Grinnell military hero returns home, is buried at Hazelwood Cemetery
J.O. Parker
David Blanchard Talbott was a hometown boy who grew up in Grinnell and went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force, where he saw action as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean and Vietnam wars.
He was known for becoming one of the first fighter pilots in the U.S. Air Force and once, while doing a maneuver over Grinnell, broke formation and did loops over the city and then went back in formation.
“I remember standing in the front of my house on 10th Avenue when he did the fly over,” recalled Jack Matthews, a friend of the Talbott family. “He came very, very low and I thought the world had come to an end. He then went straight up into the sky and disappeared.”
The cremated remains of Talbott, who died on Oct. 31, 2019 in Santa Barbara, Calif., were laid to rest next to his wife, Jo Ann Ivah Christensen, and their daughter, Diana Jo, who died from drowning at the age of 3, in a graveside service at Hazelwood cemetery on Saturday, July 5.
He was 88 at the time of his death.
Present at the service was his son, David Eugene Talbott, of Desert Hot Springs, Calif., and his three children, Andrew Tyler “Mountain” Talbott, Clarksville, Tenn.; daughter, Jacquelyn Talbott, and son, David Alexander Talbott, both of San Diego.
A niece and her husband from Wichita, Kan., were in attendance as was General Keith Acheson, retired USAF Fighter Pilot and member of the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA).
Also present at the service was Cliff Strovers, 92, a classmate of Talbott at Grinnell, who shared stories about him that the grandchildren had heard through the years.
Strovers said he found out about the funeral for Talbott by accident.
“I was talking to a coffee friend who is part of the honor guard with the American Legion,” Strovers said. “I went out to the cemetery and that is where I met the son and grandchildren.”
Strovers said he visited briefly with the family and spoke highly of his classmate.
He said Talbott was a popular student at Grinnell and was a very smart guy.
“He (my grandfather’s classmate) collaborated all the stories I heard growing up,” said grandson, David. “Hearing the memories was heartfelt.”
The service was under the direction of Chaplin Dan “Mac-O” MacGregor of Shelby with the CVMA. The Patriot Guard Riders, under the direction of Dean DeKoter, coordinated the law enforcement escort and vehicle escort.
Eight members of the PGR and six members of the CVMA were present at the service.
The Grinnell American Legion Post 53 Honor Guard provided the three volley salute with the Sons of the American Legion.
MacGregor was asked by the family to lead the service. He met with family members a couple days before the service and put together the eulogy.
“He was a colorful man,” said MacGregor of Talbott. “I was honored and humbled to be asked to speak at his service.”
“We were able to bring a hometown hero back to his hometown,” said his son, David, following the service.
Talbott was laid to rest with all his medals from his military service. They included:
Air Force Accommodation Medal with Three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnam Service Medal with One Bronze Service Star, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, United Nations Service Medal (Korean War) and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters. In addition, a medal presented to him by President Barack Obama for serving 10,000 hours with the Red Cross Disaster Relief Services was included.
“And a shot of whiskey,” said his son, David.
David said with the onset of Covid and various other issues at the time of his father’s death in late 2019, the family decided to put the burial in Iowa on hold.
About two years ago, David and family, none of who had ever been in Iowa, started talking about how to honor his dad and the children’s grandfather and grandmother and close out this chapter of their lives.
In June 2024, Andrew attended a Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association gathering in Rochester, Minn. He decided to stop in Grinnell and meet with military personal and Watts Family Monuments in Montezuma to purchase a grave marker.
“It took a lot of planning and coordination,” said Andrew.
“There was a lot of moving parts and it came together flawlessly,” added David.
Talbott was born in Grinnell on March 17, 1931, the son of David E. and Mary Frazier Talbott.
As a kid, he worked with his father and brother, Gene, at the Talbott and Olds Grain and Feed in Grinnell.
David said his father comes from a long-line of Talbott family members who lived and worked in the early days in Grinnell and nearby Brooklyn. This included Dr. Eugene Finch Talbott, a long-time doctor in Grinnell.
After graduating from Grinnell High School in 1950, Talbott joined the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 16, 1953.
He completed his basic training at Spencer Air Base in Moultrie, Ga. and attended basic flying school at Bryan Air Force Base near Bryan, Texas. His advance jet schooling came in Las Vegas, where he received his wings on Oct. 15, 1953.
He spent a number of years serving at Air Force bases around the country from Montana to Florida and Texas.
“We were usually stationed at air forces bases for 16 months before moving to another base,” said David.
At one point in his military career, Talbott served as an F-86 Sabre jet pilot in the 67th Fighter Rambler Squadron on the Island of Okinawa off the southern tip of Japan.
It was in Montana that he met his wife, Jo Ann.
The couple was married on Dec. 25, 1953, while Talbott was active in the service. The couple had four children, Diana, Kathryn, David and Gabrielle.
Jo Ann had a deep love for the arts and a talent for lifting up those around her, whether through creativity, compassion, or a listening ear.
Talbott retired from the military at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on Feb. 29, 1972, before dedicating his life to volunteer service.
His son, David, said it was good to give his father and mother’s story closure.
When asked his thoughts, Andrew, who is currently in the U.S. Army, said he has been involved in a number of military funeral services as part of the Patriot Riders, saying it’s very different when it is his own family.
“It’s good to be able to honor my family like I do for other families,” said Andrew, as he reflected on the day’s activities.
“The real kicker,” said David, who was born in Texas, “I got all my three kids to work on something good together.”
And in closing his military service and life on this earth, Talbott and Jo Ann were remembered best by a song from Billy Swan that captured their spirit – “It would do me good, to do you good; so let me help.”
