Vietnam Veteran Mike Cornwell Shares His Story

Mike Cornwell, a United States Air Force veteran who served in the Vietnam War, regrets that he never heard from his father directly about his military experiences in World War II.

“My dad was on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. He was in the Battle of Okinawa. And his ship was hit twice by kamikaze bombers. And he never talked about it,” Cornwell said. “But after he passed away, I found a book that went into extreme detail about what occurred and about the ship itself. What I know about my dad’s service, most of it’s from that book. Not from him.”

Cornwell vowed that he would share his own military experiences with his family, which is why he wrote a personal narrative outlining the years he entered into the draft, ultimately enlisted in the Air Force, and served in Danang, Vietnam as an aircraft mechanic.

Cornwell, who is the Commander of the American Legion Post 1015 in Mahomet, urges his fellow veterans to talk with their families, especially younger generations. “Veterans need to let kids know about their experiences. They’ll never find out otherwise. They’re not going to find out things like that in school,” he said.

Mike Cornwell is the American Legion Post 1015 Commander in Mahomet, as well as an elder at Mahomet Christian Church and grandfather to several students and graduates of Mahomet schools

For Cornwell, the draft was of particular importance, and he feels that even those enlisting today do not necessarily understand how it shaped a generation. “I come from the era when everything revolved around the draft,” he said. “Most people have no idea what we had to go through, all through high school and the years after, knowing we were going to have to face that.”

The draft process brought Cornwell an intense period of navigating uncertainty: an army physical straight after high school graduation, a student deferment and technical studies as an illustrator, then reentering the draft line and ultimately choosing a delayed enlistment in the Air Force.

His commitment meant four years in the Air Force, including a year based in Danang, Vietnam working on fighter versions of the F4 in 1969. “I had heard stories from the guys that just came back from there, so I had a rough idea of what to expect, but you step off that aircraft in Vietnam and the humidity, the heat, and the smell hits you like a rock. It’s something else,” he said.

Cornwell described choosing to work night shifts as a mechanic while overseas: “I wanted to be awake when the rocket attacks happened,” he said. “And it paid off a couple times.” The first time he experienced a rocket attack was at 2 a.m., and a rocket hit the barracks, killing one airman in his sleep and injuring 29 others. In all, there were six rocket attacks at his base in Danang while Cornwell was in Vietnam.

During lulls in the shop, Cornwell put his art background to good use, always in demand to paint signs or even things like coffee mugs. Above is a sign he painted for his shop's door, with a logo he designed.

Cornwell explained that one of the planes he worked on was the F4-D, a bomber that only carried missiles as its defensive weapon. Missiles being expensive and unreliable, someone suggested hanging a mini-gun from the center hard-point, providing an effective way for this fighter plane to defend itself. The 366^th Fighter Wing became known as the “Gunfighters,” a moniker that Cornwell was proud to adapt.

Airplane repair included things like replacing cracked windshields (a 24-hour job), replacing wing tips, and replacing landing gear. Cornwell recognized that he was not fighting in the field and took seriously that those men depended on air support. “Our job was to keep the planes in the air.”

Camaraderie was a big part of Cornwell’s experience in Vietnam, and he noted that “I never felt the camaraderie among the men I worked with in the states like I did the ones I worked with in Vietnam.”

Today, the American Legion offers a slice of that camaraderie to veterans of all generations and wars (who have been honorably discharged). Primarily a service organization, the Mahomet Post that Cornwell helps administer focuses on the Honor Guard. An Honor Guard is a group of veterans who perform a 21-gun salute, taps, and ceremonial flag folding at veteran funerals. This service is available to any veteran's family who request it.

The American Legion Post 1015 in Mahomet also contributes to the Mahomet community through participation in Homecoming and Music Fest Parades. This Wednesday and every Veterans Day, the American Legion will help facilitate an annual recognition ceremony and breakfast for veterans, which takes place at Mahomet-Seymour High School.

Cornwell reflected that the Legion evolves over time as different generations lead the membership. “We haven’t had a World War II veteran in a long time. A few Vietnam, but that’s 50 years ago now. We’ve got several Gulf War, younger guys,” he said. “Then it’s going to have to be passed down to the Iraq and Afghanistan and Middle East veterans.”

He said he looked forward to having his grandson, Jacob, join the Legion one day. Having recently graduated from basic training on a path to be a combat medic, Jacob “carried on a tradition” of military service on both sides of his family. “It’s in the genealogy,” Cornwell said, referencing Jacob’s father, grandfathers, uncles and great uncles.

Indeed, Cornwell has done extensive research into his family line, alongside reading about different American wars. History and genealogy “go hand in hand,” he said. He has learned that four great, great grandfathers and a great grandfather served with the Union in the Civil War, and he has veteran ancestors from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and World Wars I and II as well.

He urges others to find out what kinds of military service are in their own genealogies. Even more recent veterans may not be fully understood by their families. Cornwell wondered what percentage of the population knows where their grandfathers or great grandfathers served.

 “Research it,” he said. “It’s all on the internet.”