Harold W. Rademacher was born in Salem, South Dakota in 1930. He doesnt know how it started, but at an early age his family began calling him Buff and that nickname has stuck all the way through school, his Air Force career, and retirement, right up to the present day. After graduation from High School, Buff went away to Eagle Grove, Iowa to attend Junior College. He went to Eagle Grove primarily because he had an Uncle who was the Superintendent there, so he had a place to stay with family while going to school. The Korean War broke out (June 1950) while he was a student there. While waiting in anticipation of being drafted, Buff went down to the local recruiting office...
Vietnam
THEODORE T. (TED) ACHESON
Theodore Acheson was born in Flint, Michigan, in 1945. He grew up there, graduated from Bentley High School in the Class of 1964 and, in the fall of that year enrolled at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After completing two and one-half years at Marquette, Ted enlisted in the Army and entered active duty on January 2, 1967. After Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he was sent to the Army Signal Corps School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey for Advanced Individual Training as a Motion Picture Photographer. After graduation, Ted was shipped to Hawaii in July 1967. Private Acheson arrived at Fort Shafter, Oahu, and reported in to the Department of Army...
DANIEL C. (DAN) KANNEGAARD
Daniel Kannegaard was born in Wallace, Idaho in 1934, one of six children in his second generation Danish immigrant family. He grew up in that mining town of about 5,000 population but, his father was not a miner. He had started out working on a ranch but after a horse fell and rolled over on him his resulting disabilities left him unable to be a ranch hand or work in the mines. By the time Daniel was born his father was working as a carpenter and the family was living in town. Dan graduated from Wallace High School in 1953 and, like most of the boys growing up there, he also went to work in the mines. He was employed at the Star Mine, a hard rock operation producing lead,...
MIKE TARPLEY
Mike Tarpley was born in Merkel, Texas in 1947, one of three children in a family that followed work in the oil fields. His mother once told him they had lived in 47 different places before settling for good in Snyder, Texas when Mike was eight years old. He went through public schools and was scheduled to graduate from Snyder High School with the class of 1966. But, having completed all the courses needed for a diploma except for a half semester of senior English, he got into an argument with his English teacher and left school. Six months later, rather than taking summer school or going back for another year, he enlisted in the Army. Mike volunteered for the Airborne,...
FRED G. HUDGEONS
Fred Hudgeons was born in Gallup, New Mexico in 1944. In 1957 his family moved to Grant, NM and Fred went through Junior High School there. They moved again, to Santa Fe, and he was in High School there when Santa Fe celebrated the 350th anniversary of its establishment as a villa by Spanish officials in 1610 (making Santa Fe the oldest capital city in America ). Part of that celebration included a company of paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division jumping in at the local airport. Fred was there and he was impressed. Later he got his parents to sign a consent form so he could enlist in the Army. He signed up, unit of choice, 101st Airborne Division. Still only...
JAY T. KIMBROUGH
Jay T. Kimbrough was born in Dallas, Texas in 1947 and he grew up there, attending public schools in South Oak Cliff. Cloyde Pinson, Jr. was one of his friends throughout his Junior High and High School years and he was close to the Pinson family. Jay was in South Oak Cliff High Schools Class of 1966, but; he had accumulated enough credits to graduate by mid-term, so he left high school early and enlisted in the Marine Corps in January 1966. He was inducted into the service on February 23, 1966 and went through Boot Camp at San Diego, California. He was still only eighteen years old when he arrived in Vietnam in August 1966 and was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd...
FEDERICO (FRED) REY
Federico Rey was born in Parral, Mexico (Chihuahua state) in 1947, the son of Jesus and Aurora Rey. Jesus was a naturalized U.S. citizen who had first come to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1942 for work as an auto mechanic, but then was drafted the next year. He served as an Anti Aircraft Artilleryman at Camp San Luis Obispo, California and, when discharged from the Army in August 1945 after WWII, he returned to Albuquerque where he worked for Continental Trailways as a diesel engine mechanic for many years. Freds mother brought him to Albuquerque when he was a year old and he grew up and went through public schools there; Coronado Elementary, Washington Junior High, and...
JOHN C. BURKHARDT
John C. Burkhardt was born in Austin, Texas in 1946. He was the youngest of four children in his family while growing up in South Austin and attending public schools. He went through Becker Elementary and Fulmore Junior High, and then graduated from Travis High School in 1964. Also graduating with John in the Class of 1964 were neighborhood friends James L. Brown and John Eli. Raymond Diaz and Bennie Matias, Jr. were two years younger, but they were also among his group of friends that lived within a few blocks of one another and all played sandlot baseball together in the vacant lot next door to the Burkhardt home. The first job that John ever had was with a local electric...
WILLIAM H. MAYS
William H. Mays was born in Round Rock, Texas in 1925. When he was about nine years old, his family moved to Austin where he continued to attend public schools until, at age 17, he enlisted for service during WWII. He was in his Junior year at L.C. Anderson High School (the old segregated L.C. Anderson High for Black-only students) when he dropped out, entering active duty in the Marine Corps in October 1943. He was sent to Monteford Point at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina where he was assigned to the 20th Marine Depot Company. Prior to WWII, there had never before been any Black troop units in the history of the Marine Corps; and William reported in just when large numbers of...
JOHN WILLIAM MORRISSET
John William Morrisset passed into the arms of God on July 13, 2008. John is survived by Elizabeth Morrisset, his wife of 57 years and by his three daughters, Louise, Nancy and Brenda. John was a decorated veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, a successful local businessman and was recognized as a leader in community service activities in San Marcos. Born October 23, 1931 in Lubbock, Texas to L. B. and Anita Morrisset, John was the youngest of three boys and graduated from Lubbock High School in May 1950. Missionaries from Korea spoke at the church where John attended and told how desperately the Koreans needed our help. John enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps August, 1950. His...
ROBERT N. (BOB) LICHTENBERGER
Chapter 1919s own, Patriot Robert N. (Bob) Lichtenberger, Past National Commander (2004-2005), died at home in Austin, Texas, April 30, 2008, at age 65. Robert N. Lichtenberger was born in 1943 in Corpus Christi, Texas. He grew up in South Texas and graduated high school in Agua Dulce as Salutatorian. He was also a letterman in football, basketball, and track and field and was offered a four-year university scholarship. But Bob, determined to serve his country, turned down the scholarship and enlisted in the Army in 1962. He was selected for Officer Candidate School and upon graduation in 1964 was commissioned Second Lieutenant. He earned Army Parachutist wings, Army Aviator...
JOE LEVINSON
Joseph Levinson was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1924. His family moved numerous times, but always within the city, so Joe attended a lot of different public schools there, including Volta, and Hivvard before graduating from Resin Orr Grammar School, and then from Von Steuben Junior High School. He then attended three different High Schools (Senn, Lane Technical, and Austin High) before dropping out, leaving home and going to work. He had enrolled in Northwestern University shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor plunged America into World War II, but then Joe immediately volunteered for the Navy. Still only 17, he first had to go back home and obtain his parents...