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Service Reflections of PNCM Rene LaMarche, U.S. Navy (1961-1980)

Service Reflections of PNCM Rene LaMarche, U.S. Navy (1961-1980)

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My father, Rene A. LaMarche, Sr., and his brother, Raymond LaMarche, were probably the most influential in my decision to join the Navy. My Dad served on board the USS HEALY from the time it was commissioned in 1943 until it was decommissioned in 1946. He was a second-class carpenter’s mate and ship’s diver. He and my uncle Raymond would tell hours of stories about what they did in the Navy. In later years, I would learn that my Dad blocked out some of the terrible ordeals he went through on the Island of Saipan during that action. My Uncle Raymond was a YN1 assigned to the European Central Command as a fingerprint expert. He worked to help identify the war criminals that were later charged at Nuremberg.
The stories from those early years led me toward joining the Navy as I approached high school graduation. However – I blew it in a way. I was 17 years old and had a Forest Service 4-year Scholarship in my Senior Year when I got in trouble. I got involved with a gang shooting and was placed in Juvenile Confinement. A Superior Court Judge gave me a choice of joining the Armed Forces or spending some time in the pokey (until I was 21). I had previously investigated the Navy and had taken the basic battery tests. GMCA Tom Eagling, Navy Recruiting Office, Seattle, WA, spoke up for me, and the next day, I was on my way to San Diego, CA, on what was called a Kiddy Cruise enlistment. I would serve until I was 21 years old – a period of 3-years and two months; but got credit for 4 years for retirement, A thing called constructive time.

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Service Reflections of SSgt Tom Bauman, U.S. Air Force (1966-1970)

Service Reflections of SSgt Tom Bauman, U.S. Air Force (1966-1970)

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I was attending Junior College part-time and working. In October 1965 I received my notice to appear for my pre-induction draft physical. To be honest, in spite of the fact that the Vietnam conflict was going on, I really had not given much thought to the military other than registering for the draft. I was in a fraternity and several of my friends had joined the Marine Reserves. This was just before things heated up and the first group of combat Marines landed in Da Nang. So I went down to sign up. The Marine recruiter told me that they were full up. So I decided to talk with the Navy recruiter. They had a delayed enlistment program. Meaning you could defer going on active duty for up to one year. So I decided to sign up.
In December 1965 I went to Navy Basic Training in San Diego. I was also required to attend weekend drills. After several months I was having second thoughts about serving Active Duty in the Navy. My best friend had joined the Air Force six months prior to my enlisting and liked it. He suggested that I see an Air Force recruiter. I took the AFQT and got 95 percentile across the board. The recruiter said that ALL technical training areas would be open to me. The only rub was that I had to be formally released from the Navy so I could join the Air Force. I got a release and I enlisted in August 1966 and went through Basic Training at Amarillo AFB.

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Service Reflections of CPT Sam Carlson, U.S. Army (1967-2010)

Service Reflections of CPT Sam Carlson, U.S. Army (1967-2010)

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My father was a career soldier, enlisting as an Infantry Private in 1937 and retiring as a LtCol in 1963.
As an Army Brat and as far back as I can remember, joining the military was always something I had in my mind to do.
For a while, I thought that goal was out of reach since I married and had a child and was not eligible under the enlistment criteria in place at the time. With the helpful advice of an Army Recruiter in Tacoma, Washington, I found two ways to enlist. The first was to join the National Guard and, while in Basic Training, I could transfer to the Regular Army. The only other alternative was to volunteer for the draft and reclassification to 1A. Upon reclassification to 1A, I would be allowed to enlist. I visited the National Guard Armory in downtown Tacoma, Washington, and spoke with a CWO and told him what I was trying to do. He showed me his status board and advised that there was a six-month waiting list to enlist in the Guard. I opted for the Draft reclassification and wound up in Basic Combat Training about two weeks later. During my second or third week of Basic, I received a draft notice and a letter of acceptance from the CWO for enlistment in the National Guard. From the recruiter and the CWO, I learned that there is always a way to make things happen.

