William X. Speight Sr.'s Obituary
Chief Master Sargeant (CMSgt) William “Bill” X. Speight Sr., United States Air Force-Retired, will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors on 31 July 2024. CMSgt Speight entered the United States Air Force in 1952 as part of one of the first cadre of African-American Airmen fully integrated into the Air Force. He excelled as a jet mechanic in numerous conflicts, across a multitude of aircraft to include the B-47 Stratojet, B-52 Stratofortress, C-130 Hercules, B-58 Hustler, F-4 Phantom, C-141 Starlifter, and A-10 Thunderbolt. Chief Speight also excelled as the “1st Shirt” in multiple units and was known Air Force-wide for his Social Actions expertise and was named one of the “12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year” for the entire Air Force in 1971. He is survived by his wife Elsenia "Jan" Speight and six children (Lynnethea, Willam Jr., Era, Joel, Calvin and Herbert), 10 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Services will be held at Arlington National July 31, 2024.
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