Interview With War Veteren Essay, Research Paper

Bill Rockett joined the United States Air Force on January 17th, 1949, at the age of 17. Since he was a minor, he couldn t enter the service without a parent s permission. Instead of going through all the legal paper work, Bill slipped a tiny piece of paper in his shoe that said 18. When the army made him swear that he was over 18, he could straightforwardly say yes.

Bill began his time of service as a standard solider, and was involved in both the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. By the time of his retirement, in 1969, he had become a Technical Sergeant. He was made a Crane Operator at the beginning of his military career, but by the time of retirement he was a Jet Engine Tech for the Air Force in Eglin, Florida. At the beginning of his career he was paid $110 per week. He once lost a wool blanket due to neglect; the government charged him $10.11 for it. That was close to 10% of his paycheck.

While in Korea, he and two other men were given a foreign duty assignment. They were to pick up a bag of money from an undisclosed location, and were to deliver it back to camp. The mission was successful. Just by observing the little he saw, he thought it was a very enriched culture. Bill was forced to live all over the United States. Since his father was a poor dairy farmer in Oklahoma, he had never been anywhere. This experience was incredible for Bill. He loved each state and learned all he could about each one. He was based in Florida, New York, Iowa, Michigan, and Oklahoma. He thoroughly enjoyed Florida, and lived there for a while after retirement. He bought property and a fishing boat there. The people were all social, and the beaches were incredible. Out of all the places he lived Florida was his favorite.

One of Bill s strongest memories was the time he was in combat in Vietnam when a bullet grazed the top of his head. He was knocked unconscious. When that short-lived battle was over, other soldiers saw Bill and thought that he had died. He was left for dead in the jungle. When he regained consciousness, Bill had to swim across a swampy bay. When he reached the other side, he once again lost consciousness. Luckily, other soldiers found him and he was taken back to base. Here he was hospitalized for several weeks.

Being in the military really changed Bill s views on life and people. He discovered all the emotions that people had. How sometimes someone could look someone straight in the eye and kill them, and after words regret it because of the thought that they have a family too. He viewed a lot of the world that he otherwise wouldn t have gotten the chance to see. He learned discipline and respect and loyalty. Most of all he realized how precious life is, and how lucky he is to be alive.