Honoring our veterans: Phil Klostermann, United States Air Force
Vietnam War veteran Phil Klostermann enlisted in the United States Air Force to travel and see the world. He got his wish, but probably saw more than for which he bargained .
Although his memory serves him well, he chose not to share certain aspects of his experiences.
Phil was the eldest of seven brothers and one sister born to Emil and Freda Klostermann of Highland. Born Jan. 6, 1947, Phil grew up on a farm and helped with the livestock and typical farm chores. He recalls robbing bird nests located in the rafters that were creating “a big mess.”
Another job Phil’s father assigned him was ridding their acreage of bumble bees.
“We literally got hot water and poured it into the nests at nighttime,” said Phil. “And that would resolve the problem.”
Mathematics was his favorite subject at Highland High School, from which he graduated in 1964. He then attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale before enlisting in the USAF in 1966. After six weeks of boot camp in San Antonio, he then studied electronics at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.
After a brief leave at home, his next stop was Korat, Thailand, which then afforded Phil the opportunity to travel the country and get to know the ways and customs of the villagers. Though Phil was not involved in the daily physical aspects of the war, he does recall having to stay in the safety of the barracks to avoid being shot.
Later he was deployed to Korea and was pleased with the friendliness of the people. One of Phil’s fonder memories includes a favorite Korean dish, Kimchi. A staple in Korean cuisine, it is a famous traditional side dish of salted and fermented vegetables, such a napa cabbage and Korean radish, made with a varying selection of seasonings including gochugaru, spring onions, garlic, ginger and jentgal. He said he also liked their way of preparing rice.
Phil then spent the next two years in Tokyo and referenced it as a “dingy place at that time.” Stationed at the main air base in Japan, he served in the radar station guarding it and repairing radar equipment left over from World War II.
There at Yakota Air Force Base, Phil remembered he and fellow soldiers were very restricted from leaving the camp due to ongoing demonstrations by those protesting the Vietnam War. Protests in Japan started with a demonstration against the arrival of the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise, which was due to visit the U.S. navel base in Sasebo in mid-January before going onto Vietnam. There were several violent clashes.
Life after the Vietnam War
By 1970, Phil was back home and became employed by Milligan Electronics in St. Louis in 1972. Answering an ad in the local newspaper for an individual wanting to carpool from Highland to St. Louis, Phil met Sharon, who worked for Pepsi-Cola.
That arrangement lasted only a few weeks because, Phil said, “she got tired of me being late all the time and she told me ‘goodbye.’” But obviously she made a positive impression inasmuch several weeks later, when he was recalling “how pretty she was and her agreeable personality, I called her for a date and she accepted.”
The couple wed Feb. 12, 1972, and became the parents of four daughters, Amy, Peggy, Susan and Jennifer. Phil repaired machinery for Beeline for the next 33 years and retired in 2005 after having some health issues. Phil and Sharon have eight grandchildren.