My Dad Joined the Air Force

I can’t believe I have never posted a photo of my dad in his Air Force uniform on this blog.  I’ve posted several photos of his dad (my paternal grandfather) from World War I.  One of my earliest photos is a photo of my great great grandfather Trasimond Landry in his Civil War uniform.  And there is not just this one professional-looking portrait of Daddy in his uniform, there are two.  For the longest time I thought there was just one.  I would see one or the other and didn’t pay close attention to the details.  But they are obviously different.  You’ll have to take my word for it.  I’m only going to post one of them.  I’ve got to parcel out these good photos to make them last.  I’m glad you understand.

So how do you like it?  It really is a nice photo, and everyone loves a man in uniform.  Or so I’ve heard.  This is my dad, Robert Joseph “Bob” Landry, Jr. when he was in the Air Force.  He joined in 1952 and I think this photo was taken that year or maybe the next.

My dad was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on January 31, 1929, to Robert Joseph “Rob” Landry, Sr. and Germaine Erie Patureau Landry.  He was the fifth child (like me) and third son (like me) out of eight children.  I don’t know when his interest in music started, but I’m sure it was very early.  The earliest story I know about his musical interest was from when he was in high school.

He went to Landry Memorial High School in Lake Charles, and it was there that he started playing a musical instrument in his freshman year.  His instrument of choice was the baritone.  His interest grew and he would learn how to play various other instruments during summer vacations.  I did the same thing when I started playing the trombone in junior high school.  But I don’t remember him telling me that he had done the same thing.  The reason I know it is that there was a newspaper article from 1963 that gives that information.  Either he didn’t tell me about it, or I didn’t listen very well.  They both sound like a plausible explanation.

During my dad’s high school career, his interest continued to grow.  So when there was no band director available at Landry Memorial during wartime, my dad took over as the leader of the band.  He liked music and he liked to teach and tell people what to do, so it was a good fit.  After graduating high school, he decided to follow this passion of his.  He majored in music at McNeese Junior College, Southwestern Louisiana Institute, and at LSU.  When McNeese became a four-year school, he returned there to graduate in the first graduating class of 1952.  He had met Betty Lou Bucklin in 1951 at a Solo and Ensemble Festival at LSU and was impressed with her baritone playing.  She was at McNeese when he returned, and it was then that they fell in love and became engaged.

“So, why,” my brother Rob asked, “did he go into the military at that point?”  He didn’t like people telling him what to do.  He was picky about the foods he would eat.  And he was engaged and ready to start a career.  I didn’t know the answer, but my dad’s younger brother Johnny probably would.  So Rob looked into it last week when he came down for a high school reunion.  He took time to go visit Uncle Johnny in Lake Charles and he got an answer.  It would seem that at the time, the draft was in force.  If he hadn’t joined on his own, he would have been drafted into the Army.  The Army?  That sounds like a place where you might have to get your hands dirty!  And that was another thing Bob Landry didn’t like.

So off he went and joined the Air Force so he could be part of the Air Force Band.  It was a much better fit for him.  He went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, in the summer of 1952.  While he was there, he made high scores in math and marksmanship.  When he came home for a few days in the fall, he married Betty Lou on November 1 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lake Charles.  They made their first home at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where he was a member of the 503rd Air Force Band.  They became parents with the birth of Jodie in California, and after two years there, they moved on to Albuquerque, New Mexico.  He was a member of the 572nd Air Force Band and they had Rob in Albuquerque.

In 1956, his time with the service came to an end and the family moved back to Lake Charles.  His military time was over, but his music career and family had just begun.