Memories from an old girlfriend

Letter from Wally's Girfriend

Wally's Girlfriend  before the war was Janet Smith Lefevere. Julie contacted her several years ago and asked her what she knew about Wally, this is what she said.

"His stature was that of a smaller man. Good looking. Seemed to enjoy life - a happy go lucky type of person. A sense of humor. Lots of fun to be around. Loved his family, especially things said of his Mom. Her cooking & etc. Her love for all of them. He loved his large family. Spoke of them frequently. He was proud to be a part of a large family. These things mentioned in letters from him while in the Navy.

I met Wallace while in high school. He was a little older than me (2-3 years) and I thought it neat to meet someone older than I. I knew him (it seemed) only a short while because after his family moved away and he later joined the service, something that entered the minds of many young men then.

I first heard from him while stationed in (I think Wallace, Idaho). His comment then was "from Wallace in Wallace".

I enjoyed his letters and looked forward to answering them. I guess I learned more of Wallace thru his letters than really knowing him in person. He could write the neatest (cute) letters. I guess I fell in love with him then. I could have waited for him.

I didn't hear from Wallace later on, I felt like things had changed with him. He had moved on into the war and etc. Still I was willing to wait for him. The news came latter of his death...what a shock (all seemed lost.)

I felt so sad for his parents and bros. & sisters at their loosing a son, brother and a friend. I remained a friend to his mom, enjoyed hearing from her thru the years.

Julie, I'm sorry to be late in writing to you. Things came up so I just had to wait. I may or may not of been much source of information to you of your Uncle Wallace. I can say you'd be proud of him had you known him & seen him in person. Good luck to you and your brother on what you are doing.

Thanks

Love Janet Smith LeFevere"

The "large" family Wally loved and was proud to be part of. (picture taken just a few years after the war)
Note from Mike: I've known all of these people and I have to agree with Wally...they are a highly lovable bunch.

Service in the Civilian Conservation Corps

Like so many young men in the depression era (when employment were somewhere between scarce and non-existent), Wally worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps prior to enlisting in the Naval reserves. According to his discharge papers he served in the Bridge Mountain Camp NP-4 which was based along the Virgin River in Zions National Park and also in camp NP-3 which was based in Bryce Canyon National Park. The next time you visit either of these parks you will know that Wally helped build the roads in those parks.

Bridge Mountain Civilian Conservation Camp in Zions Park as it appeared while Wally was there

Wallys discharge papers showing his service at Bridge Mountain Camp. We learn other details as well, that at the time he was 17 years old, a store clerk, had gray eyes, brown hair, medium complexion and was 5 feet 4 inches in height.

The back side of Wally's discharge papers indicate that Wally did "Road Sloping" with a Pick and Shovel at both Zions National Park (NP-4) and Bryces National Park (NP-3)

Another view of Bridge Mountain Camp showing workers at retreat.  The CC corps was operated in a military like fashion and ended up being good training for America's youth who soon found themselves fighting a world war.

Wally's Church Ordinations and Achievements

Baptism Record

Ordination to the office of Deacon

Ordination to the office of Teacher

Wallys Seminary Graduation Certifcate

We own you Now

Wallys Orders to Inactive Duty, probably issued shortly after enlisting and before he received his assignment.

The Nation Remembers

An acknowledgment of Wally's Service signed by President Lyndon Johnson.

The Outhouse Incident

Sister Evelyn recounted the following story about Wally.
She said that one day he came riding in real fast on his horse, jumped off and made a made dash into the outhouse. (That was the extent of the available facilities for someone growing up in the 1920's in Escalante, Utah). Nature was in a hurry to get things going so Wally didn't take the time to tie off the reigns on the horse but simply ran them through a hole in the outhouse door and sat down to take care of business while tightly holding onto the reigns with one of his hands. Something spooked the horse and it  jerked the reigns slamming Wally's hand against the outhouse door and breaking several of his fingers in the process. Ouch!!!!

Stories about Wally from Sister Juanita

The following stories about Wally are from his older sister Juanita as written in her own personal history.

WALLY

I really didn't get to know my other brothers and sisters that well because I was so much older.

Wally and I however were very close. He was born on my birthday exactly two years later. My parents lost the next baby, and then came Evelyn. I remember one day Wally and I were washing dishes and I had to go to the outhouse. It was a long ways from the house. Wally was washing the dishes and I was drying. He decided to try to surprise me that day and have the dishes all washed and dried before I got back. He tried to pour the boiling water over the dishes to rinse them before I got back and he scalded himself really bad. He was just in horrible shape. He carried those scars to his death. He was scalded all down his legs and his arm and side. It was horrible!