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Service Reflections of COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

Service Reflections of COL Robert DeCubellis, U.S. Air Force (1968-2006)

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I had several friends who served in the Air Force, including Dick Berghorn and his K-9 Rommel at Pleiku AB. My uncle Ed served in the Air Corps in England in WW II, and my uncle Art served in the US Navy but didn’t get overseas before VJ Day.
As the Vietnam War began to spool up in the mid-’60s, I knew the draft would be hot on my tail as I was graduating college, so I decided to pick my own destiny versus being drafted. I also came from the baby boomer generation following WW II and knew the value of serving. When my grades slipped in 1966, I got tapped for a pre-induction physical in Minneapolis. It was right out of a scene from Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” that’s popular every Thanksgiving….). I actually witnessed the USMC take inductees that day to fill their shortfall in enlistees.

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Service Reflections of SMSGT Ronald Radliff, U.S. Air Force (1964-1991)

Service Reflections of SMSGT Ronald Radliff, U.S. Air Force (1964-1991)

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I grew up as an Air Force brat. Our travels took us to Germany shortly after WW-II, France in the mid-50s, and a number of states here and there. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t until I was in college that I actually started and completed two consecutive years in the same school.
The college I attended was a junior college. I was studying to be an electronics technician but didn’t graduate as I hadn’t taken all the required courses. I soon found that there was a recession going on and not a job of any kind to be found and the reality of the draft was a very serious part of every young man’s life. Volunteering for the military became the obvious next step, but which one?
I was hoping to get into a technical career field in the military. The Army and Marines seemed like I would have only two chances of a technical field. Slim and None. This left the Navy and Air Force as the obvious choices. I ruled out the Navy as I had no desire to spend any time at sea, let alone extended periods, so the Air Force was my choice.
At that time, my younger brother was out of high school and going nowhere with prospects that looked even less optimistic. I convinced him to go talk to the Air Force recruiter with me. After all the necessary paperwork, the recruiter told us we’d have to come back to take the AFQT (Armed Forces Qualification Test). He scheduled us for the afternoon of November 22, 1963. A historic date indeed. President Kennedy was assassinated that day in Dallas. The recruiters were all gathered around the TV which was playing quite loudly in the next room to where we were taking our tests. The glass partition between the test room and the TV didn’t muffle the sound at all. What a stressful afternoon that was.

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Service Reflections of YN2 George Glover, U.S. Coast Guard (1974-1979)

Service Reflections of YN2 George Glover, U.S. Coast Guard (1974-1979)

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I was 19 years old, and it was the Vietnam Era. I had registered for the draft the previous year while in High School in San Diego, CA. I graduated HS and tried going to college, but it just wasn’t for me. So, after a semester, I left college. Now, what am I going to do? I really had no idea. I was thinking of the Navy because my father had served in the Navy during WWII. He had a career of over 22 years and was a BMC. I was going to join the Navy when a friend of mine mentioned the Coast Guard. That had never occurred to me. I was familiar with the USCG Air Station in San Diego and the cutters at Point Loma, and I liked what the Coast Guard did. Not only did they train for war, but they trained for SAR, law enforcement, pollution control, marine safety, etc. I knew that my father would be spinning in his grave as he had passed away, but I went down to the Coast Guard recruiter in San Diego, talked to them, and signed up. After the physical and paperwork was done, I was offered a guaranteed “A” school, YN. I took it and was off to boot camp in Alameda.

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Service Reflections of OS2 Christopher Hawley, U.S. Navy (1981-1987)

Service Reflections of OS2 Christopher Hawley, U.S. Navy (1981-1987)

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I was always sure that I would serve in the military from a very young age. Military Service in my family was always a strong influence. At about fifteen years old, I was very sure that I would make a career in the military. I had joined the Civil Air Patrol at the time, and I loved it. I was also sure that I would be a United States Marine, just as two of my cousins, an uncle, and a Great-grandfather had all been.

