MEMBER BIOGRAPHY August NEWSLETTER.

Richard (Ric) Tetrault

  Ric was born in New Bedford Massachusetts and raised in Fairhaven where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzard's BAY. Fairhaven is a place well known for its whaling and fishing heritage and Ric’s first job while in high school was at a local boat yard hauling boats before winter and painting and performing tune ups just before launching in spring.

Ric graduated from Fairhaven High School in 1972 and enlisted into the US Navy as an Aviation Electronic Technician AT. After boot camp at Great Lakes he received orders to electronic Class A School at the Navel Air Technical Training Center in Millington Tennessee. He did well in his class and received orders to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron VAQ 131 NAS Whidbey Island, Washington.

Before reporting to his squadron Ric attended the Navel Air Technical Training Center at Whidbey for intermediate electronic training specific to the EA6B Prowler and the ALQ-92 electronic counter measure set. As soon as he reported to VAQ-131, he was assigned to maintain the ALQ-92 at the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD) for the squadron’s three EA6B aircraft.

The test bench for trouble shooting the six boxes connected together for the ALQ-92 was quite large and too large to be placed on board a carrier. Therefore, test benches had to be constructed at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington, NAS Subic Bay, Philippine Islands and NAS Rota Spain. Unbeknownst to Ric those three locations were the only places he would work for the remainder of his enlistment.

As a 3rd Class AT and In less than a year after reporting to NAS Whidbey Ric’s squadron shipped out for a seven month western pacific cruise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation.However, two weeks before deployment Ric received orders for temporary assigned duty (TAD) to NAS Subic Bay Philippines to repair any gear which was flown in from the carrier and then flown back to the ship during the entire seven month cruise. 

Back to the States for an eight month turn around and in late 1975 VAQ-131 shipped out again this time to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. Again Ric was TAD but this time to NAS Rota Spain.

After satisfying his four year active duty obligation Ric chose to settle in the City of San Jose. He attended Evergreen Valley College, graduated from San Jose City College and graduated from San Jose State University in 1991 with a BS in Industrial Computer Electronic Technology and a minor in Business Management.

Ric worked fifteen years with the City of San Jose Department of Public Works.  He began work as a surveyor and later transferred to infrastructure computer mapping and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) helping to create the city’s digital parcel base map, sewer map and storm drain maps and related infrastructure management systems. He spent the last six years as project manager reconstructing railroad grade crossings throughout the City together with the PUC, UP, SP and Caltrans.

Ric moved to Baxter, CA after leaving the City of San Jose and went to work for Placer County helping to develop the county’s sanitary sewer/GIS mapping and infrastructure management system. After twelve years with Placer County Ric retired in 2008 from the City of San Jose and Placer County to enjoy and spend more time with his new twins and six year old.

 
Ric is now a member of American Legion post 192 in Colfax CA where he is now serving as First Vice Commander and committee member to the adjutant volunteering to make contact with our current members to inform them of current events and checking on their welfare. Since coming aboard Ric has been a valuable asset the the post 192 team of officers in taking on new responsibilities and expanding our ability to serve our veterans.  

Bryce was born and raised in Provo, Utah. He recalls growing up on the fringes of town in a Huckleberry Finn atmosphere of rivers and streams and exploring open fields and nearby mountains and forests. A life short on discipline but long on adventure. After graduating high school in 1982, he lived in Taiwan for 18 months picking up a solid introduction into the Chinese language. Returning home in 1984, he worked on a drill rig and dabbled in junior college for a couple years.   A friend suggested they talk to an Army Recruiter about their linguistics program. He scored high on the aptitude test, but his friend did not. The buddies joined up in January of 1986, Bryce to train in linguistics, his friend as a Medic.  After boot camp at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he attended the Mandarin Chinese language program at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California.  He quickly bypassed his starting class to be placed into another class halfway through. Almost immediately he was placed into Intermediate level Chinese. He graduated Intermediate Chinese two weeks ahead of his original Basic Chinese Course.  After Intelligence training at Goodfellow AFB, Texas, he was stationed with the 703rd Military Intelligence Brigade at Schofield Barracks, and worked at Field Station Kunai, Hawaii.  Bryce spent 14 years with the Army, bouncing between tours in Oahu, Hawaii, and Monterey, California. He left the Army in 2000 as Staff Sergeant. He was destined for another tour in Hawaii, which would have been fine, but decided instead to discharge from Active Duty and enlist in the National Guard to pursue further work as a civilian at DLI. He married his wife, Lorrie, whom he met while in Monterey. 

