I joined the U.S. Army National Guard in 1966. After attending
basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and advanced
individual training at Fort Lee Virginia, I was assigned to Service
Battery, 1st Battalion of the 172nd Field Artillery Battalion Maintenance at
Manchester New Hampshire. My military occupational specialty was as Ordnance Supply Repair Parts clerk
for the maintenance section, supporting the firing batteries of a
155mm howitzer battalion in various field exercises.
After completing my six year obligation I left the National Guard
in 1972, rejoining it in 1976. In December, 1976 I chose to enlist
in the active Army and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood Missouri for
a refresher course in special combat tactics and weapon
familiarization. After spending six months there I was assigned to
Redstone Arsenal Alabama where I attended the U.S. Army Ordnance Missile and Munitions Center and School for the HAWK
Missile system. Upon graduation from the school I was chosen to
be assigned as an instructor for training of U.S. and allied
students of various nations.
In October 1980 I was assigned to the U.S. Army's 4th Ordnance
Company located in Miesau, Germany. As part of their support staff
for operations of all of the 32nd Army Air Defense Command,
I helped coordinate all support activities for all HAWK, Nike, and
Patriot missile batteries in Europe. This was a job in which I had
the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and formulate
friendships that have lasted throughout my assignment in Germany
as well as my military career. During my tour in Germany I
visited many places and countries. One of the nicest countries
that I visited was Holland. Its quaint charm as well as the
wonderful tulip gardens located at the Keukenhof, in northern
Holland, was a sight that will be in my mind for years to come.
I departed Miesau in 1983 and returned to Redstone Arsenal to
begin teaching again. I became technically proficient as an
instructor and was awarded a senior instructor certificate in
1985.
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching and working with all the wonderful
people that this career allowed me to meet. This was an
experience that I will cherish for many years to come.
Something that I found very humorous was the time that I was
teaching a class on the operation of the oscilloscope. I was being
evaluated during that period of instruction when a private became
sleepy and started to nod off in class. I instructed the student
to stand and not to sleep during the lecture and the young man
fell asleep standing up. "Well," I thought, "there goes my military
career." The evaluator told me that I had done everything within
my control to make the class interesting and did not give me a
bad evaluation.
While at Redstone I also had the opportunity to narrate
graduation ceremonies, parades, and awards ceremonies for the
Ordnance School. This opportunity allowed me to sharpen my
communication skills which has helped me in my military as well
as my civilian careers.
Redstone Arsenal is located in Madison County, in North Alabama. Inside and bordering the arsenal is the Wheeler Wildlife
Refuge, a vast expanse of nature bordering the Tennessee River,
with deer and other wild life species. I enjoy fishing on the
Tennessee River, as well as enjoying the tranquility of the
sounds of nature that the refuge provides.
Inside the boundaries of Redstone, there is the Marshall Space
Flight Center. This became home to Dr. Werner Von Braun after
World War II and started the United States' quest for space, when
man walked on the moon. It all started here in Huntsville.
Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal as well as the surrounding areas
have become a part of my life for the past twenty years. This has
been a learning experience that I will always cherish.
 This picture was taken in 1987 while I was a Senior Instructor for HAWK division USAOMMCS, Redstone Arsenal.
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