Last modified:
Thursday December 15, 2011
… “They
don't think of themselves as heroes or as doing anything special.
It was a job
and they did it....” ~ ~
Submitted
by one of the wives
 John
Grissett – Class of 1944: WWII,
but not a fighter!
Holt
Crawford, Class of 1954: Many thanks to John Grissett for his
appeal for stories from remaining WW II vets. My oldest brother, William H.
Crawford, (Holt) AHS '41, was a Merchant Marine all through the war and because
he wasn't a combat vet, didn't think his stories were worthy to be heard. In
spite of my pleas, he was adamant and never did write about his experiences. He
has been incapacitated as the result of a severe stroke a few years ago, so I'd
like to pass along his D Day story as best that I remember.
A few weeks before D Day his convoy arrived in England - - - I'll save his
personal exploit stories from his arrival until D Day for another forum. His
ship had been 'a rusty old bucket of bolts' left over from WW I and was selected
to go over and be sunk as part of the sea barrier for the landing barges
bringing supplies, etc. I believe he said this was a day or two after D Day. He
made sure that he was included when the Captain asked for a few volunteers to go
over. Anyway, when his ship was properly positioned in the barrier line, he got
permission from the Capt. to depress the plunger to set off the dynamite that
had been rigged in the bottom of the ship. He said that as it settled toward the
bottom, he and the other volunteers went ashore and waited on the beach for
their return to England. He said that as he was waiting, he saw a group of
German prisoners off to one side and walked over. One spoke English and asked
for a cigarette. He said he gave him the whole pack and asked how they were
feeling about having been captured. He said the soldier said that he and his
friends were the happiest they had been in years - they were prisoners of the US
Army and would live to see the end of this stupid war. He said about that time a
burly sergeant who was guarding the prisoners grabbed him and worked him over
verbally for talking to the prisoners, told him to get the hell back where he
belonged, etc.
He said that on D Day everyone was awed almost beyond speech at the sight of the
massive armada. I wonder how many there still are that were there and saw that
once ever sight. Relatively few, I'm afraid.
Brother Holt, my personal WW II hero, was in convoys in both the Pacific and
Atlantic. He said on one occasion somewhere in the Atlantic, his ship came to
the aid of another that was dead in the water due to some malfunction. As
repairs were being made the seamen were yelling back and forth and one asked
where he was from. He answered and was told that the other ship also had a Ga.
cracker on board. The person happened to also be from Albany, but I can't
remember his name.
Holt was a seaman (not sure if Merchant Marines have ranks) throughout the war.
Our Mother was the main force resulting in his going to a maritime school after
the war. This led eventually to his obtaining Masters papers and being the first
ever Georgia person voted into the Crescent City Pilots Association. He retired
several years ago and now has two sons and a son-in-law that are all Miss. River
Pilots. Quite a hero!
Holt's stubbornness to record his great stories were the inspiration and
motivation for me to write about some of my VN memories, but none even come
close to comparing to his.
From
a friend of Jon Crawford’s: My hat is off to Holt. He and the other Maritime
men of his era took risks for us at home that we can only read about.
Jon
Crawford: Most our age were not doing anything nearly as memorable. I
remember playing out in the yard and wondering what all the excitement was
about.
In spite of the dangers and the necessity for maritime convoys, I'm told the
Merchant Marines were resented during the war. Holt remembered signs posted
outside USO halls that stated everyone was welcome except dogs and Merchant
Marines. They were paid better with bonuses for certain missions, etc., probably
causing the resentment.
On one of his first convoys, Holt saw one of the other ships blown apart. He
said as an 18 yr kid, he was so scared he was shaking. One of the more senior
Mates sent him up to paint the crows nest and while hanging on as the sea tossed
the ship around, his fear of falling took the place of the fear of the ship
being hit. I'll save some of his more salty stories till our reunion in Oct.
Jay
Beck, Class of 1962: US Air Force - 1966 - 1970 - One tour in SE Asia.
