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- Notes:
- Bill Schaefer was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee in 1943. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from Western Michigan University in 1965. He enlisted in the Air Force and was sent to San Antonio, Texas for basic training. He was selected for top secret code work and was trained at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. With that training complete he was assigned to the 410th Bomb Wing stationed at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan and got picked to serve aboard the airborne command post, flying missions out of Guam and directing B-52 bombing raids over North Vietnam. In May 1966 he was sent to Lindsey Air Station, West Germany and was assigned to Central European Operations, part of the Defense Intelligence Agency. During his time with them he worked to stop the desertion of soldiers, tracked uranium shipments in the Eastern Bloc, and oversaw the retrieval of codes from the U.S. embassy in Czechoslovakia (Prague Spring), Wheelus Air Force (Gaddafi seizure of Libya), and the U.S. embassy in Jordan (Jordanian Civil War). In the early 1980s he was assigned to the Pentagon to work with Tactical Air Control Party units and retired from that in 2003. He is now an active member of the Kent County Honor Guard aiding veterans and veterans' families.
- Date Created:
- 2014-08-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- James was born on February 25, 1963 in Virginia and grew up in an Air Force family. His father and his uncles all served in the Air Force, and when James graduated from high school, he too joined. He enlisted in July 1981 and left for basic training in October. After basic training, he became a Missile Systems Analyst Technician on the Titan 2 Missile system. After two years he applied for the United States Air Force Preparatory School and later attended the Air Force Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1988 with a degree in physics. James became a pilot and flew C-130s and also was a training instructor for the T-37 and the T-6 aircraft.
- Date Created:
- 2013-05-29T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Charles Jarocki joined the United States Air Force in 1986 and was stationed in many different parts of the United States and Europe for eleven years. While in the Air Force, Charles received his Bachelors degree and his Masters degree in computer programming. He never experienced hands on combat because he had been called out over seas just as the Persian Gulf War was ending. Charles still works in the computer programming and engineering field and believes that the Air Force was a great experience for him.
- Date Created:
- 2007-06-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Robert Fry was born in 1970 and enlisted in the Army shortly after graduating high school in 1988. He spent his time training in Kentucky and enjoyed boot camp. Robert earned many medals and ribbons during his time serving in Germany and in the Middle East. Robert led a fire team during Desert Storm, working on border patrol and search and destroy missions. After serving in the Army, Robert earned his associates in Security and is currently employed in armed security.
- Date Created:
- 2004-02-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)
- Notes:
- Lee Scherwitz was born in 1946 in Teaneck, New Jersey. He entered the service in 1965 and his military career primarily concerns management and maintaining aircraft for the Air Force. At Lackland Air Force Base in Texas he undertook his basic training. Next he worked at Shephard Air Force Base in Texas to maintain aircrafts. By late 1965 he arrived at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan where he worked on the F-106 planes. Eventually in 1967 he transferred to Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Missouri with the "Flying Fists". After receiving orders for Asia he was flown to Ubon, Thailand with the 555th Tech Fighter Squadron. In 1967 his Squadron was relocated to Udon, Thailand. With the 432nd Tech Recon Control Wing he worked as a maintenance controller and interacted with Air America missions. Re-enlisting in 1968, he went to Homestead, Florida where he worked in the control center once again. Eventually Lee would leave the service in 1991 after the Gulf War.
- Date Created:
- 2009-11-12T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Grand Valley State University. University Libraries
- Collection:
- Veterans History Project (U.S.)