William Watson: A simple man

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
People that join the military, sign that line for a variety of different reasons. Whether it is to get away from home, pursue an education, explore the world or a childhood dream, we all sign four or more years of our lives away, to fight for and defend our country no matter what it takes.

William W. Watson, the director of the Retiree Activities Office and a retired Air Force master sergeant, did just that and continues to support the United States in many ways.

"I was 18 when I enlisted. I did it to avoid the draft and to get off the farm," said Watson.

Watson, originally enlisted for four years, but with a wife and a child, he thought it would be beneficial to reenlist for six more. At that point, he had devoted ten years to the Air Force already so he figured why not retire, he was already half way there.

"With a family, I couldn't see myself going back to a 35 dollar-a-week job," Watson said.

At that time, gas was 15 cents a gallon, cigarettes cost 10 cents a pack and a drink was only 5 cents, 35 dollars a week seemed decent. But the Air Force offered Watson and his family something that the civilian life didn't.

"The Air Force provided us with medical care, housing allowance and things like that," Watson said. "Getting married really made my mind up for the Air Force because my family was taken care of wherever I was, and being in the Air Force is a great way of life too. You may have the same people in the Air Force that there are outside of it, but once they become Air Force members, it becomes a family."

On top of the benefits the military offers, it also comes with plenty of great and memorable experiences.

"I think my entire Air Force career was memorable, but Vietnam certainly was something. You can call it whatever you want, but you'll always remember it," Watson said. "I just enjoyed it all. I did my job and I've never been one to see glory."

With a hand full of life experiences under his belt and being eligible for retirement, Watson packed up his uniform as a master sergeant and retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service. However, this was not the last time he would work with the military.

As a civilian, he enjoyed the benefits of being a retiree but boredom soon set in.

"I went back to civilian, doing civilian things," Watson said. " I retired in Nov of 1975 and did odd jobs until I decided I really had to go to work. I worked as a furniture and appliance repairman and then I got into civil service in 1985 and retired out of civil service here at Seymour Johnson Dec. 31, 2002."

During his time as a civil service employee, Watson excelled at his job and went from a 90-day over hire for a unit on base called the Southwest Asia proposition and aggregation to the director.

In simpler terms, the Southwest Asia proposition and aggregation meant that everything that went to the middle east, Air Force wise, came through Seymour Johnson. The unit would inspect and secure the equipment and would then transport the items over to the middle east for deep storage. This took place long before the conflicts in the middle east started.

"We moved many vehicles over to the middle east and then I would take a crew over three or four times a year and take stuff out of deep storage, exercise it, check it out and fix it then put it back and do it all again next year," Watson said. "In my mind it was the best job I ever had because I know it was the items that we put in deep storage that were life saving to soldiers over there, because it was the initial motorized force."

Since being a retired civil service employee, Watson has become the director of the Retiree Activities Office on base. He works to bring volunteers onto the installation to support the Seymour Johnson mission. His office also brings retirees and their families together to reminisce about fighting for their country.

"[Volunteers] feel like they are giving back to what the Air Force has given to them," Watson said. "The Air Force does give us all a lot. I'm proud of the Air Force, I'm proud of my service, I'm proud of your service, I'm proud of everybody's service."

"I heard someone say the other day 'home of the free because of the brave,' and I liked that," Watson explained.