Henry
L (Hinky) Dunn, Class of 1959: Thanks for the
recognition of military service. There are not many that serve any more and I
believe they miss a blessing. It isn't something I would want to do over, but
I'll never forget the experience. Vietnam-1st Cavalry-1965-66
Jon
Anderson, Class of 1953:
I went into the
Marine Corp from 1953 till 1956 and then attended Auburn and graduated in 1959.
We have lived in Tuscaloosa Alabama, home of the University of Alabama,
for almost 44 years.
Bridges
Simmons, Class of 50 Albany High: Military Service, Navy 1951-1954 -
Korean Conflict
Chuck
McCorvey, Class of 1955: In response to your query re military service
I'd like to enter my name. Charles H. McCorvey, Sr. commonly known as Chuck,
served in the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. National Security Agency.
Dan
Brooks, Class of 1956: I missed the Normandy invasion since I was only six
years old at the time. However, while in the Air Force, I was stationed about
150 miles from Paris. Tough duty, but somebody's got to do it. I did valiantly
defend the lily-livered French from the nasty aggressive Germans who were prone
to invade them every decade or two.
James
Fort, AHS Class of 1960: U.S. Army 1966-1969
Don
Du Bose, Class of 1960: I served in the Army from 4 April 1962 and
retired on 30 Sep 85. I am an alumni of the Class of 1960. I further supported
the military by working at the Marine Base for another 21 1/2 years. I retired
with 45 years of service to our country on 30 Jun 2007. My two sons also served
this country and are also retired from active duty; one from the Air Force and
the youngest son from the Navy. US Army (Retired) 229-291-1656
Daniel
Roy Lipsey, Class of 1956: My service time can in no way compare to
"The Greatest Generation", those who served in WW II. However, I am proud to
have served in peace time, just prior to the Viet Nam Conflict. Below is a
brief summary of my service time.
I
did not serve in a conflict, but was honored to serve during peace time in the
USAF from Nov '56 - Aug '60. Basic training was at Lackland AFB and
technical
school was at March AFB, CA. I served two years at Shiroi AB in Japan. My final
year was spent at Ft. G.G Meade, MD. Later, I became a Special Research
Analyst for the Dept of Defense at Ft. Meade, retiring in 1993. After
9/11/2001, I was honored to serve at the DOD again from 2003-2006. May
God Bless America. (2 Chron. 7:14). In God We Still Trust.
Sonny
Logan, Class of 1948, served in the United States Navy for 5 years -
1948-1953. He was stationed aboard the USS Repose, a hospital ship, as a
corpsman. The Korean War broke out in 1951, I think, during his time in the
Navy.
~ Submitted by his wife: Betty Dunn Logan, Class of 1949
Patricia
Anderson Solomon, Class of 1962: To your response for the name of the
people that served in the military. I am proud to say I was in the Navy, dates
1963 until 1966.
Van
Knowles, Class of 1958, US Navy during the Viet Nam war '67-69 and my dad died
in the Philippines serving in the US Army in 1945 during WW II and is buried in
Manila.
E.
G. Beckwith, Class of 1961: Served in US Air Force. Joined via UGA AFROTC
1966 as a Second Lieutenant and retired in 1992; rank: Colonel.
Tom
Herrington, Class of 1956:
It was an awesome day when I had to
report to the creaky old person in that creaky old room in the creaky old US
Post Office to sign up for the draft. I wasn't even half creaky yet, but Local
Board Number 48 did its job and assigned me draft number 9 48 38 74. I was proud
to be an American, but I also wanted to go to college...
So, after signing an OBV-1
agreement with the US Army, my draft status was shelved as I attended the North
Avenue Trade School and plugged away in the US Army ROTC, which was where I
ended up because I also had to Co-op my way thru school, and the Navy did not
allow that option in their ROTC program.. I just convinced myself that the Army
would not be so bad, because I would have a better seat to see the action and
carnage more up close than those in the Navy...
After getting my papers from the
Trade School, I went directly to Fort Belvoir, VA., and started a training
routine for all those things I would be expected to later do. After learning how
to hit the ground with not too loud a thump, I served as XO and then CO of the
training company at the Paratroop Training School at Ft. Benning - which was a
company made up of two officers and around 200 NCOs, all of which had
specialties in teaching how to safely hit the ground from a moving vehicle at
1250 feet up.
