleet Pilot of the Year. Following this, he entered the Navy’s Health Professions Scholarship Program in 1983 and graduated in 1987. He then completed a year of residency in Family Practice at the Navy Hospital, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL. He earned a D.O. from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Miami, FL, and completed Naval Flight Surgeon training in 1988, earning his Naval Flight Surgeon wings. At that time, he also became a dual designated Naval Aviator and Flight Surgeon, one of the rarest qualifications in the U.S. military. He was then assigned to the Viking Fleet Replacement Squadron at Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Jacksonville. Afterwards he was assigned to the Admiral’s Senior Staff of Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic, where he served as Senior Wing Flight surgeon. 

In 1992, Dr. Busch transferred to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, as a Physician Resident in Ophthalmology, completing his residency and becoming board certified in 1995. He later served as Chair, Department of Ophthalmology at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, NC; Director of Clinical Services for the fleet hospital while deployed to Okinawa, Japan; and qualified as a NASA/DOD Space Shuttle Operations Flight Surgeon. In 1997, he became Chair of Naval Aerospace Ophthalmology, Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, FL. While there, he served in a variety of positions and deployed to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. He also deployed as a surgeon on humanitarian missions to Guatemala, India, and Nicaragua. He was appointed Head of the Navy Aero-Medical Dual Designator Program and Senior Flight Surgeon at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in 2001. He retired from the Navy in 2005.

Following retirement, Dr. Busch served as Corporate Officer and Senior FAA Designated Aviation Medical Examiner at AvDoc 51 in Kissimmee, FL. His military awards include the Navy Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Navy Expeditionary Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and Sea Service Ribbon (three awards). He had over 6000 hours of flight time: over 5000 in military aircraft and over 1000 in vintage World War II aircraft. He was an Associate Fellow of the Aerospace Medical Association and a member of the International Association of Military Pilots and Flight Surgeons. An online obituary can be found at https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/pantagraph/name/william-busch-obituary?id=59974553.