Wallace B. McCafferty (1918-1987) flew more than 100 combat missions in three wars. He was born to fly. As a boy in Odessa, he made model airplanes. Rubber bands powered the craft; neighbor kids chased them and brought them back to fly again.
McCafferty, president of his senior class at Middletown High, joined the Army Air Corps in 1943, won his wings in 1944. He became a B-17 pilot, flying 12 combat missions over Europe. Then came the Korean War where he flew 100 fighter-bomber sorties. In Vietnam, he flew eight missions.
The numbers—328 hours of aerial combat in three wars—reveal the intensity of his life aloft; his many citations reflect his skill and valor. They include: Distinguished Flying Cross; Air Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters; Air Force Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two Bronze Service Stars; Korean Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars; Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
It was his coast-to-coast Bendix Trophy race in 1955 that tops memories Major McCafferty left with his daughters. He had been selected to fly a North American F-100 Super Sabre from California to Philadelphia. Unfortunately, he had to make an unscheduled stop to fix a glitch. Still, he came in fourth—to a rousing salute from Air Force brass. Major McCafferty retired from the Air Force in 1968 and entered the insurance business in Washington state.
He returned to Odessa in 1982 and to his hobby of building model airplanes— this time bigger, gasoline engine-powered, faster and radio-controlled.
Major McCafferty and his first wife, Ruth Bradley who lives in Middletown, were the parents of Sharon Love, Middletown, Carole Foard of Minneapolis, and Lynne Hayes of Tacoma, Wash. His second wife is deceased.
