Afterburner: Col. Dick Toliver, USAF Ret.

Fighter Country Foundation 17th Annual Golf Classic’s Afterburner Event proudly powered by Pratt & Whitney.

Design Inspiration: F135 Engine

The 2.25” Afterburner 2026 coin is inspired by the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which powers all variants of the US F-35 Lightning II (A, B, and C).

Engine Type: While the F-35A and F-35C share the F135-PW-100 engine, the F-35B utilizes the F135-PW-600, which includes a shaft-driven liftfan system for vertical landing, though all share the same core engine technology.
Design Inspiration: The coin’s unique shape on the outside rim represents the “chevrons” along the trailing edge of the engine exhaust nozzle.

Integrated Technology & Process:

The back of the coin is NFC-enabled. When tapped to an NFC reader, it directs to this web page fightercountry.org/toliver.

The NFC Smart Coin’s patented process includes placement of an NTAG 424 DNA chip which is programmed to this web page.
The design is printed using a four-color offset process.
The NFC chip is recessed under the side in the center, and the image is sealed in epoxy that flows to the raised outside edge of each tab.
The “Smart Coin” technology is patented by Gray Water Ops, a veteran-owned business in Pennsylvania.

Afterburner: Front of the Coin

Dick in 3D: Front and center is an illustration treated in 3D relief. The aircraft above his shoulders is the F-4 Phantom, featured in 3D.

Rim Treatment: The front rim and internal chevrons feature figures and statistics from Col. Dick Toliver’s distinguished service in the United States Air Force.

Rim Coloring: Transparent orange and blue enamel mimics the exhaust plume or afterburner flame. Blue signifies complete combustion, while orange represents high-temperature hydrocarbon emission.

Service Figures:

Airframes Flown (T-37, T-33, F-4, F-15 & F-16)
4,000 flying hours
863 combat hours in jet fighters
446 Missions
26 distinguished years of service
Year Joined USAF: 1963
Year Retired USAF: 1989
Dick’s lucky #7

Additional Symbology:

Spitfire Panther/332 FG: Ties to the Tuskegee Red Tails.
Morse Code: Spells “Spitfire,” a Tuskegee Airmen motto.

Afterburner: Back of the Coin

Illustration and Emblems

The central illustration is inspired by a photo of Dick at Luke AFB, Phoenix, Arizona, next to an F-16 static display. The F-16’s tail flash is painted in the traditional Tuskegee Airmen Red.

Tail Markings: LR represents a Luke Reserve airframe.
302d Fighter Squadron: This Air Force Reserve Command unit (part of the 477th Fighter Group) was originally activated in 1942 as one of the four all-Black “Tuskegee Airmen” fighter squadrons.

The symbology and emblems displayed in the turbine’s chevrons on the rim include:

Category	Emblems and Medals
Organizational Emblems	Fighter Country Foundation emblem, 56th FW emblem, USAF / Tuskegee star, USAF Fighter Weapons School graduate patch crosshair & target
Dick’s Service Medals	Legion of Merit Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Vietnam Service Medal
Regional Symbols	State Flag of Louisiana (the 2nd to last flag design), AZ State flag, Fleur de Lis

Additional Figures & Symbology:

Quote: “History makes you smart, but heritage makes you proud.” – Col. Dick Toliver
Morse Code (Left): “An Uncaged Eagle” (the name of Col. Toliver’s published book)
Morse Code (Right): “Aim High” (the USAF motto, commonly used by Tuskegee Airmen)
Sponsor: Pratt & Whitney logo, representing the Fighter Country Foundation’s as its 1st Afterburner Event Title Sponsor
Tuskegee Airmen: Dick was a protege of WWII Tuskegee Airmen instructor pilots.

Afterburner: Dick’s Story

COLONEL RICHARD “DICK” TOLIVER, USAF, RET.

