Page 23 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine
P. 23
Home Wilford Naylor Wilford was born In February, 1943, Naylor joined
Home
WWII Pilot
air force
WWii
"Broomstick Charlie"
by Larry Williams
of the
of the
the Army Air Corps. After
on December 2,
free 1920. His father primary training on PT-19s at
had served during
Victory Field in Vernon, then
free
Classification School at Randolph
WWI as a Warrant
Officer. After the
Field in San Antonio, and finally
BT-13 (Valtee Vibrator) training
war, he raised “the
in Greenville, he was sent to Fort
prettiest cotton
Worth Army Air Field. There,
you’ve ever seen”.
Wilford learned to fly a B-24
Once, when a
Liberator bomber which was
hailstorm wiped
built at a nearby factory. The
out the crop, he
cattle and sell the
pilots between 1942 and 1944.
because had to kill his base trained more than 4,000
because
meat to help the
Wilford added, “My younger
family survive. He
brother, Hamilton, was also a
eventually became
pilot. He was in the Navy and
flew an SBD (Dauntless) dive
a butcher at a local
of the meat market and bomber.”
of the
later worked at
Wilford met his future wife Vera
National Biscuit
at church, and she agreed to a
Co. (Nabisco).
date. He recalled, “I had a friend
Brave Oto tell of his experiences Vernon High School, he helped who had a sailboat, so I took her
Brave
Young Wilford
enjoyed fishing,
out on that. Later, I took her up
in a BT-13 plane and showed off
and while
ne hundred-year-old
attending nearby
a bit by doing some dives and
Wilford Naylor settled in
turns. After we landed, she said,
his 1939 team win the state
‘Never take me flying again!’”
as a B-24, and later, a B-17 pilot.
While he doesn’t move around
said, “Mom never did fly in an
1941, he attended Hardin Junior
nor hear as well as he used to, basketball championship. In Naylor’s daughter, Marilyn Mills,
airplane again.” Wilford and
College (now Midwestern
A A A A A his mind was still sharp as he State University) in Wichita Vera married on December 9,
thought back to those days as a
Thank You, Veterans. young pilot, flying missions into Falls. While there, he was in 1943.
the Civil Aviation Authority
Wilford said, “After our training
Germany as part of the Mighty
Eighth Air Force. Serving in the (CAA) ground school, got his in Ft. Worth, we were sent to
pilot’s license and took acrobatic
8th was dangerous. They suffered training in a WACO plane (a two- Topeka, Kansas to pick up our
26,000 deaths, as well as many winged bi-plane with an open plane, a B-24. We left out of
missing in action and never cockpit). He also worked at the Bangor, Maine to fly across the
accounted for. It was into this airport, where he opened the café Atlantic, to Scotland. We flew
maelstrom that Wilford found and made coffee every morning. over Greenland and Iceland on
himself in 1944. He occasionally transported the way to Prestwick, Scotland;
passengers and helped mechanics the flight took us 12 hours and
The oldest of three children of 38 minutes. We flew on to Eye
John and Lillie Mae Naylor, repair planes, especially fixing Air Force Station where we were
tears in the wings.
State Representative Senator State Representative
John Frullo Charles Perry Dustin Burrows Lubbock Senior Link 23
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