Mastersons’ service to country and community

Ocean Pines residents Maj. Trish Masterson and SMSgt. Mike Masterson, both retired U.S. Air Force, have more than four decades of military service between them. 

More recently, both became involved with the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation in Ocean Pines, an organization dedicated to honoring veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present. 

Trish is originally from Tacoma Park, Maryland and is one of eight children. She served in the ROTC while attending college at the University of Maryland and was later com- missioned by the Air Force. 

She was stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, where she worked in emergency management during four years of active duty. 

Trish also served in the Air Force Reserve for 16 years, both at Edwards Air Force Base in California and Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. She retired in 2003. 

Mike grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts and joined the Air Force in 1972, right after graduating from high school. He’s also one of eight children, including four brothers who served. 

After training, Mike was sent to McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington. 

“The first thing I did, I was part of bringing the POWs home from Vietnam. That was in February of 1973,” he said. “After that, I was in an operation called 'REFORGER’ [an acronym for ‘Return of Forces to Germany’] over in Ramstein, Germany. I was part of the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 and went down to Tel Aviv for a few weeks. After that and a few other things, I ended up going permanently assigned to Germany, where I spent a lot of time in Africa, Europe and Western Asia doing all kinds of stuff.” 

He met Trish at Hill Air Force Base in 1980, and they were married two years later. 

Mike retired from the Air Force after 22 years of service. He also taught at Wor-Wic Community College and worked in the aviation field for companies in Georgetown, Delaware, Wallops Island, and Indianapolis. 

The couple have two children, Patrick, a molecular biologist with the National Institute of Health who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and Kevin, a computer programmer who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Ocean Pines and the Memorial Foundation 

Trish and Mike decided to move to Ocean Pines while both were serving at an Air Force base in New Jersey. Mike considered going north, back home to Boston, or moving south. 

“I went up there [to Boston] around 1989 and they had a huge snowstorm, and I thought ‘the heck with this, I’m going south!’” he said. 

Trish’s parents had a home in nearby South Point, and the couple stayed with them briefly. 

“We were looking to settle here and found a nice house in Ocean Pines in 1994, and we’ve been here ever since. We love it here,” she said. 

Not long after moving, both became involved in the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation. It was a way, they said, to honor their fellow veterans. 

“We’ve been members of the Veterans Memorial Foundation for a number of years,” Trish said. “A few years ago, Sherri Lassahn [the foundation’s administrative assistant] asked me if I would consider being a board member. I agreed and I’ve been on the board now for three years. 

“The fact that this memorial is here [in Ocean Pines] and the time and effort and love that’s gone into building it and maintaining it is just wonderful,” she added. “We get tremendous support from Ocean Pines Public Works. I can’t even describe to you how wonderful they are. They do so much for us and they’re always willing to zip over here and take care of whatever needs to be taken care of.” 

A Virtual Veterans Day 

As a foundation board member, Trish has chaired the annual Veterans Day ceremony for the last three years, while Mike has served as the event’s emcee. 

“Guilt by association,” he said with a laugh. 

Trish helped put together the virtual ceremony held this year because of concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“As time went on, we realized we probably were not going to be able to do [the event],” she said. “There was no way that we could realistically limit the crowd size and, in terms of being six feet apart, there would be people in the Mc- Donald’s parking lot. Also, a lot of our attendees are in the vulnerable groups – they're older and they have health issues.” 

Instead, foundation members put together a videotaped program made available online on Veterans Day. 

“We were able to contact the people that usually participate, and they were all willing to come out and film segments one at a time,” Trish said. “This year was obviously a little different, but everybody who saw it said it was wonderful.” 

During the ceremony, Mike became emotional near the end of a speech honoring combat veterans. “We can never fully repay our debt of gratitude to the more than 650,000 American service members who died in battle, or the 1.4 million who were wounded,” he said at the time. 

“I crash-landed five times. I’ve been shot at in three countries and had a gun to my head in another, plus my dad was a Merchant Marine and my four brothers served – the military means a lot to me,” he said. “That last part, the closing part, kind of gets me.” 

Mike can also be seen clutching something in his pocket. The item happens to be a keyring from one of the U.S. Air Force C-141 transport planes that carried American POWs, including John McCain, from Hanoi to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in 1973. 

“I’ve had it as my keyring for 47 years,” he said. “It’s my little memento, so I don’t forget what I’m here for.” 

Education programs & challenges of the pandemic  

Trish is also involved in the Memorial Foundation’s education programs, including serving as a docent last year.  

“Every year, every fifth grader in Worcester County is brought to the memorial as a field trip from the schools and we have docents who teach them about the different parts of the memorial,” she said. “The ROTC cadets from the different high schools teach them flag folding and proper flag etiquette and respect, and we also have a section on the history of the American flag, which is quite interesting.” The Memorial Foundation funds the entire program, which serves public, private and home-schooled children in Worcester County. 

“It’s at no cost to the schools, so that includes the education materials they receive, and we pay for the transportation and everything for the kids to be here,” Trish said. “Some of them are really, really engaged. They ask good questions and it’s really interesting to see the perspective [on the memorial] from children.” 

However, the Veterans Day service wasn’t the only thing canceled this year because of the pandemic. Also lost was the Memorial Foundation’s major fundraiser, held each year at the Ocean Pines Golf Club, as well as all education programs planned for 2020. 

“We obviously have no idea at this point if children will be able to come next year. It could be until next fall, in which case we would have missed two full fifth grade groups,” Trish said. “We’re in the process of redoing the booklet that each child receives and we’re kind of hoping that, if we can’t do the program this spring, we can at least get the books distributed through the schools.” 

The foundation is also working on a virtual education program – essentially a walking tour of the memorial. 

“We have a lot of newer things at the memorial that have been added recently. The battlefield cross and the POW chair were both added in the last year or two, and we have commemorative benches and the ‘Patriots Pathway’ that outlines each of the conflicts that the U.S. military has been involved with, starting with the Revolutionary War. We’ll do a walking tour on the video and a brief section on flag etiquette and the history of the flag.” 

Supporting the memorial 

The Memorial Foundation is seeking donations to keep their programs going. Memberships are available for $25, or $150 for a lifetime membership, and commemorative bricks ($75) and larger pavers ($150) are also available. 

“There’s opportunities to purchase bricks and pavers for family members, loved ones, or get one for yourself!” Trish said. “That’s a great way to honor someone and to support the foundation.” 

The existing bricks and pavers honor service members from all branches, and from all eras, of service. 

“Our primary mission is honoring veterans from all over the U.S. – not everyone here is from Worcester County,” Trish said. “And, when you go over to the Army section, the bricks go back to the Revolutionary War, so people are commemorating their entire families. 

“I would encourage everybody to come out and see the memorial,” Trish continued. “It’s for everyone in Worcester County and it’s for all veterans, all the way back to 1775.” 

“It honors those who were here before us and those who are presently serving, so we don’t forget what we’re here for,” Mike added. 

Visit the Worcester County Veterans Memorial on Route 589, between Manklin Creek Road and Cathell Road. 

For more information on membership, volunteer opportunities and donations, visit www.opvets.org.