Sharing Memories - Summer 1964

Sharing Memories - Summer 1964

 On Wednesday and Thursday of this week I started sharing memories and photos of the Summer of 1964. It was a time of transition for us as Allison had just joined us and I faced a new work challenge following my three years in the U.S. Air Force.

As I began to mention on Thursday, an additional challenge was that my military commitment was not yet completed, either. I had a six year reserve commitment beyond my active duty commitment. With the war in Vietnam heating up, there was some concern and some trepidation as we moved forward. The first action on this front when we got to Louisville was: Was there a reserve unit in the area with an opening for my occupational code and rank? As it turned out, there was not. There was nothing more I could do, it turned out, except to concentrate on work and family and wait.

Photo taken from USS Maddox during the incident,

showing three North Vietnamese

motor torpedo boats.

One other issue  - and perhaps it became more important later on… with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, nearly every office and airman in my unit was extended a year; most spent at least one tour in Vietnam. What a difference that would have meant in our lives if it had applied to us! ;-)

With General Electric Company (GE) at Appliance Park in Louisville, KY, I began as a recruit in the Business Training Course (BTC). My research had indicated many of the top people in the company had come through this program/course. I was correct on that front, but was surprised on two other fronts. Within a few months, GE changed the name of the BTC (which had been around for many years) to the Financial Management Program (FMP). Second, the expectation was a sound knowledge of accounting and financial practice and theory - neither of which I had. Interesting, huh? I had completed the basic accounting correspondence courses in the Air Force, but nothing more. Kind of like going to Ground Electronic School with no background in electronics. Well, I was successful there; maybe it would work, here, again. What a challenge!


Families are Forever!  ;-)