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A lifelong Westfield, New Jersey resident, Everson (Ev) enlisted in the Army in 1942 and attended various military training schools throughout the United States.
He eventually found his way to Aerial Gunnery School in Panama City, Florida and upon successful completion was promoted to Sergeant. One of his early interests was flying and the desire to be a pilot and actually control the aircraft.
He continued his training at fighter school and then Tactical Reconnaissance School in Mississippi. At this time, now Lieutenant Pearsall received orders to serve as a replacement pilot in China and was assigned to the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Over the next seventeen months Lieutenant Pearsall flew 81 combat missions in the China/Burma/India Theater.
He received numerous medals and commendations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and the China War Medal. He was honorably discharged at the end of the War in October 1945.
Early in his military training cycle, Ev was having some difficulty passing a required swimming test. Known for his determination to fly, he calmly told his instructor he could swim well enough since he would be flying in a perfectly safe fighter plane and had no intention of ending up in the water. The instructor quickly agreed and he passed this part of his training.
Lieutenant Pearsall picked up the nickname “Vitamin’ while serving in China. After becoming very ill, he spent almost two months recovering in the hospital. Upon his release and return to his squadron, his commanding officer told him he looked like a walking advertisement for the need to take vitamins. Nicknames were commonly given to fighter pilots for secrecy purposes and “Vitamin” quickly became his. He retained this nickname throughout his lifetime.
Upon returning home from World War II, Ev joined the real estate and insurance firm of Pearsall & Frankenbach. He remained there until his retirement in 1982. Over his lifetime he served as president and director of the Westfield Board of Realtors and was active in civic affairs, including the Red Cross, the United Fund, the Lions Club and as a founder and one of the first trustees of the Westfield Hospital Fund. He also assisted in the creation of the Miller-Cory Fund and served as President of Fairview Cemetery. Ev was married to Mary Elizabeth for many years and they raised one son, Thomas.
Ev was extremely proud to have served his country and he presented a detailed oral history on the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in December 2009 to the Westfield Historical Society. This included first hand descriptions of many difficult and life threatening aerial events. He passed away in October 2010.
