Cranny

I entered the Army as an enlistee on June 12, 1967 at Oakland, California and was sent to Fort Lewis, Washington for basic training. After basic, I was sent to Keesler, AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi in August 1967 as a Private E1 to attend Air Traffic Control School. Was given Private E2 while at Keesler, but still a slick sleeve in those days. I graduated from Keesler in December, 1967 as a PFC E3 with orders to report to something called an Aviation Support Detachment (ASD) at Fort Benning, Georgia immediately following Christmas leave.

Sometime in early January, 1968 I arrived at Fort Benning and was immediately assigned to the 362nd ASD to get ready to go to Vietnam. At Benning, I recall, KP, getting jungle fatigues, KP, qualifying with the M16, KP, 3.2 beer, KP, getting green underwear, KP and more KP. But, I made Spec 4 while at Benning.

On the evening of April 4, 1968 we boarded a plane for Oakland and on April 5, we embarked on the USNS Barrett troop ship for a rough and sick ride across the Pacific. About 3 � weeks later we dropped anchor in Vung Tau and disembarked the scow for land. We then boarded a C-123 for the approximate 1 hour flight to Tay Ninh.

I stayed in Tay Ninh for my entire tour as a tower controller, at first working from an old decrepit TPN-18 mobile tower until we were upgraded to a much better, air conditioned unit.

I left Tay Ninh on April 3, 1969 for Long Binh and the next day I was on a United Airlines DC8, flight number U2B4 to Travis AFB in California.

I still had 14 months to give the Army, so I was sent to Fort Rucker, Alabama. The Army was about to start their own ATC school and pull out of Keesler AFB, so I became and ATC instructor with the 1st School Support Company until my discharge on June 11, 1970.

I worked for United Airlines since May of 1966 and I managed aircraft maintenance for United Airlines in Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Orlando and Tampa. Having started with United Airlines prior to joining the Army, the time spent in the military is considered "good time". This enabled me to take an early retirement on January 1, 2002. My career with United took me from San Francisco to Tulsa, Yuma AZ, Denver and Houston where I spent the last 18 years. I now reside in Jackson, California. Although retired, I am an active consultant to airlines with extended twin engine overwater operations, called ETOPS, which really stands for Engines Turn Or People Swim.

I was the coordinator and host for the Army ATC reunion held in Biloxi, MS on April 2-3, 2001 and I am actively planning the next reunion in February 2004 to be held in Las Vegas.