GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — Chief Master Sgt. Paul Weyandt and Lt. Col. David Eddy were both EC-47 aircrew during the Vietnam War. Service members, retired veterans and loved ones for of the two men came together Friday afternoon to celebrate their legacies and memories.
“The example they set when they were at work. They had a mission, they did the mission but they were also family men, they also had a family, they never forgot their family, their family was involved in every move they made, every mission they went to so they worked the mission a hundred percent and they took care of their family a hundred percent too,” Chief Master Sgt. Ronald Graham, US Air Force, retired, said.
In attendance were many veterans who worked alongside Weyandt and Eddy. Air Force veteran Bill Francis got emotional when he remembered Weyandt.
“I was in Germany when he passed away and it broke my heart,” Francis said.
Throughout the ceremony, colleagues of the two men shared stories on what it was like working with them. One person happy to hear some of those stories for the first time was Eddy’s son, Mark.
“I’m always happy to hear stories and new memories that I don't know, a lot of which I don't know just because I was young. My dad, lets see I was ten when he first went to Vietnam so hard to believe,” Mark Eddy said.
Goodfellow Air Force Base 17th Training Wing Commander Col. Matthew Reilman helped officiate the dedication ceremony. Reilman shared the accomplishments both Weyandt and Eddy had during their time serving in the Air Force.
“So to be able to honor these heroes here today and kinda connect that legacy and past of all those back-enders who are trained here to do that intelligence direction finding mission it’s what we continue to do here and produce here at Goodfellow today is just truly an honor,” Reilman said.
The plaza at Goodfellow is home to the Vietnam era memorial with an EC-47 aircraft display.