Lifestyles, LIFESTYLES -- FEATURE SPOT, Madison, News, RSS Twitter
 By  admin Published 
5:55 pm Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Veteran of the Week: Chris Wellborn

Chris Wellborn (Record Photo/Nick Sellers)

Chris Wellborn (Record Photo/Nick Sellers)

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Madison.

If you would like to nominate someone to be featured as our Veteran of the Week, please call The Madison Record at 256-772-6677.

By Nick Sellers | Staff Writer 

 MADISON – Growing up in Jackson, Miss., Chris Wellborn was always seeking to go higher. Into the sky, that is.

After graduating high school in 1985, Wellborn knew he wanted to join the United States Air Force.

“I wanted to fly,” he said. “I just always knew I wanted to serve.”

So Wellborn enrolled at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and graduated in four years with a degree in general engineering. After graduation, Wellborn went to the now-closed Mather Air Force Base for navigation school near Sacramento.

Wellborn then served two years overseas in England before making his way back to the states at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, N.M. He spent four-and-a-half years flying EF-111A aircraft, from 1993-98.

After serving in Clovis, Wellborn was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, N.C., to fly F-15E Strike Eagles.

Wellborn’s next assignment was at the Pentagon, where he was working during the Sept. 11 attacks.

“The emphasis changed after that, but we were back to work pretty quickly,” he said.

Wellborn spent a total of four years at the Pentagon before another assignment in England. After that, Wellborn served an assignment at Randolph Air Force Base in Schertz, Texas, near San Antonio as a commander. It was at that location that Wellborn decided to get out of active duty.

“I had done what I wanted to do,” Wellborn said. “I had achieved the goal to be commander.”

In the transition to civilian life, Wellborn sought out the Huntsville area specifically, as he had visited before on a business trip and enjoyed the area.

He and his wife, Suzanne, and their three children live in historic downtown Madison on Front Street. He currently works for Booz Allen Hamilton.

“The people are great in the Air Force,” Wellborn said of his fellow servicemen. “There aren’t any bad people.”

Also on The Madison Record
Southern Showcase cross country meet this weekend
Events, Madison County Record, News, ...
Bob Labbe 
September 9, 2025
HUNTSVILLE- Representatives from the City of Huntsville, local sponsoring businesses and local schools cross country programs met with the news media ...
2025 MADISON BOWL: Bob Jones crushs Jets in rivalry tilt
Madison County Record, News, Schools, ...
Caleb Odom 
September 6, 2025
Check out more photos by clicking here . MADISON - James Clemens was no match for the juggernaut that is Bob Jones this year as the Jets fell 54-7 in ...
Ranae Bartlett ready to step into mayor’s role
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
2025 Madison Election
Bartlett captured over 56% of the vote in three-candidate race
Staff Reports 
September 3, 2025
MADISON - Ranae Bartlett already has an advantage as she prepares to take on her new role as Madison’s new mayor. Serving in both leadership positions...
Wroblewski is only returning city council member as voters reject incumbents
A: Main, Madison County Record, News, ...
Madison voters select new leadership for city
Staff Reports 
September 3, 2025
MADISON - Madison voters rejected the only contested incumbents in city council races last Tuesday, ushering in new leadership for the city. John Seif...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *