This week in Fence Post we are recognizing some of our FSA veterans in honor of Veterans Day. These men and women come from every region of the United States and represent all branches of the armed forces. We say thank you to all of our veterans for your service to this country.
by Latawnya Dia, FSA public affairs specialist
Kathy Blake is a farm loan technician in Decatur, Miss.
Kathy Blake served in the Navy for four years during the Vietnam War. She retells how she joined the Navy and some of her life-changing experiences while she served.
"I graduated from high school and was working a dead end job, not going anywhere. Suffice to say my parents didn’t like the way I was living, and to be honest I was getting tired of it myself but hadn’t done much to change it.
One day, my mother invited me over for a drink, and after a couple of drinks she took me to the recruiting office. I guess she didn’t want me too sober to know what was about to happen. We arrived to the recruiting station and I had no clue what she was up to. We sat down, and the next thing you know I had signed everything they laid in front of me.
At the time, joining the Navy and seeing the world sounded pretty exciting and adventurous. But two weeks later I returned and literally begged the recruiter to let me out of the contract. Had I of known that I really could have gotten out of my contract, I would have, but with all that I experienced in those four short years, I’m glad that I didn’t. At any rate, my mother pulled some strings and got the swearing-in process sped up. She even insisted that she ride with me and the recruiter to Coral Gables to be sworn in. He told her it was highly unusual, but she wanted to make sure that I did it.
I swore in and before I knew it, I was in boot camp. I don’t think anyone can prepare you for that. It’s something you have to experience for yourself.
It’s amazing, if you never leave your hometown or even the U.S., you become so closed minded about the world and the different type of people around the world. I can remember being terrified when I was told that I would be going to Rota, Spain. It’s sounds very naïve and narrow minded of me, but I thought I would have to ride donkeys or burros to work. I cried the entire month before I left. That ended up being the best assignment I had in the Navy.”
Although she never did ride a donkey or burro to work, Kathy said she experienced some amazing things in the military. Once when she and her husband took leave to go to Rota, Spain to visit friends, they had a stop in Azores in Portugal to refuel the plane. When the plane was beginning to descend, it hit the crosswinds and turned so that it landed sideways and broke two wheel struts. It took nearly two days to repair the plane. She and her husband ended up going back to their duty station in Brunswick, Maine. But more interesting than the plane crash was the fact that Kathy was court-martialed for being AWOL during that trip. According to Kathy, an overzealous lieutenant junior grade officer reported her as being AWOL. Somehow her name wasn’t put on the manifest when the plane crash was reported. Needless to say, all of the charges were dropped and no one was hurt.
Although Kathy experienced some funny and not so pleasant things in the Navy, she still recommends the armed forces for anyone who doesn’t know what they want to do after high school, or who wants to go to college later or who just wants to travel.
“It’s one of the best places where you can get on-the-job training, plenty to eat and a place to live that’s included in your pay, not to mention the travel — and all on the government’s dime.”
