George E. Thelen, Sr., NAVY

I joined the Navy in 1967 and went to boot camp at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in Illinois. From there I went into the Navy Seabees, the Naval Construction Battalion. I was sent to Gulfport, Mississippi and joined Mobile Construction Battalion 74 (MCB-74). We took our combat training at the Marine base in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. From that point, we flew over to Chu Lai, South Vietnam, Camp Shields. I went on detachments to Cam Lo in Vietnam for road construction. I was stationed there about 3 months. Then was moved to Dung Ha, not far away. (approximately 4 months). Was then sent back to Chu Lai to finish out our first tour. I was flown back to Gulfport, Mississippi at that point to resupply. My second tour started in Quang Tri, where I was for about 5 months. Next up was Da Nang. At the end of 2 years, I had received the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Combat Action Ribbon. I was then Second Class Petty Officer. I was stationed in Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas for a year at this point. I was then transferred to Port Hueneme, California and finished out my tour there.