ET1 Thomas Herendeen, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-1974)

My dad was a Navy veteran in World War II. He started out as an Aviation Cadet and transferred to the Amphibs because his math skills weren’t up to par. He was a crew member on the USS LCI (L) 537, which saw service on D-Day at Omaha Beach. After D-Day, he was part of the commissioning crew on the USS Troilus (AKA-46), which was slated for service as part of the invasion of Japan. After the surrender, Dad spent New Year’s Day 1946 in Tokyo and helped with Operation Magic Carpet. He always said that after D-Day, he was living on borrowed time.

My maternal grandfather, Dache M. Reeves, had a military career spanning 38 years. He started off in the Georgia National Guard chasing Pancho Via on horseback. He was offered a transfer to the regular Army and enrolled in flight school, where he qualified in both lighter-than-air and fixed-wing aircraft. During WW1, he was assigned to a balloon squadron where he was shot down 5 times in one week (hurrah for parachutes) and was awarded the DSC. After the war, Gramps was stationed all over the US, including a stint as an instructor at West Point. He also had tours in the Philippines and Hawaii, where he met Amelia Earhart when she was attempting to circumnavigate the world. Gramps met my grandmother when he had to make an emergency landing with his balloon on the football field at her high school. During World War II, he was the commander of an aerial intelligence group and flew missions over France. He retired in 1953 as a Colonel in the USAF. My mother was definitely an Army Brat.

My paternal grandfather was a ROTC cadet during WW1 at Hobart College (Geneva, NY), but the war ended before he graduated. In WW2, he was offered a Major’s commission, but AT&T, where he worked as a mathematician, said he was too critical to be released. After the war, he provided consulting services to the CIA.

Read the Military Memories of our Runner-Ups.