All in the family

Military service runs in the genetics of the Neuschwander and Williquette families

Drew Lawson, The Times | Last updated Nov 04, 2021 12:50pm0

Drew Lawson | The Times count

Marine Corps veteran Dave Neuschwander (left) and his son-in-law, Air Force veteran Kelly Williquette (right) stand in front of Williquette's military recognition. Neuschwander is holding a picture of his brothers, both military veterans, and himself in Washington D.C. on an honor flight.

REARDAN-Veteran's Day is next Thursday, Nov. 11, and the holiday recognizing those who have served in the military carries special meaning for one local family. If one has the Neuschwander or Williquette surname, there's a good chance they've served in one of the military branches.

The senior in town, Dave Neuschwander, was one of three brothers to serve in the military. Neuschwander was in the Marine Corps from 1957 to 1960 and was stationed at Point Arguello next to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

He was a security guard for three missile silos at the point.

"This was during the time that we were preparing to launch missiles to the moon," Neuschwander said. "It was during the Cold War conflict with the Russians."

Neuschwander remembers Marines coming back from missions in Laos with the CIA ahead of the Vietnam War.

He also remembers one spy who tried to smuggle microfilm out of the base before being stopped by Neuschwander's security team.

"We would randomly stop cars coming to the base and search them top to bottom," he said. "Sure enough, he had the microfilm in one of the hubcaps."

Neuschwander's older brother, Pete, served in the Korean War, while his younger brother, Dale, was in the Vietnam War as an Army medic. The three took a trip to Washington D.C. on a Puget Sound honor flight in 2018 and toured the memorials to veterans and American heroes in the capital.

"Rolling Thunder motorcycles escorted our bus to the hotel in Baltimore...we were going 60 mph in rush hour traffic," Neuschwander said. "We were treated pretty good."

Neuschwander's son-in-law, Kelly Williquette was in the Air Force from 1989-2016 and was part of an engineering squadron. He did tours in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I met a lot of interesting people, and you get to learn a little bit about a little different cultures," Williquette said.

Williquette was awarded the Hometown Heroes medal upon his retirement, and was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base from 1991 on. He moved to Reardan in 2001, where Neuschwander joined him in 2007.

The family military ties run deep.

Neuschwander's son, Jim, was commissioned in the Coast Guard in 1985 and had his bars pinned by President Ronald Reagan at his graduation. His boat was one of the first to arrive on the scene of the Exxon Valdez crash near Homer Alaska in 1989.

Mike Froehlich, Neuschwander's brother-in-law, lives in Richland and served in the Navy during the Vietnam War in communications. Zachary Neuschwander, Jim's son, is active duty in the Navy as an electrician. He's stationed in Bellingham, and recently returned from Guam.

Tyler Williquette, Kelly's son, is active duty infantry in the army at Fort Lewis in Tacoma. Kelly Williquette's great-grandfather was in World War I, and his uncles were in World War II.