Tuskegee Airmen Protégé
Air Force Veteran in Blue – Pioneering Combat Pilot
Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame
Tuskegee University AFROTC Hall of Fame
Booker T. Washington High School Hall of Fame

Col. Toliver graduated from Tuskegee Institute (University) in February 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is a protégé of the famed Tuskegee Airmen and was mentored, trained, and commissioned under their tutelage. Later, he graduated from the USAF Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”) at Nellis AFB, NV and completed two tours in Southeast Asia with 446 combat missions and 863 combat hours. He also held key roles in advanced research, development, and testing of tactical fighter aircraft. In addition, he directed the testing and evaluation of other weapon systems for the Department of Defense and allied military programs. One of Col. Toliver’s most fulfilling experiences involved training the first top five Israeli pilots in the F-15 Air Superiority jet fighter. The Colonel held several key staff and command positions in multiple major commands of the Air Force. His duty assignments included bases throughout the United States, Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa, and the Persian Gulf. He is a Command Pilot with 4,000 flying hours in the F-4, F-15, F-16, OT-37, O-2, T-33, and several civilian aircraft. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Air Medal with 27 Oak Leaf Clusters. Col. Toliver retired from the United States Air Force March 1, 1989, after 26 years of distinguished service.

Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Toliver steps up to his T-33.

Lt Colonel Richard "Dick" Toliver poses in front of a F-15 Strike Eagle.

Bio Continued:

Since retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Toliver pursued several business, economic development, and political ventures in New Mexico, Alabama, Georgia, and Texas. He was recruited by Ross Perot’s United We Stand America and became a national advocate for education, economic, and government reform. He served as the State’s Executive Director of New Mexico and the Southwest Regional Director of twelve states for three years. Later, he served as the National Spokesperson and Coordinator for Minority Community Outreach for the Reform Party during 1996. His public service includes several years in New Mexico on the Public Safety Advisory Commission; Board of Regents, University of New Mexico; and Board of Directors of the Kirtland Partnership Committee.

In 2002, Colonel Toliver held a key role in the coordination and completion of a required Report to U. S. Congress for the Development of the Tuskegee Airmen National Center. The Center is a crucial part of the $29.1 million Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site approved by Congress for Moton Field, Tuskegee, AL. Since moving to Arizona in 2003, he was the founding president of the Archer-Ragsdale Arizona Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen and held a key role in securing the Congressional Gold Medal for them in 2007. He also resumed his commitment to community affairs and served on the Board of Director’s for the West Valley Hospital in Goodyear.

Colonel Toliver continues to be in demand as a motivational speaker nationwide and overseas, including visits to Canada, Germany, Iraq, Kuwait, Spain, Hawaii, and Japan. He has extensive experience with local, state, and national television, radio, news media, and speaking engagements. His published books include “An Uncaged Eagle,” a book of his memoirs (2009); “WOMAN–A Godly Creation,” a book that celebrates and honors the historical and continuing accomplishments of women worldwide (2014); and “Black Wings Over Arizona”(2024). BWOA is the collective history of nineteen original Tuskegee Airmen who had ties to Arizona from 1945 to 2024. It also documents the the heroism of 855 African American women sent to Europe during WWII to clear a two to three-years backlog of mail for the American troops.

Bio Continued:

His recent awards and honors include the following:

October 2014, inducted into the Booker T. Washington High School Hall of Fame in Shreveport, LA. Keynote speaker for event that featured all sixty-four classes that graduated since the school’s opening in 1950.
September 2015, co-featured on the poster for the 68^th Birthday of the United States Air Force.
February 2016, included in Air Force’s Veterans in Blue – a Pioneering Combat Pilot.
October 2016, inducted into the Tuskegee University Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Hall of Fame.
October 2016, inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame, October 28, 2016.

Colonel Toliver has been married for over sixty-three years to the former Margaret A. Hairston of Baltimore, Maryland. They have eight adult children, five of which are adopted or part of the family through acceptance, commitment, and love. The Tolivers recently resettled in Litchfield Park, AZ . More about Colonel Toliver and autographed copies of his books can be obtained on his website, www.anuncagedeagle.com and www.aractai.org.

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Toliver's Books