Having been an 18 year dependent (Dad retired as an Army Major one week
before I graduated high school in '81) and having to endure him spending a
year aboard ship (USS Northhampton as a Cyptographer/Communicator - he is a
shellback too) and then two tours of Vietnam (67-68 and 69-70) before I
turned 7 years old plus all the TDY that added up to a few more years
worth of time I certainly appreciate the sacrifice. Two of my Dad's
brothers are Vets (one in the Air Force and the other in the Navy), plus my
Grandad was a Navy Commander. He was at Pearl Harbor on 12/7/41 (actually
he was on Palmyra Island setting up the Radar installation) and his
brother-in-law was in the USS Oklahoma on Battleship Row that morning. Both
survived the War.
If you want an interesting read check out this letter from my Grandmother
(she was the Queen of understatement and was 8 months pregnant with my Dad
at the time of the attack) written to my Great grandmother back in San
Diego a few days after the attack. My uncle Philip was the youngest
casualty at Pearl that morning - he was three years old when he got
shot. He is the Uncle that went into the Navy as a Lt. JG after attending
the Merchant Marine Academy.
http://www.riddlefamily.org/ghr1.htm
The FBI took the bullet that hit him as "evidence" and years later
(sometime in the late 50's or early 60's) he got it back. It is now in a
shadow box hanging on his wall.
My Dad has Honorable Discharges from the Marines (Reserve while in
College), the Navy and the Army (he transferred Branches in 1965). Wonder
how many other people every served in three different Service Branches?
Closest I got was as a Cadet Lt. Col in the US Air Force Civil Air Patrol
(went on exchange with the Israeli Air Force in 1981) and then Marine Corp
Platoon Leaders Class while a Freshman in College before deciding against
pursuing a service career myself.
Semper Fi!
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Bill Babcock" <BillB@bnj.com>
>To: "Simon Rasmussen" <Simon@telephonestogo.ca>; "Friends of Triumph"
><fot@Autox.Team.Net>
>Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 3:11 PM
>Subject: RE: Remembrance Day.
>
>
>>Is that the same as Veterans Day? It's always surprising to me how few of us
>>there are. In my company there are two--me and a sales guy. In a previous
>>company I worked at with over 300 employees there were two--me and a sales
>>lady. I wonder how many FOT members are veterans.
>>
>>
>>Bill Babcock
>>Babcock & Jenkins
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