The Good Life – May-June 2024

LOCAL HERO | JIM DEREMO
When he finished training, he completed his “dream
sheet” of where he wanted to be assigned.
“I put down Vietnam as my first choice, so, of course,
the Navy sent me to Naval Air Station Miramar,
near San Diego,” Deremo said. “After about a year
at Miramar, I got to fill out another wish list and, of
course, I put Vietnam as my No. 1 choice. So, they
sent me to a school at NAS Lemoore, California.”
After completing the next round of training, he again
listed Vietnam as his first choice. This time he was
assigned to the USS Constellation, an aircraft carrier,
and soon started his long-awaited trip to Vietnam.
They positioned just off Vietnam’s coast and supported
ground troops by bombing enemy positions, supplies
and supply routes. They also shot down enemy
aircraft, all while battling typhoons and jet fuel fires
next to jets loaded with bombs and missiles.
After his December 1973 discharge from the Navy,
Deremo stayed with his parents in Arkansas City,
Kansas. College was up next for him, so it made sense
to transition at home.
“I kinda missed the hippie movement, so I thought I'd
let my hair and beard grow,” Deremo said. “Me and
my dad were sitting at the table one night talking, and
he said, ‘You ought to shave that beard off. What the
hell's with that?’”
Always ready with a clever comeback, Deremo
declared, “Good enough for Jesus, good enough for
me!”
His dad quickly responded, “But Jesus didn’t live in
my house!”
So, off Deremo went to Dakota State College in South
Dakota for a teaching degree.
SEEING THE NEED
While there, he was elected president of the Collegiate
Vets. That connected him with more veterans as he
attended state conventions for the VFW, DAV and
American Legion. It also led him to a work-study
program on campus, where he ran the veterans’
office, filed paperwork, and spent time “fighting with
the VA.”
32 | THE GOOD LIFE