Our farmhouse in Kansas holds many of my family’s keepsakes, and every time we visit I refamiliarize myself with the ancestral annals held within in her walls. During our most recent visit, I brought back a treasure trove of items that belonged to my paternal grandfather Warren Hugh McElroy.
I knew my Grandpa Warren well, having spent time with he and my grandmother often throughout our lives until his passing in 2013 at the age of 93. I sat down with him on a number of occasions to ask him about his life and to document his story. We also requested his permission to obtain his military records — which he gladly gave.
It’s been some time since I went through his memorabilia and documents, and I must say it is really heartwarming to sort through these materials. He shared many stories with us over the years, but I hadn’t yet pieced his stories together with his military and personal files. I now have a timeline of events and it feels so wonderful to have more insight into all that he experienced and accomplished during his lifetime.
He had an illustrative career in everything aviation related. Early on he had a passion for flying, graduating from Hays College in Hays, KS with a bachelor degree in Industrial Arts in 1941. At Hays he would meet, and become very good friends with Robert Yeagy — whose life would greatly impact his own in the years to come. He was part of the Phi Delta Chi fraternity, along with the infamous author Mickey Spillane, and joined the Men’s Glee Club and the Little Theater Groupe.
His career started as a Tool & Die Maker at Cessna in Wichita, KS and shortly thereafter he became a flight instructor at 29 Palms. He began active duty in the Air Force Reserve Corps in November, 1944 at Fort MacArthur, CA. He was a flight engineer, engine installer, and instructor, at the San Bernardino Air Depot, and then a Mechanic at Victorville, CA.
He would obtain his commercial pilot’s license in 1947 from the Les Farrer School of Aviation, obtain credits from Redlands University in Redland, CA, and teach and advise in St. Louis, MO. He ultimately he made his way to Wichita Falls, TX and become an A&E instructor — where his career at Sheppard Air Force Base began.
Tragically, his dear friend Robert Yeagy from Hays passed away from leukemia at the age 29, leaving behind a wife, Jane, and a young son Joe. It’s clear that Warren felt a kinship with these two and began flying his Cessna from Wichita Falls to Horton, KS to visit them. He would fall in love with, and marry, Jane in 1951 — and in 1957, he would formally adopt Joe because in his words “he needed a daddy.” The family would settle in Wichita Falls until Warren’s retirement in 1977.
There is so much I could share about Grandpa Warren, his character, and what a generous, kind, and loyal man he was — but this is a much bigger story. For now, I want to honor these precious items which provide the context for a life lived fully.
A Series of Life Events
1943
When flying to 29 Palms from Kansas in 1943, Warren “cracked-up” in the Arizona mountains in his Piper J5. Cracked-up is a term he used to describe the crash which apparently was significant enough to push the engine into the cockpit. He was rescued, and taken care of, for about 2 weeks by a couple who had witnessed the crash — fortunately he walked away with only a concussion. Given his absence he was believed to be dead, until he was able to reach civilization and notify people of his harrowing experience. Even more fantastically, he was able to dismantle his broken plane and haul it by car to California.
1950
A letter was sent stating that Warren’s loyalty investigation was satisfactorily completed by the FBI.
1951
When asked in his personal history statement for the Air Force about being a conscientious objector, he responds “During college I was a conscientious objector however soon after leaving college the fallacy of such became apparent.”
1953
He received his honorable discharge papers from the Army and a Victory Medal.
1957
While working for Sheppard AFB, he attended a Spares Provisioning Conference in Arizona and was charged with taking a locked briefcase to the event and handing it off — documents referencing this event include the statement:
Employee has access to classified material up to and including SECRET.
1960
In letter from a General Thomas D. White, Warren and his team at Sheppard AFB are thanked for their contribution to the development and execution of the Thor Training Program for Weapon System of the same name.