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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Mar '93
William Henderson Mason NO. 16118 CLASS OF 1946 Lost
on 22 May 1968 when his plane was shot down by enemy fire over
Laos. Still unaccounted for.
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WILLIAM HENDERSON MASON'S father was an attorney and politician,
serving many terms as stale representative and senator and one
term as lieutenant governor of Arkansas. Known by family and
friends as Bill and later by his Air Force classmates as "Red",
he was born 12 October 1924 in Camden, Arkansas. Like many young
men during the Depression, Red had a paper route to help out
during those hard times. After graduating from Camden High School,
Red got a summer job with the International Paper Company in
Camden. When the time came to go to college, he proudly informed
his folks that he had put aside enough money for his first semester.
He enrolled in Magnolia A&M College, Magnolia, Arkansas in
the Fall of 1942. With World War II in full force by then, Red
did not finish his first semester but enlisted in the Army Air
Corps for pilot training. As much as he wanted to become a pilot
immediately, Red followed his father's advice and gained an appointment
to West Point. He also was influenced by the fact that his two
older brothers had graduated from Annapolis. Thus, Red Mason
joined the Class of 1946 at West Point on I July 1943.
Cadet life was not difficult for Red. The experiences of his
two brothers at Annapolis had given him an idea as to what to
expect. Also, according to his roommate, Clarence E. (Bud) McChristian,
Red had a technique for "spit-shining" shoes that gained
him no little fame. Even upperclassmen came to him for instructions.
Academics were a different problem, especially plebe year. One
of his plebe roommates, Benjamin C. Brown, recalled an incident
from that time. One of the many cadet legends is that twirling
the spurs on the General Sedgewick monument during a full moon
is a guarantee of academic success. Ben remembered that Red often
sleep-walked, so he was not alarmed to see him getting up and
getting dressed one night before final exams. The next day Red
told his roommates that he had twirled Sedgewick's spurs under
a full moon. True to the legend, he passed all his courses. Red's
sister Elizabeth recalled that money was still tight in the Mason
household in Arkansas and that people just didn't make long distance
phone calls. However, form telegrams could be sent for 25 cents.
Red and his mother had worked out a code that a Happy Birthday
telegram would mean he had passed all courses. So it was with
a great deal of joy that Mrs. Mason received Happy Birthday greetings
from West Point after Red's date with General Sedgewick. In December
of 1944, Red received the sad news that his oldest brother Richard
was lost at sea in a submarine (he was declared dead in 1945).
Red was an outstanding varsity gymnast while a cadet. His specialties
were the flying rings and the rope climb. His classmates all
remember the infamous "obstacle course." The first
obstacle was to somehow lift oneself onto a platform about 10
feet off the floor. To most, this platform seemed at least 20
feet high. Red and another gym team classmate, Paul J. Quinn
(memorial, October 1948 ASSEMBLY), had a week-long battle to
see who could hold the Corps record for the fastest time on the
obstacle course. First, from the "poopdeck" in the
mess hall would come the announcement, "Cadet Mason set
a new record for the physical endurance course of __ minutes,
-__seconds." The next day the announcement would give Paul
Quinn's time for a new record and so on; the times announced
were a marvel to most of their classmates. Red opted for flight
training and graduated a second lieutenant with the wings of
a pilot in the Army Air Corps.
Red's first assignment was to Enid, Oklahoma for transition
training into multi-engine aircraft. After further training,
he ended up at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, where he married
Irene Felfe on 24 July 1949. In 1951, Red flew 100 combat hours
on 41 missions in F-84 fighters during the Korean War and was
awarded the Air Medal. In 1958, Red was selected for graduate
education by the Air Force Institute of Technology. AFIT sent
Red to Oklahoma State University and then to George Washington
University, where he was awarded a Master's in Engineering Administration.
This prepared him for the work he was to do during most of the
remainder of his career: weapons systems research, development
and acquisition. Red was assigned to the Ballistic Missile Division
in California, where he was to remain for the next four years,
first in the Atlas Missile System Program Office and then as
project officer for the Athena Re-entry Vehicle System development
and full-scale test.
