Old Documents Can Renew Strong Feelings

I sent the below message to my Marine Friend, Col. Stewart Navarre,

because I knew that he would understand:

Hi Stewart:

Stewart, I’m actually quite proud of this advancement document (inserted far below), because in the U.S. Navy (between 1961 1964), I made E-5 in just 1.5 years of active duty, after serving a year in the Navy Reserves during my last year of high school.

And making E-5 wasn’t easy…..

As I began active duty, I naturally lacked time in rating to help me score high on Navy advancement tests.

Another obstacle was that there were few unfilled billets available at that time (era of Cuban missile crisis) for Personnelmen (manage Air Squadron personnel office & records, transfer people, handle leave, etc.)

So to move up into Petty Officer Class from an E-2, I had to virtually ACE all the tests to beat out 10-20 year long-timers who already got many extra points for longevity.

So I did that—-I Aced the tests by studying my ass off…ha ha. And ultimately ended

up an E-5, Personnelman Second Class, a rank equal to a Marine Sergeant. (Where there’s a will…?)

So I am very glad that my parents saved these old Navy documents for me. They remind me of so very much…

(It was actually my success in the Navy that convinced me that I should go to college.

And of course that led to many more rewards, or my life would have turned out radically different—because I was already then headed down a wrong path.)

I dunno. I sometimes think that there’d be lots less crime, punks, and gangs today if we still had the draft. In the military, people learn to respect authority and to accept personal responsibility for their actions at a young age.

Sadly, those qualities are often missing today because, I believe, young men are DEPRIVED of a military-type experience. Perhaps an alternative could be some OTHER form of public service, but one that was run much on the military chain of command (responsibility) model. Perhaps we can noodle about this some time.

Anyway, just thought I’d share my forgotten

and long-ago achievement, and the

lessons it taught me, to a few friends…

…….Sharing it as a Military Veteran and proud of it!!!!…

Bill Koelzer