The founder of this site, Roy Buckman, with his lovely wife, Barbara.

This website is dedicated to its founder, Colonel LeRoy Russel "Roy" Buckman, U.S. Army, Ret. Roy founded this Space-A board to help military of all ranks and from every Service. Roy passed away on 29 May 2005 after a yearlong battle with cancer. During that time he continued to faithfully operate Military Space Avialable Travel even up to the day he passed away. He paid for all costs of this board and never asked for donations. This was his gift to his fellow military. He asked me, Ann Crawford, to try and carry his work on. I may need the help of volunteers when we learn just what is necessary to keep the board humming along.

Perhaps you would like to know more about Roy Buckman the generous man behind the Space-A board. Roy was born to Dorothy and Louis Buckman of Middletown, Connecticut on 8 April 1936. Upon graduation from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1954, Roy entered Norwich University in Vermont as a military cadet, and he participated in the Army Aviation Program as well as earning his BA degree and graduating as distinguished military graduate and 2nd Lt. in 1958.

In 1959, he became a helicopter pilot as well as instructor. As an Army aviator, he spent much time at Fort Lewis, WA, then on to Korea as a Captain. He then switched to the fast growing field of Communications Electronics and Data Processing, attending the many field courses in Automated Data Processing. He served two separate tours in Vietnam and in between those a tour in the District of Columbia and Fort Huachucca, AZ, with STRATCOM Hq as a Major. He then served at Camp Darby, Italy, as a OIC of the Autovon Switching Center (Marconi's original site) at Coltano, Pisa.

Roy attended the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, followed by a tour of duty at Fort Monmouth, NJ, in the field of communications. Then, he became commander of the Signal Battalion there. He acquired a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Monmouth University while in the Monmouth area. As a LTC, he was then assigned to the Army General Staff in the Pentagon for 3 years; his most demanding but personally rewarding assignment.

From there, he was assigned to Brussels at NATO Headquarters,where the joined the US Military Representative's Staff. He was later promoted to the rank of Colonel, and switched to NACISA, a NATO International organization. After 3 years, Colonel Buckman was assigned to Germany, Patch Barracks at HQ US EUCOM where he spent his last assignment after 30 years on active duty retiring to take up residence with his wife, Barbara, at their home in Cheshire, England in the summer and Marco Island, FL as snowbirds for the winter. Roy became an avid golfer and enjoyed a golf membership in the lovely environment of Northern Cheshire. After being snowbirds for 10 years, Roy and Barbara built their retirement home overlooking the 16th fairway of the Marco Island Country Club where they have lived for six lovely years.

Roy was an enthusiastic tennis player for years both in the UK and Florida, but later concentrated totally on golf. On top of this, he was an avid skier during the Northern European winters. Barbara, his wife, also became an enthusiastic tennis player. Roy took great pleasure in her playing that sport. In speaking with Roy, I learned to know a man who was not only an achiever at work and sports, but one who loved his wife so very much and the life they had together. He remained positive to the end, accepting the fact he knew he was going to die but squeezing out every minute of joy and love he could muster during his last year with his devoted wife, Barbara. He told me that she took care of him so well that he was able to help military families right up to his last hours. May God bless Roy and continue to bless his darling wife, Barbara. She is such an easy person to love. I know that many of you will want to share your little stories about Roy for her to read over the coming months.