Members Roster

Helmet Liner on display

I was born March 16, 1932 in Frostproof, Florida but grew up and attended schools in Haines City, Florida.

     On June 10, 1947, I enlisted in the US Army Air Corps.  (I fudged on my age a bit.)

     In September 1948, I re-enlisted in the US Army and attended Parachute/Glider School at Fort Benning, GA.

     I became a parachutist/gliderman in January 1949 and reported to the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft Bragg, NC.

     For the next seven years, I served in the 82nd, the 11th at Fort Campbell, and the 10th Special Forces Group

          at Flint Kaserne near Bad Tolz, Bavaria, Germany.

     In the Summer of 1956, I was accepted for admission to OCS at Fort Benning and reported in September to   

          begin what was at that time a 6-month course of instruction.  I was a member of OCS Class #2-57, 51st

          OC Company of The Student Brigade, The Infantry School.

     Class #2-57 began with a student body of 180 candidates.  Along the way, we picked up an additional 30

          candidates who had been recycled for various reasons.

     Class #2-57 graduated on March 12, 1957 with a student body of 88.  Up to that point, our class held the dubious

          distinction of having the highest attrition rate ever attained in OCS. 

     On a point of possible historical interest, Class #2-57 was the first OCS Class to graduate in the new Army Green

          uniforms. 

     The following 15 years saw me serving in various assignments, up to and including Brigade level, and primarily in

          Airborne units

     I made three trips to Vietnam where I was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group but on loan to MAC-SOG.

     My terminal tour was as Senior Advisor at the Army Reserve Center in Orlando.

     I retired from active duty on January 31, 1972.

     I am married to the former Margaret Earlene Williams of Monessen, Pennsylvania and we will celebrate our 68th 

          anniversary on December 3, 2018.

     We have six children; 5 boys and 1 girl, all of whom live in the greater Orlando area except for the eldest who

          retired from the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas and chose to remain there.

COLONEL WILLIAM E. CROCK (RET.)

 

 

   Colonel William E. Crock was born in Sharon, PA and graduated from High School in Butler, PA. He was drafted into the US Army and began his military career as a Private. As an enlisted man, Colonel Crock rose to the rank of Corporal before entering the Engineer Officer Candidate School at Fort Belvoir, VA. Upon graduation he was commissioned into the Quartermaster Corps in 1970.

 

   He has held a wide variety of positions during his active and reserve career. Staff assignments included Depot Property Officer and Club Officer at Tobyhanna Army Depot; Property Book Officer and Executive Officer of the 305th Signal Company; and Inspector General at the 310th Theater Army Command.  Other positions included finance, resource management and logistics positions within the 310th Field Army Support Command and Theater Army Command; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources Management at the 99th Army Reserve Command; Pennsylvania’s Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer under operational command of First US Army; and G-4, 99th Regional Readiness Command.   During his many, many years in command, Colonel Crock commanded the 484th Collection and Classification Company, the 635th Liaison Detachment, the 1678th Logistical Support Battalion, and the 475th Quartermaster Group.

 

He did his undergraduate work in Biology at Juniata College and graduate work in business at George Mason University.  He is employed by The U.S. Department of Energy at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in West Mifflin, PA  The Laboratory does classified research and development work on nuclear reactor propulsion for the U.S. Navy.  His military decorations include the Legion of Merit and others.  He has been inducted into the Infantry OCS Hall of Fame at Fort Benning, and is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the U. S. Army War College.

 

   Colonel Crock is married to Cindy and they make their home in Mount Lebanon, PA and Cocoa Beach, FL.  They have four daughters; Tamara, Jennifer, Abigail, and Natalie; and four grandchildren; Micheal, Hannah, Conner, and Hudson.

 

  On September 1, 2001, Colonel Crock retired after over 32 years of service.

John is President of the Association.