Then, on to Korea where I served in
the First Calvary Division in another curious unit comprised of a Major, a
Captain, two Lieutenants (one being me) and twenty NCOs, where I learned to land
in the two point standing position because to use the standard drop and roll
technique was not good in a rice paddy fertilized with what people just ate a
few days ago..
After I triumphantly returned home
to a Combat Engineer Bn at Ft. Stewart, GA., for a while, I was released after 2
years, 10 months and 9 days, because the military had started to shrink a bit,
and it was time for me to seek employment elsewhere.. I did serve in a research
capacity out of Ft Belvoir for another two years after that, working on tunnel
detection methods for use in combat situations. All in all, it was an interesting
part of my life.
Lamar
Clifton, Class of 1947: served in the US army - commissioned a 2nd Lt.
in 1950 after graduating from UGA. He fought in Korea and returned home in
March, 1953 as a 1st Lt. He was awarded the bronze star medal.
~ Submitted by
his wife:
Evelyn Butler Clifton, Class of 1950
Proctor
Johnston, Class of 1954: U. S. Coast Guard.1954 - 1958
Wilburn Nicholson, Class of 1953:
joined the US Air Force soon after graduation in 1953. He went to the
Philippines after radio school at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, MS. His brother, Don
Nicholson, ’56, also in the Air Force, was stationed in Japan at the time, but
that was as close as either got to the Korean War. It was over by then, but our
troops were still there. Wilburn served in Communications Security Service at
that time. Don was a photographer and photo lab technician in Japan. Wilburn
was able to visit him there and they enjoyed touring Tokyo together.
After returning to the States,
Wilburn served at Shaw AFB, SC, for a year and then returned to Albany at the
end of that enlistment. That’s when we met and later married. Meanwhile he had
re-enlisted and was stationed at Turner AFB in Albany. His first assignment
after we were married took him alone to Goose Bay Labrador. There were no
family quarters there for enlisted men, so we were separated most of the first
year of our marriage.
We were stationed at MacDill AFB,
in Tampa next and had a great time there enjoying the beaches and the
Gasparilla Festivals and the famous bean soup in Ybor City and Busch Gardens
when admission and beer were free!. We were excited to attend a campaign rally
for Senator John F. Kennedy while there, also. Little did we know that our next
assignment would have us far from home when he was assassinated! That
assignment took us to Lajes Field in the Azores where the Cuban missile crisis
had us holding our breath as they passed between us and home! Wilburn served as
a ground to air radio operator and was in constant contact with pilots flying in
the area giving them weather and other pertinent information. Kennedy was
truly our hero when he succeeded in turning the missiles around.
We enjoyed trips to England and
Spain and visiting other areas of Terceira Island while there. I’m including a
link I found online to lots of pictures and information about the Azores where
life is very laid back and slow paced. They still lay the bricks for the roads
by hand! Livestock and chickens roam the streets and have the right of way over
vehicles. From the air the countryside looks like a patchwork quilt. Each plot
of land is enclosed with a hand built stone wall. Check out the scenery! I
think you will enjoy it!
http://www.azores.dk/index.htm
In 1964 Wilburn left the military
service, and we came home to Albany to live. Still here 45 years later!
~ Submitted by his wife, Martha LeSueur
Nicholson ('56)
Kenneth Faircloth, Class of 1955: I want to let all know I did
serve my country from 1955 thru 1958 and Petty Officer 2nd class in the US
Navy. I was on the USS Arnold J Isbell DD869.
Robert Gotsch, Class of 1953
retired from the USAR after 30 years of service.
Horace Paul Holley, Class of 1956
served in the air force from 1956-1960. No military campaign's
were going on at the time, but I was proud to have served my country.
Marion Hay, Class of 1956
pulled
three years in the National Guard and five years in the inactive
reserves.
Len Alligood, Class of 1956:
My assignments took me to the
following places where I served for 27 yrs. 8 months and 17 days.
