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Bob’s Story

Bob Teal, a proud son of Janesville, Wisconsin, was born on February 12, 1960, to Robert F. and Betty Teal Sr. After graduating from Craig High School in 1978, Bob felt a deep calling to serve his country, like his father before him, which led him to enlist in the United States Navy. He served honorably on the USS Midway and USS Leahy, exploring the vibrant cultures of Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. These experiences instilled in him a lifelong appreciation for diversity and adventure.

After being honorably discharged 1981, Bob transitioned back to civilian life, carrying with him not only the discipline and values of a Navy veteran but also a determination to build a stable future for his future family. One of the most transformative tools in Bob’s post-military life was his access to Veterans Affairs (V.A.) benefits.

When Bob set his sights on buying a home, his V.A. loan benefits provided a pathway to achieve that dream. With this program, he was able to purchase a house without the burden of a large down payment or the need for private mortgage insurance. These benefits gave Bob and his family a secure and welcoming place to call home—a space where he could host family gatherings, Christmas parties, and cherished campfire evenings.

Bob’s resourcefulness didn’t stop at homeownership. Over the years, he also used his V.A. benefits to secure favorable loans for vehicles, enabling him to pursue his passions like fishing and hunting in the great outdoors. The financial flexibility provided by these benefits was a testament to Bob’s ability to make the most of the opportunities he earned through his service.

The burdens of military service, both visible and invisible, often make the transition to civilian life difficult. For many veterans, navigating the complexities of claiming Veterans Affairs (V.A.), and Social Security benefits can feel overwhelming, and at times downright impossible. So much so that many veterans leave entitled benefits unclaimed.

Richard’s Story

My name is Richard Thomas and I am blissfully retired in the remote Northwoods near Watersmeet, Michigan. I have been graciously asked to write a brief summary of my Army experiences. I feel honored just to be asked, because my Army service pales in comparison to my family’s service and to the service of others who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I have a family history of military service. My grandfather served in the Navy during WWII and retired from the Navy after 25 years of service. My father served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict.

In the autumn of 1984, I was a senior at Lewistown High School in south central Illinois. I was very concerned about my future, and I wanted to serve in the military as well as I wanted to attend college. So, I found a way to do both at the same time. Two weeks after my 17th birthday in 1984, I raised my right hand and with my left hand on the Holy Bible swore into the U.S. Army National Guard Delayed Entry Program. My high school board determined that I had more than enough credits to graduate early, and I was off to Army boot camp at swelting Fort Sill, OK. I served in a field artillery unit in Macomb, Illinois during college. After college, I got married, enlisted in the regular Army and started having a family.

My first Army assignment was to attend the prestigious Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California to learn the Korean Language and the Korean culture https://www.dliflc.edu/. Then on to voice intercept school intercepting North Korean transmissions analyzing them for military intelligence purposes.

In 1988, I was assigned to a unique special ops unit on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and graduated from a series of psychological operations(propaganda school) courses at the JFK Special Warfare Center https://www.swcs.mil/. At propaganda school we learned to develop propaganda products(leaflets, radio, video, news broadcasts, etc.) to influence foreign entities toward U.S. policy goals. The U.S. government calls this form of warfare PSYWAR https://www.swcs.mil/Schools/PSYWAR-School/. Although I was part of developing propaganda plans for several foreign nations, my primary target audience was North Korea.

On December 20th, 1989, things got interesting. While I was finishing up a PSYWAR course, my special ops unit jumped in the middle of the night into Panama in Operation Just Cause. The mission was to arrest Panamanian General Manuel Noriega for drug trafficking and other charges https://arsof-history.org/articles/21feb_psyop_just_cause_page_1.html. Noriega proved very wily and hid in a Vatican Embassy. The U.S. thought it would be bad optics for our military to invade a church on foreign soil, and so, my unit was called in. My unit used highly specialized loudspeakers to blast the church 24/7 with rock n’ roll music to torment Noreiga out of the church. And the tactic was eventually successful https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26XjCAKNLtk. Noriega surrendered right before my graduation, so I never joined my unit in Panama, but my fellow soldiers were full of wild stories when they returned to Fort Bragg https://arsof-history.org/articles/21feb_psyop_just_cause_page_1.html, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40090809.

Things got interesting again on August 2nd, 1990. Fort Bragg, at the time, was a fort of about 45,000 paratroopers and special ops forces and their families. Overnight, the fort seemed to turn into a ghost town as plane after plane of troops were sent to the Middle East in the Gulf War of 1991(2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991). Being a Korean Linguist, the Army sent me to South Korea during that time as they thought with a large amount of our troops in the Middle East, that North Korea would make good on its promise to attack South Korea to force a reunification. While in Korea, I developed a great respect for the Korean people and their struggles with living in a divided nation.

After my 3rd child was born in November of 1992, my Army contract expired, and my family moved back to Illinois. I graduated from Officer Candidate School and became a Medical Platoon Leader in the Illinois Army National Guard. And things got immediately interesting again. In the Spring of 1993, my unit was activated for emergency flood operations along the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Military units were sandbagging 24/7 all summer in the swelting heat. If I recall correctly, we saved 4 communities and lost 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1993. We left that area feeling so sorry for those devastated communities. We only wished that we could have done more. Everyone in my unit was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal. Since 1993, I have travelled back to that flooded area a couple of times just out of curiosity.

My 12 years in the Army were very challenging, but they gave me invaluable experiences and gave me the opportunity to develop real, authentic, effective leadership skills. In the Army, while building confidence through experience, I learned the real definitions of courage, candor, character and competence. I learned that most of our best leaders were once good followers. Additionally, I was able to use the G.I. Bill to earn a M.S. Degree in International Relations and eventually, to earn a BSN Degree to become a nurse. While my service pales in comparison with those who never returned, I firmly believe that those of us who have survived military service should lead the way in remembering the sacrifices required for our way of living. And now, retired, I am honored to serve the organization Serving Those Who Proudly Serve Us.

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