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Esker McConnell
Esker McConnell

Esker McConnell recalls 22 years as a soldier

By Christine Baldwin, AFRH-W Librarian

Esker joined the U.S. Army in September 1963 and went to Ft. Ord, Calif., for Basic Training. He was supposed to finish around November 22, but two things happened; Kennedy was assassinated and Esker got the mumps. When he went for Advanced Training, he only stayed one week because he knew everything for his MOS. In his 22 years of military service, he was stationed three times in Germany, once in Korea and had several home assignments. When asked which one he liked the most, Esker said they all had highlights, but the first assignment in Frankfort, Germany, has the best memories. His first 10 years he spent in Finance; auditing and performing quality assurance measures. The last 12 were in the Army Equal Employment Opportunity area. Here he dealt with the integration of women into the military.

After receiving a history degree from the University of Maryland, Esker retired and worked as a substitute teacher in California. His last two years were with the Census Bureau. In both places, his experience in the Army made him a natural leader. Esker came to AFRH in September 2004. He became the RAC chairman in December 2007; a job he very much enjoys because he gets to meet so many different and interesting residents.