Wings and Roots
By Nadia Vick
An image of Buster Chidester from the New Mexico World War II Records.[1]
Chidester’s draft registration card.[9]
Captain Buster Tom Chidester
February 4, 1923 – July 7, 2020
In the dusty expanse of southeastern New Mexico, where the wind carries the scent of mesquite and open skies stretch endlessly, Buster Tom Chidester was born on February 4, 1923, in the small town of Tatum.[2] The son of Hubert and Mamie Chidester, Buster grew up among wide fields and strong values, learning early the importance of hard work, self-reliance, and service. With his brown hair, deep brown eyes, and a quiet, confident presence, he was the kind of person who left a lasting impression—even in his youth.[3]
Buster graduated from Tatum High School and began his studies at the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts with the intent of building a future in vocational agriculture.[4] But when the Second World War escalated, duty called. Like many of his generation, he put school on hold and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He trained as an aerial bombardment gunner—a dangerous, demanding role—and flew in missions over the battle-scarred skies of France, the Ardennes, the Rhineland, and Central Europe.[5] Gunners like Buster faced some of the most perilous conditions of the air war, enduring freezing temperatures in unpressurized bombers, constant enemy fire from fighters and flak, and long missions that stretched both physical and mental endurance.[6] They were the critical line of defense for their crews, expected to remain sharp and deadly accurate even as casualty rates mounted and losses were staggering.[7] Sometimes, when he wasn’t behind the guns, he filled in as an aerial photographer, capturing a war that would haunt and shape the world for decades to come.[8]
One mission stood apart: Operation Chowhound. In the war’s final days, Buster’s crew joined other American pilots in a humanitarian effort to drop food into Nazi-occupied Netherlands, where millions of Dutch civilians were facing starvation.[10] Allied bombers, normally tasked with destruction, now carried rations instead of bombs, delivering more than 10,000 tons of food between April 29 and May 8, 1945.[11] The success of these flights was only possible after delicate negotiations with German commanders, who agreed not to fire on the low-flying aircraft.[12] It was one of the rare moments in war when violence gave way to mercy, and Buster carried that memory with quiet pride.
After the war, he returned home to complete his degree and helped found SAO, a student fraternity that would later become Theta Chi.[13] While teaching agriculture at Gadsden High School, he met a bright and compassionate woman named Lulubelle Heizer. She became his wife in 1950, and together they built a life rooted in education, family, and service.[14]
When the Korean War broke out, Buster was back in action, a choice that reflected his continued sense of duty, this time as a commissioned officer in the newly formed U.S. Air Force.[15] His service spanned more than two decades, extending through the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Over those years, he served at Biggs, Walker, and Lowry Air Force Bases, and was stationed in French Morocco, Spain, Ohio, Louisiana, and California.[16] The Air Medal that he earned—awarded for aerial flight operations such as strikes, flights, and direct combat support during the Korean, Vietnam, and Gulf Wars—attested to his courage, though he never spoke much about honors.[17] Service, for Buster, wasn’t about recognition. It was about doing what needed to be done and doing it well.[18]
When Buster finally retired from military life, he didn’t slow down—he just redirected his energy. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, he served as the Field Director for the American Red Cross, was secretary for the Mesilla Valley Retired Officers Club, and assisted in managing the Las Cruces Community Theater as its bylaws secretary.[19] He delivered mail for years as a rural letter carrier, becoming a familiar and friendly face on the east side of town.[20] His small business ventures—including a bus-bench advertising company and several rental homes—kept him busy, but it was his work with St. Paul’s United Methodist Church’s soup kitchen that perhaps best exemplified his heart. In this way, he lived out the very mission described by the Military Officers Association of America, the association that the Mesilla Valley Retired Officers Club is connected with: “to advocate for our military community and connect it to the nation we serve.”[21] He wasn’t just a helper; he was a builder, a supporter, a neighbor.[22]
Buster and Lu raised four children, Teresa, Philip, Richard, and Mark, and poured their values into each of them: honesty, compassion, community, and quiet strength. He remained active into his later years, never losing his sense of humor, his humility, or his drive to serve others.
Buster Tom Chidester passed away in July 2020 in Las Cruces, surrounded by the town and people he had devoted his life to. He was laid to rest at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado, on December 7, 2020, beneath a headstone that reads: “Capt. USAF, World War II, Korea, Vietnam - Beloved Husband, Father, and Friend.”[23] It is a simple inscription for a man whose life was anything but.
Footnotes ↓
[1] Ancestry.com n.d., accessed August 1, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8867/records/33441?tid=&pid=&queryId=211ff187-cb55-4ed7-aa2e-2425fd50176f&usePUBJs=true.
[2] “Obituary: Buster Tom Chidester,” Getz Funeral Home, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.getzfuneralhome.com/obituaries/buster-tom-chidester.
[3] U.S. Selective Service System, World War II Draft Registration Card for Buster Tom Chidester, Draft Registration Series, 1940–1947, Ancestry.com, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238/records/6250464.
[4] “Obituary: Buster Tom Chidester.”
[5] Ibid.
[6] John T. Correll, “Valor: Unsung Heroes of World War II,” Air & Space Forces Magazine, February 1, 2007, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/valor-unsung-heroes-of-world-war-ii/
[7] Ibid.
[8] “Obituary: Buster Tom Chidester.”
[9] U.S. Selective Service System, WWII Draft Card for Buster Tom Chidester, Ancestry.com.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Jeremy Collins, “Operation Manna-Chowhound: Deliverance from Above,” National WWII Museum, May 6, 2020, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/operation-manna-chowhound
[12] Ibid.
[13] “Obituary: Buster Tom Chidester.”
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Joshua Williams, “Air Medal (AM): Eligibility and History,” Medals of America (blog), April 14, 2023, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.medalsofamerica.com/blog/air-medal-eligibility-and-history/
[18] “Buster Tom Chidester,” Find a Grave, accessed July 7, 2025, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/212732530/buster_tom-chidester.
[19] “Obituary: Buster Tom Chidester.”
[20] Ibid.
[21] Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), “Mission,” Military Officers Association of America, accessed August 26, 2025, https://www.moaa.org/content/about-moaa/mission/
[22] Ibid.
[23] Find a Grave.
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