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Mustache March aficionados raise funds for fallen Airman

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Mustang country Mustache March fans around Osan gathered at the Officers' Club March 30, 2012, to judge the best and worst mustaches of the month and raise funds for a fallen Airman.

The Osan chapter of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association hosted the event, which raised $550 for the family of Capt. Dee Imlay, a pilot killed in an aircraft crash in Southwest Asia March 28.

"I was introduced to the 'Red River Rats' in 2008," said Capt. Jennifer Morton, 607th Air Operations Center chief of close air support and ISR plans. "They are a non-profit organization that supports families of aviators who have been killed or missing in action. Every time you hear about a plane crashing and a pilot dying, they help out."

This was the inaugural event for the Osan chapter, and approximately 100 people participated.

Contestants competed in four categories: best, worst, creepiest, and best attempt. They won based upon the amount of applause their mustaches drew from the crowd. Navy Lt. Justin Jones, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., won for the best mustache. Maj. Billy Cleveland, 607th AOC, won for the worst category. Ms. Colombo, a teacher at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, won in the creepiest category with a fake mustache. Maj. Byron Hinrichson, 7th Air Force, won in the best attempt category.

Mustache March is a decades-old tradition amongst the aviation community, with many attributing the original observation to triple-ace pilot Brig. Gen. Robin Olds. Olds himself flaunted an out-of-regulation handlebar mustache that became his calling card over the years. He is coincidentally the founder of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association, originally an organization of Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps pilots started in 1969.

"I think the aviation community celebrates mustache march the most just because of the history," Morton said. "Everyone had a great time at the competition, and in the end it went to a very worthy cause."