The funeral services of Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Tatum will be held on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. at New Living Word. The church is located on Barnett Springs Road in Ruston.
Tatum graduated with honors in accounting, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Air Force in 1997 from Grambling State University. His motto as a cadet at GSU was “stay focused and have fun.”
He had an outstanding military career during the past 15 years in the Air Force before his untimely death in a car accident late Friday, Aug. 23 at the hands of a drunk driver near his new home in Bowie, Md.
He obtained two masters degrees, one in business management from the University of Alaska, and the other in military studies from Air University in Montgomery, Ala. He was an Air Force comptroller officer, commander of three different squadrons, and served in key staff officer positions and at major command levels.
Tatum and his family had just completed a tour of duty in Korea, and he was recently assigned to the Pentagon staff as the budget officer to work the Air Force’s military budget sequestration issues.
He leaves behind his wife, Consuelo (maiden name Gardener), a 1991 Carroll High School (Miss Carroll) graduate, and a 1996 graduate in accounting at GSU. They met at GSU and have a 6-year-old son, Rehmel.
Tatum has four other siblings-all graduates of GSU. His parents are retired AF Lt. Col. Don and Homer (mother) Tatum, currently residing in Grambling.
Tatum was a military brat who always considered Grambling State University his home and an intriguing part of his family.
He credited GSU with transforming him “from a boy to a man.”