C.N. Bring's Blog: The Celia Kelly Series, page 7

CN SALUTES ARMY SPECIALIST BRETT ROGERS

Army Specialist Brett Rogers (right) CN Salutes Army Specialist Brett Rogers, who is currently serving at Fort Stewart, GA. It is his first duty station as an X-Ray Tech, 68P.  He attended basic training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma  and Fort Sam Houston and finished up back at Fort Sill.  Rogers met his wife, Veteran Private First Class Sara Rogers, a 68W, combat medic/health care specialist in the Army.  As Rogers begins his military career and upcoming deployment, along with beginning his family, he is faced with the challenges that surround balancing both.



What are your duties?
I am in a support battalion that is gearing up to go to Afghanistan. We are focusing on inventory and packing for the deployment. As an X-Ray Tech, I will be responsible for shooting X-Rays in the hospital.

What was the training and prep for your MOS?
I spent six months in a classroom at Fort Sam Houston, followed by six months of hands on practice at Fort Sill

What do you like most about serving?
The people I have met, including my wife.

What prompted you to serve?
I was looking for a way to better my future and I wanted to serve my country.

What are some of the greatest challenges you have faced?
Leaving my family in Texas was difficult for me.  It is also a challenge to prepare to leave my expectant wife before the birth of our first child.

What was the most rewarding experience?
I feel like I have grown a lot since joining. Not only do I have a career that I can continue in the civilian sector, but I have started a family. It is rewarding to know that I am on the right track.

How does serving affect your family? Do they find their part of service rewarding?
I don’t get to see my family as much as I would like. They also have to be very flexible because I am never sure what my schedule will be like and things tend to change at the last minute. I think that sometimes it is difficult for them, but they are proud of the man I have become and they find that rewarding.

You met your wife while you both in the Army. Once you chose to start a family how did you go about deciding your options?
The unit we were in is scheduled to deploy next month and we are also expecting our first child at around the same time. She would have had to stay here in GA while I deployed, away from friends and family, if she had stayed on active duty. We decided it would be best for her to get out and join the reserves. She can now go home to Montana and get support from her family while I am away. It is difficult to be dual military with children, especially in a unit that deploys so often and the decision for her to get out was best for our growing family.

When scheduling for deployment, what must you do to prepare for that?
As a unit we have made sure that all of our medical and personal equipment was inventoried and shipped so that we could ship it. We also ensure that our personnel are deployment ready by going through a medical evaluation, getting needed vaccines as well as any blood/lab tests required.  I have also had to ensure that my family is prepared and that they will be taken care of while I am away.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?
I would suggest looking at all options available. I think that an emphasis on a college education is invaluable. I wouldn’t trade my experience, or the people I have met, but I do wish I had finished school

THANK YOU SPECIALIST BRETT ROGERS FOR YOUR SERVICE!

CN SALUTES NAVY VET ABH 3 E-4 DANIEL STRICKLAND

Fighting the fire of 18C Hornet Navy Veteran ABH 3 E-4 Daniel Strickland of Livingston, Montana served in the Navy from July 2007 to July 2012.  As part of the USS Carl Vinson’s first rate Crash and Salvage Techs, Strickland served on the USS Carl Vinson and became part of history in the making.

Signing up with the Navy, Strickland wanted to be a firefighter. That would have been Disaster Control, known as a DC man on ship, but there were too many people trying for that spot. He was told Crash and Salvage was the next best thing when he found he couldn’t get into Disaster Control. What he didn’t know was he’d have to work his way up to take position and in the mean time he’d be directing planes off the flight deck and possibly not fight fires at all.

He requested a West Coast Ship to be closer to Montana when it docked. That meant the USS Carl Vinson. But there was a catch... it was docked in New Port, Virginia under construction two years to put in a new reactor to last for the next fifty years.

That put into motion a set of circumstances where there was an opening for Crash and Salvage. There were only eleven people in B-1 flight department and so with no competition to speak of Strickland got a shot at the job he wanted. He began training for Crash and Salvage in between helping with construction on the USS Carl Vinson. Crash and Salvage was required to have two welders at that time, so he was sent to Portsmouth, Virginia to become certified in welding. He was then back on the Vinson for a month before being sent to the USS Abraham Lincoln on TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty). There he shadowed the Crash and Salvage crew there earning experience from one of the most experienced in-sync crews in the fleet.

