Page 66 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2021- Online Magazine
P. 66
Victor Astwood Training for a Lifetime
by Larry Williams
School in New Jersey. Astwood received orders for
He was a weightlifter, Korea and shipped out from San
and French was his Francisco on the USS General
favorite subject. He George M. Randall troopship in
graduated in 1950. January 1953. “We stopped at
Hawaii but didn’t get off the
The Korean War ship. It was always hurry up
began in June, shortly and wait. We finally landed in
after Vic’s graduation. Japan, and they took us by plane
He attended college to Korea. We flew at night; they
for a year and a half turned off all the lights, even the
in Long Island City, runway lights, and we landed in
Queens, where he Kunsan (Air Base), Korea. That
studied to become an was scary.
aircraft and engine
mechanic. Knowing “They gave us three folding
the military draft was chairs for a bed, but I was so tall
“going to catch up” (6’) I had to add a fourth chair.
with him, Vic decided I slept in my coveralls most of
to join the U.S. Air the time. We took our planes,
Force. He laughed shot at by the Communists, and
when he said, “The repaired them. They gave us just
Army tried to draft two days to get them back in
me just three days flying condition. We worked 12
after I joined the Air hours on and 12 hours off. We
Force! I wasn’t a U.S. often got shot at by Communist
citizen yet, and the planes flying over our base. We
Army was looking had ditches dug throughout our
for men, any men.” compound, and when the planes
ighty-eight-year-old Victor Fortunately for Vic, came to strafe us, we jumped
Caesar Astwood did not the Air Force accepted him. He into them for cover. They often
Etake the traditional route was inducted on February 29, had over two feet of water in
when he joined the armed forces 1952. Basic training followed at them, and that filled up your
in 1952. He was born a British Samson Air Force Base on Lake boots when you jumped in. I
citizen in Cape Haitien, Haiti Seneca. It’s estimated that over had a buddy, Bob Phelan from
on April 15, 1932, to Charles 330,000 Air Force personnel were my high school, who was killed
and Adela Astwood. Vic was trained there during the Korean (Sgt. Phelan with I Company, 3rd
the fourth of five children born War (1950-1956). Astwood Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment)
to Charles, a dentist and a recalled that it was “bitter on September 5, 1952, at ‘Outpost
Columbia University grad, and cold, and some men died of Bruce.’”
Adela, a homemaker. His family pneumonia.” Advanced training When asked about his scariest
eventually ended up in Long (aircraft mechanic) for Vic was time in Korea, Vic was quick to
Island, New York where Vic at Sheppard Air Force Base in say, “Once, we were overrun by
attended Red Bank Catholic High Wichita Falls, Texas.
the North Koreans around 2:00
66 Lubbock Senior Link