OTHER STORIES ABOUT WALLY

Wally used to work for Victor in the coal mines and Victor used to pay him at the end of the week and Wally would tell me, "Now you put that money away, because I don't want to spend it. I don't care how mad I get, just don't you give it to me when I ask for it". Wally liked to carouse around and drink a little. He'd come back drunk and want it and I'd say, "No! You told me to keep it." Wally would get mad and say, "That's my money! I'm the one that earned it." He'd end up getting it every time.

Wally and I were so close, when he was killed in the service, they sent me a telegram of it just like they did Mom. He was such a good brother. But the family moved away from town when Wally was a teenager. They moved up to Provo. He was killed in the war. They said in the letter they searched and searched but they couldn't find his body. That sure about killed my mom. They had a memorial service, which was all. He has a marker up in the Springville Cemetery. 

If you kill one of us, we'll make more

Wally Barney loved Airplanes. His sister Evelyn said that he was always carving airplanes out of soap and out of wood....out of whatever he could get his hands on (which is about the only way you were going to get a toy airplane if you happened to be growing up during the depression in Escalante, Utah). After Wally's death in the war, his sister Juanita had a son who she named "Wally" in honor of her beloved brother.  Nature has a habit of restoring and repeating its favored patterns such that death is never the final story.  Therefore it should be no surprise to us that Wally 2.0 also loved airplanes and he in fact spent his career flying them for the United States Air Force.

In his own words, Wally's nephew Wally writes:

"From as long as I can remember, I wanted to fly airplanes.  I loved any movie that had flying in it.  It wasn’t until my mission, when I was in Calgary Alberta, Canada, that I made up my mind I was going to pursue flying.  We lived near an airport and I would watch the airplanes fly over head and I decided when I returned home, I would go back to BYU and join AFROTC and would become a pilot in the Air Force.  I first learned to fly and I was able to get my private pilot’s license at Provo Airport as part of the ROTC FIP (Flight Instruction Program).  After graduating, I joined the AF and went to Vance AFB, Enid OK for pilot training.  I flew and trained in the T37 and T38 aircraft and really loved that challenging program.  I then went to Shaw AFB, Sumter, SC to learn to fly the RF4C fighter/reconnaissance aircraft.  The Vietnam War was going on and I thought I might go there after but got an assignment to Bergstrom AFB, Austin, TX instead.  The war ended at the end of that assignment so I missed out on that.  From there I went to Kadena AB, Okinawa,  Japan, then back to Mather AFB, Sacramento, CA to fly the T37 trainer instructing navigators.  Then, back to Bergstrom to requalify in the RF4C and then on to Zweibrucken AB, Germany.  My last assignment was to Eglin AFB, Fort Walton Beach, FL.  All my assignments were flying assignments, at my request.  I never wanted to get out of the cockpit."   ~Wally  Alvey

RF-4 & Wally Alvey

T37 Tweet

T-37 and Wally

T38 & Wally Alvey

 

A is for Arnold

One thing leads to another and nowhere is that statement more true than when doing historical research into ones ancestors. I've been curious about how Wally came to have "Arnold" as his middle name. Wally's father (my grandfather Royal Barney) had a little brother (five years younger than he) whose name was Ray Arnold Barney.  A likely assumption is that he may have been called by his  middle name "Arnold" rather than his first name as has always been a common occurrence. My own father was known by his middle name and  few people even knew what his first name was. Anyway, my grandfathers little brother Arnold died in 1917 at the relatively young age of 18 due to heart problems. Wally was born only three years later so it appears likely (there's always the possibility that I'm wrong about this) that Wallace Arnold Barney was so named in honor of his Uncle Arnold. I can imagine that my Grandfather was probably quite close to his little brother and his giving of the middle name "Arnold" to his first born son is supportive of that assumption. I like knowing these little bits of history. It helps weave together the story of our ancestors and endears us to them.

Arnolds death certificate indicates that he died of "regurgitation of the heart". Regurgitation  is "leaking" from a  heart valve that does not close all the way. The doctors remarks of "he had been ailing nearly 4 years before I saw him" indicates that Arnold had been suffering from this condition from at least age 14. One of the possible causes of such a condition is Rheumatic heart disease, a complication of untreated strep throat. One could easily see how such a condition could develop in early 1900's Escalante, Utah.

Ray Arnold Barney's grave marker in the Escalante, Utah cemetary