Rick Sorrels:
CLASS OF 1966
Napa High SchoolClass of 1966
Napa, CA
Solano Community CollegeClass of 1978
Suisun city, CA
Rick's Story
Life
I dropped out of 11th grade and joined the Marine Corps where I became an aircraft sheetmetal mechanic. I was married to my girlfriend (Nancy Calihan of Vallejo)of 5 years upon my return from Viet Nam in 1968. We have three kids together but our relationship ended in 1977. Mine has been a life of alot of lay-offs during the 70's, two divorces and a couple of live-in girlfriends of which I have a 14 year old daughter who lives with me. I have lived in Vallejo and American Canyon most of the time since school, but have also lived in Washington, Nevada and Canada. I now live in El Cajon which is in San Diego county. I am now married to a woman who lives in Canada with 5 kids. Together we have 9 kids and 10 grandchildren. Hard to believe because I don't feel much different then when we were in school....where has time gone?????
College
I worked during the day building custom vans and went to college at night. My favorite classe was creative writing and my best courses were racquette ball and backpacking. I liked backpacking best because our mid-term was an overnight at Point Reyes Nat'l Seashore and final was 4 days in the Sierra's.....I took this course twice
Workplace
My first job was in the Marine Corps which I liked because I was able to work on Airplanes, however, the part I did not like was while I was in Viet Nam I was a helicopter machine gunner during the day, but at night I was in charge of our sheetmetal shop and was able to work on our helicopters. After the Marines, I worked as a tire recapper for a couple months before working at Yuba Manufacturing in Benicia, then Bethleham S...Expand for more
teel in Richmond, Grove Valve in Emeryville, then I built custom vans and then worked at Mare Island until I moved to Canada in 1983 and homesteaded for a year. I then moved to Washington and was semi-retired but eventually moved back to Calif. and did plumbing in new tract homes in Sac. In 1986 I started working as a government contractor working for Naval Electronics at Mare Island and am now with SPAWARS in San Diego
Military
I went to boot camp at the recuit depot in San Diego, infantry training at Camp Pendelton. I then went to school in Milington Tenn. to become an aircraft structural mechanic. My first duty station was Cherry Point North Carolina where i worked on KC-130 transport planes. I was then sent to an air facility of El Toro (southern Calif.) in Tustin Calif. where I was in the first CH-53 helicopter squadron. I went to Viet Nam in April '67 and returned in May'68. I went back to El Toro then became a brig guard at Pendelton because I was sent there with 67 other marines who were E-4's and had been to Viet Nam. The idea was for us to motivate the cons because we had combat air crewmen wings and various medals which was suppose to make the cons believe it was great to go to war for their country. After 4 months as being a guard, because of my emotional problems from Viet Nam, I deserted and went to Canada where I worked for an anti-war league. I was later brought back to the states, had a general courts-martial but nothing was ever done as everything was suspended. I later got out because they would not allow me to go back in the airwing which prompted me to desert in the first place
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