A Tower's Influence

A Tower's Influence. . Although its reason for existing was born out of necessity, the Shamrock tower has served other roles over the years. In the early days, travelers used it as a landmark to mark their progress through the Panhandle, in much the same way as travelers used Chimney Rock on the Oregon Trail. Travelers and locals alike used it as a gathering place as they watered their horses and wagon teams in the concrete troughs under the tower. It quickly became a part of the social fabric of the community. Even today, residents of Wheeler County use the tower to give directions to visitors and newcomers. , Many will recall their teen years when the tower was used as the turnaround for the main “drag” through town. The steel plates on the legs and fencing at the tower's base have put an end to the popularity of proving oneself by climbing to the top, a daring feat made all the more perilous because of the tower's height. Some left their mark with spray paint as proof of their courage for everyone to see. Others climbed secretly to prove to themselves that they could overcome any challenge. And yet for some, the tower stands as a constant reminder that one fear will not be overcome: the risk to life and limb being far too great. , Throughout the years the tower has been a popular backdrop for many photo opportunities. For the locals, a night drive up Railroad Avenue serves to remind us that it is more than just a water tower. It has been, and continues to be, a constant companion standing watch over their city. , [Right side of marker] , John Wallace Fields was born in 1917 in Ramsdell, Wheeler County, Texas. He graduated from Shamrock High School and attended Texas Technological College where he received a degree in chemistry. He then joined the Army Air Corps, graduating in the flying school class of 41-C. Assigned to the 7th Bombardment Group at Salt Lake City, he was flight testing a brand new Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The 7th Bomb Group was then sent to Australia where it was absorbed into the 19th Bombardment Group. Fields was assigned to the now famous 435th Kangaroo Squadron, flying missions out of Australia and New Guinea. , In 1942, the 19th returned to the States and was based at Pyote Field, near Midland, Texas. It was from here, while awaiting his next assignment, that Fields flew one of his final missions for the 19th. He flew to Shamrock and guided his B-17 down Main Street, flying so low that when he made his pass, he was looking up at the water tower. Many locals were not impressed with the hometown boy's aviation skills and complained to the Army Air Force, so much so that in a letter to her son, Mrs. Fields encouraged him, “If that was you, don't admit it!” A local attorney, Marion Reynolds, placed the following notice in the local paper. In part, it concluded: “And now a word to you Timid Souls who complained to the Army about low-flying planes over Shamrock. These boys who have flown the Atlantic to England and the Pacific to China – just happened to be coming by Shamrock, couldn't stop, couldn't drop a note, but tried to come down close to home in the hope that Mother or Dad would recognize their presence. I say be ashamed of your complaints for the boys who fly their planes, I say to you whiners, ‘Go straight to H---’, and to you boys who fly these planes, I say, ‘Knock the penthouse off the Reynolds Hotel.’” , After the war, Mr. Fields returned to Shamrock where he spent the rest of his days as a prominent citizen of the community running the family business, making a home, and raising a family with his wife Cecile. Lieutenant Colonel Wallace Fields was a highly decorated veteran of World War II and was recalled to service in the Korean War. Like so many local boys, he returned home, a quiet hero having flown fifty-one combat missions against the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific, yet one of his most memorable flights occurred on the day that he flew his B-17 down Main Street of his hometown. – (Photo courtesy of Ken Fields) , Captions (from left) , . The tower has been used as a popular photo backdrop for tourists. (Photo courtesy of Lora Mitchell Miller) , . Lieutenant Colonel Wallace Fields as he stands outside his B-17. (Photo courtesy of Ken Fields) , This panel is made possible through the generosity of the Rotary Club