HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Members of the Hanscom community commemorated the life and service of Armand “Ollie” Ouellette, former 66 Civil Engineering Division employee, during a tree dedication ceremony at Hanscom Heroes Memorial Park here, Sept. 13.
Memorial Park, which opened in 1991, recognizes deceased members of the Hanscom community who had made a significant impact at the base.
“Ollie gave so much of himself to us and to the base,” said Bobby Jacques, 66th Air Base Group Executive Services chief and event organizer.
Ouellette was born in 1938, in Salem, Massachusetts. An Air Force Vietnam veteran, he retired from active duty after 20 years before serving another 20 as a civilian supervisor of the Roads and Grounds Section.
Ollie loved to cook and was long regarded as the resident CE chef. His former colleagues fondly recalled the family-style dinners he would host on base. With the original cookbook from Ollie’s kitchen in hand, Chris Perkins, former 66 CED director, flipped through the pages and read the hand-written notes between the ingredients.
“He understood the true value of family and how important it is for people that work together to socialize and get to know each other,” said Perkins. “What’s now known as the wingman concept, back then we just called ‘Ollie’s dinners.’”
Members of Ollie’s family, including his wife, three sons and grandchildren attended the ceremony and raised the Hanscom Heroes Memorial Park flag before unveiling the bronze plaque at the base of Ollie’s tree.
The trees serve as a lasting tribute to the more than 70 members inducted.
Tom Schluckebier, 66 CED director, recalled the first time he met Ollie and shared how Ollie’s knowledge and passion for the installation and its members impacted not only himself as a younf lieutenant, but every CE troop on Hanscom.
“Whatever was going on any given day, Ollie was always taking care of it, regardless of what ‘it’ was,” said Schluckebier. “Really, Ollie was more about taking care of others. He wanted to help people and help Hanscom. He was always taking care of us.”