George G. Troutman – Colonel, United States Air Force

From a contemporary press report:

George G. Troutman, 75, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who went on to become a lobbyist for General Dynamics and Bell Helicopter Textron, died of cancer February 19, 2000 at his home in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.

Colonel Troutman, who had a 22-year military career, was known on Capitol Hill for lobbying efforts involving the development and funding of several major aircraft projects, including the F-111 and F-16 fighters and the V-22 tiltrotor.

In 1990, he arranged a noontime flight demonstration in the shadow of the Capitol dome of an experimental aircraft, which flew like a plane and hovered like a helicopter.

Colonel Troutman, a Washington resident since 1960, was a native of Albany, Georgia. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces during World War II and served as a lead pilot in a B-24 Liberator group during combat missions in Europe.

He later became a B-29 Superfortress flight instructor and a test engineer and launch officer for the Matador missile at the Air Force Missile Test Center in Florida. He also was assigned to Capitol Hill as a legislative liaison officer, lobbying for Air Force missile and space programs.

He was an electrical engineering graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technologies at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

Upon his retirement from active military duty in 1965, he joined General Dynamics, where he worked first as director of congressional relations and later as assistant general manager of the Washington office. In 1981, he became Washington vice president of Bell Helicopter Textron. He retired in 1992.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Dorothy “Dottie” Troutman, and their three children, Glenn Troutman, Sandra Wiseman and Diane Hickok, all of Upper Marlboro; two brothers; and four grandchildren.

TROUTMAN, GEORGE GLENN, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.)

Peacefully on Saturday, February 19, 2000, at his home in Upper Marlboro, MD. Beloved husband for 53 years of Dorothy ”Dottie” Troutman; loving father of Glenn Troutman, Sandra Wiseman and Diane Hickok; sons-in-law, Barry Wiseman and Charles Hickok; devoted grandfather of Dory and Walt Wiseman and Stephanie and Julia Hickok; cherished brother of Baldwin L. Troutman, Jr. and Thomas F. Troutman. Funeral services with full military honors, Fort Myer Old Post Chapel on Friday, March 3, at 1 p.m. Interment, Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard