HAPPY TRAILS
FRED AND NATHALIE MITCHELL, 1945.
Trav’lin’ Light
— TRUMMY YOUNG, JIMMY MUNDAY & JOHNNY MERCER, 1942
If Fred Mitchell hadn’t been at the Greyhound bus station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the summer of 1944, he might never have met the love of his life. A beautiful girl, wearing a saucy white hat, had just stepped off the bus and looked around for her boyfriend who was supposed to meet her. “A whole bunch of soldiers were waiting around to see who got off the bus,” Nathalie Mitchell recalled.
“And I was one of them,” said Fred.
Nathalie’s boyfriend, however, was not.
Fred struck up a conversation with her and kept her company while she waited. “She was a good looking gal,” he said. When her boyfriend didn’t show, he offered to call a cab and see her home. She accepted and before she got out of the taxi, he had her phone number. “It must have been that cute little white hat,” she mused. Whatever the reason, Fred wasted no time in giving her a call and inviting her to dinner and a movie. She agreed to the date and never looked back. “So much for that boyfriend,” Fred said, chuckling.
Fred was anxious to move on with his life. He’d recently returned to the States after serving with the 452nd Air Bomb Group stationed in England. He’d been attending Purdue University, in 1943, when the Army Air Force called his name. “I’d never even been up in a plane—I’d never flown,” he said. So, he thought it best to apply for navigation training.
He flew 30 missions between January and April of 1945, mostly over Germany. “We got shot up all the time,” he said, shaking his head. During one memorable incident, while seated in his spot in the nose of the B-17, a big piece of shrapnel struck the plane. “It hit the Plexiglass and shattered it. I thought it was snowing!” After Germany surrendered, Fred and his crew had a new mission picking up POW’s in Czechoslovakia and flying them home. “They were mainly French,” he recalled. “And when we flew past the Eiffel Tower, boy did they get excited!”
He hadn’t yet decided his future career plans when he met Nathalie at the bus station, but he knew immediately that whatever his future held, he wanted her by his side. “We probably dated a whole month before I asked her to marry me,” he said. “And once she agreed, I decided to stay in the service.” He applied for pilot training and was sent to Walla Walla, Washington. Nathalie soon followed him, and on November 30, 1945 they married in a local pastor’s home.
They didn’t stay in Washington long. By October of 1946, Fred and his bride were in San Angelo, Texas, where he attended flight school. While there, they welcomed the birth of David, the first of three sons. From Texas they went to Louisiana so Fred could complete his advanced training in B-25’s. The frequent moves suited Nathalie perfectly. She’s always enjoyed being on the go. “When I was a baby my mother would take me out in the buggy every afternoon,” she said, laughing. “I loved it and wanted to go right back out! I still love travel.” Housing was in short supply, and Fred’s solution proved fitting. He said, “I picked up a Liberty Travel Trailer, so we’d have a place to live.”
FRED MITCHELL, GUNNERY SCHOOL, FLORIDA, 1944.
FRED MITCHELL TOOK THIS PICTURE OF A B-17 DROPPING ITS PAYLOAD OVER GERMANY, 1945.
In 1949, Fred completed weather forecasting school and soon received orders to move his family to the Philippines, and once again Nathalie proved to be an intrepid traveler. She and their two sons boarded the last boat going to the Philippines prior to the onset of the Korean War. “We went through a typhoon,” she said. “But I never got seasick.”
Their third son arrived while they were stationed in the Philippines. The Mitchells moved 15 times during Fred’s 21-year military career, but despite all those transfers they were rarely separated. “I think the longest we spent apart was probably three months,” Nathalie said.
FRED MITCHELL, HOME ON LEAVE AFTER NAVIGATION SCHOOL.
After retiring from the Air Force as a major, Fred attended Great Falls College in Montana and earned a degree in education. In 1964 he launched his next career, teaching middle school and high school math in North Idaho. Nathalie said, “We found a beautiful house. It was run down but nothing we couldn’t fix up.” At last the Mitchells were able to put down roots, and for 21 years Fred taught a variety of math classes before retiring in 1985.
Fred’s definition of retirement might be different than some—for the past 23 years he’s volunteered with the AARP as a tax preparer. “I helped prepare 106 income tax returns this year,” he said. Every January, he’s required to take an extensive course and pass a grueling test in order to keep current with tax changes. In 2010, the couple received a Community Service award from the AARP’s Retired Educators Association. A letter from the organization said, “Your efforts have enriched the lives of friends and neighbors and made your community a better place in which to live.” The couple is also active in their church. Fred plays the keyboard and Nathalie makes baptismal banners. “Church has always been part of the fabric of our family,” she said.
And they are still on the go. Every other summer they take a long road trip. “No planning, we just go,” said Fred. “We love seeing new places.” Age has caused them to modify their travel style a bit, by taking turns driving and making lots of stops along the way. In addition, they both exercise every day. Nathalie said, “That’s what keeps us going!”
When asked what keeps a marriage going, they looked at each other and smiled. “He gives me what I want and lets me go where I want,” Nathalie said. Fred added, “And of course, I don’t argue!” He grinned and continued, “She’s a good cook and took great care of the kids.”
Nathalie cleared her throat. “And what about you?”
He grinned. “And me, too!” His wife reached across the table and gently patted his hand. Whirlwind courtship aside, she’s happy she accepted his offer of marriage. “I thought it was a good deal.”
And it has been. If she ever finds that long-ago boyfriend who missed her bus, she’d thank him. Because of his mistake, Fred and Nathalie Mitchell have enjoyed 69 years of happy trails.
FRED AND NATHALIE MITCHELL, 2010. Photo courtesy Ralph Bartholdt