Aboard the USS Carl Vinson Strickland was able to become witness to and participate in moments of history. The Vinson was about to go to South Africa when the earthquake hit Haiti. Since they were only about 600 nautical miles away, the Vinson was one of the first responders to the disaster. All planes were flown off the deck to make way for the HELO Squadron of SH 60’s and H46’s to retrieve bodies. He was also part of the skeleton crew allowed on deck when Osama bin Laden was buried at Sea off the USS Carl Vinson.

Did you ever have to use your training?

            Fires on deck are rare. You usually deal with hydraulic failures or fuel spills and in the five years I served I had two fires, noting big just little stuff until the one day we got the one we were trained for…

            I was training a guy, on TAD (Temporary Assigned Duty) from the Washington, and he was shadowing me that day. There were the usual ops and training flights when all of a sudden squadron 113, plane 311 a F/A-18C Hornet came in for a training touch and go, as it takes off you see flames come out of one engine and then you see flames come out of the other engine. The pilot turns and we think he’s going to eject when all of a sudden he decides to land it instead. He catches the hook and I tell myself, “I’m trained for this I know what’s going to happen here…”

            After it stops, fuel from the plane engulfs the back of it in flames. A B-25 Fire truck fights it on one side and my buddy and I grab a hose from the catwalk and hit it from the other side. We go in from a 45 degree angle, sweep in and push it back having it out in four to five minutes. Hooked it on and tractor and pulled it out. It was known throughout the fleet as a perfect text book Airplane crash and firefighting. It earned 15 of us Navy Marine Achievement Metals and a meeting with the Admiral, and he gave us all his coin.  (You Tube Video of event above)

Why did you decide to serve?

            It was more economics than anything. I was working as an EMT working toward becoming a Paramedic, working as a bartender and trying to go to college. I was looking for a way to get experience and pay for college.

What did you like most about serving?

            The travel, because I was able to see a lot of different places I wouldn’t have normally gone to. The people I met along the way, because I made a lot good friends and the GI Bill.

What were some of the challenges?

            Deployments were tough. You were gone for six months and the e-mail didn’t always work or you couldn’t get time on the computer, so it could be pretty isolating. Being away from family was hard. Then I missed my friend’s wedding and the birth of his first child and holidays with my family. It was hard to be apart. About three fourths of the people I served with had either a divorce or trouble with a cheating spouse. It was hard on everyone…

What was the most rewarding thing about serving?

Only one percent of the population serves and saying I was one of them who got to serve gives me a great sense of pride.

What are the advantages of serving?

Healthcare and the GI Bill, contributing to something bigger than yourself.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to serve?

Read the contract. Know what you want to do and be prepared for what you are getting into. Be willing to make the sacrifices and do your research.


THANK YOU ABH 3 E-4 DANIEL STRICKLAND FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Military Spouses....Here is what is out there for you!

ARMY:
FRG (Family Readiness Groups) are available to aide new and established soldiers and their families as an active support system. They  get together weekly or biweekly to provide activities and support to enhance the flow of information, increase the resiliency of unit soldiers and their families, provide practical tools for adjusting to military deployments and separations, and enhance the well-being  within the unit. The activities emphasized will vary depending on whether the unit is in pre/post deployment, deployed, or in a training/sustainment period at home station. Since one of the goals of an FRG is to support the military mission through provision of support, outreach, and information to family members, certain FRG activities are essential and common to all groups, and include member meetings, staff and committee meetings, publication and distribution of newsletters, maintenance of virtual FRG websites, maintenance of updated rosters and readiness information, and member telephone trees and e-mail distribution lists.
Read more

NAVY:
In the Navy the programs are similar and referred to as Navy Wives Meetup groups.

No matter what branch or where you are being stationed, search your Military base website for a group to connect with before you move to your family's new station. Make the most of getting to know the area and new friends!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to Jason and a group of brave men at a small firebase in a land far away.... THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, IT IS MUCH APPRECIATED!

CN Salutes Yeoman Second Class Nellie Baerg

Yeoman Second Class Nellie Baerg  CN Salutes Yeoman Second Class Nellie Baerg.  Baerg  came from a small town area near Frazer Montana, an Indian town. She was number nine of ten children. Baerg had spent a year assistant teaching when a teacher suggested she take the Civil Service Exam. She passed and went to work for the Dept. of Commerce in Washington DC. She then decided to sign up for the Navy.

