Hildreth Buterbaugh:  

Before college, life was a blur. In addition to school, I participateld in Track and owned my own horse. I also began a life long love affair with all forms of wheeled vehicles. College was a blast. I matured, began getting good grades and generally found myself. In 1965, upon graduation from Park College (now Park University), I immediatly started advanced studies at the University of Detroit, receiving my Masters degree in Economics two years later (1967). As all graduate classes at U of D were conducted at night, I rarely saw daylight for two years. I then began what was to become a 21 year career with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan; planning, forecasting and budgeting for a data processing division with $90 Million in expenses. During my watch, we progressed from a small tab shop to the largest non- govermental data processing installation in the World. During my stay with Blue Shield, I was drafted into the Army (1968) at the tender age of 26. As Blue Shield's formal name was Michigan Medical Service, the Army logically made me a medic and sent me to Vietnam. I was assigned to a mechanized infantry outfit (1/5 Mech) and spent 11 months getting shot at and patching up my comrades. (I must have been good, my patients and their buddies all had guns). The upside was that I had my own Armored Personnel Carrier, complete with 50 caliber Machine Gun, outfitted as an ambulance. Nothing got in my way. While in Vietnam, I was wounded three times and received numerous awards. I went to Bangkok for my R&R (I&I) and returned to the States after 11 months overseas (thank you President Nixon). I was reassigned to Ft. Eustis outside of Williamsburg, Va. (a blast) for the remainder of my Army ...Expand for more