Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003
Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003
Tomorrow Magazine Veterans Day Special Issue, 2003
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If you aren’t<br />
mature when you<br />
go in the military,<br />
you become<br />
mature really fast.<br />
I<br />
Cheryl Lamb as told<br />
to Molly Rose Teuke<br />
I was in the Philippines for my first<br />
two years. We [the Fleet Composite<br />
Squadron, VC-5] supported the<br />
Seventh Naval Fleet, launching and<br />
recovering the aircraft. I was supposed<br />
to go to electrical trade school, but my<br />
paperwork got put off and that didn’t<br />
happen. I had to learn everything on<br />
my own. After I finished my work on<br />
the flight line, I would go into the electricians’<br />
shop and work with the guys.<br />
They took me under their wing, showing<br />
me how to do things, what manuals<br />
to read and what to study. They’ll<br />
let you watch for a while, and then<br />
when they think you’re comfortable,<br />
they’ll say, “OK, do you want to<br />
remove this amp?” And so you try it.<br />
After those two years, I went on to<br />
Mirmar, Calif. That’s the Airborne<br />
Early Warning Squadron, VAW-110<br />
for the E2 and C2 aircraft. E2s track<br />
things, like submarines, under water<br />
with Doppler radar; C2s are cargo airplanes.<br />
I injured my knee coming out<br />
the back of a helicopter, and I injured<br />
it again coming out the back of the C2.<br />
Cheryl Lamb<br />
U. S. Navy, 1986–1990<br />
U.S. Naval Reserve, 1991–present<br />
Petty Officer Second Class<br />
Spot Welder, Warren Stamping<br />
UAW Local 869<br />
Once my knees were shot, they<br />
assigned me to the tool room.<br />
I revised all the toolboxes and the<br />
tool control program. I wanted it to be<br />
simple so anyone could tell what went<br />
where. I received a letter of commendation<br />
from a rear admiral for that.<br />
I’m attached to three different units<br />
because of my specialized skills. I have<br />
experience on seven different aircraft,<br />
from helicopters to early warning aircraft.<br />
There’s a lot of classroom training<br />
at Selfridge Air National Guard<br />
Base [Mount Clemens, Mich.], but<br />
there’s no Navy hardware, meaning<br />
aircraft, for me to work on. I go to<br />
Norfolk, Va., to work on the H60 helicopters,<br />
and once every couple of<br />
years, I go to Sigonella Naval Base in<br />
Sicily, Italy, to work with the Aviation<br />
Intermediate Maintenance Department.<br />
If you aren’t mature when you go in<br />
the military, you become mature really<br />
fast. You learn how to be responsible<br />
for your own actions. I can do anything<br />
I put my mind to.<br />
✮<br />
July 16, 1979.<br />
Iraqi president Al-Bakr<br />
resigns and is succeeded<br />
by Saddam Hussein.<br />
Post-Vietnam<br />
attacked by a suicide bomber. 241 Marines<br />
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983<br />
1979. Lee Iococca<br />
elected chairman<br />
of Chrysler Corp.<br />
September 1980.<br />
Full-scale war<br />
erupts between<br />
Iran and Iraq.<br />
1980. President Carter signs<br />
$1.5 billion in federal loan<br />
guarantees to Chrysler Corp.<br />
1981. Chrysler sells its<br />
defense division to<br />
General Dynamics.<br />
Oct. 23, 1983.<br />
U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon,<br />
and sailors are killed.<br />
1982. K-cars<br />
introduced.<br />
1983. Chrysler pays<br />
off federal loans,<br />
seven years ahead<br />
of schedule.<br />
November 1983.<br />
The Vietnam <strong>Veterans</strong><br />
Memorial dedicated<br />
in Washington, D.C.<br />
16 www.uawdcx.com
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