Himself turned 65 years last October.  I first met him when he was 23 and I was 20.

January 19, 1970.

It was Viet Nam era; he was just back from serving time in the Army.  He joined the National Guard while working at Zenith Corporation in Sioux City, then someone activated the National Guard unit and the whole until got sent to Colorado.  Himself was a "clerk".  Some of his fellow Guardsmen got called up and shipped out.  They got called to Viet Nam.

 

National Guard Called to Serve

During the Vietnam War era service in the National Guard was not looked upon with the same respect and appreciation it currently receives. Some considered National Guard service an alternative to the draft and a way to avoid going to Vietnam. But the services of National Guard units from the Sioux City area were called upon in the 1960s, and some members were sent to Vietnam. Other Iowa National Guard troops were sent to college campuses around the state to help keep things peaceful during times of campus unrest.

In January 1968, the 185th Tactical Fighter Group was mobilized. Approximately 860 men were in the group. Three hundred of the group left Sioux City in 23 planes headed for Vietnam. 1st Lt. Warren K. Brown became the group’s first casualty of the war when his F-100 fighter jet was hit by hostile ground fire. Brown was the only Iowa Air National Guardsman killed in action.

In May 1968 the 2nd Battalion, 133rd Infantry was mobilized. Men from Sioux City, LeMars, Sheldon, Mapleton and Ida Grove made up the 863 guardsmen infantry. The group was stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado. Over 500 were deployed to Vietnam with regular Army units. Twelve members of this unit were killed in action with over 60 wounded in action. The battalion received over 2600 awards and decoration for their Vietnam service. They returned to Iowa in December 1969.

Himself was reaching the top of the list, to go to Nam when President Richard Nixon declared that the US was withdrawing troops.  Himself got to come home December 1969, for Christmas.  He still had monthly meetings but they would be in Sioux City.  He had a couple of months off and then had to go back to work at Zenith in Sioux City. 

We were getting used to seeing each other so when he had to move back to Sioux City to work and for National Guard weekends, it was hard on this girl.  I was working in Creston as a Telephone Operator.

This is almost the exact Board I sat at.  I liked this job except that I worked the "swing shift" and that meant I might work at 5 am or 3 pm or 5:30 pm.  It sure kept me off balance.  then I might work 7 days and have 4 off.  or work all weekend. 
 It might have been hard on Himself too as he drove back in his black 1969 Plymouth Fury many a weekend to come see me.  Soon we were talking about being together . . . and that meant getting married.  To me.  To Himself.  In those days.  So anyway, we started planning an elopement. 

And we did.  We planned it and eloped and went home to tell our folks. 

We were young.   

Lanny, 1970.  Taken somewhere near Prescott. 

    

July 1971 taken in Prescott