World War II Honoree

Aloysius John Walkowski

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Detroit, Michigan

Honored By

AJ Walkowski

Relationship

Son

He was a senior in High School in 1945 when WWII was winding down. He wanted to serve but wasn’t yet 18 years old. He went to Detroit, Michigan just after Christmas and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces. In January of 1946, he boarded a train to Chicago to in-process into the Air Force. After a few months of basic training at Shepherd Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, he was transferred to Amarillo Army Base, Texas. From there, in June of 1946, he boarded a troop train headed for Camp Kearns, Utah. He was only stationed there for three months. In September, he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base in San Rafael, California to work on the flight line. He also tried out for the football team and became their starting center. In February, 1947, he was transferred to Scott Air Base, near St. Louis, Illinois, where he spent the next seven months working as a high-speed radio operator. Then he was transferred again for two short stays at Redwood City, California and Pocatello Air Base in Idaho, where his job was to relay radio messages to planes flying overhead. Then he was transferred to Hi Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah. This was his final assignment. He was honorably discharged from the air force with the rank of sergeant.