Monday, July 4, 2011

Last Vietnam-era draftee decides to retire

In this photo taken Monday, June 27, 2011, Army Command Sgt. Major Jeffery Mellinger, 58, talks to The Associated Press about his nearly 40-year career in his office in Fort Belvoir, Va. Mellinger, a Vietnam War draftee in 1972, is believed by the Army to be the last conscripted soldier to have served continuously without a break. Set to retire this summer, he's done everything from teaching Special Forces commandos to free-fall out of planes, to serving as the top enlisted soldier in Iraq, where he survived 27 roadside bombings during his deployment of 33 consecutive months. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — A homemade wind chime with the word "Whining" under a red slash is made from metal parts put in his leg after a parachute accident. Every Sunday he trims his crew cut. He didn't join the Army willingly, but as Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mellinger prepares to retire, he's grateful he found his calling.
Mellinger was drafted to fight the Vietnam War, and the Army believes he's the last draftee to retire, after 39 years. Most did their two years and left. But Mellinger had found home.  More.... Yahoo News
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