Richard Chesbro: U.S. Navy
RICHARD CHESBRO
Chesbro, who served from 1951 to 1972, saw action in Korea and Vietnam. He always liked the water because his father and grandfather were commercial fishermen.
However, Chesbro originally wanted to join the Air Force. As he was waiting to see the Air Force recruiter, a Navy recruiter came by and asked Chesbro to wait in his office. The he persuaded Chesbro to join the Navy.
Chesbro served on six ships and had two tours of duty as a recruiter.
It was on recruiting duty in Jackson, Mississippi, that he met his wife of 62 years. He retired as a warrant officer.
A highlight of his career was when he was serving on the USS Guam (LPH-9) in 1966 when the ship recovered Gemini astronauts Pete Conrad and Dick Gordon from the Atlantic Ocean 710 miles east of Cape Kennedy.
CORRECTION: In the Feb. 28 issue of The Courier News, the featured veteran was misidentified. The February featured veteran was David Hopper, U.S. Navy.