Post #13 in this thread mentions an emergency landing of a B-52. That reminded me that my dad was on duty with the FAA in the early-'70s when Governor George Wallace’s airplane had to make a landing at the Barstow-Daggett Airport for some reason. I don’t remember the circumstances, but I think it was a 737 and that the landing was either weather-related or mechanical-related. The upshot was that dad was made an honourary Colonel in the Alabama… National Guard? Militia? Something like that. There was a certificate that I last saw back in the '80s, and it was rather mangled in storage.
Even at my young age I was aware of Wallace’s pro-segregation stance. On one hand I thought it was cool that dad was recognised for whatever it was he did that was ‘above and beyond the call of duty’. (Dad was always helping people, even opening his home to stranded pilots.) On the other hand, there was Wallace’s political views. Anyway is there a way to find out exactly what Wallace gave to my dad, and why and when he gave it?
My grandfather was an honorary colonel to Governor Earl Long back home in Louisiana. I have briefly looked and couldn’t find anything about it. Those were real honors but in the Southern, pat you on the back, kind of way. I don’t think that were ever recorded like, say, military honors.
You might contact the Alabama governor’s office and ask them if they keep records of such awards. It might require someone to go through the paper archives, though.
I’m assuming an Alabama Colonel is like a Kentucky Colonel. Link. A Kentucky Colonel is a colonel of Kentucky. It’s not a military rank, it is simply an honor with a nice certificate and some bragging rights.
Thanks for the link, Race. (Now I have the Jonny Quest Theme in my head!) I tried to search the archives, but the server seems to be down. I did email the contact though.
As others have said, these awards were honorary but came with bragging rights. To toot my own horn here, Huey and Earl Long are direct-descendant ancestors on my father’s side, I believe Huey is something like my great-great uncle.
Cool. My family has pictures of Earl Long holding my young father and aunt at their house. I think he even stayed there a few times. We even have (or had when I was kid) furniture from him as a gift. He was a good guy although crazy as a shit-house rat. He still has a legacy in the flavor of Louisiana politics I believe.