ARLINGTON — The Major Wesley Duane Schierman Memorial Field at the Arlington Municipal Airport gets its name from a longtime pilot and Vietnam veteran who spent nearly eight years as a prisoner of war.
The airfield is set to be dedicated Monday at noon.
The Blackjack Squadron, a group of Arlington-based pilots who build planes and perform flight formations in honor of fallen veterans, requested a memorial to Schierman after he died in January at 78. Schierman was one of the founding members of the squadron in 1990.
Schierman’s family and neighbors in Everett remember him as a national and neighborhood hero.
He flew for the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. He was a commercial pilot for Northwest Airlines, logging more than 15,000 hours of flight, according to a city newsletter.
While serving in the Air Force, Schierman’s F-105 fighter-bomber was shot down. In August 1965, at age 30, he was captured and became a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He and other prisoners were freed in February 1973.
The Blackjack Squadron plans to perform a flight formation for fallen soldiers during the memorial dedication Monday.
A new sign is planned at the airport, with information about Schierman’s military service, career as a pilot and contributions to the Blackjack Squadron and the Arlington community, according the Rotary Club of Arlington.
Though the airfield is being renamed after Schierman, the airport remains the Arlington Municipal Airport, according to the city.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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