Veteran Highlight: Bob Armstrong

Bob Armstrong joined the National Guard as a junior in high school and served two years, before going on to serve two years in the Army and four more years in the reserve, half active and half inactive.

Armstrong attended high school in Dickinson, ND and graduated in 1954.

"They took our Guard unit that they had in town to Korea," said Armstrong. "When they did that, they started up a new unit there in Dickinson." Students had to get the permission of their parents to join early.

In the Guard, Armstrong said he and his friends learned many of the skills they'd later need in the Army.

"After we graduated from high school, we wanted to go in the regular Army. There were about four of us. We were 18 or 19 years old and had the whole world ahead of us," said Armstrong. "We dropped our stripes and joined the draft. It wasn't long before we got our stripes back. We knew a lot of things that you learn in basic training in the service," he said.

Armstrong went overseas with his Army unit, and spent 18 months in Okinawa.

"We were headed to Korea," said Armstrong, but the bay they were supposed to unload in was frozen over and they couldn't get the ships in. Instead, they sent Armstrong's unit to Japan.

"I was in the bridge battalion. You can't build bridges on an island very well," said Armstrong. "We never did get over to Korea. They gave us different jobs over there. I did a lot of swimming and teaching swimming."

Armstrong spent two years as a lifeguard in high school and used those skills during his time in Japan.

After his time in Okinawa, Armstrong spent two years in active reserve and two years in inactive reserve.

"They needed a kind of standing army," said Armstrong. "It was kind of an unsettling time. They paid you to go to weekly meetings and kept you in reserve. It was an important program in our day. 'Course, that's back in the fifties. In those days, it seemed like we put in our time, and we were anxious to get out and come back home."

When Armstrong returned home, his twin sister told him that she had a couple girlfriends who lived across the street and were going to college in town. One of the women she introduced him to was Trudy, who later became his wife.

At the time Armstrong was attending college, J.C. Penney was hiring students out of colleges to train to be managers, and he decided to go through the management training program. He was later transferred to Williston, ND before making it to Montana.

"There was a Penney store in Chinook, and they needed a manager. It was a small store, and I ran it for a couple years, and I got interested in doing independent retail," said Armstrong. "When you're doing things, like you're in college or you've got a job, different doors open up. When they open up for a possibility for something better to do, go through the door and do it. That was kind of my philosophy in life. I did that, and a lot of things happened."

After his career in retail Armstrong and his wife Trudi moved to Lincoln , where they ran the Sportsman Motel for more than 20 years. The couple were active in the Community Methodist Church and Armstrong is a member of Lincoln's American Legion Post 9.

The Armstrong's moved to Missoula last year