6 July 2023
GREAT BEND, Kan. (KSNW) — Towering at 6 feet 6 inches tall, Don Halbower was too tall to be a pilot in the Marine Corps (he says in 1952, the limit was 6 feet 3 inches). But that wouldn’t stop Halbower, originally from Anthony, Kansas, from flying.
Before signing up for the Marines Corps, he had worked for Boeing right out of high school, manufacturing B-47s. Sure enough, he would soon get his chance to take to the skies.
“[I] still wanted to fly, and they said, ‘Are you interested in electronics?’ Well, I’d already worked for Boeing aircraft in electrical hookups,” Halbower said. “My recruiter told me, I, he’d do everything so that I could fly. And that came true.”
At the Naval Air Technical Training Center near Memphis, Tennessee, Halbower would be trained in radio, radar and other electronics.
“There was no height restriction, too, so they assigned me to VMFA 531, the night fighter outfit,” Halbower said.
The night fighter outfit in question: a Marine fighter attack squadron stationed in Cherry Point, North Carolina (better known by its nickname: “The Grey Ghosts”).
“We were probably the pacesetter in night fighter operation,” Halbower said.
Don Halbower’s Veteran Salute (KSN Photo)
His plane: the Douglas F3D Skynight.
“[It was] a very sophisticated aircraft at that time,” Halbower said. “Just before I joined that squadron, It was active in Korea and was credited for the first night kill of a Russian fighter plane strictly by the use of radar.”
The radio operator would work with his pilot to practice tracking targets over the skies of North Carolina.
“When we’d locate a target … the pilot … had what they’d call a ‘heads-up display’ on his windshield, one dot represented our plane, and the other dot represented the target that I had sent over to him,” Halbower said. “He would line up those two dots, and we had the ordinance, so if we were within range, it would fire automatically.”
At times, Halbower says being 6 feet 6 inches tall certainly did present its challenges in the rather cramped plane.
“I thought it was kinda ironic … I had three radar sets in front of me; the pilot had nothing but a joystick in front of him,” Halbower said.
Ultimately, Halbower would not deploy overseas, instead taking advantage of the GI Bill to further his career goals. He says he’s forever grateful his short stint in the Marines left a lifelong impact.
“I really enjoyed the Marine Corps. They treated me very well,” Halbower said. “It gave me a lot of feelings of discipline, planning … I have a really strong feeling for the Marine Corps. It changed my life.”
The Emporia State graduate went on to become a chemistry and physics teacher at Junction City High School. After completing his master’s degree, Halbower went into school administration in Point City, Stafford, and Great Bend, Kansas.
If you want to nominate a veteran for our Veteran Salute, email KSN reporter Jason Lamb at [email protected].