When Bill Cannon enlisted in the Air Force in 1952 as an 18-year-old in the midst of the Korean War, he had no idea where his career might lead him.

The Providence, R.I. native knew only one thing for sure at the time - he wanted no part of being drafted into the Army.

After enlisting, when a commanding officer was looking for volunteers to participate in a boom operator program on the B-29 Superfortress, Cannon got word the job had to do with flying and his arm shot up. Although the boom program he was selected for was eventually eliminated, it pitched Cannon into a military and civilian career that opened doors for the Gig Harbor resident to become part of some important Air Force milestones.

After working his way through the ranks as a loadmaster on the C-124 Globemaster II, C-54 Skymaster, C-130 Hercules and C-141 Starlifter in the early 1980s, while still on active duty, Cannon was chosen to be part of a source selection board to help choose a new aircraft design for the Air Force's newest cargo transporter.

"We would go through all these (yet to be built) airplanes and evaluate them," said Cannon, who's now 76. "It was our job to pick out the best (design)."

The team eventually settled on the then McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III.

"It was the best one ... it had all the right features," Cannon said.

After logging a 30-year military career, which included more than 16,600 hours of flight, Cannon retired as a chief master sergeant out of McChord in 1982.

Upon retiring, he immediately realized how much he missed being in the airplane business. So Cannon called McDonnell Douglas and inquired about a job on the C-17 development program in Long Beach, Calif. The retired chief got the job, and stayed on after Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas and worked evaluating the five C-17 test models at the Long Beach facility and nearby Edwards Air Force Base.

Crews put the test airplanes through the ringer, analyzing each and every reaction and situation. One day during a session of assault takeoffs and landings, all the tires on the main landing gear blew out on impact while Cannon was riding in the cargo bay.

"It was a scary job at times, but we had good crews and good pilots on the project - they were all the cream of the crop," Cannon said.

Cannon stayed with the project for nearly five years, staying on until the testing phase of the C-17 was completed in the mid 1990s.

"Everything turned out the way we wanted it," the retired chief said. "There's not an airplane around like (the C-17)."

Cannon has also found a way to make an impact in the loadmaster community, founding the Professional Loadmaster Association, or PLA, in 1997. The PLA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the loadmaster community together.

The Northwest chapter has about 150 members and there are more than 2,000 members across 14 chapters spanning the globe.

"When I started it, I was the only member," said Cannon, also a past president of the Airlift/Tanker Association. "We now have members all over the world."