Finished high school in ’65 and seven days later was at Whitehall St at “0 dark thirty” and off to Lackland AFB. I was a lousy student in HS and Uncle Sam straightened my ass out. I spent over 32 years active duty, reserve and air guard flying around the world. Got to visit Viet Nam, Panama and the Gulf during the shooting. Also got to visit most of the countries of the world, to include Pago Pago and the South Pole. Went back to school, got a BS and a Masters and even taught in college for a short time. In my spare time I spent 34 years in the police dept., got married and had two great kids. So Uncle Sam was a positive thing in my life. It did interrupt my visits to Dover. After “65 I only made it back there a few times. I lived in Dutchess County for a number of years and had occasion to drive past ofter and long for the return to those great days at Dover, “The fast track”. They were the days of the little guy racer.
My Brother quit school in his senior year…that was around ’63…Went into Air Force and as ‘dm” said …also went to Lakeland-then on to electronics school .Straightened him out !….Then he got out and got a good job at an Executive Jet operation at Westchester County Airport. Bought a Shelby GT-350-H from Drake and I got him the job of Tech Inspector at Dover. We’de ride up to Wingdale,every Sunday in that thing. I even snuck it down to Atco and Raced it-won my class too.Ted passed a few years back, but was still at it in Florida, doing Aircraft work And had a GT-350-H model on his desk. My Dad (the Army retired Colonel) said the Military made a “man” out of him.
I sure remember Whitehall Street! I went there right out of high school, because I wanted to go to Viet Nam. The girl I was going to marry did not share my enthusiasm however, and I didn’t go in right then. A few years later, I went in the Air Force, although V.N. was winding down. I ended up in Florida, then Germany. Best years of my life.
Went to Whitehall Street the day after the blackout in Nov. 65. Never had been futher south than Asbury Park NJ and further west than Jamestown, NY. That night we boarded a train for Fort Jackson. Spent a week there before they put us on a prop plane to Fort Lewis Washington. Spent 9 months there before we boarded a C-141 to Nam. Arrived there as part of an advanced party for our division. Spent 363 days and 19 hrs there. Flew down to Cam Ranh Bay in a C-130 and on a final approach one of the engines caught fire. Landed safely and flew on a commercial jet back to the states where I was processed out because I had less than 90 days remaining of service. Sadly a large number of my basic training company never made it home.
April 1968 I had taken my physical and was deciding whether to get drafted or enlist for a choice of what MOS i wanted.
I decided on enlisting and wanted to be a radar repairman. After basic I went to eleven months of electronics school
then went to Korea for thirteen months. Mos 25J20.
dino.
don-kauer
