James Bland:  

After high school I went to Union University in Jackson, TN on scholarships. Just before the Christmas break the lottery for the military draft was held and my birthday came up early on the list. Knowing I was going to get a draft letter(even though I would have qualified for a college deferral) I decided to join the USNavy. It is my heritage that men in my family join the Navy, So I followed suit. I was in the USNavy from Jan. 1970 to Jan. 1979. My specialty was aviation electronics and I became an electronics engineer(my math & science teachers at Treadwell would certainly be surprised by my career choice)as my classmates will know--I was not a "straight A" student at all, being #150 of 300 in our graduating class. But I did continue my education. While in the USN I did participate in the US war in VietNam, in-country. Yes, I saw and did a lot, but that's why they call it war. I am curious if any of my schoolmates joined the military? And while I was in the Navy I also made an 8 month cruise of the Med. Sea. Yes, I saw most all of the countries in the northern Med. Join the Navy and see the world!!! I actually sailed enough nautical miles to circle planet earth--...Expand for more