Bryce worked extensively with the Chinese language. His first Hawaii tour was extended from three years to six years. He returned to Monterey for the Advanced Mandarin Chinese program in 1994 and 1995, then back to Hawaii for 3 more years. He was fortunate to take part in a groundbreaking in-country language program for U.S. military personnel at Chinese universities. In 1998 he returned to Monterey, this time as an instructor at DLI for several years.  His students included DOD personnel from all branches of service, State Department, Foreign Services and others. He first attended as competitor, then in later years helped organize DLI annually sponsored Language Olympic goodwill games.  As an instructor he also had assignments working with Recruiters and leading Honor Guard services for deceased veterans.

One highlight of Bryce’s career was leading a six-person team of Chinese linguists to Wake Island to assist the processing of 109 Illegal Immigrants awaiting repatriation or prosecution. These Chinese were fleeing their country by boat bound for Canada and the U.S.  He spent 6 weeks as part of a UN mission interviewing these men, women for health and welfare concerns and to determine individual qualification for asylum, repatriation or prosecution as human traffickers.  Another painful highlight of his service was a broken leg suffered doing a gymnastic flip during PT (Physical Training). He has permanent metal rods and screws in his right leg. 

Bryce and his wife moved from Monterey County to Placer County in 2002. He worked at Silver State Helicopters in McClellan as a helicopter mechanic and attended helicopter pilot school. In early 2005, his National Guard unit deployed to Iraq. In pre-deployment screening a major health issue was discovered. The following year, Bryce suffered a stroke which ended his military and aviation career.   

For several years, Bryce volunteered in the office and on the board of the Colfax Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2010, he was hired by the Social Security Administration in Auburn as a Claims Representative and medically retired in 2017, after suffering another stroke. He has largely recovered from both strokes with some residual complications. He continues to pursue professional and personal developments.

Bryce has an Associate in Arts degree from Monterey Peninsula College; an Associate in Science Aeronautics-Airframe and Powerplant degree from Sacramento City College; and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Excelsior University. He has many hobbies including painting, playing guitar, auto mechanics and spending time with family and his beloved pets. 

Lorrie and Bryce were married 01-01-01 (January 1, 2001) in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Although neither have children, Bryce is one of seven children and Lorrie is one of ten… so there are plenty of Obeso and LeFevre family celebrations (holidays, birthdays, graduations, weddings) every year with their siblings, nieces and nephews, and families. 

Bryce has volunteered to take on the post 192 school award program for our local telemetry schools and serves as our coordinator to District 7 for Boy's state selection and development taking place in July of each year at the California State University, Sacramento. 

Henry (Hank) Martin Silva, US Navy Sea Bee’s from 1966 – 1969

Hank was born July 15 1947 in Sacramento, CA and grew up in the rural East Levee area and Del Paso Heights. He went to Taylor Street Elementary School, Del Paso Junior High School and Grant Union High School where he was an average student and studied auto mechanics in his senior year. He graduated in 1965 and in July received a draft notice to enlist into army, well having several brothers who served in the navy, he went down to the recruiter’s office and enlisted in the Navy. 

In April 1966 Hank went to boot camp in San Diego, California where he spent 6 weeks training and testing, for various duties that suited his skills, where his aptitude tests showed high scores in communications and mechanical engineering he decided to volunteer for duty with the Seabee’s (construction Battalion) after boot camp and was assigned to Port Hueneme Naval base in Oxnard, Ca for further training in Motorized Vehicle Mechanics and various other military related exercises. Three months later he was shipped off to Gulfport, Mississippi to MCB 74 (Mobile Construction Battalion) where he was given extensive training for diesel mechanics, Allison Automatic Transmission (a specialty school presented by GMC for only two members of the battalion). In addition to vocational training military exercises were conducted in both Gulfport and Camp Lejeune Jacksonville, North Carolina with a side trip to Rhode Island to conduct landing exercises on a remote island to off load and load construction equipment (his only duty on a ship). 

