Jerald R. Pederson, CTA1 USN/USNR, 1965-1971 In the fall of 1965, I received my draft notice. Having tried (and failed) for the Navy school of music, I still elected to go Navy and signed up for the delayed enlistment program on December 26. Mid-April 1966 I left my job as a clerk-typist with the Department of Interior in Minneapolis and flew to San Diego for boot camp. Learned in boot camp to never volunteer any info, so when I arrived back in San Diego for YN A school I didn't mention that I had been making my living as a typist before signing up. I joined the rest of the guys (yes, only guys--it was the '60s) assigned to typing practice until the next class formed. I thought nothing of a 60- to 65-wpm (with three or fewer errors) result in our first proficiency test and went outside when the smoking lamp was lit. When we came back in a very agitated chief was calling out my name, which I was sure did not bode well. Turns out that my typing skills were at least twice what was needed to qualify for proficiency. He tried to get me in the class that had just started, but couldn't so I ended up working in the Admin office for 2 weeks instead. Graduated from school in September (best typing time was 98 wpm with one error on a manual typewriter no less) and eventually got orders to Guam. Left Guam in May '68 with orders to DISTOFF 9ND GLAKES, a billet for which nobody on Guam had any info. Turned out to be a six-person office that managed/coordinated the ResSecGru program in the Ninth Naval District. Heading the office when I arrived was Captain A. J. Pelletier, Jr., for whom the football field on NCS Guam was named. We also had the next to last active duty WAVE A brancher--First Class Isabel Hinman (and she was a first-class A brancher). Got an early out in 1970 when the Navy was cutting back to save money. Affiliated with the SecGru Division (9-10) when I got back to Minneapolis. I remember a 2-week active duty stint at Groton, shortly after it had opened as a spot for ACDUTRA. The admin chief did not want any reserves working in his office, so I was shunted off to provide support to the Mat men division. When the chief realized I was actually a "regular Navy" product, he wanted me back but the division wouldn't let go of me. Probably would have stayed in the program, except my next set of training orders were changed from Florida in March to DISTOFF 9ND in January. As a result, I called it quits in December 1971 as a CTA1. Sometimes I regret that I didn't stay in, but I just chose a different fork in the road. Jerry Pederson CTA1 (1966-71) Delayed Entry Program, Dec 1965 - Apr 1966 Recruit Training, San Diego, Apr-Jul 1966 YN A School, San Diego, Aug-Sep 1966 NCS Guam, Oct 1966 - May 1968, CTASA--CTA3 DISTOFF 9ND, GLAKES, Jun 1968 - Jan 1970, CTA3--CTA2 NavResSecGruDiv 9-10, Feb 1970 - Dec 1971, CTA2--CTA1