Ervin Thomas Wade was born in Lenoir County, North Carolina  on December 9, 1927. He graduated from Grainger High School in 1946. He joined the United States Army Air Corps on September 4, 1947, which became the United States Air Force on September 18, 1947. He was Legionnaire of  Year 2010, Armerican Legion Post # 43. Ervin was inducted in the Lenoir County Veterans Hall of Fame, 2010.