On January 26 1978 at 200 am, a tornado touched down at Midway Island, a Quantico housing area for
Marines. The storm affected the Sgt. Kenneth Hall residence and many others. The storm completely
"uprooted" two homes across the street from the Hall residence and overturned a brown Chevrolet,
leaving it in a crumpled heap where a house had once stood. Cpl. Dan Winter was awoken when the
by the crash of a tree outside his house and the roar of the wind shaking his home. Winter drove one
person to the base hospital and many others to shelter in a nearby church. Winter's home received
light damage compared to his neighbors. Twenty families lived in the affected area off Hendersen
Drive and were evacuated to temporary housing on the main base. The tornado caused damage to
automobiles and other personal property. A wall clock found in the wreckage was stopped at 203 am.
One home was lifted off its foundation and blown 100 feet while the house next door was not damaged.
In total, 10 duplexes were demolished at Midway Island and 4 were damaged beyond economical
repair according to a base spokesman. Several other duplexes suffered minor damage with the
windows and doors blown out. 19 families totaling 63 people and 25 dogs were relocated to the Hostess
House on the base. Midway Island houses marines with rank of corporal or below. It was built in 1942
and was not up to the 1978 standards. It was pouring rain and lightning when the tornado hit
according to an observer. 

The tornado continued to the north-northeast and hit Boswell's Trailer Court at Boswell Corner. One
trailer was picked up, hurled around and scattered into a trail or debris for nearly a mile across a creek
and through a path of woods. Two children were carried for several hundred feet. Two year old child
(Travis Arthur) was found crying in the trailer debris by Douglas Boswell Sr. shortly after rescue workers
arrived on the scene. He suffered a broken leg and bruises. Boswell and Walker Dent freed the child from the debris and carried the child across the creek to the rescue unit. 
The 3 year old was found dead in some water by a marine at 1042 am. Two little girls, Kathy 5 and Onja 4 were
thrown from the trailer and landed near some downed trees in the creek. Thelma Boswell, 23, suffered a gash on
her forehead and an arm and foot were bandaged. She appeared at her sister-in-laws house naked and
bloody after the tornado had her 2 daughters with her. Vernon Arthur, 25, suffered frostbite on both feet as he
searched barefoot in the snow covered woods. Just before the tornado hit about 2 am, Vernon arose from
bed, put a robe over his undershirt and shorts and looked out of the window at the wind and rain. " I cant
describe the power that I saw out there he said. He was returning to the bedroom to awaken his family
and get them out of the trailer when the trailer started shaking. He remembered the trailer lifting and
turning over and over, throwing him out. Arthur woke up completely naked and face down in the snow
he said. He looked up and saw his wife coming out of the water several feet away. She remembers being
underwater. Her two daughters stood up on a downed tree across the creek. When Mrs. Arthur fled to her
sister-in-laws  house, Vernon went off to find the boys. He ran to his sister-in laws trailer and received some
clothing and then resumed searching until he was exhausted. He suffered frostbite from searching barefooted
in the creek and snow covered woods.  Rescue workers found him roaming around in the snow and put him into an ambulance. Just when the ambulance was leaving, rescue workers told authur that one son had been
found alive. 8 hours later little Johnny's body was found in a pool of water. The family lost everything in the
davastation. The Arthur's vowed not to live in another trailer and to move away and find another home, away from
the North Stafford area. 


  The trailer next to the Arthurs' was destroyed but not carried by the wind. Two people in the trailer were
slightly injured. Charles Pullen, 42, and his son Timmy, 15, were treated and released from the
hospital. The condition of the elderly man was unknown. 

 Further up the hill behind the 2 trailers was a 3rd trailer in which an elderly man was hurt.