What were your duties?
As Yeoman Second Class, I was communications, working on teletype machines. I was required to send and receive coded messages. I served from 1944-1946.

What did you like most about serving?

Maybe it was because I grew up on a dirt farm but I loved the people. I met so many different people from every walk of life. I made some long lasting friendships.

What prompted you to serve?

I had heard they need communication officers and I wanted to go overseas. There was a war going on and I wanted to do my part. It didn’t turn out exactly like I had hoped. I took a cut in pay, lived in the barracks and had to get up early every morning to exercise. But it was still a good experience.

I was also impressed by the Dollar a Year Men who served. They were rich men who gave of their time to serve in the war efforts and they only took one dollar a year. I met them during my Civil Service days.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced?

The greatest challenge was you had to be very accurate when using the teletype machines. Sometimes pressures from our superiors were difficult when they became impatient. It was also difficult at times to sleep hoping the code had been accurate.

A more light hearted challenge, Gone With the Wind had just been published. There was only one book and several of us girls wanted to read it. The book passed around barracks late at night. I got caught once reading it after lights out.

What was the most rewarding experience?

Again, the most rewarding experience would have to be all the people I met and the places I saw.
One of my friends was from Brooklyn, New York and she’d take me home with her when she went home to see her parents.
Even though I didn’t go overseas, I loved seeing Washington DC and surrounding areas. Every Sunday, we would pick a new place to explore.

What was the training and prep for your MOS?

My basic training took place at Hunters College. Our training where we learned code and the teletype machines took place in Iowa.

How did serving affect your family? Did they find their part of service rewarding?

I was 9 of ten children and my mother died when I was young. We all took on responsibility early and became independent fast. I was closest to my youngest sister. Everybody did what they had to do. Two of my brothers were already in the Navy by the time I was.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?

Don’t go into it for the fun of it. Join because you can contribute something. Really make a difference.

How was serving as a woman different from a man in the 1940's and 50's?

Some of us women resented that we got stuck in an office in DC when we could have been just as useful in the field someplace.

THANK YOU YEOMAN SECOND CLASS BAERG FOR YOUR SERVICE!
 

World War II Teletype Machines A teleprinter (teletypewriter, Teletype or TTY) is an electromechanical typewriter that can be used to send and receive typed messages from point to point and point to multipoint over various types of communications channels. They were adapted to provide a text-based user interface to early mainframe computers and minicomputers, sending typed data to the computer with or without printed output, and printing the response from the computer.
Via-Wikipedia

Former Navy Spec5/E5 Don Oberquell still serving thru Remembrance

Don with trumpet @ Memorial for 9-11 Don Oberquell served in the US Army in South Korea 13 mi south of the DMZ. His MOS was infantry, trumpeter. Oberquell completed his service as Spec 5/ E5 with one year in grade. Today Oberquell is still serving God, our country and others through Missing In America Project, Bugles Across America and The Christian Motorcyclist Association.

What were your duties?
I was a rifleman, trumpet player. Our responsibilities included 0600 bugler duties playing TO THE COLORS & REVEILLE & 1800 hrs TAPS at Headquarters Command Flag Pole. I served with the 7th Infantry Division Headquarters Band as Squad Leader, Solo 1st chair Trumpet, and band bus driver.
I arrived in Korea 1 week before the USS Pueblo was hijacked. I was ordered to machine-gunner training, which I did. However, I felt bad that 2 other men would be assigned with me, 1 as pod bearer, and 1 as ammo bearer. They would be dependent on me with their lives, and the machine gun was the hardest gun I ever shot for accuracy. It was a 30 caliber machine gun. Thank God I never had to use it in battle.

What did you like most about serving?
The greatest thing about service in the military is the comradely that is developed, the trust one has to have
with others, and the confidence one gets by having to do things with others.

What prompted you to serve?
I had no choice. I was drafted Dec 11,1966. This was 2 years before the draft lottery. One I was in college with a 2S
deferment, a 4f religious deferment, or drafted. I was the latter.

What was some of the greatest challenges you faced?
I was never athletic, so completing basic training was a challenge. At my final qualifying obstacle coarse, I had to ace the mile run in less than 6 min, or I would be recycled for another 2 weeks. I got behind the fastest runner in our platoon, and I made it!! I was out of there!!

What was the most rewarding experience?
The great friends I made.

