The Following was from Wayne Till's Email

Cliff Appel will retire from the USCG Reserve on May first, 28 years to the day he left active duty.

Cliff has had an unusual Coast Guard career. He graduated with us from the Coast Guard Academy in 1967, served aboard CGC GRESHAM in Viet Nam, and later graduated with a Masters in Electrical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey. After completing his military obligation, he left the Coast Guard on 1 May 1976 to take an engineering position with the Bonneville Power Administration (from which he has since retired). Several years after leaving active duty, he realized he missed the Guard, and contacted a Coast Guard Recruiter. The recruiter advised him that he could not come into the reserve program as an officer that year, because officer appointments at that time were restricted to enlisted reservists...and the following year, he would be too old for any of the reserve accessions. He said "What can you offer me?" The recruiter said "I can bring you in as an MK1," and Cliff said "fine."

Cliff has worked in several capacities in the reserve program, from boat engineer at a small boat station to his recent work at LORSTA George, WA where he is lending his electrical engineering experience to the station to help its conversion program.

At Cliff's request, there will be no retirement ceremonies, but the LORSTA is holding a barbecue for him on April 30th. I, and some of our classmates from the Seattle area, intend to surprise him with a visit at the barbecue. If you would like to attend, please let me know and I will let the OinC know how many are coming. The LORSTA is almost equidistant from Seattle and Spokane. If you can't attend, I'd encourage you to send a card or note. Please don't mention the barbeque or the surprise visit.

I got a plaque for Cliff from the class and will present it to him at the barbecue. He has served the Coast Guard for over 30 years.

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I'd like to add that, like all his classmates, I have my own memories of Cliff - all good ones - even though memory is fading pretty fast for me these days. I join all my classmates in wishing Cliff many good years to enjoy 'retirement.'

[when I get photographs, I'll post them]