Edward "Otto" Pernotto
He was born and raised in Youngstown Ohio, his father Pete Pernotto was a WWII Army Combat Medic who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day +1 and was a lifelong steel worker. His mother RoseMarie riveted F-86 fighter aircraft during the Korean War. He attended The Ohio State University and graduated with a Degree in History and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force. Growing up his nickname was "Teddy" while later he picked up Otto in grade school. Later, one of the FB-111's he flew was called "Ready Teddy" copied from a WWII B-24 Liberator bomber, hence, this site name: Ready Teddy.
After graduating from Air Force Navigator training, his active duty career included as a B-52G bomber Radar Navigator, Barksdale AFB LA; FB-111 fighter-bomber Instructor Radar Navigator, Plattsburgh AFB, NY; HC-130 special operations aircraft, Kadena AB Okinawa Japan; and special operations air planner in Japan and the US. He helped found the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Shreveport LA, was selected as technical advisor for the TV show “Wings” on the Discovery Channel and flew in, narrated, or directed airshows in the US and Canada.
He left active duty and became a Defense Department civilian serving as the Force Plans Officer for the US Naval Special Warfare Command (Navy SEALs), in San Diego CA. He moved to Arlington Virginia and worked for various defense companies while serving in the Air Force Reserve including the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, US Special Operations Command, and the Air Staff. Otto served on two US Navy aircraft carriers, and deployed twice to Iraq, first as Air Force Liaison to SEAL Team FIVE and later commanded four unmanned aerial vehicle detachments. After retirement, he co-founded Mission Secure, a cyber security company.
Colonel Pernotto is a graduate of Squadron Officer School, the Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College. His awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Combat Action Ribbon. He’s a military parachutist and has a Master Navigator Aeronautical Rating with over 2,000 flight hours.
Over his life, he’s collected aerospace and military art prints and other militaria and historical items and has loaned for display and donated to various museums and other organizations. His donations have included to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Washington DC, the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton OH, the Ohio History Center Columbus OH, the Ohio State University Airport in Columbus Ohio and the American History Museum in Stow Massachusetts.
