Carl and Ruth to Mom and Dad Karst from Victorville, Calif.
The F-4 and other attractions
In 1967, Dad was stationed at George Air Force Base in Victorville, California, before his tour in Vietnam and after our time in Montgomery, Alabama, at Maxwell Air Force Base. We weren’t in Victorville for long, but it was a memorable time for me. Our backyard was all sand, with a cactus tree in the middle. We kids would dig tunnels and ride bikes in the desert scape. I remember the overlook at Apple Valley and visiting the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, with his horse Trigger and a Pontiac Bonneville featuring a front-seat saddle and scores of silver dollars in the upholstery.
Decades later, on a business trip to California, I drove through Victorville but never visited our once-upon-a-time home there. The Roy Rogers museum was closed by then, and the Air Force base was decommissioned.
In the letter to his folks, Dad mentions his brother Art’s plane ride with Ben and Lena, (“I’m glad he talked you in to it”) his training on the F-4, (“The plane has more power than you can imagine and handles beautifully”) and a play-by-play of a vacation Bible school program.
I couldn’t find a picture of Ben and Lena Karst visiting us in Victorville, so I am not sure they made that trip. However, below is an image of Herman and Eva Langholz, Mom’s folks, who are pictured with us kids on a Sunday in front of our Victorville home. I’ll have more on that side of the family in another post.
May 5 edit: Cathy found the photo below of Grandma and Grandpa Karst in California in 1967, so both sets of grandparents made the trek to Victorville in 1967.
