| Entered the U.S. Army on October 31, 1966 at the Dallas (Texas) Enlistment Center. Flew from Dallas Love Field to Fort Polk, Louisiana for Basic Training. I was assigned to Company A, 2nd Bn., 5th Trng. Bgd. Was promoted to E-2 in January 1967. Graduated from basic and was ordered to Fort Rucker, Alabama for Aviation Maintenance School. Was called out of formation, along with several others, and were advised that we qualified for Air Traffic Control School. Of course none of us knew what that was, but we had been at Rucker long enough to learn the primary duty of a helicopter maintenance crew. As I remember all of us said O.K. In February 1967 I received orders to report to the 1st Enl. Stu. Co., Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Spent the next seventeen plus weeks at ATC School graduating in July ,1967. Returned to Fort Rucker for 30 days of "Further Training". It was about this time the Army changed our MOS from 09B20 to 93B20. I was sent to Hunter Army Airfield, Savannah, Ga. in September, 1967. In November, 1967 I was promoted to Spec/4 and ordered to Ft. Benning, Ga. Assigned to the 363rd Aviation Support Detachment. While at Fort Benning I was promoted to Spec/5 and the Army once again changed our MOS from 93B20 to 93H20. Most everyone knows the story from there. The 363rd was sent to LZ Betty (Phan Thiet) we were assigned to the 192nd Assault Helicopter Company, 1st Avn. Bgd. The last three months in country I was transferred to the 338th ASD at Vung Tau. I rotated back to the "World" in April, 1969. Went back to Rucker, was assigned to 90 days TDY to Camp A.P. Hill in Bowlingreen, Virginia, which was "cherry duty". Returned to spend my last month in the Army at Ft. Rucker, ETS 30 October 1969. I did several things as far as employment over the years. Finally found a home in the Fire Service. Been putting out fires for twenty seven years now. Currently I'm Deputy Fire Chief of the Midlothian Fire Department, Midlothian, Texas (about thirty miles south of Dallas). |
