This is Mary and Mark (later known as Cal) in the formative
years. We were born in Chicago but moved early in our lives to Phoenix.
Notice the Arizona styling Bolo tie.
This was the dog I had growing up - a dachshund/beagle
mix, called Troubles. We had many an adventure on the desert, he would love
to dig in the snake holes. Once he was bit by a rattlesnake and I had to
feed him baby food for a week. In the picture on the left he is demonstrating
the ability to sit upright and beg for peanuts, usually received from my
dad.
Headed to West Point in 1975. It looks like I was just out of elementary school - how young.
Hard to tell but during parents week I was the
cadet with the Army flag in the middle of the Color Guard. I had great responsibility
- if that flag dropped I was dead. It was sooo hard to hold at an angle
during the Star Spangled Banner.
Obviously taking our military training very seriously.
I really did enjoy the field but was considering Armor at this point in
my career. Training in the field eventually led me to the Infantry.
Cadet Cal is on the left and Chris Wegmann on the right.
In the middle is Mary Jordan - my mother's mother. She was very proud of
her grandson going to West Point.
Ahh the last day. Swearing in at Patton's statue
- that's me on the far left. Always impressed with Patton's military skill
I selected this place for the ceremony. But instead of the Armor I was headed
to the Infantry.
The new lieutenant and his grandmother, Mary Jordan.
My little sister with a few of her pets from a very very
extensive menagerie.
One of my favorite pictures of Mary - this one from her
college days.
Went Infantry which means I went to Ft Benning, GA. Infantry
Officer Basic,Airborne,
and Ranger School
then off to Schweinfurt, FRG. There I served in various company positions
in the 2/30th
in the 3rd Infantry Division.
During the promotion party to Captain in 1983 I met my future wife - Virginia Ann Danial. After
Infantry Officers Advanced Course we were married and moved to Ft Riley,
KS home of the 1st Infantry Division. Married life in the Infantry and
a staff job (S1) in the 5/16th,
convinced us to exit in late 1984.
We returned to Columbus, GA. There I happened on to a new company who offered a job as one of
twenty programmers writing credit card applications. Now there are several
companies and several thousand developers at
Total System Services (TSYS)
. I stayed for 25 years or so, remaining in the payments
industry ever since until retirement.
While at home one night in Columbus a lieutenant called from Ft Benning. He was between Ranger classes
and was assigned to assist in tearing down the cabins at Camp Darby up in the mountains. He was a graduate of
USMA
and as he chain sawed the cabins kept an eye out for USMA squads who had written their squad names on the
walls. He looked up some names in the phone book and found my number. He wanted to know
if I would like the section where my squad had written our names - of course I said yes and it now
hangs in my study.
Cowboy Cal in Sedona, Arizona. Fortunately years of motorcycle
riding prepared me and I was able to walk the next day - several friends
did not recover for days.
