The Beginning:

My Air Force beginning started in High School as I saw many of my school mates going off to war in Viet Nam. Some of them would never return. A few died before I graduated in 1966. 2 of my cousins, older than I, had joined the Army and Marine Corp respectively. I always wanted to be a pilot or astronaut. The more I saw and the more I dreamed of my service, I almost knew the Air Force would be my destiny.

I graduated and knew that my draft number would come up but I had some time to consider which branch I wanted join. Since I wanted to have a choice of vocation and duty, and not have the draft board decide for me, I took some time to consider all options. I spoke to several of the recruiters in preparation. Little did I know where I would go or where it would lead me.

After nearly a year of working in the automotive manufacturing field at General Motors' GMC Truck and Coach Division, I was laid off and out of work for the scheduled model change in August of 1967. Normally a few weeks to change the tooling etc., but then we went out on a strike. I wondered how it was that we could just walk out and strike at a job,  when I was happy with it. At 19 years of age, little makes sense. I decided to get with the program and find work and look at the military. Soon we got called back to work after a month, I figured it would take a year to make up the money I lost during the strike, I decided the Air Force was my choice. It certainly wasn't the uniform, but the fact that I might be near planes, missiles, or I didn't know what, only it was what I wanted to do.

I signed up under the Delayed Enlistment Program in October of 1967. My military career was officially underway.

Graduation Picture Class of 1966
Pontiac Northern High School
Pontiac, Michigan