Retired in October of 2003 after serving thirty-seven years in the Air Force. He flew 124 combat missions in the Vietnam War, flying the F-4, F-105, A-7D, and the O-1. Thirty-four years later, he flew combat sorties in an F-16 in Operation Northern Watch. All told, he accumulated 988 combat missions with 1790 combat hours in F-4, F-105, A-7D, F-16, A/OA-10, O-1 and U-17 during Deny Flight, Joint Endeavour, Southern Watch, Allied Force and accumulated 2,737 total hours in the F-16. King's last F-16 flight occurred the day before his sixtieth birthday. He is believed to be the oldest operational F-16 pilot.