The Army decided that I had a mechanical aptitude,” so I was told by Erv Markhart, “so they trained me to build bridges. I was drafted right out of high school, serving in our military from 1966 to 1972. I was with the 35th Engineer Battalion, a part of the 45th Engineering Group, posted at LZ Hammond Army Base in Binh Dinh Province, near Phu Cat, a large air base in Vietnam. He shared with me, “We would build bridges, then the enemy would blow them up or burn them down, a routine repeated over and over.” Mr. Markhart was there during Tet, the first major offensive mounted by the enemy, sharing with me, “It was tough.” An injury from that period forced a change. Gifted in masking radio communications, known as “code talk,” his next assignment was as a radio operator, sending coded messages to those in the field. He left the military with the rank of Spec 4. The 45th was awarded a Valorous Unit Award, a second Meritorious Unit Commendation, and a Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Honor Medal during their Southeast Asia tour.