190603 June 3, 2019
A Busy Week for Me
Tommy Towery
LHS '64
I admit I am getting old (three weeks shy of 73) but I felt young when I went skydiving with a 95 year old World War II veteran on Memorial Day. He was a B-24 bombardier who had to bail out of his ailing aircraft at the end of WW II and became a POW for the last six months of the war. His bucket list wish was to parachute from a plane again and I and two other veterans joined him in the jump. I wore my USAF flight suit (which I still fit into) for the jump from a King Air at 14,500 feet. We did a free-fall for a good while before we opened the chute. The local Channel 3 news covered the event.
Earlier in the week I was interviewed for a story about my experiences pulling nuclear alert during the Cold War for a story which appeared in the Little Rock newspaper, the Arkansas-Gazette. I also attended a planning committee meeting at Blytheville AFB, Arkansas on plans to turn the former base into the National Cold War Museum.
To finish off the week, I got my five seconds of screen time in a crowd in the movie "Wedding at Graceland" which premiered Saturday night on the Hallmark Channel. I appear on the left side of the screen during a tree planting ceremony.
Memphis, TN - This week you see what happens when none of you send me anything about your activities (either old or new). You end up with an issue about what the editor does in a week. Most of my week was spent with thing connected to my life in the military. If you want me to publish something about you...you have to send me something to use.
I lost an email listing a few others who should be included in other classes that were killed in Vietnam. It is late now but I will try to find it and update our records.
From Our Mailbox
Subject: Last Issue
Spencer Thompson
LHS '64
Another great issue T. Thanks for all you do. I think often about our days at Lee it was a magical time. I think not only of my great friends there but what a great influence the teachers were on me. God Bless You and Mrs. T.
Subject: Prentice Hicks
Marlene Gail Mateuda
Tommy,
In response to Prentice Hicks, I found the following from Carolyn Cunningham, 2001 on the website vvmf.org. (He went by middle name of Wayne). Also has four pictures of him. Still MIA. He went to Butler HS.
FOND MEMORY OF A FORMER CLASSMATE
Wayne and I were seniors together at Butler High School. I remember one March day in Mrs. Hoyle's government class we were all asked to tell what we were going to do after graduation. Wayne grinned and said he was going to Saigon University. It was a common "joke" of the time. None of us could comprehend the serious nature of that "joke". I remember Wayne as a blushing, shy kind of guy around us girls. He was a real nice, salt-of-the earth young man
Subject: Lee Service Losses
Don Wynn
Question about members of the class of 67 who died in service to our country. I think Ed Huff should be on the list. I did not know him but remember his name well. I think he was a Marine but am not certain.
You listed a serviceman named Acton. I don’t think I have ever heard that name and don’t believe he was in the class of 67. I could be wrong but the names may be switched (Acton for Huff).
I knew Sam Smith very well. He was very proud to be in the USMC rather than the Army.
