In 1951, Cas Casillas was drafted into the Army. Not particularly interested in a trip to Korea at the time, Cas instead enlisted into the Air Force where he could pursue his passion for flying. Following basic training, he spent two years in various technical schools and then aviation cadet school. His career spanned nearly three decades and about every fighter from the F-86 Sabre jet to the F-15 Eagle, basically the whole age of USAF jets. He was assigned to locations all over the world. Of note were assignments in Alaska where he flew the F-86, and four years stationed in Germany where he flew many hours on nuclear alert. In Vietnam, Cas flew 105 missions in the F-105 “Thud”. His military career of over 5,000 hours in jet fighters earned him the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with 16 clusters.