Dru,
Well you've certainly hit upon a theme for a while.. Nice to see how many of our classmates spent time in the military when it was not always the popular thing to do.
Personally, I joined the Navy in 1962 after a couple of lackluster years in college. After eight years in the Navy, which took me to the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, I ended up on the Island of Guam where I bounced between Guam and Saigon (Vietnam). I got out after my active years, but remained on active-status with the Navy for another seven years. At that time, I joined the USAF, specifically with the 452 Air Refueling Wing based at March AFB California. I was part of the flight crew with KC135 and KC10 takers supporting our fighter troops with mid-air refueling. I remained with that unit for 15 years finally retiring in 1992 after a 30 year military history.
Interestingly enough, having been in Thailand for over 20 years now, I find myself doing business in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). A couple of time, I've met former Viet Cong who used to shot at me when I would come to Saigon in the late 60's....times have certainly changed.
While some would say that they had unpleasant experiences with their military career, I can say that I learned more of life's lessons during my years associated with the military.
Those life-changing experiences must still be going on, because now I'm getting ads on cost reduced burial plots, caskets and cremation services from the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). :-\
Regards,
Dr. Paul in Bangkok...
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