In 1966, I received my draft notice in the mail. My parents owned a small grocery store in Fort Smith, Ark., called Rogers Avenue Curb Market. They had a bread salesman from Holsum Bread Company who was a chief petty officer in the Navy Reserve. He talked to me about the reserve and about its retirement program, and told me there was no retirement system in the world that would pay you more after you retired than what you made while you were in service. He showed me what his own situation would be when he retired and made a believer of me, and I joined the USNR as soon as I could.

I spent two separate tours on active duty (1967-1968, one of those years in Vietnam, and 1976-1978). I served a total of 28 years in the USNR before retiring. I am currently drawing $1,441.57 a month in retired pay. I have been drawing retired pay for the past 18 years.