Roger Swearingen and his wife Caren
By MELANIE PILTINGSRUD
Staff Writer
Roger Swearingen of Ellendale served 21 years in the Air Force. Now, he is helping other veterans, donating a 1991 34-foot Pace Arrow to the Steele County Veteran Services Office in Owatonna.
Swearingen graduated from high school in Ellendale in 1965. Like many rural Ellendale kids, he had expected to continue his family's farming tradition, but fate had other plans for him. In 1966 he received a life-altering draft notice, along with three others from Ellendale. Each of them enlisted in the Air Force. “We all had good careers in it,” said Swearingen.
Swearingen started in boot camp in San Antonio, TX. From there, he was sent to Lackland Air Force Base, where he studied aircraft for 13 weeks. Then Swearingen went to the Ching Chuan Kang Air Force Base in Taiwan. There, Swearingen's team was responsible for 150 C-130 aircraft. Swearingen's personal career field was in air conditioning, pressurization, and bleed air, etc. “We worked seven days a week, 12 hours a day,” said Swearingen.
Swearingen and his squadron flew back and forth from Taiwan to Vietnam on missions.
“After I got from Taiwan, they sent me to Bentwaters Air Force Base, England for five years to work on air force fighters,” said Swearingen. By then, Swearingen had put in so much time into the Air Force that he thought, “Well, maybe I should just stay.” Swearingen discovered that the Air Force was offering re-up bonuses. When he consulted with his family, they were amenable to the idea of Swearingen staying in the service.
Swearingen went to Hill Air Force Base in Utah to work on the drone program when it first started. When he was released from active service, Swearingen went into the National Guard, in which he served for 10 years in Minneapolis.
“I had a good career. I met a lot of nice people,” said Swearingen, commenting on the camaraderie that continued long after his service career ended. “I'm so glad I served.”
Swearingen did eventually end up back on the farm to help his dad, Robert, with the farm work. Robert just passed away a few months ago after a full and rewarding life at the age of 97.
Following his service days, Swearingen also worked a couple of other jobs until he landed a full-time maintenance position with the city of Ellendale, from which he is also now retired.
“I've had a good career,” said Swearingen. “I can't complain a bit. I've got a big family, a bunch of good grandkids.”
Swearingen and his wife, Caren, took the grandkids on camping trips in their Pace Arrow RV, as well as yearly trips to Texas.
The Swearingens recently bought a new RV. While they did receive some offers from people wanting to purchase the old Pace Arrow, Swearingen happened to talk with Rene Gilormini, veteran services director of the Steele County Veterans Service Office in Owatonna. “He pointed out that there are veterans out there that have been in wild fires in California, in bad weather on the east coast and different places that are maybe in need of shelter,” said Swearingen. He decided to donate the old camper to the Veteran Services Office, so it could be a help where it was needed.
Swearingen isn't in the armed forces anymore, but he is still serving his country.