ROCHELLE — Robert Caron of Rochelle served in the United States Air Force from Oct. 14, 1950 to Oct. 14, 1954. His service included a two-year deployment to England. 

Caron graduated from high school in 1948. He attended the Rockford School of Business for a year and a half. He recalls being in downtown Rochelle and speaking to a classmate when they were coming out of the hardware store about the Korean War breaking out and the fact that they’d likely be drafted. They decided to enlist into the Air Force to avoid being drafted. 

Caron underwent basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He tested into the administration/business field and was sent to a three-month course on bookkeeping.

“One day I was called into a superior's office after the results of my test and they said I could go anywhere I wanted with a U.S. base,” Caron said. “I took England and that's where I ended up going for two years. This was when the Korean War broke out. We were sent to replenish bases that had their troops cut down after World War II.”

Caron was sent to England in 1951 on a World War II troop carrier ship. Despite being in the Air Force, he had to perform Navy duties on the ship, which took the Northern Atlantic route to its destination. Caron was recently provided a picture of his ship by Chuck Roberts and the Roberts Armory World War II Museum and reflected on his time on it. 

“I hit one bad storm and I was on the watch,” Caron said. “It was really bad and the waves were going over the front end. The ship captain had everyone go up on deck for safety precautions. I was next to the group that came up and I saw a chaplain come over and start reading out of a book. He gave everyone there general absolution and left. That's a sign that you might not make it back. And we survived. After getting to England, it took us six weeks to get our land legs back.”

Upon arrival in England, Caron and other servicemen lived in quonset hut buildings before being processed to go to their permanent bases. 

“We didn’t have heat in the quonset huts we lived in, just a pot belly stove,” Caron said. “We had to take turns getting up and stocking it to keep it warm in there. It gets cold in England. There were no bathroom facilities in the quonset huts. There were communal buildings with bathrooms and showers. If it was cold, you had to put a coat on and walk to the communal building. It was really something to live like that.”

Caron worked in an office as a bookkeeper during his deployment from England. 

“It was an overall interesting experience,” Caron said. “It was scary on the boat going over there. But I don't regret doing what I did. I enjoyed it and there were some good times. I liked meeting the townspeople and having the USO shows at the base. I didn't see much damage from WWII. We were away from a lot of the big towns. We saw some ruins, but not much.”

While in England, Caron took a two-week vacation around Europe that included stops in Paris and across Italy including Rome. During the vacation he saw Pope Pius XII and got a blessing from him.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Caron said. “He passed away a few years later in 1958. I liked being able to take that trip.”

Caron spent the rest of his time in the military in Georgia. Upon leaving the service, he returned to Rochelle where he was born and raised. He worked at local employers including Rochelle Equipment, Morgan Dye and Caron International before retiring. He is 94 years old. 

“My time in the service taught me maturity, obligation, respect and responsibility,” Caron said. “I grew up and became a man. I learned how to do what I was told.”

Honoring Our American Hero is a series that will print twice a month in the News-Leader. If you know an American Hero you would like to have featured, contact Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@rochellenews-leader.com or call 815-561-2151.