After decades in Air Force, VFW, Bill Nelson calls Breckenridge home

In his 90 years of life, Bill Nelson has strived for duty and service to his country and community. Having been in the U.S. Air Force for over two decades and then in the Breckenridge VFW for more than 50 years, Nelson’s military life began at Clark Field in the Philippines, March 1946, after World War II had ended. He also had a stint at Lowry A.F. Base in Denver, Colorado.

After that tour, he went to the European theater at Wiesbaden AFB, Germany. Nelson was present during the Berlin Airlift, when American B-52s took food and medical supplies into occupied Berlin.

“It was amazing,” Nelson said. “One plane after another continuously landed, unloaded and took-off again, non-stop.”

Nelson spent time at Kessler AFB, at Biloxi, Mississippi. Then it was off to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), in K-47, Chunchon, Korea, at the zone between the North and South. While there, Nelson enjoyed a USO Show that included Marilyn Monroe.

After that tour overseas, Nelson returned stateside to Gray AFB at Killeen, Texas, which required a Top Secret clearance to be stationed there. That base no longer exists at the mission has been switched to Kelly AFB.›After that, Nelson was assigned to duty in Bermuda, at Kindley AFB.

“That was like being on a continuous vacation for two years, great duty,” Nelson said.

Next, Nelson was sent to a tour at Dyess AFB, in Abilene and then to Andrews AFB, in Washington D.C. in time to participate in the inauguration parade of John F. Kennedy in 1961. However, due to the freezing temperature and accumulated snow, the parade was cancelled and JFK was sworn in, in the Rotunda. The primary mission at Andrews AFB is to support VIP and Presidential aircraft maintenance, security and fire protection, which it still does to this day.

During his tenure at Andrews, the presidential aircraft was a super constellation named Columbine, after a flower that was loved by President Eisenhower and his mother.

The first presidential jet plane was delivered there in 1957, with a three-digit call number. This almost caused a mid-air collision with a civilian plane that had the same call numbers as the presidential plane. That is why the presidential plane is now referred to as Air Force One.

Nelson had one more tour overseas, at a NATO base at Laon, France before his final stateside assignment at Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, Ohio, where he retired in 1967, after 21 years of service in the U.S. Air Force.

Nelson joined the VFW in Columbus, Ohio in 1968 and then transferred his membership in 1995 to the VFW Post 7767, in Breckenridge, which now marks more than 50 years as a member of a VFW.

He has capped off a career as a member of the military service and as a civilian veteran who has headed the local chapter and served in other offices as well at VFW Post 7767.

At the age of 90, Nelson has been in some tenuous situations. But despite all this, he has been able to return to Breckenridge and continues to call it his home.