Les Cromwell (US Air Force)

Les was born in Genoa, Nebraska and lived in the farm till he was 17.  He enlisted in the Air Force at 17 and after basic training, he was sent to Korea when he turned 18.

Les was member of 39th fighter interceptor squadron-51st fighter wing.  He remembers being in the city of Suwon.  In Suwon, he met a young Korean couple who were taking care of some orphans. (see photo) Les talked with the husband and started to go see the orphans.   There was a little dog, and whenever Les came around, the dog would run and greet him.   Les brought some food to the kids and loved the children.   He took care of them as much as he could. (see photo).

Les in Suwon, Korea

When he returned home after the Korean war, Les got a job at NASA.  His first boss was a famous German engineer, Vernon Von Braun who was the director of Marshall Space Flight Center.   Les worked at NASA for over 30 years as research and development technician.

Les featured in the newspaper, 2014

There is a miraculous story about Les’ Korean War airplane.

One day Les took his great grandson Romeo Guidry, 4 years old, to a store like a Walmart.   They were looking around different rows, and in one aisle there were some big toy boxes on the floor.  These were unopened large boxes.   Romeo wanted one box which had a picture of an airplane. Even though Romeo kept saying he wanted that box, Les told him that he cannot have the box and they came out of the store.  Romeo was getting more agitated and started to cry loudly and would not stop.   So, Les took him back inside, found the aisle and bought the model airplane box.   They came home and opened the box to assemble the model.   When Les attached the wings to the base of the plane, he could not believe his eyes.   Under the figure of the pilot was his name, Les D Cromwell !  There is another name, Lt Jim Thompson who was a pilot. This was a replica of their plane during the Korean war.

Les (3rd from left) in front of plane with name LT Jim Thompson

There is an actual photo of Les standing with 3 others in front of the plane that has LT Jim Thompson written clearly on the plane.  The plane was the exact model of the plane they flew from Korea.  The real plane had a picture of a dragon on the other side and as did this model plane.  Les knew the man who painted the dragon on the plane and he remembers the dragon because all the Korean men were scared of the dragon and would run away from the plane.  There must have been some superstition about a dragon in Korea.

How odd is it that his great grandson made such a fuss that Les had to go back to the store to buy model of a plane which had his name printed on it.  This is truly divine intervention and a miracle.

Les Cromwell with his wife, Jacky, 2019