Douglas Franksen:  

In January, 1967, I left Sequoia during our Senior year and enlisted in the U.S. Army. During military service: I was trained as a Combat Engineer... and served a one year tour of duty in Vietnam with the 23rd "Americal" Infantry Division. I experienced combat and was wounded twice, once in January '68 during the Vietnamese Tet Lunar New Year Offensive, and once again in September during an ambush by North Vietnamese Army regulars. During treatment for that wound, it was found that I had also contracted malaria. During my final year of enlistment, I served as an instructor of infantry tactics, completed my high school education and passed several Civil Service job placement examinations. Do I regret my time in the service? No. I often wonder however, how things might have turned-out differently, if I'd waited until I finished H.S. During the next fifteen years, I battled with PTSD and alcoholism. I managed however, to get married in 1974, have three sons, earn two Associate Degrees in Police Science and Business Administration, and a Bachelor degree in Business Management. I also obtained and have held several indu...Expand for more