Berk Hotchkiss, U.S. Army

Local resident Berk Hotchkiss said his time in the Army gave him an opportunity to become an adult.

Hotchkiss served in Army's 101st Aviation Battalion, which is part of the 101st Airborne Division, from 1960 to 1963.

As a young man from New England, Hotchkiss said he enlisted in the Army after high school with the hopes of attending college afterwards. However, he said it would have been difficult for him to finish college if he attended right out of high school.

"I knew I would've dropped out [of college]," Hotchkiss said. "So I joined the Army and that inspired me to get an education."

His...