The grand marshal for the annual Pea Ridge Veterans Parade was Les Hinton, an aviation structural mechanic during the Korean War.
Hinton was born on Oct. 29, 1928, in Nebraska. He and his family moved to Wetmore, Kan., where he grew up.
Like many young men during this time, he grew up farming and developed great work ethic and determination. Hinton went to school at Wetmore, Kan., where he graduated in 1946. After graduating high school, he worked various jobs, but most memorably he worked in Wichita, Kan., at the Beech Aircraft plant for approximately two years. He learned to work on various aircraft at that time, mostly World War II era airplanes including the Beechcraft Model 18.
On June 25, 1950, the U.S. entered the Korean War.
Les Hinton, 22, enlisted in the Navy that same year and went to boot camp in San Diego, Calif. After boot camp, he and about 20 of his fellow shipmates shipped out with approximately 1,000 paratroopers and headed for Yokosuka, Japan. Hinton recalls that while stationed in Japan, not even two weeks in, they had a P2V aircraft crash land on the runway where it broke into several pieces. He said he was amazed at the site and even more amazed that all the crewman survived the crash. P2Vs were doing strafing runs during this time on the enemy combatants.
Airman Hinton was stationed there for about six months before being shipped out to Barbers Point, Hawaii, for six months and then back to Japan for another six months and then back to Barbers Point. During this time, he was assigned to Patrol Squadron 6 -- the Blue Sharks.
On July 7, 1952, VP‐6 departed Hawaii for Naval Air Station Kodiak, Alaska. Detachments were maintained at Ladd Air Force Base from Aug. 14 to Sept. 17 and at Naval Air Station Adak (Adak, Alaska) from Dec. 10-20, 1952, in support of the Cold Weather Advance Base exercise. They took care of the P2V‐5s which were maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft.
During his time in Adak, Alaska, Hinton was assigned to have duty one evening. During this evening there was a severe cold weather storm with high winds. The record breaking wind was recorded at 125 miles per hour unofficially. Due to this storm, he was unable to be relieved from his post. His replacement was on his way to relieve him but was blown off the road and couldn't make it. Les stood duty and didn't leave until the following day. He was so cold that he ended up with frostbite in his legs. One of legs still has not healed completely to this very day.
While he was serving in the Navy, he'd send money home to his parents so that they could pay for a piece of property that he had wanted to purchase. By the time Hinton got out of the Navy in 1954, he owned that piece of property -- a farm, in Holton, Kan.
It was in Holton after the Korean War where Hinton met his forever bride, Thelma. She was working at a Five and Dime and Hinton's mother introduced them. The first date was at "Grange Dance" just a short time later. At that time and in that place, a Grange Dance was basically a dance where all the farmers and family would go to meet and dance.
Sure enough, they fell in love and were married in 1955, just one year after Hinton got out of the Navy.
The Hintons had two children while living in Holton, Kan. Their daughter Debbie was born in 1957 and their son Mark was born in 1959. They sold their farm in 1961 and moved to Topeka, Kan. During these years, they moved several times including to Odessa, Texas, and McDonald County, Mo., before settling down in Arkansas.
Hinton and his son Mark started a real estate company in Pea Ridge in 1985 called Hinton Realty. The elder Hinton was also a home builder. He built four homes that sit on Smith Street in Pea Ridge today.
Today, Les Hinton is happily retired.
Les Hinton has been a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for over 20 years. He was the Post Commander for VFW Post 4205 from 2009 to 2010 where he took the post to Nationals that year.
"I, too, have had the honor of serving with Les here at the Pea Ridge VFW Post 8109 for couple of years now," Chris Snow, junior vice president of the VFW, said. Today, he and Thelma enjoy their time living in Bella Vista and being visited by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Community on 11/14/2018