This Veteran’s Day, the firm would like to honor the men and women who have served and are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, defending our freedom. To each of you, we would like to give a heart-felt thanks.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, we asked our two partners, who previously served in the military, to tell us a little about their service.
I was drafted into the Army in 1969, shortly after I finished law school and had taken the Tennessee Bar Exam. I was initially assigned to Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina and was later assigned to Fort Benning in Columbus, GA for two months of basic training. Once completed, I was assigned to the 6th Air Defense Artillery Group at Fort Bliss, TX where I remained for the balance of my time. I ended my enlistment in 1971 as an E5 which is equivalent to a Buck Sergeant.
Although I would not have enlisted, I made the best of my Army career. I met a lot of people, some of whom I still have contact with today. I also saw a lot of the southwest United States as well as Mexico. It was not a bad time, all in all.
I was awarded a Navy ROTC Scholarship and used it to attend Duke University. Upon graduation in 1993, I was commissioned as an Ensign (O-1) and assigned to the Naval Intelligence Officer Basic Course (NIOBC) in Virginia Beach, VA.
After six months of training, my first tour of duty was with a squadron of E-2 Hawkeyes (VAW-126) aboard the U.S.S. Eisenhower, based in Norfolk, VA. During my 2½ years with the squadron, I served as the squadron intelligence officer, and worked on both ship and shore, supporting flight operations. We made a six month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf, and did counter-drug operations in the Caribbean.
During my final year in the Navy, I was stationed at the Atlantic Intelligence Command in Norfolk, supporting the Commander of USACOM. I focused on counter-narcotics intelligence in the western hemisphere. I was promoted to full Lieutenant (O-3) before my discharge. I left the Navy in 1997 and enrolled at the UT College of Law in my hometown of Knoxville.
Frantz, McConnell & Seymour, LLP offers legal services in virtually every area of civil and business law representing clients throughout East Tennessee.
