Vestavia Hills veteran enjoys life of service, teaching

Don Wilson had just gotten married when he got the call to go to Korea.

It was September 1953 when Wilson, a Vestavia Hills resident, married his wife, Alleen. Four months later, he would be sent to Korea with the Air Force, shortly after the Korean War.

Wilson, now 89 years old, was assigned to oversee the passenger terminal in Seoul, South Korea, the only way in and out of the country. The war had not been over long, but fear was still present.

“We were always afraid it would start again,” Wilson said.

Wilson moved Korean units around and said moving them through some of the Korean airfields was still dangerous. He and his crew had to make sure the peace agreement was kept. Not being able to leave the base was tough, though.

“It stunk,” Wilson said. “Everything in Korea was completely torn up.”

Wilson is originally from Louisville and joined the Air Force out of college, influenced by his cousin, who was shot and killed during a flying mission in World War II as a member of the Air Force. Wilson was 10 years old at the time.

“That left a very strong impression on me,” he said.

Wilson said he knew he couldn’t fly because of his eyes but wanted to join the Air Force and serve. He said he was thankful to have enjoyed such a good career.

While much of his time in Korea was spent trying to avoid an outbreak of new conflicts, Wilson said there were some funny moments, including when a Korean soldier was fiddling with his gun and it accidentally shot off a round.

“His boss probably had some choice words for him,” Wilson said.

In addition to serving in Korea, Wilson established himself as an historian, teaching at the Air Force Academy and later writing military history for the Air Force while he was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. Wilson also established the Air Force ROTC program at Samford University, where he taught for 25 years, including 10 as chair of the history department.

“I learned I really didn’t know what the Air Force was about,” Wilson said.

Wilson began teaching at the Air Force Academy in 1965 and taught for five years.

When new students started their career, they were “like students everywhere else,” Wilson said. “But by the time they were finished, you saw men literally molded.”

When he was at Maxwell, he was in charge of junior units and began writing military history, a passion that has been a key part of his life in both writing and teaching. Wilson has written numerous articles and book reviews, as well as the 2008 book “Alabama Bomber Boys: Unlocking Memories of Alabamians who Bombed the Third Reich,” which tells the stories of the men who flew dangerous combat missions in bombers that hailed from Alabama. As of October, Wilson said there was one still living from the 20 to 30 veterans he interviewed for the book.

“I love military history,” Wilson said. “I love to teach the wars.”

Wilson said it’s a challenge, as many students do not receive the education in history they need. “We really are dreadfully woe in certain history,” he said.

Wilson also helped start and grow ROTC programs all over the state, including founding the program at Samford.

“It was difficult,” Wilson said. “Samford was really glad to have us. We were given about three years to make it grow.”

At that time, Wilson said women were just starting to come into the program, but there was difficulty recruiting women. Eventually, the program began to grow, and now it has a good reputation, he said.

Wilson retired from Samford in 2004 and was awarded the rank of professor emeritus.

“You hit that point in life that you do what you want to do,” he said.

Wilson’s faith in God has played a key part in his life, taking him from Kentucky to Korea and eventually to Vestavia.

“I don’t know what I would have done without it,” he said.

Wilson said the reason he has had such a good life is that he is “guided by a power much bigger than me.” His family has also been willing to move with him — about 25 times, Wilson said.

“We’ve had an exciting life together,” Wilson said of his wife.

Wilson’s son, Doug, followed his father into the Air Force, primarily serving in the National Guard and in the Afghanistan conflict.

Even at 89, Wilson said he tries to remain active in the community through his family’s involvement at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, where he serves as a deacon, choir member and Sunday school teacher. He is also a member of Vestavia’s Rotary Club and enjoys living in the city. “Vestavia’s a great place to live,” he said.