Norman Paratore:
CLASS OF 1959
Wheaton High SchoolClass of 1959
Wheaton, MD
Glenmont Elementary SchoolClass of 1953
Wheaton, MD
Wheatley Elementary SchoolClass of 1953
Washington, DC
Norman's Story
Life
Born in Washington, DC on July 31, 1941. Attended Wheatley Elementary through 4th grade. Moved to Wheaton, Maryland in 1950. Attended Glenmont Elementary, one year at Montgomery Hills (Monkey Hills) Junior High.
Attending Wheaton High School before it was even a high school. The first year it was open the grades were 8th through 10, the second year it was 9th through 11th, and the third year is was 10th through 12th. My class took five years to graduate and no one failed. I had to drop out of school early in my 10th year due to the unexpected death of my mother, and would have graduated in 1959/60. I returned later to try to complete my education but I was simply lost. Finally, I joined the Air Force in 1958, grew up, took and passed my GED to get my diploma. Started attending the University of Maryland overseas campus at Ramstein.
I started my military career, short as it was, on October 7, 1958, at Lackland AFB, Texas, as every enlisted man does.
From there I went to Kessler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi to attend the Morse Interceptor Class of 07019, graduating on 7/7/1959.
After hanging around that base for a couple of months waiting for my clearance, I was finally assigned to the 6925th Radio Squadron Mobile, Clark AB, Philippines. My tour was from 1959 to 1961. Meet the first girl I ever loved - Barbara Majowich. Barbara - where are you now????
Had enough of the ditty bop stuff, so when my tour ended I let myself be reassigned at the mercy of the AF and rotated back to CONUS. Landed at the 2nd FIS...Expand for more
at Suffolk County AFB, Long Island, NY, from 1961 to 1963, and worked in the squadron and base command post. I was the guy who pushed the base alert button and scrambled the F-101s. Bought my first car there - a 1959 MGA. Have loved sports cars since. Dated a local girl - Claudia Mercer - who drove a MG Midget and later a TR-3 and I guess the sports car bug rubbed off her to me.
From there I went to Ramstein AFB,Germany, from 1963 to 1966, and was stationed with the 38th TRS, part of the 66th TRW. Worked in the squadron ops office for a while then moved into the command post. In both positions I worked with the pilots flying those beautiful RF-101Cs. After getting my butt chewed by the OIC Major Murray, for doing something other than the way my NCOIC wanted it done (and which the OIC admitted was a better way), I decided I had enough of military way of life. Mustered out of the service in May of 1966.
From there I went in the retail photography business, after a very short time spent in a collection agency. Found out I was not enough of a hard ass to dun and beat money out of people. Only good thing that happened is that I met my wife there. Three months later we married and have been together since.
Have two sons, both are happily married, and have one Granddaughter, who is now the new love of my life.
If you served in any of those units during the time I spent there, please drop me a line. Or, if you are in the Washington DC/Baltimore area, look me up in the phone book and give me a call.
Norman Paratore
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