The Vietnam War was in full swing while Dad was in college. He received a college deferment, but upon graduation, the war was still slogging on and his draft number was pretty low. He was willing to serve, but he didn’t want to be drafted, so he signed up for the United States Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer. He spent the last two years of college as a member of the Air Force ROTC, so the transition was smooth, and he attended boot camp without incident. The trouble didn’t start until his first duty station where he ended up in a bit of hot water.
Continue reading Salute to ServiceCategory: Miltary Service
O Club
When Dad was in the Navy it was a man’s world. It was before the Tailhook scandal. It was widely understood that the military was filled with boys and that boys would be boys. Dad was different. Other than laughing at fart jokes, he had left boyhood behind. He was a gentleman in the old-fashioned sense. He treated women with respect. He believed in avoiding sin and avoiding temptation, and he lived those convictions in his life, whether at home or on the job. Sometimes that was easier said than done. Continue reading O Club