-
Enlisted in US Air Force
at Jacksonville, FL,
Feb 14, 1957
-
Lackland AFB, San Antonio,
TX, AF basic training
-
Scott AFB, Belleville, IL,
Tech school (Aircraft Radio Repair)
-
Brookley AFB, Mobile, AL,
First duty assignment
-
Scott AFB, IL , A/C Radio
Repair Technician
-
Wheelus AB, Tripoli, Libya,
A/C Radio Repair Technician
-
Cannon AFB, Clovis, NM, A/C
Radio Repair Technician
-
Tonsanut, AB Saigon,
Vietnam, Temporary Duty (TDY)
-
Clark AB, Philippines, TDY
-
Takli AB, Thailand, TDY
-
Lackland AFB, Tx, Hospital
Total Air Force time:
10 yrs, 3 months, 4 days.
At this point I
transferred to the US Army:
-
Ft. Huachuca, Sierra Vista,
Az, First Army assignment
-
Ft. Wolters, Mineral Wells,
Tx, First phase of flight school
-
Hunter AAF, Savannah, Ga,
Second phase of flight school
-
Ft. Rucker, Enterprise, AL,
CH-47 transition course
-
Bear Cat, Vietnam (Near
Bien Hoa), First aviation assignment
-
Ft. Rucker, Enterprise, AL,
Instructor, CH-47 transition course
-
Camp Humphries, Korea,
Standardization Instructor pilot
-
Ft. Lewis, Tacoma, Wa,
Standardization Instructor pilot
-
Camp Humphries, Korea,
Standardization Instructor pilot
-
Ft. Lewis, WA,
Standardization Instructor pilot
-
Howard AFB, Panama Canal
Zone, Standardization Instructor pilot
-
Cartagena, Columbia, TDY
-
San Jose, Costa Rica, TDY
-
San Pedro Sula, Honduras,
TDY
-
Ft. Rucker, AL, Instructor
pilot, CH-47 transition
Retired - CW-4 Oct 31, 1984
Bill Creech, Class of 1959 joined U S Army for three
years in 1958. Was getting discharged 10/05/1961 when on
9/30 President Kennedy extended all armed forces due to Berlin
Crisis. Was extended for six months. I was at the time
stationed at Ft Benning, GA where I served in 2ND Infantry Div.
and U S Army Infantry School.
When discharged moved to TN and joined TN 30th Armored Inf Div.
In 1963 we were alerted for Cuban Missile Crisis. Was Honorably
Discharged in 1964.
Howard Law, Class of 1952: I
would also like to add that I served on active duty with the Navy between 1956
and 1958. I was stationed in Washington, DC which gave rise to a long 40 year
career as a civilian with the Navy in various capacities with most of that time
spent in Washington. During my stint on active duty I was privileged to serve
with many heroes from WWII. As first an Ensign and later a Lieutenant Junior
Grade, I was outranked by everyone which made my life most interesting.
Tony Cushenberry, Class of 1953:
Click here: Tony Cushenberry
Jim Youngblood, Class 1954 of
I joined the Marine Corp right out of
high school. Graduated in '54. Served from '54 thru '57. Great three
years!!
Not as lean, not as mean, but still a Marine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God bless America!!!!!!!!!!!
James Creel, Class of 1964: I joined
the USAF in 1966 and went to Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX for basic
training. My first assignment was with the 544th Aerospace
Reconnaissance Technical Wing at Offutt AFB in Omaha, NB.
After that I was assigned to the USAF
Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. That was some of the most spectacular
scenery I had ever seen. I have always wanted to go back to Colorado but
have never made it.
My last assignment was at Keesler AFB in
Biloxi, MS. Two memorable events occurred while we were there. My
daughter, Dione was born at Keesler, and hurricane Camille hit Biloxi
while we were there.
Jerry Brimberry, Class of 1957:
I was a Captain in the Army JAG Corps
during the Viet Nam war. After completing Basic Infantry Officers
training at Ft. Benning GA, and JAG school at the University of Virginia
in Charlottesville, VA, I was stationed at Ft. Knox, KY. Primarily I
was involved in trying Courts-martials and thoroughly enjoyed my 3 year
tour of duty (Oct. '63 -Sept. '66). My wife, Lynda (Glass - '59)
and I returned to Albany and we've been here ever since. Unfortunately
I was unable to bring any gold back with me. We were at Ft. Knox when
Sean Connery and crew were there filming Goldfinger.
