William Ellis:  

Life I was born in 1947 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1951 I was adopted and my name was changed from Walters to Ellis. My school years were spent in Kentucky, Nevada, Utah, Germany, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and New Jersey because my adoptive father was a career military man. I graduated high school in 1965 from Pemberton Township HS. My first love was JoAnn Allen. My working career started later that year in Pittsfield, Massachusetts as a "soda jerk". I also worked as an architectural draftsman, and an electrical draftsman in that same city until I went into the military in 1966. I received training in advanced infantry at Fort Ord, then went to jump school at Fort Benning, Ga. I took part in the protection of Detroit from the riots in 1967 as a member of the 2/505th 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, NC. September of '67 was my ticket to Viet Nam. After I completed Recondo school in Nha Trang, I became part of a Long Range Patrol unit consisting of 19 operational 6-man teams. It was designated "F" Co, 51st Infantry Airborne - Long Range Patrol. Upon my return to the United States in 1969 a little worse for the wear, I stayed briefly in Massachusetts before moving to California in 1973. Because General Electric was less than sympathetic about hiring back any "baby killers" to their workforce, I was out of work after being laid off. Through chance, I wound up in the construction trade and for the next 20-plus years I specialized mostly in concrete work in all of it's forms. I did get in jurisdictional trouble from time to time with the Operating Engineers because I loved playing with all of their big toys - The Operators just considered it "scabbing". Crybabies! Tractors, back-hoes, graders, scrapers and such are a kick in the butt to operate. I couldn't help myself. That takes me into the 90's. Talk about a career change... I got fed up with too many 109 degree days so now I work for the Sheriff's Department as a Correctional Officer down at a jail that houses righ...Expand for more