What was the training and prep for your MOS?
I auditioned in basic training to be a trumpet player. I qualified and they assigned me to the Navy School of Music in Norfolk, VA. on completion of basic.
 
How did serving affect your family? Did they find their part of service rewarding?
My family supported me tremendously, as I was the first of 4 boys to be drafted/ serve in my family. My dad wrote me every week.

Veterans: What opportunities or advantages or disadvantages did you have after reentering civilian life?
The GI Bill helped me with my college ed. and my flight training after I completed my private license. I still have the VA , who are awesome to me.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?
They will never regret it! Do it!! With pride and integrity!!

MISSING IN AMERICA
As a Vet, I am still finding ways to serve. I still bugle with Color Guards at funerals. I still serve my country and veteran community. MIAP, Missing In America project, is one of those very touching opportunities that do not come along very often, but are so very important for veterans who have not been given the respect they deserve of an Honorable Interment of their remains. MIAP is working to identify these Vets and give them the Honor they deserve for their service to this great country. I am so blessed to be a part of MIAP.

THANK YOU Former Navy Spec5/E5  NAVY SPECIALIST 5/E5  DON OBERQUELL FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Leland C McCaslin, Former Chief Security US Army Europe

Leland C McCaslin CN SALUTES LELAND C McCASLIN!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Leland C. McCaslin served a nomadic military duty. As Army Military intelligence, he spent time as a Special Agent to Forte Meade, the Pentagon, and Heidelberg, Germany. During his active duty, he also served as a First Lieutenant (9666), Army Civil Service, GM 14 (LT. Colonel equivalent). McCaslin received hundreds of certificates, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and Commander’s Medal for Meritorious Service.


What were your duties?

- Fort Knox: Learn to be a Tank Platoon (5 tanks) Leader

- Fort Holabird: Learn to be a Counterintelligence Special Agent

- Various locations: Special Agent Duties

- Fort Meade: Granted, denied, and revoked clearances Army Wide

- The Pentagon: Granted, denied, and revoked special clearances Army and Air Force Wide

- Heidelberg: Chief Security, US Army Europe

What did/do you like most about serving?

Whipping the Commies and ability to make important decisions on my own.

What prompted you to serve?

Respected mother and dad and older brother in Army… just seemed the thing to do.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced?

- Making rough personnel decisions when required

- Implementing Project Laredo Leader  (The declassified program today)
-McCaslin, Leland C. (2010-10-19). Secrets of the Cold War: US Army Europe's Intelligence & Counterintelligence Activities Against the Soviets During the Cold War (p. 106). Casemate Publishing. Kindle Edition.

What was the most rewarding experience?

- Implementing Project Laredo Leader

What was the training and prep for your MOS?

- ROTC; also I feel my theater work of assuming different roles was helpful

How did/does serving affect your family? Did/Do they find their part of service rewarding?

- My wife is proud of me.

What opportunities or advantages or disadvantages did you have after reentering civilian life?

- Had a life time of experiences to write books. I am now widely known in the field and considered a respected mentor and elder statesman of intelligence. I occupy well over 20 pages in Google under Leland C. McCaslin.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?

- Serve. What a rewarding experience. I’m organizing an Army USAREUR G2 reunion this month; people can’t wait to get to it and see old service buddies and share the pride of their service!
THANK YOU LELAND C MCCASLIN FOR YOUR SERVICE!
Follow Leland McCaslin on Facebook
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HIS BOOK: _          SECRETS OF THE COLD WAR
                                         by
                            LELAND C MCCASLIN


Secrets of the Cold War focuses on a dark period of a silent war and offers a new perspective on the struggle between the superpowers of the world told in the words of those who were there. The author, formerly an expert in counterintelligence in US Army Europe, weaves together exciting true accounts of allies collecting enemy information in the East and fighting spies and terrorists in the West.

Amassing Soviet military information by Allied agents in the East is at the forefront! Learn the bizarre method a British agent uses to obtain the muzzle size of a Russian tank as he risks his life jumping on a moving train in East Germany. A French officer drives into a Soviet tank column and escapes undiscovered by cunning methods. In West Germany, terrorist attacks and spies are rampant. Communists shoot a rocket propelled grenade into a General's occupied limo and terrorists kidnap another General. From the espionage files, an American soldier is nearly recruited in a downtown bar to be a spy and a First Sergeant is lured by sex to be an unknowing participant in spying.

