Gary Schoep:
CLASS OF 1986
Collierville High SchoolClass of 1986
Collierville, TN
Mississippi State UniversityClass of 1997
Starkville, MS
Collierville Middle SchoolClass of 1982
Collierville, TN
Kohl Elementary SchoolClass of 1980
Broomfield, CO
Crest View Elementary SchoolClass of 1979
Boulder, CO
Gary's Story
Military
What is the difference in the Boy Scouts and the Army?
The Boy Scouts have ADULT SUPERVISION!
My military career started in the Boy Scouts where I basically learned every skill that I would be taught in Basic (except The Symptoms of Nerve Agent Poisoning). I also had a close friend in high school, David Worrell, who was very into the military. He didn't ask me to go the day he enlisted. I would have gone to and maybe he wouldn't have signed up to be a tank driver.
So in college I wanted to take ROTC just for fun. I called Colonel Woodward to ask some questions and he let me sign up for MS101, as long as I didn't have to cut my hair. He reported that a "hippie" joined ROTC. He wasn't laughing when he got my scores for the OSB and was actually very supportive. I was in Ranger Challenge but had to drop out after breaking my arm. I still did 2 years of military science and enjoyed it.
So I really needed some cash for college so I thought that I should join the National Guard. My recruiter, Jan Honea, suggested over and again that I try WOC school. I persisted that I wanted to learn some electronics so ended up at Fort Gordon, GA on Dec 30, 1988 for MOS training in 35K Avionics Mechanic. This was a week before the class started and ended my 4-week romantic relationship with a lifelong friend Gail Cherry.
Being there for several days allowed me to greet my classmates for the next 6 months including those that would become close friends: Meredith Magnanti, Craig Pennison, and Donald Shepley. After 6 months of some of the most fun times of my life I was awarded Distinguished Honor Graduate and we all went our separate ways.
I went back to my National Gu...Expand for more
ard unit where we eventually got the OH-58D(i) Kiowa Warrior helicopter. I returned twice to Ft Gordon for OH-58D (W6) and Airborne Survivability (W5) Additional Skills Identifier (ASI) classes. During W5 the class across the hall was graduated early and sent to Saudi for Desert Storm.
My Âmilitary life changed from ÂSchoep donÂt know how to slaughter a hog to ÂHey college boy, come fix my Thermal Imager. Having started a family and trying to go to school and needing more than supplemental GI Bill income, I applied for a position with McDonnell Douglas who provided support for the Mast mounted Sight (MMS) targeting system as a Field Service Representative. I was Âstationed at Ft Bragg Forward Repair Facility (FRA) where we repaired components of the MMS on contract to AMCOM who paid for our services yearly. We saved the military millions of dollars a year.
After a year at Ft Bragg, I opened the FRA at Wheeler Army Airfield, Oahu, Hawaii with Ken Lane. I looked everywhere for Shepley but only felt his ghost as I supported the units there. Actually while I was there a classmate from high school, Sandra Sheppard, was not more than a few miles away. Considering the crush I had on her it is surprising that I did not run into her.
After Hawaii I advanced to the main plant in Anaheim CA. I worked on different programs and spend a year at the Bell Helicopter plant. My wife became pregnant and told me that if I traveled anymore she would divorce me. My manager was nice enough to let me find another job, which I did in the logistics group. However, my job search made me realize that I needed to finish my degree so in 2002 I moved to Bozeman MT where I still reside.
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