WARSAW — John Kimpel, Warsaw, was honored as veteran of the month at the Kosciusko Commissioners meeting held Tuesday, March 5. 

Kimpel was born in August 1946 to Lowell and Kathleen Kimpel of Milford. He graduated from Kendallville High school in 1963, majoring in mechanical engineering. He then obtained an associate degree in drafting and designing at Tri-State College in Angola.

As Kimpel was finishing college, the Vietnam conflict was mounting. Unsure when his number might be called for the draft, Kimpel made the decision to enlist in the Air Force in May 1966. He was hopeful that he might be placed in a military position matching his skills and ambitions. Upon enlisting in the Air Force, Kimpel wrote down that he was interested in either photography or civil engineering type of work. 

After basic training in Texas, Kimpel was assigned to Lowery AFB in Colorado to be trained as a weapons mechanic. Kimpel jokingly stated they must have misplaced his paperwork. 

After training, he was assigned as a weapons mechanic to Kincheloe AFB in Michigan. His job was to learn the fundamentals of loading and hooking up rockets and missiles on F-106 air defense jets. 

Kimpel said the winter was rough and he recalls that most vehicles had orange balls placed on top of their antennas so that when drivers came to a 4-way stop, they would be able to tell if there was another vehicle on another corner of the stop.

In the fall of 1967, a notice was posted asking for weapons mechanics who would be willing to volunteer to work and fly as gunners on AC-47 gunships in Vietnam. The deal included flight pay and hazardous duty pay tax-free for one year. Kimpel and a fellow weapons mechanic from Indiana decided to volunteer.

They were first sent to Bunker Hill AFB for altitude chamber testing. Kimpel said he didn’t realize airplanes could go that high.

Three and a half months later, Kimpel was sent to England AFB in Louisiana where he trained to fly as a gunner while the young pilots at that location were learning how to fly the planes. Kimpel recalled that an instructor at one point explained to a new pilot that “We only need to land once when we land.”

Kimpel was then sent to Fairchild AFB for survival school training. This included hand to hand combat training and parachuting from platforms into water. 

Prior to joining the Air Force, Kimpel had met a girl from Warsaw, Wendy Warner. The two kept in touch while Kimpel was in the military, and he proposed to her during a Christmas break. He explained that he wanted to wait to get married until he was back from Vietnam. 

“I figured if she waited for me it would all work out and I guess it did,” said Kimpel. 

Kimpel was sent to the Philippines for jungle survival school in February 1968. On March 2, 1968, he flew from the Philippines to Nha Trang AFB in Vietnam. On March 11 he was assigned to Bien Hoa Air Base where he remained for the next year. 

Kimpel acquired over 1,100 flying hours as a crew member during his tour. During his missions, his crew accounted for nearly 803,000 rounds of ammunition.

In February 1969 he left Vietnam and was flown to California. He returned to Indiana in late February. He and Wendy were married on March 8, 1969. One of Kimpel’s Air Force comrades, who was also from Indiana, was the best man. 

Following a short honeymoon, the Kimpels headed to Lockbourne AFB. They spent a year there before Kimpel was honorably discharged in April 1970. 

After returning to Warsaw, Kimpel worked at D.H. Lessig Engineering. In August 1976 he began working for Dalton Foundries as a draftsman. In 1985 Kimpel applied for and received an Indiana land surveying license. 

In 2002 Kimpel and a friend founded their own company, John Kimpel & Associates. 

The Kimpels have three grown children: two daughters and a son. Their granddaughter is studying nursing at Goshen College, and their grandson attends Washington Elementary School. The Kimpels are enjoying retirement with their border collie. 

“God has been good to us as a family,” said Kimpel. “We are thankful for friends and neighbors we have come to know over the years. I would like to thank the Kosciusko County commissioners and the veteran affairs officer for this privilege and honor to be recognized for my service as an American veteran.”