Bethesda Veterans: Al Cawns

We are fortunate to have many Veterans living in our Bethesda communities. And one of those Bethesda Veterans is Al! We sat down with him at Bethesda Barclay House to learn about his time in the military.

When did you serve and in what branch of the military?

I was in the Marine Reserves from 1954 to 1962. I signed up for four years and they called me into the office and said, “By the way, Congress just passed a law, you’re in for eight.” So they stamped my papers and I was in for eight years.

Did you enlist on your own?

Oh, yes. When I started, I was 17. I started Reserves in Springfield, Missouri. I was at Drury College and they had a facility on the campus. I signed up there. This was a very quiet period between Korea and Vietnam.

Were there any challenges you faced leaving home?

No, I was ready. I was never homesick. When you’re ready, you’re ready, I guess. I guess for my mother it wasn’t quite as good. [laughs]

What were your main duties?

Training in case I needed to go. In 1962 was the Cuban Missile Crisis. I was getting out in November. I turned all of my equipment in and the sergeant there said, “By the way, you’re considered trained for two years. We’ll hold on to your equipment for you!” Fortunately, nothing happened.

What does it mean to you to be a Veteran?

Well, I think it’s important to serve the country, and as we can see from a lot of the incidents around the world, it’s a dangerous place. And you need to have a deterrent, and having a strong military is the best deterrent you can have.

Is there anything you wish everyone understood about Veterans?

Well, there’s so many people who have no experience with the military and sometimes they have some very biased views about what the military does, but I think it’s a matter of serving the country and serving the people that are here and protecting them.

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