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What Retirement?
Although Kehoe retired from the Air Force in
October 2000 after 34 years of service, he has remained
actively involved in public service. “When I retired, I
chose not to pursue opportunities in defense contracting
or consulting,” he said. “Although that would have been
an easier fit, I wanted to apply my capabilities to
something different and looked
toward executive
management
in associations
or nonprofits.
As a
parallel, I looked
at executive management
in government.
A senior
executive service
job at the
Department of
Housing and
Development was the
first opportunity that
materialized, and I
took it. The area I
worked in suffered from
a lack of leadership, and
I found it very satisfying
to help shape a team and
a sense of quality customer
service.”
Today, in addition to
being president and CEO of
the Congressional Medal of
Honor Foundation and a
member of the CAP Board of
Governors, Kehoe serves on the audit committee for
Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the
board of directors for the National Order of Daedalians,
a fraternity of military pilots. All are nonprofit organizations.
He also served as a trustee for a public policy
think tank but said he has left the organization because
he didn’t have the time to do it justice.
A CAP “Knot” Resolved
As for Kehoe’s specific involvement with Civil Air
Patrol, he said, “About one year before I retired, I was
tasked by the secretary of the Air Force and chief of staff
to assess the Air Force/CAP relationship at a time of
great turmoil and acrimony and to
report back. I found that the
problems identified were the
same as they had been in previous
assessments, and I offered to
lead a team with a one-year
sundown clause that would
work with CAP to fix the
problems, including drafting
new legislation. That’s what I
did.”
Kehoe’s straightforward
approach, coupled with an
equable, direct solution,
had again resolved a knotty
problem. After he
retired, the secretary of
the Air Force appointed
him as one of the first
Air Force members of
the new Board of
Governors, on which
he continues to serve,
twice as its chairman.
In Kehoe,
Kehoe, right, joins Lts. John May, left, and David Friestad in
celebrating the last F-4 combat mission over North Vietnam in
1969. Kehoe, now a retired lieutenant general, served with
distinction as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War, earning three
Distinguished Flying Crosses and 28 Air Medals.
CAP cadets indeed
have an outstanding
role model
because of his multifaceted
career as a pilot, mediator and problem-solver and
his belief that “we all draw upon our experience, but it’s
those core values of integrity, selflessness and a pursuit of
excellence that really count when you are doing the job.”
On a personal level, Kehoe has been married to the
former Paula Fasani for more than 40 years. They have
two daughters — one is married to an Air Force pilot
— and five grandchildren. The couple lives in Falls
Church, Va. ▲
Civil Air Patrol Volunteer 24 January-February 2009