Noel Wilson

BORN: April 14, 1941 

BRANCH: USMC 

DIED: July 24, 2019  

Noel Wilson was a Marine Corps Corporal in Vietnam and a valued member of the Camp Hamilton community. In fact, as you drive into Camp Hamilton, after you pass his tree, you will see three artifacts that exist all because of Noel Wilson. 1) A sign thanking his company, Inland Crop Dusters, for their contributions to the camp, 2) an American flag towering over the park, and 3) a water tank that Inland Crop Dusters has taken care of for decades.  

According to Camp founder Glenn Denton, back in the early days of the memorial park, Noel was critical to establishing a consistent water supply. For over a decade, volunteers brought 5-gallon water buckets and later drove water trucks to irrigate the trees dedicated to individual veterans. Noel was a key figure when Camp Hamilton volunteers approached the water district to irrigate the tree memorials. After that success, Noel donated the needed water tank to make that irrigation system work!  

Noel's donations and dedication to Camp Hamilton continued, especially when volunteers built the flagpole. When Noel saw that beautiful work, he said, "Well, I'd like to be involved."  

From that day on, Noel donated three holiday-sized flags every single year! Volunteers replaced the flag before Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and as needed.  A holiday flag, also known as a Garrison flag, is enormous! It is one-half of the flagpole height and is flown on special days. Why do we fly such a large flag every day of the year? When Glenn Denton was on active duty, he used to say (and still does on special occasions),  "It's another glorious day in the Marine Corps where everyday is a holiday, every meal is a feast, and every formation is a reunion."  

If everyday is a holiday, then we fly the holiday flag everyday!

When Noel passed away in July 2019, his family's company continued to help Camp Hamilton with water and American flags. In April 2022, we received word that Inland Crop Dusters is closing its business at the end of May. While we will be forever grateful to Inland Crop Dusters' help and support, we are confident that our Kern County community has more people like Noel Wilson to continue his legacy. 

"Semper fi, Noel. Your friendship and your assistance at Camp Hamilton will never be forgotten."