Page 60 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 60
Kenneth Brownfield
Grounded
by Larry Williams
at what became Cooper Airfield and went to aircraft
Rural High School.” (That mechanic’s school. Between
school was built in 1936 classes, I went to the flight line
and consolidated the rural and learned to change spark
schools of Slide, Barton, plugs on a B-17. We were
Woodrow, New Hope, and rebuilding planes from the
Union.) European Theater that had been
shot up and in need of repair.
Ken attended Texas Tech I learned the principles of the
in the fall of 1944 while internal combustion engine and
in the Army Reserve Pilot how to repair holes in sheet metal
Program. He had enlisted and replace rivets. I passed some
in June at the age of 17 more tests, including electrician,
and was called up late so I moved to working on B-29s
in 1944 and sent to Ft. which had much more wiring.
Bliss. “We were put on a
boxcar, and it took us three “Late in 1945, the Army came out
days to get to Sheppard with a plan that would guarantee
Airfield in Wichita Falls. that you could go with a buddy
We were considered cadets, somewhere on duty, so Sweeny
n a farm nine miles (potential officers). We and I signed up to go to Europe.
from Snyder, Texas, had inspections every day and We made our decision to re-
OKenneth Brownfield, the marched from one place to the enlist, but then we were told that
first of four sons was born to other. I wanted to fly. We went we were Air Corps surplus and
Andrew and Erma Brownfield into Link Trainers to learn how to given an honorable discharge.
in 1926. Two years later, Andrew fly but never got off the ground. I changed into civilian clothes
moved his young family to near We did ‘crash’ a few. If you right then and there and went to
Woodrow. The flat West Texas crashed, you weren’t going to be see my girl, Ernees Deering in
landscape provided the backdrop a pilot. Woodrow. I had never gotten off
to a solidly “grounded” life. the ground!
“The day after the war was
Everyone in the family had to over, they called us into a
help with the farming. “When big hangar and washed us
I was four years old, Dad’s arm out. They had ‘other details
was crushed, and he had a buddy for us.’ I knew what that
move in with us to help us put meant. I didn’t want to be
up the land (get the fields ready out picking up cigarette
to plant). butts and cleaning latrines. I
went into the headquarters
“I became ‘mom’s girl’. Since building and asked a
she also had to help with sergeant if he had any other
the farming, I learned to do jobs for me.”
everything around the house,
like cooking and cleaning. We Ken was assigned to
lived three miles from school Personnel, and “I was able
(Woodrow), and I had to walk to look at all the jobs the
there for a couple of years. I Air Corps had and saw a
attended Union school for a mechanic job opening, so
time and went to high school I sent myself to Amarillo
60 Lubbock Senior Link