Eugene
(Gene) Summerford, Class of 1959: My brother James
Summerford - 1961 and I joined the Air Force in June of 1966.
After Basic Training and Tech School we were stationed together at Homestead
Air Force Base, Fla. We stayed there until 1968 when I got orders for Viet
Nam. James volunteered to go also because he knew he would be sent to
Cambodia. Both of us and our Mother and Father had to sign for both of us to
go to the same war zone. We went to the same base and would up in the same
barracks with him in the bottom bunk and me in the top bunk. We loaded
bombs, missiles and ammo on F100 airplanes. It was a great experience and I
would do all over again if I had to.
Len
Alligood, Class of 1956: Vietnam From A Different Perspective
I read Jon Crawford's piece on Vietnam with great interest and
probably a better appreciation and understanding than most. I have
great respect for those who were in harms way every minute of every
day. It's got to be hard not knowing what's around the next turn or
behind the next tree, or when THEY are coming for you.
I saw Vietnam from a different perspective, that is, from the air.
In May 1967 I switched from the Air Force to the Army (long
story), mainly because it offered the opportunity to get into flight
school. After eight months in the Army, tests, and physicals I was
on my way to flight school at Ft. Wolters, TX at Mineral Wells,
which is just west of Ft. Worth. This was with the understanding
that my first flight assignment would be Vietnam.
After four months at Ft Wolters, I went to Hunter Army Air Field at
Savannah, GA for phase two. After four months there and completion
of flight school, I went to Fort Rucker, AL for CH-47 Chinook
helicopter transition. That's the tandem rotor, twin turbine engine,
heavy lift helicopter that became the Army work horse.
After completing that course I took a thirty day leave in Albany. My
father had terminal cancer from smoking and we made every minute of
that time count because I knew that when I left on January 4, 1969
that it would be the last time I would see him alive.
I arrived on January 6th - a hot and muggy day - but then every day
in VN is hot and muggy. This was my second time in Vietnam. In
1964, I was there for six months with the Air Force. All new
arrivals went to an indoctrination course for two weeks before going
on to a unit of assignment. One very notable incident during this
course was on the second or third day while we were being shown how
Charlie sets booby traps and ambushes. We were going down a narrow
trail silently in single file and the instructor pointed out a trip
wire to the first student, which would have been wired to
explosives, and told him to pass it back. The third guy in
line kicked the wire and "we were all killed" as the instructor put
it. Not a good start.
After we completed this, I was sent to one of three First
Calvary Division (Cav) Chinook companies at a base called
Bearcat. It was in III Corps about seven miles south of Bien Hoa
AFB and 25 miles NE of Saigon. I was ready to get down to work
and do some flying so I was glad to get my in-country
orientation flight out of the way so I could be signed off to
fly with the more experienced pilots designated as aircraft
commanders. Some of these guys were very professional and
approached the job as safely as could be expected given the
circumstances but, a couple of them scared me more than the VC
and NVA.
A part of our mission was to take the Cav infantry and
bulldozers out into the jungle where they cleared large circular
areas with a berm all around, called fire bases. These bases
were 100 to 200 yards in diameter and held several thousand of
our troops. We then brought in artillery which was positioned
all around the perimeter. Then they just waited for Charlie to
make the next move. This was living dangerously at it's worst. I
certainly didn't envy them the job. They were completely
isolated from the rest of the world, except by radio, and their
only source of resupply was by our Chinooks. Out of respect for
their situation, I always gave them the best support I possibly
could and never complained about having to stay late after a
long day to take a final load of ice cream, beer and soda to
them. They deserved it!
The main areas where the fire bases were built was 125 NW of
Bearcat in the vicinity of the city of Tay Ninh near the
Cambodian border and 100 miles NE of us near Phouc Vinh and Quan
Loi. There were a few built in other areas from time to time but
these were the major ones. If there was no activity in a short
period of time, we would move everything out to the next
location.
