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We've been learning about Everett Wallin's Air Force service to help us better understand the Vietnam War's impact on our region.
Everett grew up in Willmar; enlisted in the Air Force in 1955; and began his career in Germany.
While assigned in Arizona in 1958, Everett married his Willmar sweetheart, Phyllis, and they began a family with Lori arriving in Arizona and Mark joining them in Spokane, Washington.
Everett served at Tahkli Air Base in Thailand during 1965 and 1966, generating liquid oxygen for the F-105 fighter bombers of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing flying bombing missions against North Vietnam.
He returned from overseas; reunited with his family in Willmar; and they moved to Ellsworth Air Force Base, near Rapid City, South Dakota. Everett explained his work there.
"I was assigned to a missile squadron. Those missile sites had stand-by power units; 115 missile sites and fifteen launch control centers. That was part of my job to make sure those generators started up and ran when they were supposed to."
He described these remote sites.
"They were Minuteman missiles in silos. There was a hardened site, but the generator site itself was not a hardened site. You'd have to call into the control center and authenticate you were on-site, otherwise they'd send Air Police out. Once on-site, you had a combination to get into the access. Then you could crawl down a ladder; walk in a door; and you'd be in the generator area. But the missile itself, you couldn't do that."
The Wallin's enjoyed life at Ellsworth; visiting nearby Rapid City and the Black Hills and becoming good friends with other Air Force families.
Everett's follow-on assignment in 1968 was another unaccompanied tour, this time to a remote base in eastern Turkey. Phyllis and the kids again moved back to Willmar. Everett explained his unit's mission and his role.
"We had three or four communications sites there. I had a communications site about five miles off the [main] base where we had power units. At least one unit ran all the time to provide power to that site. This was a tropospheric scatter site. They were trying to listen to Russia is what they were doing."
Everett maintained the diesel generators at his site and served as a barracks chief at the main installation. This meant he got his own room and was there to encourage the younger airmen during their tour of duty. He and Phyllis resumed their letter writing routine.
"We wrote all the time - every day, which was really the best thing going. I wouldn't have wanted it any different and the kids still sent me drawings and pictures."
The Air Force reassigned Everett to a missile squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota in August 1969. The Wallin's moved into base housing and Everett again worked on back-up generators for remote missile launch and control sites.
Everett received orders in February 1972 to Vandenberg Air Force Base and its 3901st Missile Evaluation Squadron. The Wallin's moved into military housing on the Pacific coast base near Lompoc, California. Everett's job involved lots of traveling.
"We traveled to all the missile bases twelve days at a time and we would evaluate the whole missile squadron from top to bottom – personnel, equipment, [and] procedures."
An unusual benefit of a Vandenberg assignment was seeing launches from the Air Force missile test site there.
"One time we saw a Titan (missile) go off and it was pretty impressive. It was pretty big and made lots of noise."
Everett enjoyed his work and the Wallin's liked life at Vandenberg, but in 1973 he received orders to Clark Air Base in the Philippines.
"The family went with me. It was right at the end of the Vietnam War. [I] was assigned to the 1st Mobile [Communications] Group. My area had about 300 generators and about forty people. They were sent on temporary duty a lot before this, but it had slowed way down."
An unforgettable aspect of this assignment involved witnessing the return of American prisoners of war from North Vietnam after the U.S. signed the Paris Peace Accords.
"We'd go down to the flight line - a lot of dependents and military personnel. As these planes came in from North Vietnam and unloaded personnel they'd come up and talk to you or sign autographs or talk to the kids. John McCain made a speech when he got off the plane. It was pretty emotional there. You'd see these guys come off and some were messed up a bit. From there they bussed them to the hospital and checked them out before they were transferred back to the States. It was good to see them come back. Some of those people could have flown off the base I was at in Thailand."
Everett retired as a Master Sergeant in 1975. He and Phyllis moved the family back to Willmar before learning about Marshall's new Pittsburg Paint and Glass plant. PPG hired Everett and the family settled in Marshall.
Reflecting on his 20 years of Air Force service, Everett identified lessons that have informed his life.
"How to get along with various types of people all over the world; to understand that if you treat people right, they'll treat you right. And I [learned] discipline - be on time and do things right."
Thank you for your service, Everett. Welcome home.
The Lyon County Museum is organizing an exhibit about the impact of the Vietnam War on Lyon County. If you would like to share Vietnam experiences or help with the exhibit, please contact me at prairieviewpressllc@gmail.com or call the museum at 537-6580.