Albert Harold Spies
submitted by: River Spies
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In this passage, I chose my great-grandfather Al Spies because he did a lot of great things in his life. He lived an interesting life starting in Colorado, USA, during the Dust Bowl, served in the Korean War, and became a jet mechanic, then finished his life as a great family man.
In Branson, Colorado, USA, on March 23, 1928, my great-grandfather was born. His full name was Albert Harold Spies. He had two brothers and a sister whose names were Virginia Spies, Robert Spies, and Ed Spies. At age 9, he was self-employed on their cattle ranch/farm. The brand was “Sp/” and is still on file in the Colorado state Brand registration. He lived through many hardships during the Dust Bowl from 1931 to 1935. They moved out because their livestock died due to the drought and effects of the Dust Bowl. With a 1935 Chevy truck and an old broken-down car as a trailer, they moved to California, USA. On the way, they were so poor they had to stop several times to find jobs to eat and pay for gas. They ended up in Ontario, California, USA.
In Ontario, he went to college and studied to become a jet mechanic. Before he was able to complete school in 1952, he was drafted into the United States Army to fight in the Korean War. He was a crew chief and a co-pilot for his helicopter. He maintained the chopper he was on and was required to fly on occasion in case the pilot was injured or killed.
In the military, my great-grandfather did many things. He was a crew chief of the Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw. The helicopter flew on two piston-driven engines. His main missions were troop support, transport, and medical services. His helicopter was limited to carrying only 8 stretchers and 10 men. They only had an M1 carbine rifle to protect themselves. If the crew was in trouble, they would call in F-86 Saber jets that dropped Napalm gas. However, it was not 100% that the jets would show up. My great-grandfather was very proud that he and his crew were chosen to fly a peace negotiator in and out of Korea due to their dedication and skills. He also had a memory that there was a group of American soldiers circled by the enemy and he couldn’t help them because of poor weather. My great-grandfather said that a lot of people died that day. This memory haunted him for the rest of his life. While he was in the military, he and his crew were shot down two times but were able to survive. After one of their crashes, they had to fend off enemy attacks during the night until help could reach them.
When my great-grandpa Al was done serving in the military, he was sent home. When he returned home, he went back to school and became a jet mechanic. He worked for General Electric Aviation and was promoted to a lead jet engine mechanic and engineer. My great-grandpa Al married my great-grandma Peggy. They had my great-aunt Sherri, my great-uncle Kevin, and my grandpa Mike. He retired to the City of Hesperia, USA. He died there at age 86.
My great-grandfather did many interesting things in his life. He survived the Dust Bowl all the way to him working on military helicopters. I chose him because of his dedication to his country and the examples of working hard in life. Those are all the reasons I chose my great-grandfather Albert Spies for this biography.