Emmett Elbert "Wally" Simpson was born in Pensacola on June 8, 1920. However, little is known about his early life here. He attended the local elementary and junior high schools and somewhere along the line, he was apparently adopted by Hattie Cushing (1903-1950). It is unknown exactly when this occurred, but Hattie had married Aulice Brinkley McKenzie in 1928 but by 1930 they had gone their separate ways. Hattie was the daughter of Andrew Jackson "Jack" (1872-1957) and Leander "Annie" Yohn Cushing (1875-1960), who lived in the Ferry Pass community.
In the meantime, Emmett entered Pensacola High and given his age he should have graduated in 1938. However, he most likely left early since he enlisted in the US Navy in November 1937, about the time he would have been a junior. During his training and military assignments in California, he met and fell in love with a young girl by the name of Violet Marcelli Smith. Ironically, her twin sister Viola Smith also fell in love with a California boy and both announced their engagements at the same time. However, Wally anxious to marry because he was in the Navy so he knew he would be shipping out sooner or later. Plus, his rating as an aviation machinist mate meant he was probably assigned to a squadron and most likely on a carrier. But America was at peace even though Europe was at war. So, following their Fall wedding in 1941, they reported into Jacksonville to begin their new life together. However, little did they know that only a few months down the road, America would be hurled into a worldwide war. Following the attack at Pearl Harbor, one thing was for sure and that was America was going to need a strong naval aviation group to beat Japan.
By June 1942, his orders came down the line. Wally was being shipped out for the Pacific theater where they desperately needed their naval pilots and crews. He kissed his wife and four-month old daughter goodbye for the last time. The war was not going well, and the Japanese juggernaut was winning victory after victory. Then came Coral Sea and Midway in May and June of 1942, and the tide slowly began to turn. For the next 18 months, Wally watched as constant naval battles were fought and one bloody island after another had to be captured. Casualties mounted by the thousands. In the meantime, Violet and Antoinette (1942-2004) had returned home to stay with her parents in Yucaipa, California while Wally was overseas.
Together Violet and her folks read the headlines that showed America getting stronger by the day and inflicting terrific casualties on the enemy. But this just meant there was more of a chance for something happening to Wally. Then came the telegraph from the War Department, and that meant only one thing. Wally had been killed in action on December 7, 1943. There is no information as to how he was killed and perhaps his family can come forth one day to assist. But we do know that his remains were brought home by Violet and buried with military honors in the Mountain View Cemetery in Beaumont, CA on November 1, 1947. This means that he did not crash into the Pacific, never to be seen again like so many of our WWII pilots and crews during the war.
Regardless, Violet went about her life raising her daughter before marrying again in 1947. But sadly, she would lose her second husband in 1982 and her daughter in 2004. As a staunch member of our greatest generation, Violet would pass away herself at the age of 93 in 2014.
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