Peacetime

August 6, 2021August 6, 2021 Maureen Sullivan Air National Guard, American, Army NG, Army Reserves, Cold War, Massachusetts, Peacetime, USAF Reserves

Nicholas M. Zallas

“How can I make your job easier” was the directive that guided Nick Zallas through a 40-year career in the military. He served with National Guard and Reserve units in the Army and Air Force in communications and military police. Zallas was part of a response unit during the Blizzard of 1978 in Boston, as well as the Ramstein Air Show disaster in Germany in 1988. He retired from the Air Force Reserves in 2009 with the rank of colonel.

August 24, 2017May 9, 2018 Natick Veterans Oral History Project Army, Haiti, Peacetime, USA

Jennifer Holey

U.S. Army 1994–2002

Jennifer Holey entered the Army Nurse Corps after graduating from Texas Christian University, where she was a member of ROTC. Her eight-year career in the Army included six months in Haiti as an ER nurse at a United Nations facility in Port-au-Prince. She described her experiences there in her self-published memoir, “Cinderella, The Church and a Crazy Lady.”

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August 24, 2017May 9, 2018 Natick Veterans Oral History Project Afghanistan, Army, European, Peacetime, USA

Joseph J. Gallick

U.S. Army 1986–2009

Joseph “Father Joe” Gallick wanted to serve in the military because his relatives did so during World War II. An ordained priest with the Orthodox Church, he began his career with the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps in 1986. Gallick would serve in a variety of units, both stateside and overseas, including Afghanistan, during his 23-year career in active duty and the Reserves, retiring in 2009 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

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August 23, 2017May 9, 2018 Natick Veterans Oral History Project Navy, Peacetime

Jerry Eldredge Jr.

U.S. Navy 1980–1986

Upon graduating Natick High School in 1980, Jerry Eldredge Jr. decided to enter the military because college was not affordable. At boot camp in San Diego, he had to quickly get into shape to pass the physical requirements. Assigned to the USS Coronado, he was sent to Bahrain to stand ready for any acceleration in conflict in Beirut. Shortly after that he was transferred to the USS Tarawa, an immense helicopter carrier. Jerry spent two years on the Tarawa as a flight deck aviation refueler and a damage control petty officer and he mentions the numerous ports the ship visited. To his and the crew’s credit, their careful attention to their jobs proved successful in that they were not involved in any mishaps on the ship.

Jerry Eldredge Jr. with a helicopter on the USS Tarawa

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August 23, 2017May 9, 2018 Natick Veterans Oral History Project Army, Peacetime

John R. Bower

U.S. Army 1977–1979

John Bower grew up in Natick, Mass., and after college, enlisted in the all-volunteer Army and joined the 7th MP Company, 7th Infantry Division. From basic training at Fort Jackson and Fort Ord, he was sent to Livorno, Italy. John talks honestly about getting used to the military culture which was very different for a New Englander and the difficulties of the post-Vietnam War era. Marriage to another MP, the rampant drugs and the chaos in Italy after the kidnapping and murder of the President of France, contributed to the stresses in his life. After years of refusing help from the Veterans Administration, John, with guidance from the veterans’ liaison in the unemployment office, sought and received medical benefits. To this day he continues his therapy, stating that the VA saved him, and he encourages others to utilize their services.

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August 2, 2017May 9, 2018 Natick Veterans Oral History Project Army, European, Home (Italy), Peacetime, WWII

Adolph Caso

U.S. Army

As a child in Italy near Naples, Mr. Caso witnessed a lot of warfare-Axis and Allied-during World War II. Later he immigrated to the United States and served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps in Vicenza, Italy.

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Title	Categories
Andrew DeFrancesco	Japan, Marines, Massachusetts, Vietnam	2023-02-16 19:09:06
Ronald A. Cole	Army, Army National Guard, Korea, Vietnam, West Germany	2023-01-19 17:17:46
Hilbert Margol	Army, European, Uncategorized, WWII	2022-01-08 15:29:36
Nicholas M. Zallas	Air National Guard, American, Army NG, Army Reserves, Cold War, Massachusetts, Peacetime, USAF Reserves	2021-08-06 12:45:26
Vernon Amundson	Cold War, USAF, Vietnam	2021-06-17 13:03:33
Paul Carew	Marines, Massachusetts, Natick, Vietnam	2021-03-05 14:56:39
Roger M. Woodbury	Natick, USAF, Vietnam	2021-01-08 15:10:00
James Ramsey	Navy Seabees, Vietnam	2020-12-11 18:09:05
Allison “Doc” Blaney	American, Army, Korea, USAF, WWII	2020-03-12 18:13:58
Wade Tambor	American, Cold War, Navy	2019-10-11 17:40:49
Thomas Dahill	American, Pacific, USAF, WWII	2019-08-29 15:15:51
William Martin	American, Cold War, Massachusetts, Naval Res., Navy, Persian Gulf, Vietnam	2019-07-12 16:02:49
James Martin	American, Marines, Vietnam	2019-07-12 15:54:03
Winston E. “Pat” Flynn	Army, European, Korea, USA, Vietnam, WWII	2019-04-12 17:23:50
Margie Labedz	American, Homefront, WWII	2019-04-12 17:07:17
Kevin Strel	Army, Korea, Vietnam	2019-03-22 15:40:07
Andre Proulx	Massachusetts, Navy, WWII	2019-03-22 15:30:20
Arthur Robert	American, Army, Massachusetts, Persian Gulf	2019-03-22 15:21:41
Arthur Kovacs	American, Army, Vietnam	2019-03-21 14:10:58
Raffael deGruttola	American, Army, Cold War, Korea	2019-02-22 17:31:32
Mario Aiello	African, Army, European, USA, WWII	2019-02-22 17:31:00
George T. Palmer III	Army, Vietnam	2019-01-11 20:45:33
Richard Somersall	American, Marines, Massachusetts, Natick, Pacific, WWII	2018-10-10 16:34:27
James Nicholl Jr.	European, Korea, Navy, WWII	2018-10-05 18:06:11
Arnold Bopp	American, Army, Cold War, European, Massachusetts, Vietnam	2018-10-05 17:52:03
Ferdinand “Fred” Lucontoni	Army, European, USA, WWII	2018-08-17 20:06:53
Vincent “Vince” MacDonald	American, Massachusetts, USA, USAF	2018-07-20 14:43:42
Jacob Darnel	Cold War, European, Marines, Vietnam	2018-07-20 14:14:34
Richard Diaz	Massachusetts, Navy, Vietnam	2018-07-20 14:02:49
Philip Hureau	Army, Vietnam	2018-06-06 21:05:09
David Wall	Marines, Vietnam	2018-06-06 20:55:33
Albert Souza	American, Boston, Homefront, Massachusetts, Vietnam	2018-06-06 20:47:34
Hyman Hipsman	European, Holocaust, WWII	2018-05-24 22:42:59
Arnold Lessard	Army, Japan, USAF, WWII	2018-05-24 22:29:05
John Lobberecht (audio only)	Cold War, Marines, USA	2018-05-18 18:24:13
Nicholas A. Hapshe Jr. (audio only)	American, Navy, Vietnam	2018-05-18 18:20:37
Marion Sheridan	Korea, Navy, WWII	2018-05-11 19:45:01
Walter Gilbert	Army, European, Massachusetts, WWII	2018-05-11 19:40:43
David Gaulin	Army, Korea, Massachusetts	2018-05-04 13:29:50
Harold Eckman	Army, European, Massachusetts, Uncategorized	2018-05-03 22:43:27