Share your story since high school.
Education. After leaving CHS: After graduation I attempted college at Weber State for one quarter. However I soon realized that I wasn't ready for more school/college. Instead I went to the school of life. Getting married at 18 and then drafted at 19. However, after returning home from Nam I again enrolled at Weber on the GI Bill. I attended Weber State for 10 years on the GI Bill, but it wasn't until 10 years after my GI Bill ran out. I went back to College in 1990 so I could finally finish up my so-called college education to obtain my BS in Business and a minor in marketing.
(1968-1971) Military Service: I received my draft notice in the spring of 1968. At the time I had no idea that I was actually drafted into the Marines. I found out that they had planned to draft 300 Marines out of Utah. I decided that I should run up to Ogden to try and join something other than the Marines. The Army was the only service open and taking recruits. So I had to join for three years in order to get the 60-day delay enlistment. This at least kept me from ending up at Camp Pendleton as a Marine with the other 300 souls drafted into the Marines from Utah that year. It gave Sherry and I time too prepare. However, not knowing that I was already a Marine and couldn't join the Army, when I showed up at the induction center with Army orders, I was told that I was AWOL from the Marines. After considering my age, married, and enlisted legally in the Army, they let me off the hook. I was told that I would likely end up in Vietnam, sooner or later. And they were right. However, it wasn't until the last year of my three years enlistment.
Occupations: I returned home from Vietnam on a Tuesday in 1971 and was hired by the Government at the Freeport Navy Classified Maps warehouse after a short interview on Thursday. I transfer to the Hill after three months at Freeport. I've worked on the base from 1971 to present. I started as a Mechanized Warehouse Technician (warehouseman) for three years then moved on to be a mechanic for Aircraft Weapons Repair, which lasted for just six years. Then in 1980 I became an Equipment Specialist for Airmunitions Directorate, which has changed names several times over the past 31 years. We are now called Global Ammunition Control Point (GACP).
Since 1984 I've been an equipment specialist for the pyrotechnic systems and countermeasures that are used by the US AF. I then was promoted to a Lead Equipment Specialist but still work at managing and the acquisition of all the new high tech countermeasure systems used by the AF today. Now after almost 44 years with the government, which included my three years in the Army, I'm presently retire December of 2012. I figured it was time. I've had to consider my wife, Sherry (Fisher) having already made the jump the year before retiring from the Davis County Schools as of the 15th of August 2012.
Family: As I kind of mentioned before, Sherry and I were married on March 17 1967 when Sherry was still attending her senior year at Clearfield. We ran off to Pocatello Idaho and we have been together now for 47 years as of March 17 2014. Yes she did graduate with her Senior Class that year. A funny side note is when I had to come up with the fifty cents to send with her for her lunch at the cafeteria. Remember when lunch was only fifty cents? Makes me feel even older just thinking about it. Sherry has done well sticking with me throughout all the ups and downs of growing up together. It took us five years of marriage, a year and a half of it in
Germany and year of separation while I was in Nam, which I feel so luck having made it back to the world, for us to finally get around-to starting our family.
We have two sons (Brandon and Dustin) and one daughter (Heidi). The oldest is Brandon and Dustin came along three years after his older brother. Heidi was born six years after Dustin. All three had attended and graduated from Clearfield High School. Brandon played College Tennis but while at Clearfield he was active in Madres as well as Drama, which resulted in his receiving several scholarships for his efforts. He ended up Graduating from BYU in communications. Brandon works for a Company in Provo in the multimedia arena. He also moonlights and is in demand as a highly talented/skilled as part of production manager for ESPN, Sports West, and Utah Jazz to name a few.
Dustin at 6'5" was a star Football and Basketball player for both Syracuse Jr High (most valuable player awards) and Clearfield High. He was the starting Tight End and Defensive End for Clearfield's during their first and only State Championship in football. He had a scholarship to play basketball for Wyoming, which he tossed it away for a girl and then ended up going on a mission. Dustin worked for a while as a manager for FANZZ and worked in SLC for Marketstar for a few years. He now has a great job as a marketing district leader at Pluralsight. Heidi was a Cheerleader for Syracuse Junior High for two years and later became a Falcette for her three years at Clearfield. She attended Weber State University and received her degree in Graphic Arts. She walked across the stage to receive her diploma, then she gave birth to her first daughter the next day. Like her brother Brandon they worked their way through college. Heidi worked during that time and for a total of 14 years with AmericaFirst with their computers systems. She has since become a middle school teacher in her field of expertise while working for her teaching certificate. After getting her masters in education she continues to educate at a charter HS.
