Page 23 - Kettering Magazine Spring 2015

Cold Class Notes: The Warand the Vietnam War By Dean Bell, class of 1967 hile we were GMI students in 1962–67, we also witnessed important events in world history, the advancement of communism, the Cuban WMissile Crisis in October 1962, the death of President Kennedy in November 1963 and the gradual emergence of the conflict in Southeast Asia to be known as the Vietnam War that officially began in 1965. As time progressed the importance of These were turbulent times: The riot in retaining our student deferment status Detroit in July 1967 resulted in Federal (2S) became apparent. As the draft call Troops being flown in from Ft. Riley, increased dramatically from 1967 through Kansas. Curfews were put in place in the 1970, many of us engineers were forced to Detroit and Flint areas. No liquor could be make a decision for our futures. Some local sold in four counties, and most businesses boards granted critical skills deferments, closed at night. Our graduation ceremony married men with a families were at the IMA Auditorium was pulled ahead deferred, and the State of Ohio deferred four hours, and armed guards with rifles all engineers who requested it. Some of us were posted at the entrance. The speakers transferred to defense jobs or quit GM for were quick to finish. Flint was considered a defense jobs. “powder keg” waiting to explode. Coincidently GMI’s physician until 1966, Many of us GMI grads found ourselves in Dr. Robert Anderson, was in charge of the the various branches of the service with Detroit Induction Center medical exams leadership and technical responsibilities, at Fort Wayne where most of us received and some became pilots and navigators. our physical exams and were sworn in. I Some draftees were assigned army chatted with him briefly. He has always engineering development jobs but some supported community health programs for went into combat in Vietnam. GMI prepared Genesee County, and during the 1970s he us well to serve our country. Our real world became the Physician for the University co-op experience and excellent engineering of Michigan Football Team and worked education allowed us to take on new jobs for Washtenaw County. The draft lottery and challenges. We had already learned program was implemented in December how to survive. Indeed it was the best of 1969 for the 1970 call-up. times and the worst of times. SPRING 2015 23