jim kovalchik:  

After graduation, I worked at Ward Baking Company and Stiver Chevrolet Dealership in Niles. In 1964 I received an induction notice from Uncle Sam, so I joined a Army Reserve Unit to avoid going on active duty. My Orders were to report to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. I went home when training was finished, went back to work, attended Reserve meetings and summer camps. After a few years, they disbanded my Reserve Unit and I was put into something called a Control Group. I went about my business until late 1967, I heard from Uncle Sam again. They reactivated me and I had Orders to report to Fort Lee, Virginia for retraining. About six months later, I received Orders to report to Norfolk, Virginia a Military Installation. I was taken to a airplane(Army troup carrier) boarded with about 300 other G.I.'s, not being told our destination. We were packed in the Carrier like sardines in a can. No food, no water, no stewardesses, just the loud roars from the engines. Maybe 5 hours or so later, we landed at another Military Installation in Anchorage, Alaska. We were told we could get off the plane, use the latrine, get some food, and get back on within 45 minuites, while they were refueling. We took off again into the wild blue yonder. About 6 or 7 hours later, we landed at another Military Installation, Tokyo, Japan. We were told the same routine as in Anchorage, 45 minuites and gone. Now we had it pretty much figured out were we are going. I don't remember how many hours more to our destination, but we landed in Da Nang, Viet Nam.We got off the Carrier the first reaction was the odor, which I would recall for a few years later.A few days after our indoctri\nation into the country, we were loaded into a truck with other G.I.'s, heading north. Da Nang is about 70 or 80 miles south of the DMZ, the border between north and south. About an hour later, we arrived at my base camp in Phu Bai. The Company I was attached to was the 842nd Quartermaster outfit attached to the First Army Battalion. Our Commpany was a distribution unit for fuels, gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, but was like a gas station, that was mobile. My Platoon, the 3rd, is one part of the Company, of about 30 men, was dropped off at Phu Bai, and the rest of the Company went up on north to Quang Tri for their Base. We had to set up a storage facility for the fuels, which was stored on the ground, in 10'000 gallon bags, it was called a tank farm.. My job was driving a 5 ton truck, pulling a 5'000 gallon tanker trailer, other duties were guardd duty, in a bunker, on the perimiter of the compound, from 6 pm until 6am, also doing maintenance on my rig. A daily workday, 7 days a week, was going from the tank farm,north through the old Imperial Capital city of Hue, where President F.D.R. vacationed in his day,across the Perfume River, on to the South China Sea. There I would off load fuel from the Navy tankers, moored in the Bay. After I was loaded, I had my Orders to deliver the fuel to another Base camp, an LZ(landingZone for choppers),or take it back to our tank farm for storage. A usual work day was 3 trips It was kind of scary, driving a potential bomb around in a hostile environment.but Charlie was either to far away, a bad shot, or the Good Lord thought it was not my time. Thank You God, We had no celebrties or USO shows come to our camp but one, to speak to us, and appropriately it was the Rev. Billy Graham, Amen. The day finaly came when I was to be discharged from my tour of duty, what a glorious day. Some of you reading this story may have lost a Dad, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Aunt, Neighbor, or somebody you knew, they were the true heroes of any war, praise them always, because I will and I was there trying to help.a closing note on this chapter, I have been accepted at a pristine,glorious,hallowed site that I saw when I was 12 years old, but didn't realize how much it meant for many, many years and that place is Arlington National Cementary"The Field of Honor" This honor humbles me to no end. Arriving in the United States at Fort Lewis in Washington State was great but the unwelcome response, because a Military uniform with Nam insignia was dispised because of the mass loss of lives and animosity. So I hopped on a airplane for Pittsburgh, where I was met by my family. After a few days I went back to work at Stiver Chevrolet. Almost a year went by and I was thinking, with my automotive experience and passion for stock car racing, I had a plan for a one week trip to the deep South. I put a few things in my pickup truck, headed south, first stop would be Randleman N.C. home of Petty Enterprise, representing Chrysler Corp. next would be Charlotte N.C. home of Holman&Moody Racing, representing Ford Motor Co. and the last would be Hueytown, Alabama, home of Bobby Allison Racing, representing General Motors and after visiting them returning home. 500 miles to Randleman NC my first stop, I went into the office and the secretary(Miss Martha) asked me, may I help you, and I said do you have any job openings. So she called to the back of the shop and a few minuites later somebody walked through the door, it was Maurice, Richard Petty's brother. He asked me what can I do and I said any thing you want me to. Now it happens that Chrysler was moving their racing headquarters from Indiana to North Carolina just a week before and Petty Enterprise needed a few more people, so I was hired on the spot for $2.25 an hour. Being in the right place at the right time was critical, thinking I would never have a chance. Needless to say, I would never return home and my history was going to be made.The Petty's became a instrumental tool in my career. I got to know 4 generations of them, Lee, the Patriarch,his son Richard, his son Kyle, his son Adam.I got married in 1980 to a beautiful Southern Belle, 13 years younger than me, we had a son in 1982, he is in a rehab house for drug and alcohol problems, got divorced in 1986, difficult for a wife in this profession when you are gone all the time. I've ,been a single parent since the late 80's, never remarried. You just have to play the hand thats dealt you through the highs and lows the best you can. My last team retired me on November,21st 2011 while I was preparing for my 42nd Daytona 500. Retirement sucks and I have a few more productive years left, so I am still looking for another team. I can't complain though because I've had one hell of a run. If you were able to read this story most of the way and found it kind of interesting, will you all help me revolutionize story telling for the 1961 graduation class by adding to your story or write a new one, don't be ashamed of telling about the lows. just tell the truth because we are too dammed old to be haunted by them and tell a real story.To those of you who are interested in the people that I have worked with, here they are- Drivers-Richard Petty,Pete Hamilton, Buddy Baker, Benny Parsons, Lenny Pond, Kyle Pe...Expand for more