I was sworn into the Navy in Kansas City on July 12, 1944. Then I was sent to Farrigut, Idaho for 13 weeks of basic training. We fought 13 forest fires in Idaho and Washington.

Then I was sent to Hawthorne, Nevada with 124 other general duty men. They put us to work making ballistic rockets for the Navy and I was frozen to that base for the duration.

After my discharge as a Seaman First Class, I worked in various grocery stores until I bought my own in 1961 in Abilene. I sold that in 1975 and worked at various jobs until my retirement.

I was married to Catherine Sanders on June 9, 1946 after my discharge from the Navy. We have two sons: Steve and Mike