The 1960s were at times tumultuous, irrational, outlandish, and just plain crazy.
The Vietnam War dominated the news and divided the country.
Yet thousands of young men were summonsed and dutifully filled the ranks of the military. This is my recounting of my own experience in the military draft of the 1960’s clearly depicting the routine yet chaotic day-to-day details of
regular young men caught up in the polarized military conflict
of the Cold War.
I am a native North Carolinian, and I have lived almost my entire life in Raleigh, North Carolina. I currently live in Johnston County, North Carolina with my beautiful wife Linda and my Cocker Spaniel Karlie. I have two daughters, each of whom has given me two grandchildren—three boys and one girl all told.
I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from East Carolina University in 1972, and a Juris Doctorate degree from Campbell University School of Law in 1980. Aside from the private practice of law, I have served as a North Carolina District Court Judge from 1988–1996, as an Emergency District Court Judge from 2000–2006, and as an Administrative Law Judge from 2006 to present.
In 2009, my wife Linda and I visited Germany and the site where I had been stationed in the army during the Cold War. It had been returned to Germany and demolished, but much of the neighboring villages and countryside remained amazingly similar after so many years. In 2010, I put together a reunion of the core group from my mortar platoon, and we continue to meet as often as possible.