America’s Veterans Continue to Be Honored With Memorials

by Chuck N. Baker

(Tonopah) — Sometimes, it takes a while for an individual or a group to be recognized for their positive contributions. That can be especially true in the military. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal written by White House National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien noted that the practice of garrisoning large numbers of troops with their families on massive bases is now, in part, obsolete. He continued that modern warfare is increasingly expeditionary and requires platforms with extended range. Caught up in changes in military requirements, the town and general area around Tonopah once loomed large when it came to housing large military cadres, their families and billion-dollar aircraft and armaments. But as O’Brien wrote, time has brought changes.

The Tonopah Air Force Base, known as the Tonopah Army Air Field in WWII, was home to the Stealth Bomber in the 1980s. The 60×90-mile area has had many military names and designations, going back to at least the 1930s. Overtaken by time and larger bases like Nellis and Creech, two of the Tonopah military runways are still in use and maintained by Nye County. Also remaining are World War II building foundations and three hangars at the municipal Tonopah Airport. In recent years, town resident and former Nye County Commissioner Joni Eastley became more aware of the military history surrounding the area. She was surprised to learn that there were many servicemen stationed there who through non-combat roles lost their lives while on duty. “Over the years, 121 airmen died here, some in training incidents, some in a barracks fire, some from illness,” she said. “If they died here and wore the uniform, they deserved to be honored.”

Eastley began to collect vintage news articles and web information about former Tonopah Air Force personnel and ended up with a scrapbook full of history. She envisioned a memorial in the town, and the more she thought about it and discussed it with others, the more it started to gel as a future reality. There was much encouragement. “My father is 90 and served in the Ohio National Guard. When I told him about a possible memorial he said, ‘You have to do this.’”

Eastley knew she couldn’t do it alone. She met with Tonopah resident Bob Perchetti, chairman of the town’s Murals and Monuments Committee, a part of the area’s Main Street Program promoting town improvements. He was extremely supportive, and led the charge for donations. But he gives credit to Eastley. “It was her idea,” he explained. “It would never have happened if not for her.” As of this writing some $20,000 in donations have been collected. The monument will carry the names of all 121 of the deceased. Initially the dedication was planned for July 4, and dozens of townsfolk, elected officials, military personnel and at least one or two relatives of several of the men were expected. However due to the virus situation and Gov. Steve Sisolak’s order that all individuals must wear masks, things have changed. The new projected date is Memorial Day, 2021.

The memorial will be installed next to the meeting hall of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “There is a great big lot for parking, and the VFW is the caretaker of the property,” Perchetti said. In addition to cash donations, others donated cement and building materials, and local craftsman Mickey Neighbors helped design the project. Any funds left over once the memorial is installed will go to the VFW Hall which intends to modernize the vintage facility. Another part of the monument will be an actual Pratt & Whitney engine from a B-24D Liberator Bomber. The plane it was powering crashed in Nevada on a training mission that took off from Tonopah on December 2, 1944, killing six airmen. The engine was donated by the Central Nevada Historical Society.

# # #