All three of our kids ended up receiving a Letter for their efforts at CHS. Both Brandon and Dustin have served missions for the LDS Church and both are married now. Heidi married a young man who graduated from Layton High. But we haven't held that against her or him. He has also turned our daughter into a U of U fan, while the rest of the family are die-hard BYU fans. Stephen was also a return missionary and the only Officer of the Law in the family for more than 100 years. I've mention this one fact because it has been since the Fullmer family's time in Nauvoo Illinois in the 1800’s that there has been a family member that was a police officer. Brandon and Amanda his wife, Dustin and his now X, and Heidi and Stephen have provided Sherry and I with 11 gorgeous and handsome smart and talented (athletic) grandkids. Dustin taught our family, if you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else. He has made. huge strides being lucky to find and marry a gorgeous, educated, and successful young woman named Krashel. They prove that love is truly friendship set on fire. I believe he has found his Sherry.
Hobbies and Interests: I guess you could say our hobbies and interests have been and are still being involved in as well as supporting our two sons, and Heidi in everything they enjoyed doing. This has progressed to our following and our being involved as possible, along with supporting our grandkids in all their endeavors. The grandkids have continued excelling scholastically, and skills in basketball, football, volleyball. It's what gives Sherry and I both the joy, which we receive yearly. Sherry and I did bowl on a mixed league on HAFB for years and also in mixed golf league in West Point. Have to admit Sherry's a much better golfer than I. She continues to golf’s on a woman's league at Riverside. Have to admit, I'm hitting the ball so straight now, I'm about ready to get the clubs a workout again. But I guess you'd say our biggest hobby or interest is just dating a lot again. That would be going out to at least a couple of dinners and a movie dates during the week.
I think I've pretty well covered the highlights of my story within the above. I had so many favorite memories of CHS that it's hard to pick one. The most important was meeting Sherry when I was a junior and she was a sophomore in hall in C building. From playing football for CHS, receiving a letter, going to the dances (playing and singing at some) and sharing those four years at CHS (yes four years then) with so many of my friends that I had grown up with and attended school with throughout the 12 years, which starting with Elementary School at Wasatch and then South Clearfield. Other than getting kicked out of school for two weeks for fighting, I guess I'll never forget the day when we had our infamous CHS sit down strike in "A" building right in front of the Offices. And how our pictures made it in the Ogden Standard Exaggerator.
We were the rebels of Clearfield High during those years. I remember sitting in the middle of the group and how we filled up the hall with a crowd of seniors, juniors and even some sophomores all getting our first mug shot as radicals.
After UDOT kicked us out of our house on 2000 W West Point then demolishing it, we moved down the street a 1/4 mile in a new subdivision just south of Syracuse HS. They built a NEW Smiths Marketplace on the corner 2000 S and 300 W north of where we once lived. We ended moving into our new home a month after my open heart operation to repair/replacement part of my ascending aorta above my heart (due to agent orange). Sherry and I bowled on a Thursday night mix league on HAFB for about 15 or so years. Even had some CHS friends bowling with us a few of those years. I worked for 40 years on base. Started as a warehouseman in the mechanized warehouse in 71 under the VRA when I got home from Nam. Worked there for 4 years then went to weapons repair (maintenance) for 6 years. Finally finished getting my degree while down in the West Area as an Equipment Specialist for countermeasure systems. Retired as a GS12 ES Lead. I think I mentioned that above some. I started bowling for many years before I retired in 2011. It was Sherry's brother that pushed me to go to the VA and get checked out. Was never officially wounded during medivac (I refused to reported a minor injury). My reason was I saw too many guys that deserved a medal a hell of a lot more than me. But the VA sent me to several doctors and a couple of doctors determined I had artery disease (had that open heart surgery to replace my ascending aorta right above my heart with a synthetic aorta) all from "agent orange" that they saturated all the places I patrolled during task force. Mostly around the base. All because of what happened in 68 all over Nam. It was the mediavac that likely caused my PTSD. Oh yeah the head doctors said I have that as well. And it is brothers in arms like Dan Parkin and other CHS class mats like him, that really deserve to be honored more than me.
I think this house Sherry and I built is too big for us to keep up sometimes. So we get help (Aspenn Kite) when we can for both inside and keeping up my yard and my disabled vet neighbors yard as well. Aspenn has been a lifesaver literally. I've been rated 100 percent, service related, disabled, thus without Aspenn's help my fellow disabled neighbor and I would never have made our houses in Syracuse homes.
