Wesley R Vawter
Military
media-6999.jpeg
UPL 6999
Lt. Wesley R. Vawter
Co-PIlot
466th BG - 785th BS
Co-PIlot
466th BG - 785th BS
466th BG Archives
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Dixie
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 785th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Jackson, TN, USA | 9 January 1924 | |
Died |
Memphis, TN, USA | 29 May 2009 | WESLEY RHODES VAWTER, JR., 85, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, died Friday, May 29, 2009 at Baptist Hospital after a long and full life. A retired businessman, community volunteer, and woodworking enthusiast, Mr. Vawter was born January 9, 1924 in Jackson, TN, to Wesley Rhodes Vawter and Emily Black Vawter. As a youngster, he moved with his parents to Alexandria, Louisiana. He began studies at Louisiana State University but left to join the military, along with most of his Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers, during World War II. He was a first lieutenant with the 466th bomber group, co-piloting a B-24 aircraft on 35 combat missions for the U.S. Air Force. After the war, Mr. Vawter began a long career with Chrysler Corporation, relocating several times throughout the U. S. over a thirty-year period. When his career travels ended, he returned to his West Tennessee roots and was blessed with nearly two decades of productive retirement in Memphis. At Mullins United Methodist Church he was a former trustee, Lay Leader and chairman of the Administrative Council. He also delivered meals for MIFA and volunteered as a driver for the American Cancer Society. A fitness buff, he continued regular gym workouts well into his eighties, and he enjoyed weekly games of golf with friends and former colleagues. The defining role of his retirement, however, was his love of woodworking. A talented and self-taught craftsman, he enjoyed creating treasures for family and friends, as well as the challenge of making repairs to fine antique furniture or simple repairs for home or church projects |
Buried |
Memphis, TN, USA | 1 June 2009 | Memorial Park Cemetery Memphis Shelby County Tennessee, USA Plot: Mausoleum |
Alexandria, LA, USA | 425 Lee Street |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit roster in the book ATTLEBRIDGE ARSENAL by Wassom & Brassfield, page 331