In order to keep this from getting too long winded, next time I
will write about some specific missions and some of the things I
saw and did during this tour of duty. Some were good, some were
not so good and some were down right terrifying.
Jon
Crawford, Class of 1954: Response to Len Alligood
Len: Bev was correct thinking I'd be interested in your introduction
to other RVN memories. Please be sure and add my e mail address and include
me in future memories. I've copied Bill Gissendaner, who you know and
remember I'm sure, and Terry Gordy, a NGC classmate who has great VN stories
that I just can't get him going on enough. Both were Army aviators and will
also be interested in hearing your stories. I wish more of us who were there
would do this.
Yes I was on the ground both of my tours but no, not in constant daily fear
and danger.
Your memory for detail is so much better than mine. Good for you and better
stories. I even have to go back into my old OER file for dates, etc. My
memories would have more detail if I could remember but I'm determined not
to fill in the blanks with fabrications.
You mentioned going into several fire bases. On my 2nd tour I was the
advisor to the Cmdr of 4 Ranger Bns - one in each of these border camps
along the tri border area: Polei Kleng; Ben Het; Dak Seang; and Dak Pek.
(Remind me to tell you about Dak Pek and Jim Grey from Albany). Did you ever
go into one of these Camps?
Thanks again to you, Bev and you keep up the great start, Len. Just
remembered that Bill and Terry haven't seen your first intro - I'll try and
paste it below.
Pete Rockett (AHS Class of 1965), served our country. Pete was in
the Air Force for 12 years and served as a fighter pilot in Viet Nam.
~ Submitted by his sister, Carol Rockett Megathlin ('62)
Eugene
Crosson, Class of 1952:
In 1953, I left "the Bear", Dorothy (Dotti Reeves - '55) and
Albany to enter the U. S. Coast Guard. I served in the Coast Guard
continuously for twenty five (25) years. I retired to St. Petersburg, Fl in
1980.
Tommy Pattison, Class of 1954:
I'd
like to have you add Bobby Pitts, Class of 1954. We
both signed up with the Navy before we graduated from Albany high
school. We left for boot camp in San Diego one week after
graduation. Bobby became a Dental Technician and I became a
Hospital Corpsman.
He served in Alaska and I served my last two years of four at the
naval hospital in Yokosuka, Japan. We joined about 6 months before
the Korean war came to a close.
Bobby Pitts - '54 (deceased) 1954 - 1957 U. S. Navy
Tommy Pattison - '54 1954 -1958 U. S. Navy
John
Paul Jones, Class of 1947: Served in Navy. He was an
Aerial Photographer aboard the Air Craft Carrier WASP.
Please add his name to the list of those that served.
~ Submitted by
his wife,
Nan Jones
Charles
W. Bryant, Jr, Class of 1953: Please add
my name to those who served in the military, the Marines specifically.
Tom
Greenstone, Class of 1954: I
soldiered with a lot of Indians. They couldn't be drafted. They had
to join. They all looked for the toughest thing they could find to
get into. I used to think it was like a rite of passage. They don't
get that on the reservation, like they did in the old days.
You
never had to lock your locker. They were the most honest people I
have ever encountered.
They were some of the finest human
beings I have ever known. I was close friends with several of them.
I often think of them. It would break my heart to work on a
reservation.
I entered the United States
Army on 18 Aug. '54 and served four years. Notice I did
not say that I became a soldier. It was made perfectly clear to
us that we were not soldiers............YET! After
school, I went back in the reserves and was honorably discharged
in '89.
