Military Service
Military Service
This page is for photos, info, and stories of class members who served in the military.
(Please email me if you see an error or want your info here).
(Click the underlined names for more info.)
Air Force: Glenn Caldwell, Jerry Hoke, Herb Waring, and Herb Young
Army: Fred Beckwith, Billy Burns, Mike Champe, Max Farren, Monte Mace, David McDonald, Oliver Meliza, Ronnie Miller, Rick Sass, Pete Schuster, and Larry Zwiener
Army National Guard: Don Anderson, Joe Lytle, Tarry Miller and Ron Wolken
Marines: John Walter
Navy: Gene Bowen, Skip Boyd, Ronnie McCain, Rick Struttman, Dorman Teter, Charles Vosseller, and Gary Wittman
The ones I believe served in Vietnam are Billy Burns, Mike Champe, Jerry Hoke, Glenn Caldwell, Ronnie McCain, David McDonald, Oliver Meliza, Ronnie Miller, Dorman Teter, John Walter, and Gary Wittman. At least two (Billy Burns and Ronnie Miller) received a purple heart for their service in Vietnam.
Below are photos of a few class members while they were in the military. Left to right starting in the top row: Billy Burns, Fred Beckwith, Gary Wittman, Ronnie McCain, Billy Burns, Pete Schuster, Dorman Teeter, Ronnie McCain and Dorman Teeter, Rick Sass.
Billy Burns: (This is from an email Billy sent me in 2005.)
"I joined the Army out of High School in 1965. I went to basic training at Ft. Leadwood Mo. I did my advanced Infantry training at Fort Ord California. After graduating I was sent to Vietnam with the First Cavalry Division 2nd BN SEVENTH CAVALRY. This was the proudest time in my life. I got discharged in June 68. I am finance officer for our Purple Heart chapter here in Wichita. I am also S Adjutant for the Military Order of the Purple Heart State of Kansas."
Billy sent me the following photos showing some of what it was like in Vietnam.
Glenn Caldwell: (This is from an email Glenn sent me in 2025.)
"I spent my entire active duty after pilot training in Arizona, flying in and out of Southeast Asia (Vietnam War) and NATO exercises in Europe. I started my Air Force career as a ROTC scholarship student at K State in 1965 and ended in 2014 working (30 years) for the Air Force Academy as a retired officer in the Admissions Department.
I flew out of Tacoma Washington (McChord AFB) from 1971 to 1975.
The palm tree picture was during enroute stop at Kwajalein in (Marshall Atolls) on our way to war zone. The picture of me under the wing of my C141 was at NKP Thailand where we were waiting for tires and wheels to be flown in for the ones that were hit by ground fire during our approach for landing. We were on re-supply shuttle to various SEA bases when this happened. The picture of me lounging in a desk chair was from pilot training on a slow day that was in our training class yearbook. The caption was about my plans for the future. And the last picture was graduating from pilot training having completed the advance portion in the fighter pilot portion of Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT).
The highlight of my Vietnam days was being the 2nd aircrew in Operation Homecoming that brought Vietnam POW’s from transition in the Philippines back to Travis Air Base in California. That was a long, long crew duty day but very rewarding to have the honor for to bring home those that had been POW. I believe one the POW’s on my flight had been such for seven years!"
Mike Champe: (This is from email Mike sent me in 2026.)
"I was drafted and served in the US Army, 1969-1971.
I trained on howitzers in Fort, Sill, Oklahoma, and ended up in the central highlands of Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division 6/29th Artillery. I drove high explosives from South China Sea to Cambodia.
Oh, and several months in Ft Riley Kansas as a company clerk, piece of cake...56 years ago!"