My Great-grandfather had joined the Marines in 1910 at 16, lying with his parents’ help about his age, saying his birth year was 1892, not 1893. He served until 1914, participating in the incursion into Vera Cruz, Mexico, after the “Tampico Incident.” During much of his four years, he was detached from his command to the Marine Corps Rifle Range Detachment at the Marine Barracks, Quantico, VA, as part of the marksmanship team. After finishing Boot Camp at Paris Island, South Carolina, he was assigned to an old Battleship, the USS Louisiana (BB-19) and later the USS Texas (BB-35), as part of the Marine detachment. He was a participant in most of the National matches at Camp Perry during that time, earning the National Match, Distinguished Marksmanship Gold Metal.

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Service Reflections of AO2 Jack Leach, U.S. Navy (1964-1970)

Service Reflections of AO2 Jack Leach, U.S. Navy (1964-1970)

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Many things. Growing up my father owned the local movie theater where we lived. The top movies in that time were war movies, so I grew up with movies like: “The Fighting Lady” and other such. Audie Murphy was a personal friend of dads as well. Another personal friend of dads was in the Merchant Marine during WWII and his stories were exciting to me when I was a teenager. I also had relatives that served in the Navy during Korea. I guess it was really the relatives that served in the Navy that really made up my mind. Dad got out of the Army as a 1stSgt and he would have liked to see me go into the Army but said he would back me whatever branch I decided on. He went with me to see all the different branches The Navy was the only one who didn’t PROMISE me the moon. They told me it was up to me and my abilities. Dad and I both liked that.
Pictured: L to R, Richard the Merchant Marine, Me, and Dad.

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Service Reflections of ATC Walter Willey, U.S. Navy (1944-1986)

Service Reflections of ATC Walter Willey, U.S. Navy (1944-1986)

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I was just 18 at the time and qualified to enlist at the enlistment center in Manchester, NH in Nov 1944. My father Charles H. Willey, was Navy all the way. Dad received the Medal of Honor in 1932. He was born in East Boston, MA on March 31, 1889. At the age of 19, he enlisted in the US Navy. As a Machinist Mate 2nd Class and he sailed all over the world on his first hitch. During Dad’s 2nd hitch he made Warrant Machinist in 1914. He was awarded the Medal Of Honor for exceptional heroism performed aboard the USS Memphis during a hurricane off Santa Domingo City in 1916. He received many other medals.
Now, you can bet that certainly influenced my decision to join the Navy. I was a 139 lb boy at that time. I went to Boot Camp as the Pacific war was still raging.

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Service Reflections of ET3 John Warren, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-1974)

Service Reflections of ET3 John Warren, U.S. Coast Guard (1970-1974)

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Like so many young men in the late 1960’s and early 70’s, I found myself with a 1A classification in the draft. When the first draft lottery was drawn, my birthday came up number 23. Growing up on Coastal Maryland, I had always been around the water, although had not spent that much time on boats, enough to know that I would rather rock and roll than sleep in a tent. My Dad knew a couple of people, as did I who had gone into the Coast Guard and really enjoyed their duty. Hoping to find myself on small boats possibly in Ocean City, Maryland or Chincoteague, Virginia, I went into the recruiter’s office. I was immediately informed that there was a long wait to get into the Coast Guard, so being between semesters at college, I went to enroll for the spring semester. A couple of days later, my mother called to let me know that someone had backed out and decided not to go into the Coast Guard and that I could go in the next week.

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Service Reflections of LTC Guy Edmondson, U.S. Army (1982-2010)

Service Reflections of LTC Guy Edmondson, U.S. Army (1982-2010)

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As a young man, I had no father figure in my life. My father passed away at the early age of 37 (I was 7 at the time). As I was entering my teenage years, my mother dated a retired Air Force Colonel who got me thinking about joining the military. I joined the ROTC Corps in high school and was mentored by a World War II veteran and a Viet Nam veteran, both retired Master Sergeants.
During my senior year in high school, my mother married the man who I consider to be my father. He pushed for me to continue my education in college. With his help, I got through college in only four and a half years. William “Chile” Childers assisted in putting my gold bars on and received my first salute. In exchange, he got a 1932 silver dollar from me.
In essence, it was not one person that influenced my decision to enter the service, It was a host of people. My high school instructors, a retired Air Force Colonel (Robert Hull) and my dad. All were equally responsible for my career.

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