BIOGRAPHY

COLONEL PATRICK J. NIEMANN, USA (Retired)

 

 

 

DPOB:

28 October 1944, Honolulu, Hawaii

SCHOOLS:

Civilian:

Pacific University, BS Business & Economics

University of Central Texas, MS Management Science

 

Military:

U.S.Army Command and General Staff College National War College

 

ASSIGNMENTS:

7/63-6/66 Enlisted (Infantry/ Special Operations)

 

11/66-11/67 Senior Advisor, Recondo Company, 5th Inf Div (RVN)

 

12/67-1/69 Special Agent and Operations Officer, Palo Alto Field Office, 115th Military Intelligence Group (C I) CA

 

12/70-12/71 Air Mission Commander, Special Operations Control Center, Military Assistance Command, RVN

 

6/74-8/75 Commander, Fort Hood Field Office, 525th Military Intelligence Group (C I), Fort Hood, TX

 

8/75-8/77 S-2, 1st (Tiger) Brigade, 2d Armored Division, Fort Hood, TX

 

7/78-8/81  Intelligence and Targeting Officer, US European Command Airborne Command Post, RAF, Mildenhall, England

 

8/81-8/82 Executive Officer, 319th Military Intelligence Battalion (Airborne) (CEWI,Fort Bragg, NC

 

8/82-8/83  Deputy G-2, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, NC

 

3/83-4/85 Commander, 519th Military Intelligence Battalion (Airborne) (CEWI)During this period also served as Commander, Task Force 525 (URGENT FURY) in Grenada.

 

5/85-6/87 Intelligence Staff Officer, Special Operations and Central America, Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, US Army, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

 

7/88-9/90 Chief, Intelligence Division, J-2, US Central Command, MacDi11 AFB, FL

 

9/90-7/91 Chief, Current Operations Division, J-3, US Central Command, MacDi11 AFB, Florida (Deployed for Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM)

 

Final Assignment - Director, Office for Security and Counterintelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.

 

DECORATIONS:

Bronze Star Medal w/ V device, (2 Oak Leaf Clusters)

Defense Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters)

Air Medal w/ V device (6 awards)

Joint Service Commendation Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster)

Army Commendation Medal

Various campaign ribbons and foreign decorations

Combat Infantryman Badge; Master Parachutist; Army Aircraft Crewman; Army Staff Identification Badge; Canadian and Egyptian Parachutist Badges.

 

 

Married to the former Billie R. Olds, Redwood City, California Two sons, Patrick and Brian

 

 

Subject: Major Ray Trahan BIO.

 

Born on October 4th 1938 in Lafayette La.

 

1956: Enlisted in the USMC for three years.

 

1959 Enlisted in the U.S. Army and I was assigned to Armor units until 1965.

I was promoted from Pfc. to Staff Sargent during the above time period.

 

1965: I was assigned to the OCS 8065 54th Co. and graduated after which to

Jump School and Armor Officers Basic School.

 

I had two tours in Viet Nam in 1966 and 1969 with the 1st of the 10th Cav,4th Inf Di.

and MACV assignment respectively.

 

1972: Graduated with BS Degree at the U of Tampa with a double Major in Business Admin./

Economics.

 

I had command time at Platoon/Troop and Bn. staff level.

 

1973: I was caught up in the Reduction in force and was reduced to my permanent rank of Staff Sargent.

 

1974: I was assigned to The Readiness Group Los Angeles where I gained my second degree and continued 

my Masters work in Gerontology.

 

1977: I retired from the U.S. Army and took an position as a J.R.T.O.C. Instructor for East Bay High School in Tampa Florida.

 

1979: My training in OCS and my assignments in the Army helped me obtain an General Managers position for providing 

Para-Transit transportation for the elderly and handicapped for 19  years

 

1996: I accepted an five year contract proposal from Coach USA as the General Manager of the United Transportation

Company (Para-transit Company) in Orlando Florida.

 

2001 I retired from the work force.