By Allison Conner
Published 7:00 am on September 3, 2026
Jeff Wallin graduated from Bemidji State College in March 1970 with his diploma in one hand and his draft number in the other.
He didn’t have a choice other than his branch. “So I decided to go with the Navy,” he said.
It was a decision shaped by the moment. For many young men of that era, the next step was not entirely their own as the Vietnam War draft loomed.
So the new BSC alumnus entered the military and went on to serve as a pilot with an attack helicopter squadron. An aircraft from Wallin’s unit is now on display at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, and his name has been placed on the door in remembrance of service.
And yet, that warplane is just a single marker in a much larger life’s story.
“It was a very interesting experience,” Wallin said. “I went in with the greatest of attitudes and came out with the same attitude. I was lucky as none of my close friends were lost. But in the Seawolves squadron, we lost 44 pilots and door gunners from 1966-72. We had a lot of losses, but none happened near me, so I was very fortunate.”
After Vietnam, Wallin continued his Navy service as a search and rescue pilot. In January 1973, as pilot in command, he led a nighttime rescue on Mount Whitney in California’s Sierra Nevada. He brought three crash survivors out alive from 11,500 feet up the mountain’s peak and earned the Naval Helicopter Association’s “Rescue of the Year.”
He went on to finish his active-duty service flying anti-submarine missions from the USS Enterprise for three years before beginning the next chapter of his career.
Wallin transitioned to the Naval Reserve for another 17 years while building a second career. Starting in an entry-level role, he worked his way through the high-tech satellite communications industry, eventually becoming CEO of three companies.
“I’m not an engineer,” he said. “I worked my way up on the business development side.”
‘Help any way I can’
The military proved to be an important era of his young adult life, and something many graduates of his era experienced. But it wasn’t where his story began. At Bemidji State, Wallin studied music education and sang in the choir, a foundation that stayed with him even after his path took a different direction.
Wallin has retired four times, though like many of his generation, he hasn’t stayed still for long. He spends his days with music and takes on work without a formal title.
In San Diego, during what he describes as a golden era of life, he has returned to music. He sings with the San Diego Master Chorale, performs with the San Diego Symphony and participates in a Navy alumni choir. He spends time on the golf course and continues to look for ways to give back.
“I try to help any way I can,” Wallin said.
Through pro bono consulting, he connects people and opportunities across very different worlds, drawing from decades of experience and relationships.
He is currently working with a Naval Academy alumnus involved in development efforts with tribal nations in the Southwest, helping make introductions to Minnesota’s 11 tribal nations. Those connections are rooted in both his professional network and his upbringing in northern Minnesota.
It’s not the first time he’s stayed connected to his roots from afar.
Wallin’s career took him across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe for nearly two decades, often for weeks at a time. Even then, he stayed connected to BSU, returning during the height of his career to serve on the Alumni Association Board of Directors from 1994-2001, including two terms as president.
“I can still remember it like it was yesterday,” he said. “For my first board meeting, I flew from Delhi, India, all the way to Bemidji without sleeping and walked into the meeting about two minutes before it started.”
That kind of dedication is proof of his positive experiences as a student. At BSC, Wallin sang under the direction of professor Carl O. Thompson. In retirement, he has come full circle, returning to music with the same foundation that first shaped his path.
“Carl had a significant impact on my life. My father sang in his first choir, and I sang in his last,” Wallin said. “He was more than a choir director. In some respects, he was a life director providing me with sage advice that got me on the right foot.”
This story was featured in the Summer 2026 edition of the BSU Alumni Magazine. To view the entire magazine, click here.