Gerald E. (Jerry) Dixon, Jr., Class of 1963:
Jerry was
drafted into the Army early in 1969. Later that year, he was sent
to Dong Tam, Vietnam (in the delta), where he attained
the rank of Sergeant (E-5). Though assigned to the 9th
Infantry Division, his position was actually
administrative in nature. However, during the period of
the Lunar New Year, he was tasked by the commander to
lead combat patrols outside the base perimeter to
counter enemy incursions. In a few long weeks, his
patrols engaged increasing numbers of enemy forces and
led his men in several fierce firefights. For
conspicuous gallantry in the face of overwhelming enemy
forces, Jerry earned three Bronze Star Medals for
valor. Though never acknowledging the value of his
leadership, Jerry was able to bring scores of soldiers
safely back to the base. But, during our few
conversations on the subject, he could only reflect on
those that could not be saved – an emotional disability
that I believe exacerbated his early demise. Upon
return to the United States, Jerry lived and worked in
San Francisco for a number of years, and then returned
to Dallas. As was his dream, he was able to travel to
Europe in the early 1980’s and visited China just before
his death in 1986. Though diagnosed as heart failure,
I’ll always believe his name should have been added to
“The Wall” because he surely was among the casualties of
that period.
~ Submitted by
his brother:
Thomas Dixon Spokane, Washington
John C. Huie, Class of 1956:
Served
as a 1st Lieutenant in the U. S. Artillery, active duty in France and Germany
1961 - 63.
Bill Banks, Class of 1960:
After graduating from AHS, I went to North Georgia College where I graduated in July 1965 as
a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. After completing the Basic Military
Police course at Ft. Gordon, Ga. I along with my wife, Beth (Macon, Ga)
moved to Ft. Campbell, KY and was assigned to the 553rd
Military Police Company. While at Ft. Campbell, I had many duties as an officer
but the one that I was in the longest was as a confinement officer in charge
of the post stockade. I was lucky as I never had orders to be sent to
Viet Nam
and spent most of my military career dealing with troops that went AWOL or
refused to serve. After completing my required time at Ft. Campbell, I spent three years in the Army
Reserve before getting released from my commitment. My thanks to all of the
brave men who served in combat in order that we may be free.
Ritchey
Marbury – Class of 1956: I was a
1st lieutenant with the Army Corps of Engineers from 1963 to 1965.
Raleigh
Mann – Class of 1960: Raleigh
retired from the Army as a Colonel and is now adjutant at Mercer University.
Troy
Strickland – Class of 1954: Please
add the following to the military list: Lee Payton, Class of 1954: Ed
Strickland, Class of 1956; and Troy Strickland, Class of 1954.
Thank you.
Stephen
Goldsmith – Class of 1969: LTC
Goldsmith currently serves with the Army Joint Special Operations Task
Force-Philippines.
John
A. Donaldson – Class of 1961:
I
served from September 1967 to June 1971 in the US Army. I spent most of my time
overseas, serving in Viet Nam and Germany. I serviced as a Military Policeman
and even though I did a lot of traveling between Bin Hoa and Saigon, my military
life was uneventful and my work was classified.
Tommy
Kinney
–
Class of 1962:
US Army 1965-1967,
199th Infantry Brigade Vietnam 1966-1967.
Pete
Brandon
–
Class of
1961: I
was in the Air Force from 1967-1987. I was a pilot and flew fighters and
trainers. I served in Viet Nam '72-'73. After retiring from the Air Force, I
worked for Northrop Grumman as the manager of the Aircrew Training department
for the B-2 bomber.
Jay
Pryor
–
Class of
1962:
1967-1970,
U.S. Navy: Communications Officer on the USS Hissem (DER-400); then
Staff Communications Officer for Destroyer Squadron 29 on the
flagship USS Albert David (DE-1050.) Three Viet Nam deployments.
Embree
Bolton –
Class of
1968:
I spent 8 years in US Army. Of those eight years, three were spent
in Germany where both our children were born, and one was spent in Vietnam
(actually spent my first anniversary there). I served in the First Infantry
Division and received a Bronze Star.
