Don Marso:
CLASS OF 1977
Adams - Friendship High SchoolClass of 1977
Adams-friendship, WI
Herzing CollegeClass of 2003
Madison, WI
Don's Story
Life
Out of High School I joined the National Guard. I attended basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) at Fort Jackson North Carolina. After basic training, I returned home and worked for Alto Cheese in Westfield and then switched to Grande Cheese in Adams Friendship.
Already bored with life, and I couldnÂt see myself working for a cheese company for the rest of my life, so, I decided to get out and find some adventure.
In 1979 I enlisted from the National Guard into the regular Army as an Infantry soldier, and while in Infantry School, I volunteer to attend Airborne Infantry School.
I know, everyone asks me when I tell them, why jump out of a perfectly good airplane? My response, with out hesitation, is, what goes up, can always come down, and if it does, IÂm heading for the door!
After being trained to parachute out of a plane, the first few jumps, we went on was during the daylight hours. I have to say, though, those first daylight jumps, quickly turned into night jumps, scared like you wouldnÂt believe, when I jumped out, for some unknown reason, I just couldnÂt open my eyeÂs, LOL not really, hay I wasnÂt scared, reallyÂ
..I wasnÂtÂ
I was just being funnyÂ
After airborne training was completed, I took a 30 day leave, went back to Wisconsin, and got married to Paula and moved to my first duty station, 82nd Airborne which is located in Fayetteville North Carolina.
I was stationed with the 82nd Airborne Division, in Fayetteville North Carolina for three years and served with Charlie Company 3/325th Airborne Infantry. During my tour, I participated in what the Army called Reforger 80. Most of the 82nd Airborne Division boarded C130 aircrafts; departing from the United States, we flew non-stop to Germany, when we arrived, we parachuted in, just as the airborne troopers did in WW2.
After the...Expand for more
three years with the 82nd, I reenlisted, and requested to be stationed at Fort Ord California. I was stationed at Fort Ord for a year and a half, and during that time, I enjoyed the beaches, especially those down HWY 1, I learned to scuba dive in the Ocean, and became certified as an advanced open water diver.
After a year an a half at Fort Ord, the army though it was time for me to take a tour overseas, and I was issued orders to be stationed in South Korea. Paula and my one year old son, TommyJohn went back to Wisconsin to stay during the year I was stationed in Korea. When I arrived in South Korea, I was immediately sent to a camp just south of the village of Panmunjom, near the Demilitarized Zone.
During my tour of duty in Korea, I patrolled the Demilitarized zone, (or DMZ) which is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. While on patrol at night, every so often we would stop and set up ambushes to watch for any North Korean soldiers trying to cross the DMZ. I am grateful, and pleased to say, that on all the patrols I was on, we never did see any North Koreans trying to cross into the DMZ.
After my tour in Korea, I was stationed at Fort Benning Georgia. For my last 10 months in the Army, I was an instructor assigned to teach newly enlisted soldiers basic infantry skills.
Once I was out of the service, I went back to Wisconsin. I applied for a full time position with the Army National Guard, and was hired as a training sergeant with an artillery company located in Waupaca.
While assigned with this unit, we deployed to Germany and stayed for 30 days. I loved Germany, especially the beer!! They have some potent beer in Germany, or wait, maybe it was the shnops they added, I donÂt know, it sure kicked my A** though, whew.
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