David Behrend, of Morgan, joined the Navy in 1971 while a sophomore in a Michigan high school. Immediately after graduation, he went to basic training in San Diego.
“When I was 16 years old, I talked with the Navy recruiter and joined while still in high school,” Behrend said. “I couldn’t get away from home fast enough, but I had to wait till after my graduation from Powers-Spalding High School before I attended basic training.”
After training in California and at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, Behrend was assigned to the USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22). The ship was the 21st Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer, commissioned in 1964.
“This ship had just about everything,” Behrend said. “We had guided missiles, rockets, torpedoes, depth chargers, gun batteries, and we were at times equipped with nuclear warheads.”
Behrend took the advice of family members who had served in the military and did not volunteer for any job but simply took whatever job assigned to him.
“Looking back now, I wish that I would’ve picked my job instead of having it assigned to me,” Behrend said.
Behrend was assigned to the ship’s boiler room.
“In 1972, I was just weeks out of training and placed on the DDG-22, and we set sail to Vietnam,” Behrend said.
Soon after their arrival on the coast of Vietnam, while just a few miles away from the demilitarized zone, they came under fire from Vietcong artillery.
“The Vietcong had artillery near the shoreline and would fire rounds that left streaks of blue powder in the sky to trace their shots,” Behrend. “They would usually miss by many hundreds of yards, but to our surprise, they actually hit us.”
Behrend’s ship was struck in the hull a few feet above the waterline. The projectile entered at an angle, leaving a hole 6 feet in diameter.
“The path that the projectile took through the ship was just inches away from penetrating the ammunition stores, gun battery controls, fuel tank and boiler room,” Behrend said. “It went through the cooling water reservoir and stopped while pushing a dent in the fuel tank.
“It could have been the end of all us; it was a matter of inches.”
Behrend finished his time with the Navy as a petty officer 1st class (E-6) and joined the Coast Guard in 1991. During the Persian Gulf War, his unit patrolled the Port of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, in a Kevlar hulled 22-foot-long Boston Whaler.
“The Kevlar lined boats could take over 2,000 rounds of small arms fire before they would take on water,” Behrend said. “They had twin 275-hp motors, and it got cold riding in those fast boats. On a 70-degree day, we would wear our winter gear.”
Behrend is thankful for the winter combat uniforms his unit mistakenly received.
“Our unit got the wrong uniforms,” Behrend said. “We were issued clothing for the North Pole by mistake.”
Behrend comes from a long line of military service. His father served in the Navy during World War II, and his grandfather served in the Army during the Spanish-American war of 1899. Behrend has many uncles, cousins, siblings, nephews and nieces, as well as grandchildren who have served their country in uniform.
After 26 years of military service, Behrend moved to Green Bay with his wife, Virginia, and worked as a technical consultant for area hospitals. Currently, Behrend serves as a district supervisor for Oconto County.
Riley Francois, of Gillett, joined the Army in 2013 almost a year after graduating from Gillett High School.
“I made the decision to join the Army, because I needed to get away from home as fast as possible,” Francois said. “My life was going down a bad path; I was running with the wrong crowd and needed to put some distance between us.”
Within weeks of talking with a recruiter, Francois was at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, completing basic training.
“When I spoke to the recruiter I picked my job in the Army, which was a forward observer for an artillery unit,” Francois said. “We call in targets from the ground within our eyesight and help guide howitzers, mortars and airstrikes to that target.”
After completing training, Francois was stationed at Camp Casey, Korea, for 20 months and then finished the remainder of his service contract in the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, garrisoned at Fort Riley, Kansas.
Francois deployed to Kuwait, Jordan, Iraq, and Afghanistan as a specialist/corporal (E-4). His experiences taught him that true character lies in deeds, not looks.
“Some of the greatest people that I have ever met are covered in tattoos and look mean,” Francois said. “But they’re good men. I’ve seen them put their lives in danger time and again to protect children in the Middle East.”
Francois recalls times of frustration while serving overseas.
“The hoops that we had to jump through just to engage the enemy with artillery were ridiculous,” Francois said. “Many soldiers died because of the flawed rules of engagement under the Obama administration. Something that could have been settled with one of our bombs had to be handled with a team of guys going in.”
Francois also comes from a family with military history. His grandfather, Ron Temple, joined the Army after graduating from Gillett High School, and then he served as a truck driver in 8th Army while in Korea during the 1960s. Francois’s younger brother, Tristan, also joined the Army after high school, serving as a diesel mechanic while stationed in Korea.
After four years of military service, Francois moved back to northeast Wisconsin in 2016 and attended a local technical college. Francois works for a utility company and enjoys spending time with his wife, Samantha, and their 2-year-old daughter.
Connor Iverson, of Oconto Falls, joined the Marines in 2015 soon after graduating from Oconto Falls High School.
“I wasn’t interested in college right out of high school,” Iverson said. “So, I followed the example of my Uncle Bart who served in the Marines in Desert Storm.”
Iverson went to Camp Pendleton in San Diego for basic training, followed by specialized training at the Marine base in Twentynine Palms.
“The job that I picked in the Marines was a ground radio repairman,” Iverson said. “We oversaw all the portable and vehicular communication systems for our battalion.”
Iverson was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, before being deployed as sergeant (E-5) to Camp Shorabak, Afghanistan, with the 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. The unit was responsible for a battery of HIMARS missiles.
“Our base would receive small arms fire from the enemy often,” Iverson said. “Under the rules of engagement, we couldn’t return fire until we were shot at, so sometimes the enemy got close.”
After five years of military service, Iverson moved back to Oconto Falls in 2020 to work with his brother in the grocery business. During that time, the U.S. military made a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, one Iverson is disappointed with.
“The withdrawal under the Biden administration was heartbreaking,” Iverson said. “The Taliban now lives where I used to sleep. It’s sickening, but I’m proud to have served my country.”
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