Ken Decker:  

After graduating from St. Joe's I worked for one year at Rocky Mountain Bank Note Company and then went to CSU, graduating in 1969. Then I had an opportunity to make a move to Ft. Myers, FL where I was living when Uncle Sam came calling and I was drafted into the Army.....basic training at Ft. Campbell, KY and advanced infantry training at Ft. Polk, LA. I then got the infamous orders to report to the Oakland Army Depot - every G.I. knew what that meant....Vietnam. And having an "infantry MOS", my fate was sealed. I'll never forget that first ride in a Huey - from the forward fire support base (LZ Center) to "the bush" to meet up with my unit that was already out on a "search and destroy" mission. Three weeks later, during a fire fight with North Vietnamese regulars, I was wounded when an NVA troop tossed a grenade at me.....welcome to the war, Ken!! So 14 months and a lot of body bags later, I got my freedom ride home and got out of the Army on Easter Sunday, 1971 at Ft. Lewis, WA. After 2 years living and working in Boulder, I went into the insurance industry in Denver and spent the next 30 years owning my independent agency "Veterans Insurance Services" in Lakewood and Littleton. Ken Ertle was one of my clients for a long time. I met my "China Doll", Shelley, and both she and my step daughter, Wei, moved from China to Las Vegas where I've been living for the past 10 years. One thing I learned about our "wonderful" government when it comes to marrying someone from another country, it likes to "kill trees". The paperwork is completely unbelievable, but in my case well worth it! I...Expand for more