Chuck Hutchins:  

Well lets see, after graduating from Robert Morris Jr College in 1972 I received my draft notice. My brother Billy was an Army recruiter in Chicago Heights at the time. I called him up and he said alright what do you want to go into to. Well Airborne, Ranger, and Special Forces of course I said. He said no no no! Vietnam was still going on at the time, and of course no one knew at the time it would end in a few years, and he was sure I would be sent if I joined Special Forces. Hind sight is 20/20 and he could have saved my life...we will never know. He ultimately talked me into getting into the electronics field, so when I got out in a few years I could use that skill to get a good paying job. I enlisted on August 31, 1972 and after basic training in Ft Polk, LA I was headed for Ft Bliss, TX (El Paso) for a year long electronics school and Nike Hercules Air Defense System training. After completing the training I deployed to Korea for a year. I returned in January 1975 and left the Army in August 1975. I went back to school at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), but ended up back in the Army in May 1976 and deployed to Germany. When I returned from Germany in October 1980 I was approached to sign a 6 year commitment to join a new Air Defense System called Patriot since Nike Hercules was being phased out. Well since I had already been out and ...Expand for more