95-year-old says: 'Don't worry about anything, but keep an eye on everything' -- Godfrey Wactor

From the desk of Dan Price

 

I met a 95-year-old man in Denny's who gave me some advice. Godfrey Wactor looked me square in the eye, shook my hand, and said: 'Don't worry about anything, but keep an eye on everything.'

A former radar man in the Korean War, Wactor, pictured above, has seen and done almost everything in his ninety-five years on earth.

Wactor was born in Parkton, North Carolina, in 1928. The town was so named because it was where farmers tied up their horses while waiting for the train. 

He grew up as a teenager chasing rabbits, birds, and squirrels in Robeson County and nearby Cumberland County, near Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Ten years later, he flew over Korea as a radar operator for the Army aboard the Mohawk aircraft, recording tactical observations and battlefield surveillance. After that, he would end up in Fort Huachuca, working under Major General Julius Parker, Jr.

Before his flying days in the Mohawk, Wactor was in the Infantry. "I spent much time in the rice paddies; the hard ground below left me with frozen feet to this day."

Wactor has many stories — some printable in the media, some not.

He did let loose with a doozy. Wactor recalls his pilot on the Mohawk loved his Whiskey, and there were times the young radar operator was forced to get him out of bed and onto the plane.

"Once he (the pilot) got the plane off the ground, I could take over for a while," Wactor recalled with a smile.

"That was a long time ago," Wactor recalls. "I retired from the workforce 42 years ago. When I first came to Fort Huachuca, only three pages were in the Sierra Vista phone book. So I've seen my share of changes."

Wactor has been married sixty years to Inki, and they spend their quiet time at home in Sierra Vista but have been known to journey to Tucson to the casinos.

"We like to play the slots, penny slots especially," he said.

Mostly he travels from his home to Denny's on East Fry Blvd for his morning breakfast. However, he always remembers to take an entree home to his wife.

Wactor sits in the same spot every morning and is catered to from the time he enters the establishment until he saunters out the door.

"Godfrey has been coming here for over 16 years," said Denny's manager Nita Flores. "We see his car in the parking lot, and we are ready for him when he comes through the door. He's very special to us."

As for Godfrey's memory, it wavers some, but still, he's quick to answer questions.

His comment directed at me was along the lines of, "young man, you ask a lot of questions!"

After his military career, Wactor worked many jobs on the base — including many years for JP Industries as a project manager, the custodial organization of which Parker was the CEO.

Wactor said he's had a long and fruitful life and added:" I don't owe anybody anything but respect."

Wactor sat in a special seat on the Mohawk in the late 1950s as he surveyed the battlefields below so many years ago as a young radar operator.

He certainly has a special seat now when he enters through the door at Denny's.

He's earned it.

Mr. Wactor, we thank you for your service.