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Commander Ellis E. Austin United States Navy by Kathy Austin Lockton January 10, 1991
Ellis Ernest Austin was born January 6, 1922, in Sunfield, Michigan, to Ada Ruth (Perkins) Austin, and Ernest Emerson Austin. The Austins purchased a dairy farm on Gresham Road in Vermontville, Michigan, where he grew up as the oldest of four boys. His brothers include Charles Austin, of Vermontville, Ml; Orson William Austin, of Titusville Fla; and Andrew David Austin of Garland Texas. Ellis grew up during the great depression. Like most thrifty farm families, they lived from the livestock and crops from the farm. Ada was a religious woman, and played the organ in the Vermontville Methodist church with only 9 fingers, having lost her right index finger to gangrene.
Great Lakes, IL San Diego, CA Corpus Christi, TX Jacksonville, FL Norfolk, VA Quonset Point, RI Pensacola, FL Seattle, WA Memphis, TN Good Conduct Medal American Defense Medal Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal The Austins were originally English, with some rather interesting ancestors, including two presidents of the United States, and two who signed the Declaration of Independence. Ernest's great-great-grandmother was Elizabeth Petticourt Harrison, a descendent of William Henry Harrison, President of the U.S., and cousin of Benjamin Harrison, president of the U.S. and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Ernest's great-great-grandfather was Charles Blewer, a descendent of John Hancock. Ellis was a patriot. He was a conservative "Goldwater" Republican who believed deeply in defending the principals of democracy and capitalism. He was a Christian, and while not a regular church goer, he was always inspired by attending the Easter sunrise service. My earliest memories of my father are of him studying his Navy text books, and playing correspondence chess at the kitchen table. He enjoyed playing chess and golf, and he liked to get close to nature. I used to caddy for him on the golf course, and go camping and fishing with him in Yosemite National Park. Ellis was serious and studious about his Navy career, but he was also a happy-go-lucky, fun-loving hellraiser. Ellis was a typical military man in most ways, and would enjoy a couple of martinis during happy hour at the "O" club on Friday night. In his youth, he smoked cigarettes, but later on he switched to pipes, and "Sir Walter Raleigh" was his brand of tobacco. He played the harmonica, and his favorite songs were, "Cool Clear Water" and "Old Man River." As a career Navy man, he never made a lot of money, but he was able to do what he loved the most. He defended his country, flying as a radioman in World War II, and devoted his professional life to flying the fastest planes for which he could qualify. He was involved in nuclear weapons programs at Moffett Field in California during WWII. Having never formally attended college, he got his higher education directly through Navy training programs. He was gifted at math and science, and quickly advanced through the enlisted ranks. Ellis fought in the Korean War, and earned a "Mustang" promotion to Warrant Officer in 1954. He continued to advance, flying as a bombardier/navigator, and testing experimental aircraft and ordinance. While stationed in Sanford, Florida, his crew had to eject from the exploding plane, and Dad became a member of the "Caterpillar Club" when he parachuted onto the 18th hole of his country club. Perhaps he "Joined the Navy to see the World," but while other career naval officers requested duty stations based upon their glamour and beauty, Ellis was only interested in what kind of aircraft he would be assigned. He got his Bombardier/Navigator wings in Patuxent River, Maryland, (location of "The Right Stuff"). He went to War College in Newport, Rhode Island. I went to high school at the China Lake Naval Ordinance Test Station in the Mojave Desert in California, while Dad tested experimental bombs. The family followed him from one coast to the other, often staying in one place only a few months while he completed yet another training program. As his oldest child, I attended 27 different schools before I graduated from high school, growing up mostly in Sanford, Florida; Norfolk, Virginia; and Southern California. My Dad was away on sea duty in the Mediterranean or Pacific for a lot of my growing up, but he had a strong influence on my character and personality. He always encouraged me to be the best I could possibly be. When I brought home "B's" on my report card, he wanted "A's." He was always available to help with my homework. We would spend hours talking about astronomy, philosophy, religion or politics. He was an epicurean adventurer and taught me to eat and appreciate exotic foods such as raw