In 1963, Red was selected to attend the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces (ICAF) at Fort McNair, Virginia. From ICAF,
he went to Headquarters, Air Force Systems Command. It was there
that he attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In the Summer
of 1967, Red was a senior officer in the Air Force Research and
Development career field. However, the Vietnam War was at its
height, so Red volunteered for an assignment in Southeast Asia.
After C-130 advanced flying training, he went to an operational
Tactical Airlift Squadron on Okinawa. He was later placed on
temporary duty with the 37th Tactical Airlift Wing flying out
of Ubon, Thailand. He was flying extremely hazardous forward
air controller missions, and, for one mission, Red received the
Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation reads in part: "Lieutenant
Colonel William H. Mason distinguished himself by extraordinary
achievement while participating in aerial flight as a Forward
Air Controller in Southeast Asia on 12 May 1968.... Colonel Mason
located 30 hostile supply vehicles and directed strike aircraft
to the target, furnishing him information on antiaircraft fire
during the strike. As a result of Colonel Mason's accurate control,
the strike aircraft was able to avoid the hostile ground fire
and destroy the target..." On 22 May 1968, Red Mason took
off on another such mission. That day, Red's plane was shot down
by enemy fire somewhere over Laos. No further word has been heard
to date about Red or any member of his crew. Red received two
Oak Leaf Clusters to his Air Medal and the Purple Heart. He was
promoted to Colonel in 1971 while in an MIA status. William Henderson
(Red) Mason remains one of thirteen West Point graduates unaccounted
for in Southeast Asia. At the time his plane was lost, the following
family members were awaiting his return: his wife, Irene; a son
William H., Jr.; a daughter Helen; his parents, a brother, Clifford
and two sisters, Harriet and Elizabeth.
Webster defines a hero as "a man admired for his achievements
and noble qualities; one that shows great courage". Red
certainly qualifies on each count. With his specialist career
in the R&D field, he never would have been assigned to Southeast
Asia, yet Red volunteered to get into the war. He reasoned that
he was trained to fly in combat and that is what he wanted to
do. Red had a good philosophy of life; he enjoyed it. With his
red hair, he had a quick flashpoint, but he also was quick to
recover and see the humor in a situation. His family, friends
and classmates will always remember Red Mason as a loving husband
and father and a credit to the Air Force and West Point. Red
is the epitome of what a West Pointer should be. He never thought
about Duty, Honor, Country; he just lived by these precepts without
having to think about them. When his classmates get together
to reminisce, there is no doubt that a toast will be raised to
Red Mason, a friend, an airman in the true sense of the word
and a patriot. In the front of the 1943 Bugle Notes there is
a prayer on page five opposite the Star Spangled Banner. Titled
From These Grey Walls, it provides a fitting tribute to our classmate,
Red Mason, on that fateful mission:
"...TO THEE WE MAKE A PRAYER
WHEN OURTIME COMES, WHEN RINGING CALL TO ARMS SENDS US HEADLONG
TO THAT VAGUE FRONTIER
GIVE US THE STRENGTH TO PAY THE DEBT WE OWE, TO RISE IN TRIUMPH
ABOVE THE TIDE OF FEAR.
WHEN LIGHTNING CRASH, AND MARTIAL THUNDERS ROLL,
WHEN THE GREAT DEEP SHRINKS FROM THE BLINDING FIRES OF HELL
THEN GIVE US NERVE TO FACE THE BLAZING STEEL, TO BEAR THE
BATTLE LIKE THE MEN THAT WERE,
MAY WE FALL LIKE THEM, KNOWING WE HAVE DONE' OUR DUTY TO OUR
COUNTRY AND OUR HOME."
There is no doubt that Red Mason lived up to each thought
in this prayer. His family and classmates may never know his
fate; but of one thing there is no doubt - the memory of Red
Mason will live forever with them. The Class of 1946 salutes
you, Red!
'46 Memorial Article Project and his family
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