Wade
Whitley –
Class of
1956:
Was in the Military Order of the
World Wars, where he served as commander. He had been called a
soldier’s officer by his troops. He served with the 2nd
Infantry Division (where he was fortunate enough to serve as the
executive office of the test battery of the Howze Test Board on Air
Assault), 6th Infantry Division, the Quartermaster School,
the Infantry School, the Infantry Agency, 5th Corps in
Germany, and in the Communications Zone in France. In Vietnam, he
served on General Staff with Troops at Headquarters, U. S. Army,
Vietnam, with the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, and the 29th
General Support Group. His awards include two Bronze Stars, one Defense
Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Meritorious Service Medals, three
Army Commendation Medals, perhaps the last American Defense Medal
Awarded given, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, Commander’s Award
for Public Service, five Vietnam Campaign ribbons, two Meritorious Unit
Commendations and two RVN Civic Action Medals. One set of
accomplishments that he gained great satisfaction from was developing
the basic research into, the initiation of the programs for and the
establishment of the basic requirements resulting in the battle dress,
helmet and body armor that our troops wear today. He only wished he
could have continued trying to do more to protect the troops. He
believed, that after his mission and the welfare of his troops, his most
important duty was to train and encourage those who followed after. LTC
Whitley, in his active duty and time as a Senior Army Instructor, taught
subjects ranging from hand –to-hand combat to rifle marksmanship to
leadership to logistics. He retired due to combat related
injuries, and spent the next fifteen years as an ROTC instructor.
Victoria
B. Pickrell - Class of 1942: I served in WWII in the USNavy WAVES from
07 Sep 1944 - 20 Mar 1946. Stationed at the Bureau of Medicine and
Surgery, Washington, DC.
Chester
R. Green
-
Class of 1932-33: MILITARY
SERVICE:
USN 1943-44-45 - Sea Duty - USS PANDA IX - 125 (Credited with 5 attack
planes destroyed). Participated in and supported landings South Pacific: Lae -
Finschaven - Hollandia - Leyte Gulf - Mindoro - Manila Bay.
After "Boot Camp" at Bainbridge, MD was assigned to outfit and put in commission
the USS PANDA @ New Orleans Naval Base and set sail thru the Gulf, Panama Canal,
Solomons for Milne Bay, NG "unescorted". The IX 125 was one of only 5 converted
new cargo ships outfitted with tanks for aviation & PT boats gas and ammo. We
primarily supplied Av gas small carriers, fueled PT Boats and replenished newly
established or captured air strips. All of our deck gear and structure was dummy
to look like a large dry cargo ship. My GQ was "Gunner #5 Gun" - - and I was
credited for the 1st of 5 planes destroyed. We had orders to head for Formosa
when the war ended. I was on one of 1st Troop Ships headed home! We "lost" 2 of
the 5 "unclassified ships" in our group and a goodly number of fine sailors and
officers.
John
Ferguson, III
-
Class of
1975:
Would you please add my name to the Men & Women
that have served in the military page.
MILITARY
SERVICE:
US Navy,
Navy Aviation Electronics Technician/Operator 1975 – 1995
Recruit
Training Orlando, FL 10/29/1975 – 01/05/1976;
NATTC NAS
Memphis, TN 01/17/1976 - 03/18/1977;
VFP-63 NAS
Miramar, CA (San Diego) 04/04/1977 - 06/16/1980 RF-8G Recon
& F-8J Fighters, Detachment 1USS Constellation CV-64 (Aircraft
Carrier); Detachment 5 USS Nimitz CVN-68 (Aircraft Carrier)
Mediterranean Ocean & Indian Ocean: Detachment 5 USS Coral Sea,
CV-43 (Aircraft Carrier) Indian Ocean & Pacific Ocean; VF-124 FRAMP,
NAS Miramar - 7/16/1980 – 09/10/1980; NAS Miramar, T-Line -
09/10/1980 – 10/25/1983; AW-120 FRAMP, NAS Norfolk, VA 10/26/1983 –
04/13/1984; VAW-117 AIMD, NAS Miramar - 04/22/1984 – 02/09/1987
aboard USS Enterprise, CVN-65; NAS Miramar AIMD SEA-OP-DET -
02/09/1987 - 06/26/1987 aboard USS Enterprise, CVN-6; VF-124 FRAMP,
NAS Miramar - 06/26/1987 – 08/31/1987; NAS Miramar AIMD -
09/31/1987 – 05/09/1991; USS Kitty Hawk CV-63 AIMD - 06/05/1991 –
10/20/1994. Retired from active duty on 10/31/1995
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