Behind-the-lines images are historic and intriguing. See photographs of a French officer and a Soviet officer relaxing in the East German woods in a temporary unofficial peace; 'James Bond' type cars with their light tricks and their ability to leave their Stasi shadows 'wheel spinning' in the snow will amaze readers.
A Russian translator for the presidential hotline recounts a story about having to lock his doors in the Pentagon, separating himself and his sergeant from the Pentagon Generals when a message comes in from the Soviets. When he called the White House to relay the message to the President and stood by for a possible reply to the Soviet Chairman, he stopped working for the Generals and started working solely for the President.

In another riveting account, a US Berlin tank unit goes on red alert when the Soviets stop a US convoy on the autobahn between West Germany and Berlin. The Berlin Command orders the tanks to rescue them, "If anything gets in your way, either run over it or blow it away!" Young US Berlin train commanders recount their encounters with their Soviet counterparts aboard the Berlin Duty Train. In an unusual train incident, one male Soviet Officer places a love note in a young US female Train Commander's pocket, touching her leg. The note is in the book.

Containing a host of first-person accounts that lift the lid on previously untold clandestine activities, this is a major contribution to Cold War history, and exciting reading for all those who have an interest in the real-life world of military intelligence, counterintelligence and espionage.

SECRETS OF THE COLD WAR @ Amazon

CN SALUTES BLACKHAWK PILOT CW2 TRAILSON MOORE

CW2 Trailson Moore, Camp Zama, Japan I am honored and proud to introduce my son-in-law, Blackhawk Pilot CW2 Trailson Moore and his wife (my daughter) Kayla Moore. Most of us forget about the family that is supporting and serving alongside every soldier. We are thankful for their service in the air and on base, back at home. 

Moore is a Blackhawk Pilot CW2, MOS 153 Delta UH 60 serving the Army at Camp Zama, Japan. His duties are to fly the UH-60 helicopter, and be tactically and technically proficient.


Why did you Join the Army?
I joined for the training and experience I could gain from the Army as a pilot.

What do you like best about the Army?
The opportunity to travel and see the world. Doing what I love as an Aviator. It’s been nice to be able to do that as a family so far.

What was has been the most challenging part of your Army career so far?
Going through flight school was tough. In training you need to make sure you are prepared and ready. The best part of training was flight school graduation. The hardest part of training was SERE School (classified). The maneuvers involving muliti ship formations performed low & fast with lots of radio traffic can be challenging as well. You must be alert and listen carefully. It’s also challenging to be away from home.

Where was the training and prep for your MOS?
I attended the US Army flight training school in Fort Rucker, AL.

What has been your favorite experience so far?
Flying in Okinawa and working with Special Forces.

What was the most rewarding experience?
Being able to provide a safe and secure home for my family.

How does serving affect your family?
Again, it is hard when we are apart.

What is your advice to someone who wants to fly Black Hawks?
If it is something you truly want to do then go for it. Get a warrant officer packet and go to flight school. The only way you have to choose your ship is to outdo all of your classmates by studying, working hard and being in the top of your class.



THANK YOU CW2 TRAILSON MOORE FOR YOUR SERVICE!
 

CW2 Moore, wife Kayla, sons Holden & Jaxson in Japan KAYLA MOORE
As a wife, what do you like best about the Army?
I like that it has taken us to places we would never have gone before and given us a chance to meet some of the best people.  We have made some great friends along the way.

What is your advice to other Army wives? (Does it help to join organizations on base and which ones are you involved in?)
Yes, I do think it helps to join organizations. Whether it's something on or off base.  It can be a good way to meet and get to know people, and also keep you busy when your husband is gone.  I have been involved with MOPS(mothers of preschoolers) which is an off base group.  As for on base, I've been a part of PWOC, Protestant Women of The Chapel and FRG, Family Readiness Group.

Overall, how do you feel this experience has been for your family?
Although it's come with some challenges, I feel our overall experience has been really good.  It has helped us to become adaptable to change and to be ready for anything. I also feel very blessed that my husband is able to fly and do what he loves and that I am able to be with the kids.


THANKS TO KAYLA AND ALL ARMY WIVES EVERYWHERE FOR THE SUPPORT THEY GIVE TO THEIR SOLDIERS AND OUR COUNTRY!

