WILKINSON JOHN L

LTC John L. Wilkinson was a VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 10/15/2015 at the age of 90.9
Joshua, TX
Flight Class 51
Date of Birth 11/22/1924
Served in the U.S. Air Force
Served in Vietnam with AFAT-I in 69-70
Call signs in Vietnam RADIO JOHN, KING BEE
This information was provided by Ed Faught, Jeff Murray, Pat Richardson

More detail on this person: John L. Wilkinson Jr., a military hero, devoted father, accomplished traveler, food lover and ladies' man, died Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015, surrounded by family and friends at a Fort Worth nursing home. Celebration of life: 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at Joshua First United Methodist Church in Joshua. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Daedalian Scholarship Fund to the Order of Daedalians, 23rd Flight, Box 8236, Fort Worth, Texas 76124-0236. The Order of the Daedalians is a fraternal and professional order of American military pilots, of which John was a cherished, lifelong member. John had a lifelong affair with desserts, boiled peanuts, a good steak, fresh seafood, Cheez-Its and tartar sauce, which, in his opinion, was the best condiment ever. He loved watching westerns, especially if they starred John Wayne, James Bond movies and Star Trek. When FaceTiming with grandchildren, he said he was just like Captain Kirk. The Dallas Cowboys was his favorite team, and he rarely missed a game. John relished the outdoors. Flying was an early passion; boating ran a close second. After retiring, he loved taking his motor home on long trips, camping in the mountains, boating with his grandkids and gardening. At the beach, he snorkeled and kayaked daily. After moving to Texas, it was common to find him trimming trees and burning the wood pile. On rare occasions, he'd sneak a nap in the hammock with his cats, Texas and Tiger. John was especially proud of his military service. He would say he served "31 years, 11 months, seven days" in a variety of assignments that began as a single-engine instructor and spanned World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, which culminated as a base commander. A highlight of his career came when he was chosen as one of President Eisenhower's helicopter pilots. The photo of him landing on the White House lawn is a family treasure. He flew countless medical evacuation and rescue missions in the Korean and Vietnam wars, often flying directly into teeth of the enemy to save the wounded under the most dangerous conditions. While there were medals, ribbons, oak leaves and citations, the one thing he cherished most was being one of the lucky ones, and always making it home to family. He knew the true meaning of "Freedom is not free."

Published in Star-Telegram on Oct. 25, 2015

This information was last updated 05/08/2015

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Date posted on this site: 10/13/2025