Hometown: Springfield
Current Residence: Springfield
Family: Wife, Carolyn; one son, one daughter and three grandsons.
Career after the military: 30 years as a steel erector, then retail sales/management for last 15 years.
Hobbies: Vintage stereos and bicycling.
Branch of Service: U.S. Navy
Did you join the military or were you drafted? Joined
Dates of Service: July 1968 to July 1972 active duty
Deployments/Bases: Pensacola, Fla. for training; Azores Islands for a year; Kamiseya, Japan for two years.
Total time that you served? 3½ years active with six months early out due to force reduction.
What did you do in the service? Communication Technician, which is now Crytologic Technician.
What did you gain from serving in the military? Personal discipline and appreciation for what we have in America. Also many lifelong friendships.
What do you remember most about your service? Got to see much of the world and a lot of our country. Met people from all over America and gained an understanding of other parts of the country and the world.
What stands out as something memorable? Honor of serving our country.
What would you like readers to know about your military experience? I feel everyone would benefit with some sort of service to our country. Great way to see how others live and gain a better outlook on life.
To nominate a veteran, e-mail samantha.sommer@coxinc.com or randyark48@gmail.com or call 937-328-0363. Any veteran of any military branch, years of service and age is eligible to be profiled.
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