 

 

CN SALUTES THE BAIN BROTHERS WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM

E-6 Darrell Bain, right; Sergeant Gary Bain, Left. Taken in Chu Lia, Vietnam Today I am honored to salute two brothers who served in Vietnam. Former E-6 Medic Darrell Bain and Captain Gary Bain, (Distinguished Flying Cross & Purple Heart recipient to name a few), had the unique experience of serving some of that time together. Darrell had an opportunity to act as courier to where Gary's F-4 unit was during his  first tour. Both brothers have impressive service records and both brothers today share their experiences through either books or media.



THANK YOU CAPTAIN GARY BAIN AND  E-6 DARRELL BAIN FOR YOUR SERVICE!
       
FORMER E-6 MEDIC AND AUTHOR DARRELL BAIN

     I first enlisted in the Air Force in 1956 and was trained as a Surgical technician but also worked in the delivery room, emergency room and ran a surgical clinic. I served two years in Bermuda and two years at Dyess AFB in Abilene, Texas. I was discharged from the Air Force in 1960 then enlisted in the Army. I first worked as a Pharmacy technician then re-enlisted for Medical laboratory training. I was the Honor Graduate of the basic laboratory school and later went to the advanced laboratory school for one year where I was again the Honor Graduate. I also attended the Army’s CBR warfare school (Chemical, Biological and Radiological) and was the Honor Graduate. Awards were the usual service medals and campaign medals. My final rank was E-6.
     In addition to working in the fields listed above, I ran the 541st Medical Dispensary Team in Vietnam and volunteered to go to the isolated villages to treat Vietnamese civilians.
     During my second tour of Vietnam I was in charge of the laboratory at the 17th Field Hospital for the first few months then asked for a change of station to Da Nang when my brother Gary arrived in Vietnam. We managed to get together three times before I rotated home and got out of the Army to go to college. I ran the parasitology department of the lab at the 95th EVAC Hospital until I was discharged.

What did you like most about serving?
I believe I liked the training in self-discipline most and helping injured and sick troops and civilians. I enjoyed my field trips out to the isolated villages the most where I saw many different kinds of diseases I would never have seen in America, particularly parasitic infections.

What prompted you to serve?
At the time of my first enlistment only days past my 17th birthday I had no idea what I wanted from life. I decided that enlisting would help me find some kind of work I enjoyed and it did.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced?
Some of the biggest challenges was learning to react swiftly in emergency, life or death situations in surgery and the emergency room and later in Vietnam.

What was the most rewarding experience?
My time in the villages where I treated Civilians who had never seen a doctor in their lives. Many times I feel I saved lives and helped cure some children of bad diseases such as parasites, anemia, fungus's and the like.

What was the training and prep for your MOS?
The Air Force and Army schools were some of the best training anywhere at the time I attended the schools. I was discharged from the Army in February 1969 and can only hope the present day training is as good.

How did serving affect your family? Did they find their part of service rewarding?
My parents were proud of me for being in the service so long and for volunteering twice for Vietnam duty. At one time all three of us brothers were in Vietnam.  My wife at the time didn’t think so much of it, though, and we were divorced soon after I returned from my first tour.

What opportunities or advantages or disadvantages did you have after reentering civilian life?
The utmost advantage was the G.I. Bill which enabled me to go to college and obtain a degree in Medical Technology. I was the first and only one in my family to graduate from college. The discipline taught in the service helped me immensely in school. Later on when I was without medical insurance I was able to go to VA clinics for treatment and drugs which I probably couldn’t have afforded at the time.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?
Before enlisting, decide why you are doing so. Is it to serve your country in return for the benefits gained form living in America or is simply for the financial advantages later? Either case, decide if you are prepared to face death if it comes to that and know that your comrades will be depending on you, just as you will be on them.
In general I believe that a term of enlistment in any of the branches of the military will prepare you to face civilian life with much more confidence, knowledge and knowing the value of comradeship. If the military is not in need of that many young men and women I believe we should have some equivalent service they could sign up for to help our country. It would also help the youngsters in more ways than they could possibly imagine.

Darrell Bain
Fictionwise Author of the Year
Multiple Dream Realm and Eppie awards

See all my books at http://www.darrellbain.com

MEDICS WILD                                    MEDICS WILD

When the Williard brothers get going, any resemblance to a real war is purely coincidental! Sgt. James Williard uses his position as the hauncho of a medical dispensary in Vietnam as a base, while he and his crazy medics turn the war zone into a party zone. Williard's two brothers, Jerry, a naval ensign and Jason (Jumpin' Jase) the Marine fighter pilot who regularly loses 15 million dollar planes join the fun and then it is like no war ever recorded. Wilder than M*A*S*H, a hilarious romp! A fictional novel but events based upon true episodes. I have also authored another book with Will Stafford, a helicopter pilot titled Complete Toppers.

