Dixie Howell receiving a medal
Originally published in Dolphin Talk, May 14, 2004
As you all know, Matagorda Island was once an Air Force Base. What you may not know is that many men who were stationed on the Island came back to live in Port O’Connor. W.C. “Dixie” Howell is one of those men.
W.C. “Dixie” Howell of Port O’Connor was assigned to Matagorda Island in 1974 in the RBS Squadron. Shortly after, it was announced that the base would close. Although he received orders to go to SAC Headquarters in Omaha, NE, he was asked to stay on as Matagorda Island Base Commander, which he did. He stayed in this position for four years. This is where he first started, as many who were stationed on the Island did, developing a love for Port O’Connor. As things came to a head, the base was closed and turned over to the Department of the Interior on June 30, 1978.
Dixie is a Viet Nam Veteran. He actually went to college to play baseball, which was his passion. As he said, “that’s all I wanted to do was play baseball.” But he received an injury while in his sophomore year, which cut his baseball career short. He actually got his nickname “Dixie” while playing baseball and it stuck with him throughout his life. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force and became a Navigator. He went to ECM School and NAV School. He and his lovely bride, Diane, married in 1959. From there he went to Biloxi, MS and went to Electronic Warfare School and was assigned to B-52-F models aircraft at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth, TX.
Dixie was a Navigator. Back then, the B-52 crew had six people: a pilot, a co-pilot, a navigator, a radar navigator, and an electronic counter measures (ECM) operator. As he stated in this interview, “You don’t defend an airplane with guns anymore; you have jammers and equipment to break radar when radar is locked in on you.” His job was to break the radar. He couldn’t even see out of the airplane. He must have done an excellent job because he is living here in Port O’Connor today and flew with the same crew for four years.
Dixie flew the second and third B-2 missions over Viet Nam in July of 1965 and consequently came home in December after flying 40-50 missions. After a short break, he started flying as a Tanker Navigator on refueling missions over Viet Nam. In December of 1971, he went back into B-52-G models on a ready crew and ended up in Guam, where he flew until the end of the war. He flew over 200 missions out of Guam. He speaks of the Viet Nam War with great passion. He said, “I felt like we were on the verge of winning the war when we pulled out.”
Dixie came back to the States and got his assignment on Matagorda Island. He retired from the Air Force in 1979. He continued his education and received four Air Force Commendation Medals: the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Crew Medal, and numerous other medals “just for surviving!” He stated that, “Medals are really a pain. Every time you received a medal, you had to buy a miniature one to wear on your uniform. Then when you were awarded another medal, you had to take all of the miniature ones off of uniform to fit the new one in place.” He met many people in the military and it gave him a real feel of camaraderie. He and Diane still enjoy attending yearly reunions.
Dixie has been retired, again, since 1994. He tries to go fishing every day. He says that Port O’Connor is the nicest place in the world to live. “A lot of people ask me why I live down here and I tell them I love the people, and, of course, the excellent fishing. I also love the pace of life.”
W.C. “Dixie” Howell is just one of the unique and interesting residents of Port O’Connor who returned here to live after being stationed on Matagorda Island. Dixie is full of good stories, fishing and otherwise. So, next time you see him, stop and talk for a while.
