United States Army 1970 - 1972

Enlisted in the Army and took several tests for placement. I finally missed one question on the last test to be a warrant officer. After that point they asked me to go to warrant officer school at each new assignment.

Was an acting squad leader in boot camp, graduated somewhere at the top of the class at missile electronic guidance system school and chose to go to Germany. I was assigned to a Warrant officer four and he started my training to be a warrant officer. He taught me how to be a teacher. I was assigned to be on duty for a few weeks during the annual surprise inspection time and tested out to be the number one technician in Europe. It was my teachers fault. We were the number one battery in Europe. Next we went to Crete and we built the best missile shot ever, again by his excellence. After a few weeks in Athens we came back to Germany and they made me a SP5 and placed me in the position of PLL clerk. So I was next to the Sergeant that did all the maintenance paperwork and I was trained to do that too. So we had a visit from the commander of Europe and his staff to review the best battery. My teacher had me go to the warhead building to clean tools. The next thing I knew I was being interviewed by the Commander of Europe.

Well that is about it. We did go through a short period where our battery went to hot status. All the missiles were raised and running and we had hot antiaircraft batteries all around us and thousands of troops and tanks crawling all over everything. After that President Nixon was sending troops home from everywhere. I was offered and early out to go to college and go into the reserves. My wife was all over that and I wanted to finish my tour. I ended up joining a communications reserve unit to fix radios.

I could not get my old job back so I sold cars through the gas crunch. I sold about 30 to 35 cars a month. Later my wife wanted me to rescue her dad so I promised one year to run his six lane bowling alley. That year I took Pigeon Lanes from $15k in the red to $30k in the black. It was the kids fault (our new customers) they lived there after school until their parents came home. My father-in-law taught me how to run the books and everything else,even his restaurant.

To this day if I go to Pigeon people will stop and talk with me, it is quite a good feeling.

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