oysters, and sushi by telling stories of the live sea urchins that crawled across his plate in a Mediterranean restaurant. Dad studied Spanish, and loved Spain. Consequently, I became fluent in Spanish and have also traveled extensively through Spain. Dad encouraged my professional ambitions, and my desire to go to a top-ranked university. But when I told him, "I wanted to have it all," he always cautioned me that, "It is impossible for a woman to be both Doris Day and Joan Crawford, and eventually I would have to choose which was more important, my family or my career." When the Viet Nam war broke out, my Dad already had 25 years in the service, and was eligible for retirement. He believed in the "Domino Theory" of communism in Asia, and was concerned that if we sacrificed Viet Nam to the communists, it would be the beginning of the collapse of the entire region. He felt that it was his patriotic duty as an American, and career military officer to volunteer for assignment to Viet Nam. I have often thought that he was also partly motivated by the opportunity to fly in the hottest, fastest state-of-the-art aircraft, the A-6 Intruder, which to this day, 24 years later, is still the work-horse of the Naval Air Service. In 1965-66, I was a Sophmore at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.. I corresponded regularly with Dad, and was dismayed by his reporting of the American fighting conditions in Viet Nam. He would confide in me in great frustration that he was being asked to risk his life day after day flying bombing missions over North Viet Nam, with specific instructions not to bomb any strategic military targets. or population centers. As a patriot, Ellis was prepared to sacrifice his life in defense of our country, and democracy. But he deeply resented the hypocrisy of the Lyndon Johnson administration, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and General William Westmoreland for the dishonest and inept way in which they conducted the war. In the 1970's, I actively participated in war protests, but I always got into heated debates with the "peace hippies" because their position was that we never should have gotten involved. My position is the same as my Dad's: As the child of a war hero, my most fervent prayer as we face the possibility of war in the Middle East, or anywhere else in the future, is that if our president determines we at must fight, we fight to WIN. After nine months sea duty, Ellis was shot down over North Viet Nam, April 21, 1966, flying off the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier. He was 44 years old, and coming home in two weeks. Another crew on the same bombing run heard him shout, "I'm hit! I'm hit." They saw an explosion where his plane should have been. No other evidence of his death has ever been found. Ellis achieved the rank of Commander (posthumously) before his official change in status from Missing in Action, April 21, 1966, to Presumed Killed in Action, June 19, 1975. Among his many medals is the Purple Heart. If Ellis had been killed in action in 1966, it would have been a terrible tragedy, but our family could have grieved and gone on with our lives. He was officially MIA for over 9 years, and we were in purgatory both legally and emotionally. My mother retired to Nashville, Ml, and never remarried. She had a nervous breakdown, and became a recluse for the rest of her life. The government had no provisions for families of MlA's. While his Navy allotments continued, most of the money was escrowed, and we were not entitled to any VA or Social Security benefits. I was only 18 when he was shot down, yet never received any government help with my college tuition or living expenses. My sister died of Leukemia at the age of 29, I believe partially attributable to the stress of our family situation. My brother was only six years old. He grew up without a father. Many Viet Nam veterans have had careers as distinguished and experiences as horrible as my Dad's. I am proud to take my son to visit the Viet Nam War Memorial in Washington D.C., and the memorial to the Viet Nam veterans in Vermontville, and to see my Dad's name with the MIA designation beside it. My brother and I, and all the Austin family, are even more proud and honored to know that the Maple Valley Chapter #329 of the Viet Nam Veterans Association has voted to change your name to the Ellis E. Austin Chapter in recognition of the voluntary sacrifice he made for our country and our way of life. We thank you.
My POW/MIA Home Background and some graphics copyright and courtesy of Papagei Studios. 
Other graphics copyright and courtesy of: Doc's Military and Patriotic Graphics and Ender Design: Realm Graphics. Midi music files courtesy of: The Music Room: Country Frame - "Cool Clear Water" Oto's Midi Gallery - "Old Man River" |