Hank spent two tours in Vietnam the first, 8 months in 1967 and 1968 Da Nang where he earned his stripes for CM3 (E-4) and 9 months in 1968 and 1969 in Chu Lai where he passed the tests for CM2 (E-5) but was ineligible for promotion unless he reenlisted for another 4 years and more tours to Vietnam (needless to say he took the option of getting out of the service). 

While in Da Nang he was stationed on Red Beach across from the FLC (Fleet Logistics Command) and within a mile of the Air Base. The marines attached to the FLC took most of the fighting and mortar rounds fired from the hills in VC held areas and the Air base was a constant target and one round even hit a fuel storage facility that set of a powerful explosion that rocked the surrounding areas and the concussion was a tremendous force that traveled to our location knocking him and his fellow troops from their work stations and defense bunkers. That blast well exceeded the blast of an asphalt tanker that had ignited and blew up just outside their mechanic shop. Working with heavy duty equipment was in itself dangerous work and at times someone would make an error removing or replacing the split rings on a earth-moving vehicle tire (about 6’ in diameter) and lose a hand or leg in the process or a runaway diesel engine would occasionally blow up.  

The second tour in Chu Lai was less stressful but none the less dangerous. While they were up against the beach they were at a point where the Hospital ships anchored off shore so the perimeters were established further out than in Da Nang and there was an air base just outside their compound. In Chu Lai Hank was put in charge of organizing and inventorying the MLO yard (building supplies) and after doing that he was assigned to the Mechanic supply to help keep track of and issue spare parts for the equipment and to work on the Automatic transmissions when they broke down. The transmissions needed to be worked on in a controlled cool environment, which was a relief from the heat and the sand that constantly blew around, and the warehouse had an air conditioned room which housed their company commander and they would have to take it over to work on the transmissions (tough job but someone had to do it). 

One day during the Tet Offensive a group of soldiers were out on the tarmac getting ready to load up for their trip home when the VC started lobbing mortars at the air base and of course everyone ran for the bunkers but where hank was he could see the soldiers on the tarmac run for their bunker and as they were diving for it a round made a direct hit and exploded killing several of the men. A sad sight and experience that shook everyone to their core and he will never get that out of his memory. It wasn’t long after that that MCB 74 ended their tour and returned to the states. 

Hank was discharged after serving 2 years and 11 months on February 22, 1969. The reason for getting discharged with 13 months left to serve was that he had served that maximum time in country and could not be sent back unless he reenlisted for another 4 years. He served out the remainder of his time on inactive reserve.

After his discharge he went back to Sacramento, California where he worked several jobs at gas stations working on cars and pumping gas and a brief employment as an optician. In February of 1970 he joined Pacific Bell and went to work collecting money from the payphones where he worked for two years before he was able to apply for another position. He sought the lineman position which became available in Yuba City, California and after testing and passing a pole climbing test, he was accepted by the local manager in Yuba City. Hank spent 2 years working on the line crew where one of his responsibilities was to place underground lines to new residential developments. This is how he learned to read cable color codes, splice wires and affix water tight closures and was rewarded with a promotion to the construction splicing crew in Yuba City. In 1976 he transferred back to Sacramento as a cable maintenance repair technician where he worked until 1983. 

The Telephone companies went through divestiture at that time and he took that opportunity to make another transfer so he packed up the family and moved to Pleasanton, California. He worked there on the noon to 8 shift repairing cable outages and often long hours six days a week and sometimes seven days during winter months. In 1990 he decided that he wanted to move back to the Sacramento area so he took a job in Rancho Cordova, a town to the east of Sacramento, where he went back to construction splicing but he settled down in Chicago Park, a small town south of Grass Valley thinking of retirement. In 1993 he was able to transfer to Auburn, California and worked there until his retirement in 2000. 

During his stay in Pleasanton he worked his off hours (6 am to noon) learning to install alarm systems and after retirement he opened his own business installing alarms, phones, data, cable TV and video systems.  

He is now serving as the current commander of the American Legion Post 192 Colfax, Ca.