BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - George Tweedy’s father had high expectations for him when he enrolled at the University of Illinois with plans to be a pre-med student. Perhaps they were too high.
Tweedy, 56, said he “bombed out” in his classes and was scared of his father’s response once his grades arrived in the mail.
After an unsuccessful job search, Tweedy decided to meet with his sister’s boyfriend, a Navy recruiter, who convinced him his future was in the military.
He asked to take basic training in Florida, rather than the nearby Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill., so he wouldn’t be close to home when his grades arrived in the mail.
He trained as a weapons technician and as an explosive ordinance disposal technician, which took him on an unexpected career path in the Navy. His first duty station was in Charleston, S.C., where he worked aboard the submarine tender USS Canopus for 15 months. It was the only ship he was assigned to during his time in the Navy.
“I didn’t know what to expect. I just went where they told me to go,” he said.
He was sent to Beirut, Lebanon, in response to the 1983 terrorist bombing of two buildings housing a multinational force that claimed the lives 241 Marines, 58 French soldiers and six civilians.
“There was a lot of destruction,” he said. “That was my first taste of terrorism.”
After serving for three months in England, Tweedy was sent to a remote area in Alaska for 18 months, where he helped maintain special weapons and disarm old World War II bombs that failed to detonate when they were dropped.
He went from Alaska to Guam, where he performed similar duties. He helped to detonate an old cache of WWII weapons left behind by the Japanese, including ammunition, munitions and dynamite that was discovered when a soldier fell into an underground chamber.
He also served in the Philippines and Midway while he was stationed in the South Pacific.
He finished his 11 years of active duty in the Navy in Washington, where he helped maintain missiles on Trident submarines. He served in the Navy Reserve for six years before he decided to end his military career.
His wife, however, convinced him to join the Air Force National Guard. He trained for six months in communications. He was called up to active duty five times and sent to the Middle East.
“When 9/11 hit, everything in my life changed that day,” he said.
He was called to active duty the day after the attack and sent to Qatar to set up communications for special operations forces. He was later sent to Afghanistan as part of the first communications team there.
“There were rocket attacks every day while I was in Afghanistan,” he said.
His last active duty was in 2009, where he was attached to a special forces unit in Iraq for six months.
He decided to retire after 31 years of military service when he was asked to serve another tour on active duty. He left the military on Sept. 11, 2011, by design to commemorate the date’s significance to his life.
Tweedy said he never intended to spend most of his adult life in the military. He traveled the world and earned a college degree in mechanical engineering.
“The military is not for everybody,” he said. “At a young age, it gives you a sense of responsibility. It transformed me as a person.”
Born: Chicago
Residence: Kingsland
Service: Navy, 11 years; Navy Reserve, six years, Air Force National Guard, 15 years
Duties: Weapons technician; explosive ordinance disposal; communications
Rank: Petty officer 1st class; technical sergeant
Recognitions: Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Meritorious Service Medal; Navy Good Conduct Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Air Force Overseas Ribbon; Air Force Expeditionary Service Medal (with gold border); Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon; Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon; Armed Forces Reserve Medal; Air Reserve Forces Meritorious Service Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Joint Service Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Navy “E’’ Ribbon; Georgia Special Operations Ribbon; Georgia Service Medal; Georgia Humanitarian Service Ribbon; Georgia State Active Duty Ribbon, Louisiana Emergency Service Ribbon
Duty stations: Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Guam, Philippines, England, California, Washington, Charleston, S.C.
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Information from: The News, http://www.thebrunswicknews.com
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