Extracted from The Shreveport Times (Shreveport, LA)
Friday, November 28, 1997

Colonel Wendell H. Barnett
USAF Retired

SHREVEPORT, LA - Funeral services for Colonel Wendell Hines Barnett, 81, will be held at 3 p.m. today at Forest Park Cemetery. Officiating at the graveside service will be Dr. Edward R. Thomas.

Col. Barnett came to rest Tuesday, November 25, 1997 of natural causes at The Glen Retirement Village. Col. Barnett is survived by his wife, Norma Gene Sanders Barnett; his son, Wendell H. Barnett, Jr., CWO and his wife, Lynn of Carlsbad, CA; three daughters, Laura Hoffman and her husband, Jonathan of Charlotte, NC and their sons, Ian and Preston; Brenda Camardella and husband, Michael and their daughters, Emily Gene and Audrey Anne; and youngest daughter, Paula Gail Barnett.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Emma and J. P. Barnett, Sr.; two brothers, Virgil L. Barnett and James Preston Barnett, Jr.; and sister, Jane Barnett Ryan.

A dutiful soldier, a loving husband, a proud father, a principled man who had a love for his country and trusted in God and a disciplined man who believed in the value of an education -- This is how Col. Barnett will be remembered by his family, and it is the legacy he leaves to his children and grandchildren. Born Sept. 7, 1916, Col. Barnett succeeded in life because of the uncompromisingly high standards he set for himself. Above all Col. Barnett was a fighter, and it was his fighting spirit that saved him in times of war and subsequent illnesses and allowed him to enjoy 36 rewarding years with his loving wife and children.

Col. Barnett's illustrious 33-year career in the military began upon graduating with honors from Texas A&M University in 1939. He was then commissioned as a 2nd Lt. of the Infantry and entered active duty in the Army Air Corps, completing Bombardier School in 1942. During WWII, he served as a combat crew member flying B-17s and B-24s. After recovering from an aircraft accident in 1943, he was promoted to Captain holding several commands as a squadron commander. In 1956, he was promoted to Lt. Colonel, and later awarded an Air Force Commendation Medal for planning and supervising the first SAC Alert Force Test between 1957 and 1958. He made the rank of Colonel in 1962.

Upon retirement in 1967 from SAC headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha, Neb., Col. Barnett settled in Shreveport with his family. He began his second career in 1968 working for South Central Bell, now Bell South for more than 15 years. He retired in 1984. After marrying in 1961 in Broadmoor United Methodist Church, Col. Barnett and his wife returned to the church where he was a member of the Men's Fellowship Class. He was also a steadfast supporter of the Texas A&M Alumni Club and an avid golfer.

Interment at Forest Park Cemetery will be with full military honors.