And then I wrote...
by Dick Schilling, "Editor Emeritus"
... that I was contacted about possibly being considered for a recognition of valor for my military service. I declined because the word “valor” does not describe that service. The dictionary definition of valor implies having met danger with firmness or personal bravery.
Neither describes anything that applied to what I call my 42-month vacation at the expense of the Navy!
In fact, the opposite may be closer to the truth. I was a draft dodger ... twice! I was due to be drafted before I finished college, but applied for and was granted a deferment until graduation, so I was first on the Selective Service list the month after graduation. Draft meant Army. So I decided to dodge that by enlisting in the Navy. The Navy recruiter in Waukon, learning of my degree, suggested I apply for the Navy’s officer school. I did, and was accepted, and was sent to Newport, Rhode Island. The five-month school was mentally and physically tough, but good for me in both areas. Plus, I got to visit historic Newport or Boston weekends and eat New England cooking and seafood.
I had the choice to select the aviation (non-flying) route and avoid small ships and was sent to Jacksonville, Florida. Weekends during the four months there allowed me to visit St. Augustine, Summer Haven, and Jax beach, and sample southern foods. Plus I learned to sign bar chits!
Next came a week in southern California, San Diego. And a visit to Coronado Island.
From there it was to the peninsula just south of San Francisco for a couple weeks before being deployed as a member of the air group staff aboard an aircraft carrier. During our eight months in the South Pacific, we visited Hawaii (twice), Guam. Okinawa, Hong Kong (twice), the Philippines (twice) and three ports in Japan, one once, one twice, and the third several times. I got to spend hours on Waikiki, buy tailored shirts and suits in Hong Kong, and visit beaches in Guam and the Philippines.
After the cruise, I was assigned to the newly formed replacement air group training squadron at Moffett Field, 40 miles from San Francisco, and just a few miles from several golf courses, where we played 36 holes every weekend, and took full advantage of long weekends in the city and trips to Reno and Sparks, Nevada, for the last two+ years until leaving active duty.
The most dangerous thing I faced was the jump into the flaming water at the OCS pool to pass that man-overboard test. Nobody was shooting at anybody in those years between Korea and Vietnam, and in fact I did not, as a result, even qualify for government benefits!
So while I appreciated being asked, I obviously do not feel that the vacation providing me with probably the best years of my life qualified me!
