Gary Higgs:
CLASS OF 1965
South Gate High SchoolClass of 1965
South gate, CA
Gary's Story
I live in West Linn, Oregon. My schools include South Gate High School, which after I was discharge from the Army I attended Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management. Over the years I had two different jobs which were very interesting and made my being at work easy and enjoyable. I worked for an agency of the Defense department (Defense Contracts Administration) for over 10 years and then I worked for the Oregon Dept of Fish & Wildlife as their travel and clothing allowance administrator. I was drafted in Oct 1966 for that popular war in Vietnam and since I knew how to type was placed in personnel management of an artillery battalion. I found out during boot camp that I had a small case of polio when I was young so during boot camp I was getting severe leg cramps at night, which finally I was sent to the base hospital for examination. This exam revealed I did have polio (not severe enough to place me in one of those iron lungs), so the doctors told me they ...Expand for more
weren't going to discharge me from the Army on a medical discharge, and instead gave me a physical profile stating I didn't have to serve in Vietnam. After waiting for 3 months I finally was assigned to a unit in Schofield Barracks Hawaii. During my time at Schofield, I was hit by a car while marching with my unit at Schofield Barracks. Over the years I got not one, but two cases of deep vein thrombosis or blood clots, and after 5 1/2 years of waiting I finally received my 100% service-connected disability from the VA. In 2005 my doctors ordered me on permanent disability telling me with all the sitting I do during my job, I will get another blood clot and the next one might kill me. So it was either my job or my life andI now I enjoy the benefits of an early retirement. With my disability it is so hard to camp, fish and hunt like I use prior to Feb 2005 and someday I might go back to southern california because the cold wet winters here in Oregon are really hard on my right leg.
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