Honoring Our VFG Veterans

November 10, 2020


NAME: Bud Robinson
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
TIME PERIOD: February 1952 to December 1953
FINAL RANK: Yoeman 2nd Class
DETAILS: Stationed at Staff Headquarters, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii entire tour of duty


NAME: Robert (Bob) R. Brown
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army Infantry
FINAL RANK: 1st Lieutenant
CAMPAIGN: Airmobile Operations, 1970-1971 & Operation Lam Son 719 in Laos with American and ARVN troops
TIME PERIOD: 1968-1971


NAME: Paul Behringer
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy (Seabees Special Forces)
TIME PERIOD: 1970-1974
FINAL RANK: Petty Officer Second Class


NAME: Paul Ratto
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy, Brown Water Navy – Mekong Delta
TIME PERIOD: Four Tours – Vietnam 1967, 1968, 1969 & 1970
FINAL RANK: E-5 Quartermaster
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam 


NAME: George Gardner
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Marine Corps
TIME PERIOD: 1964-1984
FINAL RANK: First Sergeant
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam
DETAILS: Traffic control systems technician – Installed the first 00ILS (Instrument Landing System) in Yuma, Arizona


NAME: Felix Morales
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
TIME PERIOD: 1969-1970
FINAL RANK: Sergeant E-5
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam
OPERATION: Cliff Dweller


NAME: Robert Melgard
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
SHIP: He served on a sub-chaser patrolling the waters in the Coral Seas.
TIME PERIOD: 1943-1945
FINAL RANK: Radarman 2nd Class (RDM2C)
DETAILS: (a fun story his daughter shared) Dad said as the war was winding down in the Pacific, they started sending troops home on the President Monroe, a luxury liner that the Navy took over as a troop ship.  While on the ship homeward bound, Japan surrendered, and they celebrated, but their skipper said they would be celebrating for 2 days, as they crossed the International Dateline during that day, so they got to repeat the day and celebrate again!  He also said one of the men swam in the ships pool as much as possible, so he could say he swam home!  


(Top left: Robert and his cousin Linda in his Dress Blues uniform, Top right: Robert in Advanced training before Vietnam)
NAME: Robert Walker
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Marine Corps
TIME PERIOD: 3 years
FINAL RANK: Corporal
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam


NAME: John Morris
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
SHIP: Destroyer
TIME PERIOD: January 1959 - September 1962
DETAILS: The first half of my service was on the Destroyer Samuel N Moore DD747. On this ship I went to Alaska, Japan, China (Hong Kong), Guam, Hawaii, and the Philippines. The second half I was on a harbor tug boat YTB 401 stationed in Adak, Alaska. We took full advantage of the great fishing, crab and shrimp. The picture is on the tug boat in Adak.


NAME: Herman Christensen
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
TIME PERIOD: 1966-1969
FINAL RANK: Staff Sergeant, E-6
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam
DETAILS: He enlisted and completed training and was deployed to Vietnam where he spent his time while working in the HHC, Headquarters of 12th Combat Aviation Group. He served under three different Colonel's and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, E-6. He was there during the Tet Offensive while the Vietcong attacked from a compound named Widow's Village. He received the Bronze Star Medal and Good Conduct Medal for service.


NAME: Merle Peterson (in memory of)
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Air Force
CAMPAIGN: World War II
FINAL RANK: Staff Sergeant
TIME PERIOD: 1941-1945
DETAILS: Ball Turret Gunner


NAME: Ernest L. Rodrigues
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
TIME PERIOD: 1968-1970
FINAL RANK: Aviation Boatswain Mate
SHIP: USS Enterprise V1 Division (help launch & recover planes on flight deck)
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam


NAME: Donald L. Dueker
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Marine Corps
TIME PERIOD: 1959-1963
DETAILS: Marine Air Repair Squadron - 37, 3rd Marine Airwing El Toro CA


NAME: Glenn Skinner (in memory of)
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
TIME PERIOD: 1955-1961
FINAL RANK: FT2 - Fire Control Technician 2
CAMPAIGNS: Served aboard the Aircraft Carrier, USS Hornet, during the Cold War with deployments in the Pacific Rim and East Asia, including China and Japan.


NAME: Larry R. Mullen
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Coast Guard
FINAL RANK: E5 2nd Class Engineman
TIME PERIOD: 1961-1965
DETAILS: Search & Rescue, Port Security, Aids to Navigation.
BASED IN: Alameda, California | Tongue Point, Astoria, Oregon | Colombia River Light Ship | USCG Balsam out of Ketchikan, Alaska (earthquake 1964) Storis Icebreaker out of Kodiak, Alaska


NAME: Gary Melvin
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam, Quemoy Matsu
TIME PERIOD: 1958-1963
FINAL RANK: Petty Officer - 3rd Class Yoeman


NAME: Veronica Buddell
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
CAMPAIGN: Sergeant (E5)
TIME PERIOD: 1991-1999


NAME: Larry Timmons
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Air Force
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam
TIME PERIOD: 1964-1968
FINAL RANK: Sgt


NAME: John Scott Sr.
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Marine Corp
CAMPAIGN: WWII
TIME PERIOD: 1943-1946
FINAL RANK: Corporal


NAME: Bruce McAbee
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Air Force
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam War - serving 1 year at Udon Thai Air Force base in Thailand
TIME PERIOD: 4 years
FINAL RANK: Sergeant




NAME: Dale Hosler
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
TIME PERIOD: 1947-1953
FINAL RANK: Sergeant First Class
CAMPAIGN: Korea
 



NAME: Harlow Hosford (in memory of)
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Army Infantry, 2nd Division, 23rd Regiment
FINAL RANK: 1st Lieutenant
DETAILS: TI&E Officer



NAME: Donald L. Neal
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
TIME PERIOD: 1952-1955
FINAL RANK: Corporal
CAMPAIGN: I spent the three years staying clear of campaigns with flying bullets in Virginia, Illinois, Washington and Japan.



NAME: Larry Suhl
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Army
TIME PERIOD: 1967-1970
FINAL RANK: Spec 4
CAMPAIGN: Vietnam


NAME: John Hayes
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Air Force
TIME PERIOD: September 14th 1967 – September 15th 1971
FINAL RANK: Sergeant
SPECIALTY: Medical Supply Specialist
SECONARY SPECIALIST: Medical Helper Medic
STATIONS:
1) Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Tx
2) Sheppard AFB, Witchta Falls, Tx
3) Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, Alaska
4) Forbes AFB, Topeka, Ks



NAME: Gerald E. Naura
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
FINAL RANK: Quartermaster Second Class (E-5)
TIME PERIOD: 1958 - 1962



NAME: Don Glass
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
FINAL RANK: Second Class Petty Officer
TIME PERIOD: April 1967 – July 1970
DETAILS: I was with Naval Construction Battalion #8 serviced out of Port Hueneme, California and deployed overseas to south Vietnam as a security division which was in the time of the fall of Hue (the capital of South Vietnam). Then I became a construction Electrician and worked on camp and area power through Vietnam. I served 22 months in South Vietnam before getting out in 1970.


NAME: Robert Timothy Butler
BRANCH OF SERVICE: U.S. Navy
FINAL RANK: E4
TIME PERIOD: 6 years
DETAILS: Tim served on the USS Caiman (submarine) and on a destroyer during the Vietnam war.