MILITARY VETERANS

After we graduated, the Viet Nam draft caught up with many of us with low draft numbers.  If you're a veteran, and want to share your story with the rest of the class, then please relay your information/photo via the 'Contact Us' tab on the left.

Following graduation from Kennedy in 1969, I worked for a time, but having a low draft lottery number, I decided to enlist in the U.S.M.C.
in May of 1970.  2 weeks after attending the N.O. Pop Festival, I reported to Marine Corps Boot Camp at MCRD, San Diego, CA in July 1970, and then Infantry Training at Camp Pendleton, CA.  However, I never did make it to Viet Nam, and ended my enlistment at MCAS El Toro, CA in July 1974.   Semper Fi         Tom "Tommy" Camardi 

Lt Col Robert J. Donovan II, USAF retired.  A year after graduating from JFK, I lost my college deferment and was scheduled to be drafted into the Army.  I avoided the draft by enlisting in the USAF in January 1971.  Later I received a commission and trained as a Navigator on B-52 heavy bombers.   Follow on assignments included Bomb Squadron Flight Commander and Operations Officer, Wing Executive Officer, and Director of Logistics for several military satellites systems.  My last duty assignment was as the Deputy Program Director for the worldwide Global Positioning Satellite military user equipment acquisition program.  I was stationed stateside for 25 years on active duty and retired in January 1999.

Lt Col Ronald W. Duncan,  USAF Reserve, retired.  After JFK, I entered college on an AFROTC scholarship, and was commissioned a 2^nd Lt when I graduated.  I served my initial active duty committment, and later joined the Air Force Reserves.  In January 2000, I retired.  My last duty assignment was the Deputy Support Group Commander for the 926 Fighter Wing.  I previously served as a Civil Engineer Squadron Commander and Civil Engineering Officer.

Scott Kroeger, retired United States ARMY.

I retired from the Army in 1994. The picture was taken in 1985 because my mother kept asking for a photo of me in my blues. This was the last picture taken that day and the one I still like the best. I received my commission the same day I graduated from college and went on active duty several months later. I remember one day during our senior year when some of us were discussing what we wanted to do after graduation. I said I wanted to go to college and then live different places and travel. The U.S. Army gave me that opportunity and I am very grateful. We lived in five different states and Germany. I was sent to Korea by myself. While we lived in Germany we took the opportunity to visit 11 other countries; at the time two were behind the Iron Curtain. My best memories of my Army career are the places we lived, visited and the friends we made.

Here are additional names of JFK 1969 ALUMs who are military veterans, taken from the 10th Reunion yearbook.

Steven Brandt              Naval Air Reserve
Romalice Brown           US Navy
Larry Capponi               US Navy
Gary Damare                Navy Reserve
Gary Dwyer                   USN
Kenneth Dye                USMC
Stephen Frey                USAF
Steve Gonzales            USMC Reserve
Jerry Goodman            US Navy
Jay Gulotta                   USA Reserve
Fred Harper                  USAR
F. Evolene Knowles        USA
Louis Marino                unknown military branch
Thomas Morvant         USMC Reserve
Emile Noustens           LA Air National Guard
Darryl Owen                US Navy
Tony Rivera                 USMC
Lyman Ryan                USAF
Ludwig Scherer           USAF
Harold Sill                    USAF and Army (Reserves)
Michael Smith             US Navy
Bobby Stine                 US Naval Reserve
Thomas Versowsky    US Navy