By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Copy Editor
Roger Swearingen, a Vietnam veteran of the US Air Force, received a letter of commendation recently, hand-delivered by his grandson, Jacob.
Swearingen, a resident of Ellendale, was drafted in 1967, just two years after his high school graduation. He became an aircraft mechanic, and worked on C-130 Aircraft, which carried both troops and cargo.
When he started, Swearingen didn't expect to be in the military as long as he was, but, “I liked the work,” he said. “I liked the job and I was traveling a lot.” Swearingen estimates that he saw 15 – 20 different countries. He started off in Vietnam and then went to England to an air force base just outside of London. From there he went to Hill Air Force Base in Utah to work on drones. He also saw Spain, Turkey, and Africa. “Our planes traveled, and carried troops, they broke down, and we had to go and fix them,” he said.
When the Air Force started cutting down on active duty personnel because the Vietnam war was winding down in 1977, Swearingen called the Minnesota Air National Guard. “I was fully trained to work on their planes, so they put me in for 11 years,” said Swearingen.
Swearingen says he's “more than happy” that he served in the US military; “I'd have never seen the world without it.
I met a lot of nice people. Some of them are still friends. I don't regret it a bit.”
Swearingen's son, Shane, followed in his father's footsteps. With active duty in the US Army, followed by the Reserves, and then the Army National Guard, he served a total of 20 years.
Likewise, Shane's son, Jacob, is also proud to serve in the military as an Air Force Lineman, working with communication systems all over the world. Per Swearingen, Jacob is currently overseas and sends his grandfather photographs of the regions where he serves. “He loves it,” said Swearingen.
When Jacob heard that Roger Swearingen had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer toward the end of February, he was determined to move heaven and earth to honor his grandfather. He convinced Andrew J. Standeford, Lieutenant Colonel US Air Force, to write a letter of commendation to Swearingen for his 21 years of service in the military. Jacob flew to Ellendale to present the letter to his grandfather at his home, with Swearingen's wife, Caren, and his two daughters, Heidi and Tiffany, present. “He presented it to me in full uniform,” said Swearingen. “Oh, I was really proud. It put tears in my eyes. It means so much.”
In March Swearingen's family honored him with a trip to Washington DC. His sons, Ross and Shane, and son-in-law, James, flew from California, Nevada, and Texas, respectively, to Washington DC, while his son-in-law, David, accompanied him on the trip to DC. There they met Swearingen's nephew, Barry, and the group toured Arlington Cemetery, the Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Vietnam Memorial.
Swearingen is proud to have served in the US military, and he is proud of those members of his family who have served or currently serve.
Of his own experiences in the military, Swearingen said, “All the people I met, and friends I made, and the countries we saw, it makes you appreciate home. Ellendale... I appreciate the Hell out of that.”