This past weekend was the Quinte International Air Show and there were thousands of memories made.
One of those memories came for 93-year-old James Willett. He was also known as Red Light Willett or Dallas Willett.
He joined the military in 1948 and for a long time was with the Airborne Battery Mobile Strike Force.
In 1948, there were major floods in British Columbia and he was one of the soldiers assigned to relief duty, arriving in B.C. in the nose of a Lancaster. It was his first flight.
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Former Trenton Golden Hawks Director of Operations John McDonald and City of Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison present Dallas James Willet with a Letter of Recognition and a hockey jersey (Photo: Submitted by Wayne Warnica to Quinte News)
At the Quinte International Air Show in Quinte West, Dallas James Willett was invited to see the plane for the first time.
Nasty rain that hit the tarmac all day Saturday stopped that opportunity, however, he will have an opportunity to see it again in the not too distant future.
Quinte News sat down and talked with Red Light Willett Saturday June 29,2024.
Here is a bio from Crestwood School
Dallas Willett was born August 3, 1930 in Rouge Hill, Ontario. Third child in a family of 12, he grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working the family farm and delivering newspapers when he wasn’t at school or playing soccer or hockey. They would also go into the nearby town of Whitby, to bowl or maybe catch a movie. Dallas also grew up during the war; three uncles were in the service, but as Dallas was too young, he served in other ways, picking milkweed or finding scrap metal. Dallas chose to enter the military in his own right in 1948, just as the Cold War was starting to heat up. That year there were major floods in British Columbia, and he was one of the soldiers assigned to relief duty, arriving in B.C. in the nose of a Lancaster. Not long after he opted for more specialized duties including parachute training, and he was assigned to the Airborne Battery of the Mobile Strike Force in 1950, just as the Korean War broke out. They were tasked with the duty of defending Canada in the event of a Soviet strike, and Dallas did a good deal of training in Alaska with the Americans. During this time – and later – Dallas completed 100+ jumps, earning the nickname “Red Light” because of an early departure from the aircraft on one occasion. Dallas had two overseas deployments to Germany as well, training with NATO forces, and in Canada he was deployed to Montreal during the 1970 FLQ Crisis. Having made the military a career Dallas continued his service into the early 1980s, taking on a variety of roles, including in Canada’s newly founded Airborne Regiment. In retirement Dallas has maintained his connection to the military, and he is a powerful advocate for remembrance. Dallas Willett was interviewed by Scott Masters in August 2022.
Letter of Recognition from the City of Quinte West (Photo: Submitted by Wayne Warnica to Quinte News)
