Harrop, James, 1SG

PLEASE DESCRIBE WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO JOIN THE ARMY.

Joining the Military

I realized after a four year enlistment in the USAF, followed by a break in service of almost seven years, I made a lousy civilian.

WHETHER YOU WERE IN THE SERVICE FOR SEVERAL YEARS OR AS A CAREER, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION OR PATH YOU TOOK. WHERE DID YOU GO TO BASIC TRAINING AND WHAT UNITS, BASES OR SQUADRONS WERE YOU ASSIGNED TO? WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR LEAVING?
Reenlisted as 11B; completed AIT (Infantry, FT Benning, GA) and was offered (and accepted) an OJT position in a 32nd ADA unit in FRG with a change of Primary MOS to 16B (Nike Hercules Missile Crewman). Reenlisted for the school option of Military Intelligence in 1980 with change of Primary MOS to 96D (Imagery Analyst) and remained in that MOS until retirement in 1992.

OF ALL YOUR DUTY STATIONS OR ASSIGNMENTS, WHICH ONE DO YOU HAVE FONDEST MEMORIES OF AND WHY? WHICH WAS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE?
FT Lewis, WA. A great duty station for fishing and hunting, off duty time permitting. Great climate, as well. I've retired here and have been Salmon and Steelhead Trout fishing since and have loved every minute of it! Least favorite was "Ash & trash City" (better known as Ft. Benning) where the visiting VIPs from Washington,DC liked to hang around the flag pole which ensured you'd not have much time for combat training because the command always seemed to find plenty of details and parades for us to march in (have to impress the Senators and such, don't you know). But the real kicker for me was to see a "Staff Duty" SGM/CSM walking around housing areas with a 6-inch ruler measuring the height of people's lawns. REALLY???, I thought to myself; hey, this in an E-9? Doesn't the Post have a job more suitable to his/her stature? So, as a (then) young-ish E-6, I thought, holy moley, I gotta get out of here. I made that move as soon as I was able and never looked in the rear view mirror.

FROM YOUR ENTIRE MILITARY SERVICE, DESCRIBE ANY MEMORIES YOU STILL REFLECT BACK ON TO THIS DAY.
As Ops NCO of the Photo Interpretation Center-Korea (PIC-K), I worked closely with organizational members of all service branches. Two of our members were US Marine Corps NCO's (who were TAD from Okinawa) and I was extremely proud to have them address me as "Gunny" (and proud to have been the only "army puke" invited by them to attend the Marine Corps ball in Seoul) during my tour in the ROK. I was also fortunate to have served there while the 1988 Seoul Olympics were being conducted and able to attend a few of the venues.

WHAT PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF FROM YOUR MILITARY CAREER?
Received the JSCM for initiating and overseeing a rather involved security improvement project at the Photo Interpretation Center, Korea (PIC-K) which I cannot/will not/choose not to elaborate on for OPSEC reasons.

OF ALL THE MEDALS, AWARDS, FORMAL PRESENTATIONS AND QUALIFICATION BADGES YOU RECEIVED, OR OTHER MEMORABILIA, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL TO YOU AND WHY?
I'd probably have to say my two MSM awards. They both represented significant Intelligence accomplishments spanning several duty tours.

WHICH INDIVIDUAL(S) FROM YOUR TIME IN THE MILITARY STAND OUT AS HAVING THE MOST POSITIVE IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY?
SSG Santiago who was my primary Tac Instructor at the VII Army NCO Academy at Bad Toelz, FRG. I never met a man with more integrity or moral courage and he became the compass who shaped the direction of my travel in the US Army during my entire tenure as an NCO.

CAN YOU RECOUNT A PARTICULAR INCIDENT FROM YOUR SERVICE, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FUNNY AT THE TIME, BUT STILL MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Probably have to say it involved a Battery formation at which the Btry Cmdr was (somewhat loudly and with very serious demeanor) introducing us to our ADA GP CDR (a COL Foreburger) when the BTRY CMDR dropped a letter or two from the GP CDR's name and it came out as well; you can probably guess the rest! I still get a chuckle out of that one!!

WHAT PROFESSION DID YOU FOLLOW AFTER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY SERVING, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY?
After retirement, I went to work as a Teamster (Warehouseman) for Fred Meyer Co, a large retail chain in the Pacific Northwest and retired from that (my last working position) in 2010.

WHAT MILITARY ASSOCIATIONS ARE YOU A MEMBER OF, IF ANY? WHAT SPECIFIC BENEFITS DO YOU DERIVE FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIPS?
I am a member of AMVETS post #1, WA (Tacoma) and a lifetime member of both The Military Intelligence Corps Association and Disabled American Veterans. It both fascinates me and gives me great pleasure to talk with fellow vet's and learn how many paths life presents us with; the choices we make while on those paths and the outcomes realized in following them. These organizations also helped me immensely in obtaining a favorable outcome on my DVA disability claim.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS SERVING IN THE MILITARY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU HAVE APPROACHED YOUR LIFE AND YOUR CAREER? WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT YOUR TIME IN THE SERVICE?
It made me much more decisive and a much better judge of character, among other things.

BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE WHO HAVE RECENTLY JOINED THE ARMY?
I'm in no position to give them advice other than to not forget the assets available to them upon their transition to civilian life, whether it be ETS, Medical (or other) retirement, etc. Those assets (AMVETS, DAV, VFW, American Legion, and others) are there solely to provide them with any assistance they may need to aid them in their journey.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS TOGETHERWESERVED.COM HELPED YOU REMEMBER YOUR MILITARY SERVICE AND THE FRIENDS YOU SERVED WITH.

TWS and The US Army

It's been absolutely invaluable to me (along with TWS-Air Force) in reconnecting with old friends/buddies, some of who I would never have believed I'd be able to talk with again. Thank you TWS !!!.

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