By DEAN REA/The Herald — Bryan Cutchen was born on March 21, 1961, in Jacksonville, Fla., where his father was a Navy pilot. Bryan’s grandfather had been a machinist mate and Navy Golden Glove boxer.
Cutchen graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in nautical science from the Maine Maritime Academy and has a Master of Arts degree in strategic studies from the Air War College. Cutchen was assigned to the Navy Reserve Forces Command where he was responsible for Navy Reserve budgeting and operations, personnel readiness and for sourcing Navy mobilization requirements as directed by the Chief of Naval Operations and U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
His flying assignments included multiple E-2C Hawkeye squadron tours. He commanded Carrier Air Wing Reserve 20 from August 2005 to July 2008. Earlier, he commanded VAW-77, a special mission counter narcotics squadron supporting the U.S. Southern Command. He has amassed more than 5,000 hours in various aircraft, including the E-2C Hawkeye, C-2A Greyhound, and F-18A Hornet.
Cutchen’s staff and shore assignments included two tours as a member of the Chief of Naval Operations staff in the Pentagon.
During nearly four decades of service in the U.S. Navy, Bryan rose to the rank of Rear Admiral upper half (that’s two stars). He retired in 2014.
Post military career
He later flew as a commercial pilot for Delta Air Lines and for PSA Airlines.
In 2016 he was defeated in a three-way race for the Maine state Senate.
In 2018-19 he founded and was a principal in a business management and defense consulting firm.
Cutchen was hired in July 2019 as the Oakridge, Ore., city administrator. He has declined two increases in his $92,330 annual salary because of the city’s financial squeeze. In late October, he submitted his resignation effective Feb. 28, 2022.
Cutchen is married to artist Terrilyn “Sissy” Rosenberg Cutchen. They have two children, Annie Cutchen and Max Cutchen, who are lieutenants in the U.S. Navy.
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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