Even before earning his pilot's license in college, Lt. Col. Dick Tobiason, USA (Ret), was on the move. From Boston to Bend, Ore., with stints in Germany, Iran, Libya, Vietnam - and even a remote moon shot - the indefatigable Tobiason has relished his assignments and requested more. Today, he focuses his energy into ensuring the nation's military heroes are never forgotten.

A timeline of Tobiason's many types of service:

1957: Tobiason earns a commission in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after receiving a civil engineering degree from Northeastern University, Mass. He later trains on Army fixed and rotary wing aircraft.

1963: After marrying DoD music teacher Mary Jane Moody in Switzerland in 1960, Tobiason attends graduate school in Iowa and is sent to Libya and Iran as a topographic pilot to map the Russian border.

1969: While working as an advisor in the Nixon White House, Tobiason, a 1966 graduate of the Naval Test Pilot School, is nominated to become an astronaut. He never trains; budget cuts and the Apollo 13 mishap sharply curtail the space program.

1972-73: Tobiason's second trip to Vietnam differs vastly from his first tour in 1966 when he is injured in a grenade attack. On Feb. 13, 1973, he participates in Operation Homecoming, helping repatriate 27 American prisoners of war from a Viet Cong camp in South Vietnam.

1977: After retiring from the military, Tobiason works for the National Transportation Safety Board, NASA, and the airline industry.

Lt. Col. Dick Tobiason, USA (Ret), right, with Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell. (Courtesy photo)

1990: The Tobiasons retire to Bend, Ore., for its beauty and outdoor activities. There, Tobiason meets Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell, and they begin several veteran recognition programs, including a flag program and veterans memorial in Bend, Honor Flights for 559 World War II veterans, and a memorial highway program, including designating U.S. 20 as the Oregon Medal of Honor Highway from Newport to Nyssa.

TODAY: Through the nonprofit Bend Heroes Foundation, cofounded by him and son Erik, Tobiason is raising funds for Vietnam War, Purple Heart, and Gold Star Family memorials at the state capital. The foundation also wants a Gulf War memorial to honor six Oregonians who died in that conflict. “Retired officers have lot of talent, a lot of education, and they are naturals at leadership. There are things they can do in their communities for veterans. Do something for them,” he says.

This story originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Military Officer.