George McLemore

George McLemore, born on January 11, 1943, served in the United States Army for 2 years.

Rank/ position: E4 Private 1st Class

Stationed/ deployed: Fort Huachuca, AZ.

George said his oldest brother served two years in Germany and his younger brother served in Sweden and Germany. George was drafted to join the military.

His role or job during his service was a cook and Med Sergeant private first class.

When asked if he remembered his first day of service or boot camp and what it was like, he said that there was a company picnic where soldiers would bring their families. "They took me around the kitchen and showed me everything and that's all there was to it. Then they all went off to Vietnam."

George served during the Vietnam War. During his time in the Army, he traveled outside of the U.S. to Mexico and inside the U.S. he traveled to Fort Huachuca, AZ.

George mentioned there was a funny moment that happened during his time in the service. "There were two gates to go in and out with guards. High powered rifles. Through the gate there was a big open field. A guy asked what if he got out and took off through the field, what would the guard do. The guard said that he would shoot at him. I guess he was feeling brave because one day he shot through the gate and the gun went shooting, clipped his 'privates.' Guarantee he never did anything like that again."

Those who stood out most in his memory while serving include: Michael Presley from Kentucky where George said they "got along pretty good," and many boys from New York Philadelphia and Massachusetts.

George mentioned how difficult it was to get along with some people and that that was the most challenging part of his service.

Words of advice or encouragement for today's service members: "Don't volunteer for anything. They'll want you to do some dirty work. Just stick to what you do. They take advantage."