Mystery/Puzzle Cache placed in honor of Lt Col Edward W. Leonard, Jr., United States Air Force, who died on Veterans Day, 11 November 2014, and was buried at the nearby United States Air Force Academy Cemetery. DO NOT GO TO THE POSTED COORDINATES...unless you just want to go for an icy cold swim. Read to the bottom to figure out how to find the container.
Lt Col Edward W. Leonard, Jr., was born on August 9, 1938, in Portland, Oregon. He entered the U.S. Air Force Academy in June 1956, and graduated with a commission as a 2d Lt on June 8, 1960. After earning his pilot wings, Capt Leonard flew special reconnaissance versions of the C-130 Hercules transport in Europe from 1963 to 1967. He then began flying combat missions in Vietnam as an A-1 Skyraider pilot with the 602nd Fighter Squadron at Udorn Royal Thai AFB, Thailand. He flew 257 combat missions and participated in the recovery of 18 aircrew members before being shot down over Laos for a 2nd time on May 31, 1968. After evading the enemy, he was captured and taken as a Prisoner of War on June 2, 1968, and was later moved into North Vietnam. After spending 1,760 days in brutal captivity (including 3 and a half years in solitary confinement), Major Leonard was released during Operation Homecoming on March 28, 1973. He returned to flying status after being repatriated, and he retired from the Air Force on July 1, 1980. After retiring from the Air Force, Ed graduated from Law School and served as a prosecutor for the Texas Insurance Department and later as a defense attorney in Astoria, Oregon. He also served as the mayor of Ilwaco, Washington, from 2001 to 2006. Ed Leonard Died on Veterans Day, November 11, 2014, and was buried at the U.S. Air Force Academy Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Lt Col Edward W. Leonard, Jr., United States Air Force
Born: 9 August 1938 - Flew West: 11 November 2014
Prisoner of War, North Vietnam
2 June 1968 - 28 March 1973
To find the final physical cache location, figure the following:
N 38 54.ABC W 105 00.DEF
A = The number of Silver Stars that Lt Col Leonard was awarded during his Air Force career.
B = The number of years that Lt Col Leonard served as a C-130 reconnaissance pilot.
C = The number of Distinguished Flying Crosses that Lt Col Leonard was awarded during his Air Force career.
D = The number of aircrew members that Lt Col Leonard helped rescue, minus 11.
E = The number of years that Lt Col Leonard was held as a Prisoner of War (rounded up).
F = The number of Air Medals that Lt Col Leonard was awarded during his Air Force Career, minus 14.
Once you have the final coordinates, you are looking for a small container next to a tree on a scenic pull off along the road going up to Pikes Peak. The high terrain rating takes into account someone trying to hike/climb up the mountain instead of doing it the easy way (paying the toll to drive up the road). Please watch for muggles driving by and replace exactly as you found it (including seating the lid on firmly). This cache is placed below the "altitude sickness" problem areas that occur much higher up the road (this one is at 9,164 feet above sea level).
P.S. I have a local friend maintaining the cache for me between visits, but due to the cache's remote location, feel free to replace or add another log if the original gets full. Cache placed with permission.
It's a good idea to call (719) 385-7325 (Option 1, then Option 1) before heading up to Pikes Peak to find out the current conditions on the mountain.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
Additional Waypoints
VT History Cache #40 - Lt Col Edward W. Leonard
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