U.S. Army Veteran served in Japan at end of Vietnam War [Video]

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Charles Officer was born in Enid, Oklahoma, in 1955. In 1966, when he was 11 years old, his family moved to Wichita. Charles attended Wichita Public Schools, including a couple of years of high school. That’s when he decided to go in a different direction.

The year was 1974, and the Vietnam War was winding down. Rather than wait on possibly getting drafted, Officer took matters into his own hands and volunteered to join the U.S. Army, in his words, “to get it out of the way.”

In addition to completing his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Officer also earned his GED. Then, he was assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia, where he thought he would join jump school and the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne).

“Originally I went in, I was going in as jump school. I was gonna be in the 2nd …