Virgil L Domino

Virgil L. Domino was born on Thursday, August 31, 1922 in Nemaha, Iowa, the son of Floyd and Carrie (Brown) Domino. He passed this life on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 100 years of age. Virgil was a 1940 graduate of Rembrandt, Iowa. He attended Business College in Iowa. Virgil was married to the former Miss Mildred Marie “Millie” Hutchinson in 1945 in Boise, Idaho. She preceded him in death on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. Virgil was married to “Millie” for 72 years. Virgil cared for her, by himself, at their home in Broken Arrow for several years until she passed. A few years ago, he jokingly told the Legion members that his wife was elderly, she was 101 years old. With humor like this, it is no wonder they have had such longevity of life. Virgil claims to have just been a typical Iowa farm boy that loved airplanes, having built kit planes as a boy. He joined the U.S. Army, November 20, 1942. He took his basic training in St. Louis, MO. As soon as he could, he transferred into the U.S. Army Air Corp in order to fulfil his passion for flying. The first airplane he flew was a PT-22 (Ryan) while he was stationed in Hemmet, California. He had moved from Beloit, Wisconsin to California at the government’s request. While in California, as a Flight Officer he wanted to fly the P-38, the hottest thing in the air at that time. Instead, he wound up in a four-engine B-24 Bomber. This was in 1943-1944. He later became a B-24 flight instructor. His next move was to Albuquerque, N.M. Then onto Fresno, CA and March Field, in Riverside, CA in B-24 Instructor training. He was commissioned II Lieutenant at this time. In 1945 he was sent to Boise, Idaho flying B-24’s. He also married Millie in 1945 in Boise. She was reared in Oklahoma but he first met her in California. One of the gifts he gave his bride was a 1 ½ hour ride over Tokyo in a T-6 trainer. Before they got to Japan, he had a tour at Walla Walla, WA, and Orlando, FL. In Japan, his primary aircraft was the P-61 Black Widow in 1946-1949 on his Japanese tour. From 1949-1956, he was stationed in San Antonio, TX, Ellington Field, Bryan Field, and Laredo, TX. From there, he went to San Marquis teaching the Army pilots as an Air Force instructor to fly the Cub and the L-19. From San Marquis, he traveled back to Wichita, KS to train in the B-47 jet bomber. With training completed, he transferred to Lincoln Air Force Base, Omaha, NE as a ilot under the Strategic Air Command (SAC). This was in 1962. The year 1962 is unique in military history, mainly due to The Cuban Missile Crisis. During the missile crisis, Virgil was flying a B-47, with the largest nuclear weapon known at that time aboard. After the crisis, Virgil was stationed in England and in Spain monitoring that part of the world for SAC. He spent that time training for the Aircraft’s “pop-up maneuver” bombing strategy. Virgil retired from USAF in 1965 having flown 15,000 hours for the US as (PIC), Pilot in Command. Retirement without flying was not Virgil’s idea of retirement. He saw an ad by a company by the name of Air America (CIA) that needed some pilots. From 1965-1972, Virgil flew clandestine missions out of Saigon, Vietnam, Laos, and Bangkok in South East Asia. He is survived by, Son, Dale and wife Vickie Domino, Collinsville, OK Daughter, Patricia Ann and husband Gary Dunlap, Hillsboro MO Grandchildren, Keith and wife Jona Domino, Amanda and husband Nathan Byrd, Jennifer Jacob, Laurie Prott Great Grandchildren, Jennifer Deerinwater, Ericka Bellis, Brooklynn Domino, Mackenzie Olson, Kamrey Olson, Briella Byrd Great Great grandchildren Braylee and Johny Ford Virgil was preceded in death by, his parents, Floyd and Carrie,wife Milldred Son, Robert Atherlety Sr., Michael Shrunk.

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Virgil L Domino

August 31, 1922 - January 7, 2023