Ron Dill

I entered the Army under the "buddy plan" with John Foster, one of our classmates. John and I attending basic training together at Fort Jackson, SC. After basic training, I received advanced training in cryptography at Fort Gordon, GA and John went for his advance training at Fort Devens, MA. My first duty assignment was at Vint Hill Farms Station near Warrenton, VA. After 3 1/2 years, I was transferred to Kagnew Station in Asmara, Ethiopia. Shirley and the kids joined me three months later. Asmara was the capital of Eritrea, an Italian colony from 1890 to 1941 and was federated with Ethiopia in 1952. For the first year, we lived on the economy awaiting new housing to be completed on base. That was quite an experience. While in Ethiopia, I was able to travel to Addis Ababa; Capital of Ethiopia; Nairobi, Kenya; and the Serengeti Plains in Tanzania where I went on a camera safari with a neighbor of ours. We spent three days traveling around Serengeti taking pictures of African wildlife. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. Although we never got close, seeing Mount Kilimanjaro from a distance was very impressive. Kilimanjaro at 19,340 ft is the tallest mountain in Africa. While stationed at Kagnew, I applied for Officers Candidate School (OCS) and was assigned to the Infantry OCS at Fort Benning, GA. After graduating as a 2nd Lieutenant, I received Intelligence training at Fort Holabird, MD. From there I attended the Defense Language Institute in Washington, DC. to study German. After nine months of German language training, I was transferred to Mainz, Germany. We absolutely loved everything about Germany from the people, the food, and the opportunity to travel. Travel we did. Although we only spent 18 months in Germany, We drove to France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Austria. We also had a train trip to England.
My tour in Germany was cut short due to orders to a different place, Vietnam. I was stationed in the Delta region of Vietnam as an Advisor. During this time, Shirley and the kids went back to Gastonia. Upon departing Vietnam, I was assigned to the Special Forces Command, G2, at Fort Bragg, NC.
Since I entered the Army right after high school, I had not completed enough night courses for a college degree. After a year at Fort Bragg, I requested that I be able to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha to complete my degree. My request was approved and I was able to study at UNO for 12 months. Although it was a long time coming, I finally received my BS in December 1973. After UNO, I was assigned to the Pentagon with duty in DC at the Counterintelligence Analysis Detachment. My next assignment was with the Defense Investigative Service with duty at Patrick Air Force Base, FL. From FL, I was assigned to the USA Operational Group at Fort Meade, MD. My next assignment was at the 524th MI Battalion, Seoul, Korea. Upon leaving Korea, I returned to Fort Meade. I had been taking night classes for a graduate degree and I received a MA in Business in June 1981 from Central Michigan University. I retired from the Army in March 1982 and moved to Laurel, MD where I commuted to work for a contractor in DC. After a year, I got a job with Bendix Field Engineering Corporation working on a NASA contract. Although the corporation name changed throughout the years to Allied Signal and finally Honeywell, I retired from Honeywell in March 2000. Shirley and I moved to Fleming Island, FL in 2003. Fleming Island is just south of Jacksonville.