WW II Vet Goes Down Memory Lane

AVON PARK - As Lt. Col. John B. Pechiney Jr. put it, "Imagine going back to your college more than 60 years after you graduated."

On Wednesday, Gene Watson visited the Avon Park Air Force Range for the first time since he was stationed there in 1945.

"I saw a lot of things that I forgot about," said Watson, 84, of St. Augustine. "It was really neat -- they brought out old maps and were showing me where things were when I was there."

For three months, shortly before World War II ended, Watson trained as a pilot/navigator at the range, working with B-17 aircraft.

"I got to see where my old barracks were, and where we did our training," said Watson, who was given a tour by Pechiney, who commands the range. "I got to see where the old B-17s were stored."
Pechiney described the visit as "a walking history book."

"It's not too often that we get visitors from the World War II-era. You see a number of veterans from the 1960s and 1970s, but not too many from the 1940s.

"It was very interesting hearing his stories," said Pechiney. "It was a very unique experience for us - it really made my day."

As part of the tour, Watson was able to show off his original orders for deployment to and from the base.

"They said that it's not too often that they are able to see artifacts from that time period," Watson said.
One of the things Watson remembers the most about his time at the range was going with fellow airmen to U.S. 27 and hitchhiking to larger cities.

"I remember it was a pretty isolated area back then-- they brought us in by railroad," said Watson. "We didn't have much to do when we had days off, so we'd hitchhike to the bigger cities like Tampa and Orlando.

"I remember back then U.S. 27 was a two-way highway, and people were very trusting when it came to picking us up," said Watson. "We were all around 20-years-old, so we'd go out a lot looking for girls."

Watson visited the range through his connections with an Elderhostel trip provided by South Florida Community College. Elderhostel is an international non-profit education organization that offers travel programs to the seniors.

In 2005 Watson said he tried to visit the range, but was turned away because he did not go through proper procedures.

"I knew there was an Elderhostel trip that was going to take place (in Highlands County), so I thought it might be a good way to try to see the range again," said Watson.

During his program's orientation, Watson informed Becky Rousch, SFCC director of community education, that he wanted to visit the range and asked her if she could set up something. Rousch then contacted officials with the range, and scheduled Wednesday's visit.

"He told me he was stationed there more than 60 years ago," said Rousch. "He had his paperwork and everything. It really struck me."

"Everyone at the range seemed like they were really excited to see me," said Watson. "I want to thank them for allowing me to share my memories with them."