Lt. Col. Carl Irgens Borgersen Ret Air Force, a Charismatic Christian, 92 years old, passed away peacefully in his sleep on February 16, 2018. He was born in New York City Jan 30, 1926, the first born of 9 children born to Norwegian immigrants Irgens and Wally Borgersen. He grew up in Brooklyn. He was inspired, like many others in 1942, by the "30 Seconds Over Tokyo" movie news reels of the day. That film immortalized Billy Mitchel's B-25 Bomber Aircraft raid on our Japanese enemy's capitol city Tokyo. This happening less than 6 months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At age 16 Carl dropped out of high school, and, lying about his age, he joined the United States Marine Corps on Oct 5 ^th 1942, volunteering to be a Marine Aviator crew member on the B-25 Bomber. After basic training, Aerial Gunnery School, and training as a flight engineer, He was deployed to the Pacific to support the Island Hopping campaign in Sept. 1944.   There, the bomber crew he had trained with for more than a year was broken up and he was assigned as a replacement to a veteran crew who had lost their tail gunner to enemy fire. Due to the 75% "killed in action" casualty rate of the unit he joined, he was only required to fly 25 bombing missions before he would be rotated to a safer job outside the Pacific Theater of War. Most never made it… and neither did he, the atomic bomb intervened and the war ended in August 1945. After being posted to the Pacific Islands he continued his education both during the war and the period afterward waiting to be sent home, he earned a high school diploma and qualified as a flight engineer for the new pressurized B-29 Bomber Aircraft.
After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corp in November 1945, he worked various sales jobs until settling in as an office worker for the Military Base Exchange Store's Administrative Headquarters in New York City where he met and married his wife Vanda in March 1947. Later that year, because of his qualifications on the B-29 Aircraft, he was recruited by a brand new branch of the US Armed forces, The Airforce.
Thus began his new family's 25 year trek following his Air Force career. Carl's first posting left his wife Vanda behind. He was sent back to the Pacific for the Eniwetok Atoll and Bikini Island Atomic Bomb tests. Returning home Carl was sent to Officers' Candidate School in Roswell New Mexico where his first born son William Carl was born in August 1950. The newly commissioned officer was later sent to Castle Air force Base (AFB), California where his second son was born in August 1952.
Carl satisfied a lifelong love of learning in the USAF Maryland University Extension courses presented at Air Force Bases across the nation. At those night school courses, over the next 9 years, he accumulated 2 years of college credit s toward a degree in engineering.  Recognizing this achievement, the Air Force assigned Carl to Oklahoma State University (OSU) to study Electrical Engineering as a full time student with full pay and a local housing allowance. The Air Force OSU Cowboy graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1963.
His career as an Electrical Engineer took him for a 3 year stay at The Rome Air Development Center, a cutting edge research lab for cold war aircraft avionics in upstate New York. Then to Italy for 3 years where he supervised the installation of a telephone communications Network for the US Military with Microwave Towers across the top of the Alps throughout Europe and microwave shots from southern Italy across the Mediterranean to Wheelus AFB just outside of Tripoli in Libya and the US Embassy in Beirut Lebanon. At his final station he served 3 years as the Chief of Development Engineering for the C5-A transport aircraft built by Lockheed at Marietta Georgia, just north of Atlanta. This was radically large, computer controlled, fly by wire aircraft. It could load 6 greyhound busses up the tail ramp 2 at a time into the belly of the plane…. Then take off on auto pilot… fly on auto pilot to its destination … and land on auto pilot. Then it would raise the nose door, set the nose ramp and let the busses drive off 2 at a time.

Carl's wife Vanda supported him through his nomadic 25 year post war career as a US Air Force officer. She made a home for their family at US Military Bases across the country and overseas in locations such as Florida, New Mexico, California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Alaska, Illinois, Oklahoma, New York, Livorno Italy and Georgia. She uprooted and resettled their family household regularly at intervals of 1 to 3 years until she and Carl retired to Panama City Beach, Florida in 1972. There in the soft white sands of Panama City Beach, they built their dream home and Vanda was finally able to put down long roots for the next 35 years.
In Panama City Carl and Vanda found the Lord and became committed charismatic Christians. They were very involved with their local Charismatic movement in bringing others to the Lord. Vanda became an avid Painter, while Carl became an electrical contractor and taught the National Electric Code for the Electrical Contractor's exam to aspiring electricians. Carl and Vanda also co-hosted a local TV program Called "Seniors for Seniors". This was an outreach program for retirees moving in the area.
But the real lights of their lives, were their children and grandchildren who loved being spoiled and splashing in grandma's pool. Vanda's 4 sisters and their families bought homes in Panama City Beach. This gave rise to many fun family gatherings and love for all.
In 2007 Carl and his wife Vanda moved to the Brookdale Pinecrest Independent Living Community in Largo, Florida to be close to their son William, his wife Barbara and their grandson Daniel. They were involved with their local Catholic church and made many friends thru their church and Pinecrest. At Pinecrest, Carl was involved with the Retired Military Club and the church services on the premises. They enjoyed playing Rummikub, Dominoes with their family and friends, and playing with the Chimes group.
Carl was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Vanda, his son William, his brothers Jack, Roy and Jerry and his sisters Jeanette Goldsmith, Vivian Desmond, and Nancy Slade. He is survived by his brother Dennis, his sister Claire Davis of Newark, Ohio, son Randall of Alcantera, Philippines, daughter in law Barbara Borgersen of Largo, Florida, grandson Daniel (of William and Barbara), daughter in law Merlinda Borgersen of Tallahassee, Florida and granddaughter Amber (of Randall and Merlinda) and many other loving family and friends. They were certainly loved and will be dearly missed.
If so moved, donations may be made to: Sister Rosamunda Massawe, 2210 Willowbrook Drive, Clearwater Fl. 33764, for her charitable works with local poor families, or the charity of your choice.

No service is planned. Carl's name will be lifted on Sunday, March 18, 2018 at the regular 5:30 pm Mass at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in Largo, Florida. In accordance with Carl and Vanda's wishes, there will be a private family Celebration of their lives at a later date.