What was your military specialty?

[Armybrat]

My Dad was drafted in WWII and stayed in after the war to make a career of it. So my story starts in 1946 in Ft. Benning, GA, where I was born. As an Army brat I lived mostly at Ft. Bragg, NC, with side trips to Panama for grades 3-5 and to Okinawa for grades to 9-10. My Dad retired from Active duty as a Major the year I graduated from high school.

I then went to West Point and graduated in 1969 as an Infantry officer. Following that I went to Airborne school and then Berlin, Germany, before heading to Vietnam. After Nam I qualified for the Special Forces, but eventually resigned my commission after fulfilling my obligation. Just prior to leaving the Army I came to faith in Jesus Christ which is partly why I felt led get out.

I eventually went to seminary in Dallas, TX, to study for the ministry. After that I worked in corporate America for a while and then took a church up in Bangor, ME. While in Maine I joined the National Guard as a Chaplain and served 17 years there. I rose to become the State Chaplain and retired from the Guard as a full bird.

We left Maine and moved to England for three years, and now I'm pastoring a church in Rockville, CT. God and the military have been good to me my whole life. Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.

Great career Rev. I was born at Benning too, in '44.

[big bear]

Air Force 1963-67 E-4 Fire Protection Specialist / Crash Rescue.

[xaircav]

67V20 OH-6 helicopter repairman. Told Mom I worked in the hangar but I hung out the door of a Loach with an M-60 on a Pink Team in a cav unit. See the avatar.

[wyntrout]

I joined the USAF out of HS in August 1964. I had been planning that for years. I went down on a Saturday to sign up for the Army warrant officer helicopter pilot program, but the Army recruiting office was closed, so I went ahead and joined the AF. That was probably one of the best things I ever did. We lost a LOT of helicopters over there!

My first job was learning Arabic for a year at DLIWC at Monterey, CA. Then the AF had too many Arabic linguists, so to get out of Goodfellow AFB, Texas, after all of the tech schools for using the language, I volunteered for a short course in Vietnamese. After all of the tech schools following that 4-month course in DC, I was on my way to Yokota AB, Japan, when the 6-Days war kicked off around April '67 and the AF needed more Arabic linguists, but I was in a higher priority language then.

After a few months in Japan we started a new squadron on Okinawa and I flew missions out of there on the RC-135’s and also RC-130’s while TDY to Da Nang and Cam Rahn Air Bases. I was at Da Nang for the First Tet Offensive the end of January 1968 as our Detachment Project NCO, having just made SSGT the first of January… exciting times.

I got out in August of ’68 as a SSGT(E-5) and went to college on the GI Bill and working part time. I graduated in ’72, went to OTS and then Navigator training at Mather AFB, CA. I got into the B-52’s just after they returned from SEA early in ’74. I was at Dyess AFB, TX for almost 9 years(Radar Navigator or Bombardier & Instructor RN in B-52D’s & B-52H’s), then 3 years in the command post at Zweibruecken AB, West Germany. I met my wife-to-be there and we’re coming up on our 28th anniversary in a few months. We married in March after I returned in February ’86.

I had to get re-qualified in the B-52G out at Castle AFB, CA, and spent a couple of years at Loring AFB, ME, until retirement as an Captain(O-3E) the end of June ’88. While in the BUFF’s I had several TDY’s to England and got to fly all over Europe… high and low level… fantastic to fly through areas I had traveled over there… climbing up the ladder to look out and UP at the mountains we were flying between.

Click on wyntrout to see my info/pictures. Click on each picture for more info or comments.

Wynn

[T0RMENT]

^ good stuff Wynn. Thanks for sharing that.

[Armybrat]

Actually I signed up for AF OTS after graduating college in '67. Passed all the tests ok, then went down to the San Antonio induction center for the physical.
That's when I found out I had some medical problems that disqualified me from serving. It was a terrible disappointment, as that had been my planned career path.
Didn't feel abnormal, and those problems didn't affect me until 33 years later.

[TheShadow]

75-88 US Navy
Ocean Systems Technician/Analyst
I told the P3s where to go to put the torpedo up the Soviet boomer's ass.

Terry

[RevRay]

I always enjoy reading these kind of stories ... thanks guys.

[AIRret]

Wyntrout, you must be pretty smart!
It's pretty tough to qualify as a linguist in the AF!
Good for you!

[ced_56]

Air force brat was my specialty. Always planned on joining and then life lead me in a different course. My dad who did 21+yrs told me to go to college first and by the time I was done with that I was married and my wife had a good career.

I thank all who servered and am very proud of growing up in that life.

[SGT5711]

USMC 1994-1998, 5711 Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Specialist

Served with the 3d Marine Division in Okinawa and the 2d SRIG at Camp LeJeune

[wyntrout]

Wyntrout, you must be pretty smart!
It's pretty tough to qualify as a linguist in the AF!
Good for you!

Thanks! And thank ALL of YOU for YOUR service, too. We all made a difference. And thanks, too, to all of you who volunteered but were denied the chance to serve due to reasons beyond your control.

Yeah, that includes the "Colonel", too!



Wynn

PS: I love languages and have studied many. I've studied as many as four at a time including English.

[ced_56]

USMC 1994-1998, 5711 Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Specialist

Served with the 3d Marine Division in Okinawa and the 2d SRIG at Camp LeJeune

Nice. I was on Okinawa in 87-91....but that was ages 7-11 for me

[Sgt01]

USN 1973-1977, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42), G-Division, Aviation Ordnanceman 2nd Class (E-5), Flight Deck Ordnance Crew. Was one of the last crew members on board before her decommissioning.

[okieshooter1]

63B 1974-1984 US Army FT Bragg FRG FT Sill OK