John (Diz) Dezonia

Memorial Location

COLUMN: 5    ROW: 5

  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • Service June 1965 –
  • Vietnam War
  • Pilot

Killed in Test Pilot Crash in Nevada – February, 1988.
John Dezonia graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Math and Astro Engineering. He received a Masters degree in Astro Engineering from Purdue University in 1970.
John flew F-4’s in Southeast Asia and later continued flying for the Air Defense Command at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. He graduated from Edwards Air Force Base Test School, California in 1980.

He flew in the Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base where he met his future wife, Candy, while working Special Olympics in Las Vegas. They had two children while he was assigned to the Test Squadron at Holloman AFB as Operations Officer.

He died in February 1988 while flying a low level photo operations mission over White Sands Test Site, New Mexico due to a control surface reversal that was unrecoverable. His dreams of being an Astronaut are now eternally fulfilled. . . . . Amen.

Back to the List