MARINE F-4 PILOT CAPTAIN GARY BAIN
      I enlisted in the Marine Corps in Aug of 1959. Served as an electronics technician for six years attaining the rank of Sergeant. I started flight school in Pensacola FL in Oct ’65 as a Marine Aviation Cadet and received my wings and commission Apr 17 1967. From there I transitioned to the F4 Phantom at Cherry Point NC then went to Vietnam in Aug ‘68.
         My first squadron in ‘Nam was VMFA-323 and in Apr ’69 was transferred to VMFA-115. On my 213th mission I was shot down and was medevac’d to the Pensacola Hospital in FL. I had sustained a broken arm and leg as a result of a high speed ejection in Laos. I was down about three hours in an extremely hostile and heavily defended area of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The A1 Skyraiders and other supporting aircraft paved the way for the Jolly Green chopper to rescue me. One of the A1’s as well as the chopper that picked me up sustained battle damage from enemy gunners.
        Out of Vietnam I received a Distinguished Flying Cross, 15 Air Medals, a Purple Heart, a Navy Achievement Award for my work in Rescue and Survival Training for aircrews, a Combat Action Ribbon and two Good Conduct medals for my service while enlisted. In 1971 I was accepted as one of the first ten pilots to fly and pioneer the AV-8A Harrier, a vertical take-off and landing jet. I flew Harriers until 1977 and retired in Oct 1979 as a Captain.

What did you like most about serving?
I loved flying jet aircraft, especially the Harrier. I also received my Water Safety and Survival Instructor rating and served in that capacity training aircrew for land and water survival my last two years in the Corps. I felt I was well versed and qualified in that area as I had to eject from an F4 at night over the South China Sea while in ‘Nam as well as when I was shot down. I also ejected the third time from a Harrier that flamed out on me in Feb ’77.

What prompted you to serve?
I dreamed of being a Marine Corps Aviator from the time I was 10 years old. Seeing the movie “Gung-Ho” and watching the Blue Angels on TV intrigued me.

What were some of the greatest challenges you faced?
The greatest challenge I faced was attempting to shed the guilt of losing my backseater when I was shot down. Having lived a life of sobriety now for about 20 years I have found closure and am at peace with myself.

What was the most rewarding experience?
The most rewarding experience has been looking up my rescuers from when I was shot down in Laos and hosting a reunion for them on my 40 acres here in OK. There, 40 years later to the day, I gave them my personal thanks for saving my life. I am presently producing a documentary of that rescue.

What was the training and prep for your MOS?
Knowing I was accepted for flight school I attempted to get myself in shape physically for the rigors of what I knew was going to be a training syllabus that was extremely demanding. It paid off as at the end of 16 weeks of pre-flight I won the prestigious position of Regimental Commander.

How did serving affect your family? Did they find their part of service rewarding?
It is my belief that the wives of Marine Corps pilots as well as other family members are extremely proud of their service even with the inherent hardships of deployments and separation.

What opportunities or advantages or disadvantages did you have after reentering civilian life?
Personally I flailed around doing a bit of everything and was drunk most of the time. But when I woke up 20 or so years ago and put the bottle down my life turned around. I’ve led an adventuresome life. Sky-diving, riding horses, searching for gold, scuba-diving just to name a few have left me with many fond memories. And I continue to seek adventure.

What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?
My advice to any young person thinking of going into the military is to take advantage of everything that is offered. Learn your assigned skills and the skills of those above you as well.  Stay happy, stay motivated and seek higher responsibilities. And seek wisely the counsel of your elders.

Gary Bain owner of
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CN SALUTES AUTHOR & NAVY VET T.L. GOULD

T.L.Gould T.L. Gould served in the U.S. Navy from September 1968 to April 1971. He was an E3 Radioman and awarded the National Defense Ribbon.  The author of How Do You Mend This Purple Heart, Gould shares with us his time serving in the US Navy.

