Quotes about Farming!!!

"My employment at John Deere supports My Farming habit!"

"Buy Land, They are not making more!"

"Farming May Suck, But it is still the best place to raise Kids!!"

Young Iowa Tractor Boy

August 31, 1961 I was sworn in as an enlisted Sailor in the United States Navy.  I was a Tender Young Iowa Farm Boy who was about to be drafted into the U. S. Army.  I had walked on enough gravel roads to know that I wanted to do something different, thus my enlistment in the Navy.  After Boot Camp in San Diego I served in the USS Ranger CVA-61), which was an Attack Aircraft Carrier assigned to the U. S. Pacific Fleet with a homeport of Alameda, California which is located in the San Francisco Bay.

I served in the Ranger from 18 April 1962 to 18 July 1964.  My Bride and I recently attended a USS Ranger Reunion in Jacksonville, Florida.  While the Ranger was decommissioned in 1993, Ranger Sailors continue to reflect on their service by attending annual Reunions in various cities in the United States.  This picture was taken during the 2014 Ranger Reunion for inclusion in the Memory Book that each attendee can purchase.  I decided to dress as a Tender Iowa Farm Boy for this official Reunion Photograph.  Admittedly I am now older, but I have fond memories of being an Iowa Farm Boy in my youth.  I was involved in 4-H as a member of the Jefferson Go-Hawks Club and during my High School Years at Garnavillo High High School I was a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA).  I received the State Farmer Degree during an annual meeting of the State of Iowa FFA Chapters in 1958.

Admitted I am older than a Young Iowa Tractor Boy, but I am grateful for my experiences as an Iowa Tractor Boy in the 1950s which gave me the values that allowed me to lead a productive life.  In fact I will be 75 years old in 2015.