Louis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom

ouis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom was born June 14, 1919, in Nacogdoches County to Henry Grady and Callie Spinks Haltom. He grew up in Melrose, Texas, and graduated from the Stephen F. Austin Demonstration High School in Nacogdoches. Following graduation he attended Stephen F. Austin College. Billie entered the Army Air Corp in 1940, trained in Muskogee, Randolph Field and Kelley Field. He served in Europe and the South Pacific, Belgium, France, Germany, and Tokyo. His Air Force service spanned a twenty-year period and his military decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, 4 battle Stars, He was wounded over France in 1943 for which he recived the Purple Heart. After retiring from active military duty in 1960, he worked in the oil industry in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to government service with USAID as the director of aid for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. In this role, he was responsible for programs that built schools and roads serving the people of the region. He later worked for the United States Postal Service and for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the Department of the Treasury.