Welcome to Springs of Grace!

Springs of Grace

Salutes Our Veterans

Thank You For Your Service!

LT. Ablett, Gere

2 Years of Service

June 15, 1968 - June 15, 1970

Enlisted Rank: Ensign

Served in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corp. at the Naval Hospital in Millington, TN.
During the Vietnam Era, he averaged 20-30 airevacs a week from Vietnam.

Barrow, Brian

6 Years of Service

Year of Discharge: 1971

Assigned to the USCGC "Courier," his duties included patroling along
the east coast, port security, and search & rescue.

Dunlavy, Joseph

3 Years of Service

Year of Discharge: 1970

Enlisted Rank: Private

Served in the Vietnam War.

Col Goodrich, Jerry

38 Years of Service

Year of Commission: 1965

Major combat in Vietnam, the first Gulf War (Desert Storm), 3 (classified) Special
Operations missions, and several other minor skirmishes.
Served in: Athens, Greece 1974-1975, Charlottesville, VA 1976-1980, Fleet Marine
Forces Atlantic, IIMEF & FMF Europe 1984-1988.
Retired to teach at the University of Virginia and College of William & Mary. Moved
to Florida after final retirement in 2003, summering in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Relocated to Landrum in 2016 to be closer to family.

Year of Discharge: 2003

CPT Hunt, Wes

7 Years of Service

Year of Discharge: 2004

A United States Military Academy Cadet from 1993-1997. In Active Service he served
in the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions and 2nd Infantry Division in Korea.
He was deployed to Iraq twice in 2003-2004 with the 82nd Airborne in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom.

HM1 Lewis, Norman

6 Years of Service

Date of Discharge: July 23, 1974

Enlisted Rank: HR

Served in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970 at Naval Hospital DaNang in the
Fleet Marine Force-5th Mar Div. He attended lab school at the Naval Hospital in
San Diego, CA. His last duty station was NAS Oceana, Va. Beach, and was discharged
from the Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va.

LCDR Poeta, Gary

6 Years of Service, 19 Years Reserves

Date of Discharge: September, 1997

Enlisted Rank: E1

SPC Poeta, Joshua

4 Years of Service, 6 Years National Guard

Date of Discharge: August 1, 2004

Enlisted Rank: Private

Deployed to Kuwait August 1, 2002 and was then deployed to Iraq on March 1, 2003.
He was again deployed to Iraq from March 1 to August 1, 2003 as a member of
the 51st Signal Unit, but deployed with the 123rd Signal Battalion of the
3rd Infantry Division.

SFC Rinkema, Richard

2 Years of Service, 15 Years in Army Reserves

Date of Discharge: October 1969

Enlisted Rank: Private

Rick was offered a spot at West Point but he could not go because he was married.
Rick was sent to Germany to work with the Nike Missile. After one year of service,
he was joined by his wife, Susan, in Germany for a year.

In 1983 SFC Richard Rinkema was awarded the outstanding Drill Sgt award in
A Co 4BN 291 RGT 3BDE in Enid, Oklahoma.

SFC Van Wagner, Richard

4 Years of Service

Date of Discharge: January 28, 1952

Served in the Army ASA (Army Security Agency) in Korea. One year of his tour
in Korea was during the Korean War.

CPL Varner, Marion

2 Years of Service

Date of Discharge: February 26, 1973

Enlisted Rank: Private

Stationed at Fort Meade, MD in the 442 Signal Corp. He was in charge of the
Mobile Communications Center for training of Army Reserves.

(He's not at liberty to divulge the contents, but he has papers signed by
President Richard Nixon.)

Wuerfel, Tom

3 1/2 Years of Service

Date of Discharge: August 1955

Served aboard the USS Tarawa CVA-40, an aircraft carrier. He visited many ports
on the east coast including Cuba. Then he sailed to the Mediterranean Sea visiting
Spain, Algeria, France, Italy, Sicily, Malta, and Turkey. The ship received orders
to sail through the Suez Canal to Korea, stoppping at Colombo, Ceylon and Singapore.
Then they arrived at Korea to patrol off the 38th Parallel South sending planes into
Korea. New orders sent the ship to Australia and New Zealand for the Coral Sea
Celebration, being the first American ship in Australia since World War II. Ask him
about being a "shellback" or his membership in the Whale Banger Club!