I began Army ROTC at OSU in
Stillwater, OK. ROTC had been a required course for all male freshmen and sophomore students until 1964.
When I enrolled in 1965, it was no longer a required course, but voluntary. I was on the Basic Drill
Team and enjoyed the program. In my senior year, 1969, I received basic flight training from the army at
the university, and was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant. There was never much doubt that I was going to serve
in Vietnam.
I was accepted into graduate school but reconsidered and began my active duty at Ft. Benning, Georgia in March
of 1970 where I was an honor graduate of my Infantry Officers Basic Course. After nine months in flight
school and five months at Ft. Sill, I began flying for B Troop, 3/17 Air Cavalry Squadron near Saigon on
the 16th of August, 1971. In my 10 years spent becoming an Eagle Scout, from age eight to 18,
I had developed the idea that I owed something to my country, and when our military was asked to do a job or threaten action,
“the gun needs to be loaded.”
As a 1Lt, I served in my air cavalry troop as a pilot, aircraft commander, and lift section
leader, patrolling primarily out nears the Cambodian border. In January 1972, I began serving as the squadron
assistant S-2, specifically in charge of night perimeter defense of our base, Phu Loi. I was responsible
for the defense of the largest base in Vietnam, as it was closed, rather than transferred to the ARVN, as most were.
A portion of my reserve
career was served in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). I taught aviation ground school to CAP cadets
and Explorer Scouts during most of my annual training for several years. For five years beginning in 1984,
I served in an active reserve position with the 95th MTC in Oklahoma City. From 1989 through
my retirement, I was honored to serve the United States Military Academy at West Point as a Military Academy Liaison Officer.
In 1997, I retired as Lieutenant Colonel after 28 years in the U S Army Reserve.
I have always strongly identified
with the roll of the reserve soldier in our country’s
history, as seen at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and continuing through
today.
“King George” is being totally unreasonable again. We will over-throw oppressive
leadership once again. This time it will be the American way, at the ballot box.