1. What were your duties?

During the six months following boot camp the Navy trained me to operate ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications equipment and protocol. After graduation from radio school, I received orders for duty aboard the destroyer escort ship, USS Furse. It would have been an eight-month goodwill tour out of Norfolk, VA to the Mediterranean Sea and on to the Red Sea. However, I spent the next 15 months in the U.S. Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. due to a severe car accident. So, my MOS and duties were extremely interrupted.  The core of my enlistment was spent recovering from the accident and sharing life with young Marines wounded in Vietnam, with whom I had the greatest honor to share some of my life’s most difficult and wonderful experiences.

2. What did you like most about serving?

Unexpectedly and to my surprise, and many others, I enjoyed boot camp. Prior to my enlistment I was pretty much directionless in what I wanted to do in life. With seven children in the family and my dad as the one income earner, college was not an option. I knew at the time even if I had the most miniscule opportunity to go to college, I would have failed at it.  Boot camp gave me the discipline and focus that I needed at that time and I went home on my first leave a very changed person—so much for the better.

3. What prompted you to serve?

My dad served in the Navy during WWII as a gunners mate both in the European Theater and the Pacific. He was wounded while serving in the Pacific defending his ship against Japanese aircraft near Okinawa and was awarded the Purple Heart. I also had two older brothers serving in the Navy at the time I enlisted. I can remember my mother placing the three Blue Star flags in the living room window.

4. What was some of the greatest challenges you faced?

Waking up in the Navy hospital after being unconscious for four days was a life-changing moment for me. Before enlisting in the Navy, I had “pledged” my enlistment to join the Marines with my best friend under the “Buddy System”. We would have more than likely served together in Viet Nam. Instead, I elected for the Navy, so when I regained consciousness and saw the twenty or so wounded Marines on the ward, I was overcome with guilt and shame. The decision to back out on my best friend and the Marine Corps still haunts me today.

5. What was the most rewarding experience?

The most significant and rewarding experience was the ultimate acceptance by the guys in the hospital. I was a Navy non-combat so-and-so, and it was months before I could gain their respect and friendship. It culminated in their proclamation of making me an “Honorary Marine”.

Also, during my rehab months in the hospital, Q Ward, I was given light duty and I was assigned to the hospital’s Special Services department. It was my “job” to enlist 20 to 25 guys every Friday, Saturday and Sunday to attend Welcome Home functions sponsored by local VFW, American Legion, Knights of Columbus and other organizations. These events were clam bakes, picnics, fishing excursions and pot luck dinners. I took my responsibilities seriously and with the greatest gusto to ensure that the guys could get away from the boredom of the hospital and thoroughly enjoy themselves for a few hours.

6. What was the training and prep for your MOS (Military Occupational Specialty)?

I attended basic electronics school in Great Lakes Naval Training Center and Radio School in Bainbridge, Maryland.

7. How did/does serving affect your family? Did they find their part of service rewarding?

My mother was very proud that she had three sons serving at the same time. With one son serving on a mine sweeper, one son serving in Vietnam and the third son recovering in a hospital from a car accident, we kept her emotions on a roller coaster.

8. What opportunities or advantages or disadvantages did you have after reentering civilian life?

The Navy gave me the maturity and discipline I needed to get my life in focus .I really don’t think I would have achieved that level of adulthood on my own—at least not by the time I was twenty-two. I graduated from the University of Akron, Akron, Ohio utilizing the G I Bill and then went on to obtain a Masters in Business Administration degree from Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, Ohio.
 
9. What is your advice to someone thinking about serving their country?

Think about it. Don’t shrug off the opportunity. Don’t look at the military as a last resort. More young men and women should be proud to serve this country—it has given us so much, so give something back. It may be only four years, but it’s something that lasts a lifetime, and no one can take that away.

 How Can You Mend This Purple Heart

By T. L. Gould

“How Can You Mend This Purple Heart” peers inside the hearts and minds of amputees struggling to heal from the ravages of war, and chronicles a journey of love, redemption, sorrow and joy; a journey of pain and anger…and a journey of hope. But most of all, a journey of the human spirit and its triumph over the most impossible odds.

In this riveting first novel, author T.L. Gould draws upon his experience recovering in a military hospital to create a plain truth, no-holds-barred narrative, stark in its simplicity, detail and humor.  From dressing changes and morphine drips to off-site forays under a fence and into neighborhood bars and brothels, Gould chronicles the precipitous journey to recovery of the men of Ward 2B: how they learned to walk again, to love again and to triumph over crippling injuries.

purpledoodle@att.net.

THANK YOU T.L. GOULD FOR YOUR SERVICE!