A native Texan, Ward Boyce graduated from Texas A&M with a BS in mechanical engineering and a commission in the U.S. Air Force. He spent 28 years in the Air Force, including 12 years as a backseater in the F-101B and the RF-4C. During the Vietnam War, he flew 234 combat sorties in the Phantom, including 113 over North Vietnam.Upon retiring from the Air Force as a colonel in 1988, he was hired by the American Fighter Aces Association as their executive director, a position he held for the next 12 years, and still serves as a member of their board of directors.Returning home to Austin, Texas, in 1998 with Mary Ray Graves, his wife now for 60 years, he is still active in several veterans' organizations, including the Air Force Association, Daedalians, Quiet Birdmen and the Red River Rats. He and Mary have two daughters, Beverly and Elizabeth, and five grandchildren, all of whom live within an hour's drive.
