Gary Wampler:
CLASS OF 1962
Monterey High SchoolClass of 1962
Lubbock, TX
Gary's Story
My Monterey High School "claim to fame" - Sr. year - Slide Rule State Wide Second Place, runner up to Charles Bolton (class of 62) my good friend who took first place. I also won some kind of math/science recognition award from Southwestern Bell along with Suzanne Samson. We got our picture in the paper, went on a tour of SW Bell's facility, and attended a banquet with other local high school kids. I dated Suzanne some our senior year, but I was so shy that she moved on. After returning from Nam, we had one date before I had to report to the east coast (Ft Monmouth, NJ). I was so screwed up that I could not even attempt to foster a relationship - my loss.
Started college, Texas Tech, fall of 62 - graduated Texas Tech Dec. 1971 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. Nine and a half years of on and off going to school. During that 9 1/2 years I dropped out of school fall of 63 and ran off to New Orleans to work and party for 6 or 7 months with Donald Pace and Bobby Nichols (both 62 Monterey grads) (interesting good times). The draft was heating up, so we were all three back at Texas Tech fall of 64 with our draft student deferment (S2?). Working a summer job in Sutton, Nebraska in 65 and met a wonderful, beautiful local girl and had a fantastic summer romance which ended in marriage Dec, 26, 1965. I went to school in the daytime and worked full time at the Lubbock City garage at night to support my lovely new bride. Not enough smarts and energy to maintain the relationship and she left me and then divorced my sorry ass fall of 66 âÃÂàBUMMER and stayed bummed out for a while. Not doing all that well in school, so I called the draft board (Dec 66) to see if I could lay out of school for a semester without getting drafted - It's amazing how much control Viet Nam and the draft had over our lives during that time âÃÂàDraft Board lady pulled my file and told me that I had been out of high school over four years and I should have graduated from college by now and that she was taking my S2 deferment away and I would be drafted by March of 67 - ...Expand for more
end of conversation!!! Called the local State Guard unit to see if I could get in âÃÂànope long waiting list. Talked to the Marine recruiter and he sent me to Amarillo for a military physical âÃÂàmy intent was to see if my flat feet would keep me out of the military ÃÂ-àno luck. Pissed off the marine recruiter when I told him I was not interested in making a four year commitment to spend 13 months in Nam. Right at that time the idea of 4 years of military service weighted heavier on my mind than the 13 months of Viet Nam. I absolutely knew that I would hate the regimentation of military service. In January I went to see the Army recruiter with the idea of getting a long technical school that would keep me out of the infantry and maybe out of Viet Nam. Checked back with the draft board before registering for the 67 spring semester - yep, as promised my S2 deferment was gone; I was classified as 1A and was to be drafted in March of 67. No sense in registering for the spring semester. Back to the Army recruiter, to get any chance at a technical school, I would have to enlist for three years - right then 3 years seemed like a lifetime. I still wanted to go back to college and get a degree at some point. Running out of options - thought about Canada but was not brave enough to abandon the familiar and family life for the unknown frozen north.
So I enlisted for three years (1967) to get electronics training and hopefully stay out of Viet Nam. Went to army electronics schools at Ft Monmouth, NJ and FT Gordon, GA for 11 months and then was shipped straight to Viet Nam for a year. About all I can say about my military service, I always did my duty when it was important (staying alive and keeping my buddies alive) the rest of the time I just tried to stay out of sight âÃÂàgot screwed over several times just like everyone else and received an honorable separation / discharge Jan 1970 and went right back to school (Texas Tech) for spring semester 1970 and graduated Dec 1971 with a BS in Industrial Engineering. (Maybe more later)
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