Serving Her Country

by John C. Westervelt

Paul David Olson was my roommate on a destroyer operating off of Korea during the Korean War. I was a 1950 Naval ROTC graduate from Oklahoma University. Paul, from Minnesota, was a 1951 Annapolis graduate and a career navy man. A friendship that began while our destroyer screened the aircraft carriers of the Seventh Fleet has lasted a lifetime. Nelda and I chose Paul David as the name for our son.

Paul and Jill have six daughters. Jill had her hands full of little girls while Paul was away on two tours of duty in Vietnam. I’m sure the girls missed their dad as much as their mother did. So I was surprised, yet pleased, that a granddaughter wants to serve her country just as her grandfather did. Paul’s email this week in answer to my question tells the story.

"Hi John:

Yes, we will see many of the grandchildren this summer. As a matter of fact Jill and I will board a flight to MSP (Minnesota) tomorrow afternoon to spend over a week with family and friends. Our timing is occasioned by the June 8^th high school graduation of Sara and Rodney's second daughter, Tricia, from Cambridge High. She will enter the U. S. Air Force Academy on June 26^th as a Cadet with the ambition to become a pilot. She also had a Principal Appointment to the Naval Academy, but opted for the Air Force as she felt her chances of getting into aviation are greater. I'm just as happy to see her going after a situation where the average runway length is more like 15,000 feet than the bouncing carrier flight deck.

Take care and God bless. Our love, Jill and Paul D."