Hometown Brandon - Summer 2015

Airman Hack Walston Lt. Cdr. Scott Landrum Captain Joe Hunt
Airman II (ret.) Hack Walston is a long time Brandon,
Mississippi resident and a veteran of the United
States Air Force. Hack’s service began when he
enlisted in 1957, after the end of the Korean War,
and in the middle of The Cold War. On his first
day as a raw recruit at the Lackland Airforce Base
in San Antonio, Texas, Hack learned a valuable
lesson–a recruit needed permission to do
everything but breathe. Nonetheless, Hack did
survive basic training then moved on to serve at
Galena Air Force Base in Alaska. For Hack, this
was the highlight of his Air Force Career, despite
the obvious cold temperature and dialect barrier
any Southern Mississippi boy would experience
in Alaska. “I was a radar reader, a part of Air Craft
Control and Warning.” Hack said, “It was our job
to keep track of all air activity in northern Alaska
and have interceptors at the ready.” From the
control center, Hack and his team would send
airplanes out to scramble the Russians until the
Russians would run out of fuel. One night, a
plane was flying across the radar a little too fast.
Not knowing who was flying the aircraft, the
Control Center at Hack’s base sent out jets and
scrambled the unidentified fast-moving airplane.
Upon spotlighting the airplane’s pilot, it was
determined that it was just a priest flying a private
plane. All ended well in that situation, but the
poor priest was surely frightened. Hack retired
from the Air Force in 1961 as an Airman Second,
having gained a little maturity and a lot of
experience. Hack said, “I enjoyed my term in
the Air Force. After that, I went to college, and
I guess the rest is history.”
Lieutenant Commander (ret.) Scott Landrum CHC
is a 5 year resident of Brandon, Mississippi, and
is the current Pastor of Nativity Lutheran Church.
He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps
and the United States Navy. Scott enlisted in the
Marine Corps after high school, in 1985. He
endured boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina
which he described as absolutely terrifying. “But
like most things,” he said “you adjust.” While in
seminary, Scott explored the Navy Chaplain Corps
and eventually took a direct commission into the
Navy Reserve as a chaplain during the Global
War on Terror. He was stationed at the United
States military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany for
a year, and was stationed in Iraq for a short time.
Scott described the scene in Iraq as that of any
normal city with a Taco Bell and a Burger King.
However, the jets, smoke, and uncomfortably
nearby “booms” constantly reminded him he was
in a war zone. In Germany and Iraq, Scott spent
many long hours ministering to injured soldiers,
and mourning families. When Hurricane Katrina
hit, Scott was assigned to the Coast Guard. He
considers this one the most unforgettable
moments in his military career. Vividly, Scott
remembers the chaotic, devastated environment
of New Orleans half submerged in water and
practically turned upside down. “Yet,” Scott said
“in the midst of all the chaos, at the end of the
day back at the base, men and women from the
Coast Guard, Navy, and the New Orleans Police
Department gathered with me around Holy
Communion. It was a healthy reminder that God
was still in control and He is good.” Scott retired
from service in November of 2012. From his
experience, Scott gained selflessness and
perseverance. “Most importantly,” Scott said “the
military taught me to be on time!”
Captain (ret.) Joe Hunt is a veteran of the United
States Air Force. He Enlisted in 1959, completed
basic training, then was immediately sent to Russian
Language Training at Syracuse, University for
nine months. Then, he was sent to radio operator
equipment training school in Texas. After that,
Joe was sent to a little base in Hof, Germany to
put his training to work. Joe arrived in Germany
on a slow moving train. Outfitted in full uniform,
he was the only American military guy on the
train. Unsure of just how welcomed he would be
by the Germans, Joe sat quietly starving on the
11 hour train ride to Hof, until finally a little old
German lady sitting across from him took pity
and gave joe a couple of pears out of a basket
she was carrying. Joe said, “Pears never tasted
so good!” According to Joe, Hof turned out to
be a very welcoming place. Joe fell in love with
Hof and all things German. He said, “I eventually
married one of them and she puts up with me still
after 51 years.” In Germany, Joe’s job was to listen
in to Soviet Pilots as they flew around their side
of the border and communicated with ground
controllers. Joe was on duty when the first
Russian Cosmonaut was sent into orbit. He
listened to a guy talk for a short time while he
was in range. He mostly talked how the weather
appeared from up there. “The most memorable
thing,” Joe said “was how clear the transmission
was. The cosmonaut was apparently wearing
one of those fishbowl things over his head with
a really good microphone.” Today, Joe accredits
many of his accomplishments to the skills,
knowledge, and character he gained from serving
in the military. Captain Joe Hunt retired in January
of 1980 after 21 years of service. “Aside from the
family separations and things like that,” he said,
“I loved pretty much all of it.”
Hometown Brandon Salutes our
Hometown Heroes
Olivia Halverson
Hometown Brandon • 47