Sergeant gives grandfather 'best gift ever' Published Jan. 26, 2007 By 1st Lt. Lisa Ferguson 43rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- A retired senior master sergeant finally received the medals owed to him from World War II and the Korean War, and his grandson made sure he had a brand new uniform to accept them in. Staff Sgt. Mason McPhetridge, 743rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, knew his grandfather, James Nichols, was Air Force through and through, and there was no better gift for him than a new Air Force uniform. "He still participates in parades, and his uniform looked pretty ratty," Sergeant McPhetridge said. "I just thought it'd be a nice thing to do." Mr. Nichols was choked up at the gift. "I got tears in my eyes," he said. "Mason came home on leave and gave it to me; it really got to me. I love that uniform. I spent almost 22 years in the Air Force." Mr. Nichols had various assignments throughout his career, and spent about one-third of his time deployed and TDY, much to his wife's dismay. "It was rough on her, but she raised three wonderful children for me. I'm so proud of them," he said. Mr. Nichols' job was a radar mechanic, and his first assignment after coming out of school was in a B-29 wing based in Salina, Kan. He also had several short stints in Germany, with one during the Berlin Airlift. During the Korean War he spent time in Thailand and Guam, as well as two years in the Philippines. He spent eight months alone before his wife came over by boat. "She spent 21 days on a boat coming over. The boat was an old converted tanker ship, and those are slow as a frog; that's why it took 21 days," he said. Other assignments included March Field, Calif.; Indiana; a couple trips to Vietnam; and another assignment to the Philippines before settling at a base in Cape Cod, Mass. "The Air Force wanted to send me back to Vietnam, and my family hit the ceiling," he said. "My wife decided I would retire; she had had enough of it, especially when they wanted to send me back to Vietnam. I had made chief, but I had to turn it back when I retired. I have to give her credit for backing me when I was in the service." As for the medals, Mr. Nichols said he never worried about them. "I don't care," he said. "It's not like I can eat them or something. My children had grown up and they wanted me to have my ribbons so they could have them when I was gone." He then called his congressman, and it took two months to get the medals. Mr. Nichols was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, Army of Occupation Medal Germany, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign and the World War II Victory Medal. Mr. Nichols said he would still serve today. "If they called me back today to serve, I'd go back," he said "It'd have to be the Air Force, of course, but I'd go back." He said he's so proud of [Sergeant McPhetridge], too. "I'm glad that grandson of mine decided to go in the Air Force," he said.