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Barry Bjornson My first assignment with PIO was working on the Daily News for General Roberts and his staff. After that I spent a week with the 1st Brigade PIO in Lai Khe and then it was back to Phuoc Vinh and general reporting assignments. In November, J.D. bought into my Christmas publicity idea of Santa visiting the troops. So around Thanksgiving, I dressed up as the jolly old elf and hit the road with Mr. Fallscheer, a CAV mo-pic team, and CBS. The story got some media play – a lot here in my home town of St. Paul, Minnesota, where Leonard’s shots got a full page. (Incidently, on the 30 year annivesary of the end of the U.S. involvement, the St. Paul paper found me and did another story, again using some of those old photos.) Later on, I did latyout and then was assigned as the Production Editor and went to Saigon weekly to ready the CAVALAIR for printing. (I was the first on the staff with the cold-type layout - no more of that great Tokyo temporary duty was available.) Finally, I worked on the history book and, of course, was privileged to purchase a copy. Which I still have and value highly – not so much because I was part of it, but because it provides memories of a lot of great people and good times! God, were we ever really that young? I came home, finished college, did some graduate work, and went out job hunting in a miserable economy. Took the civil service test and ended up with the IRS. I’ve been the Taxpayer Advocate for people in the State of Minnesota since 1984. It is actually an interesting job. Here I am, 3 years past retirement eligibility and still working. A condition I plan to remedy at the end of the year if not sooner. Also in the interim I managed to have two children – one each – and two grandchildren. Again, one each. My son spent a college year studying on the French Riviera, a real hardship tour, no doubt. He’s now in the software business locally. My daughter is a consultant living and working in Washington, DC, helping businesses deal with the often intractable government agencies of EPA and FDA. My spare time is spent fishing and golfing. They are two major activities in Minnesota where the seasons are far too short. They also allow participants the opportunity to sample adult beverages, a not unpleasant sideline. Minnesota actually has the most golfers and golf courses per capita of any state. I occasionally participate in fishing tournaments on an amateur basis and plan to do much more after retiring. Still, the best days on the water are those spent teaching my grandchildren and watching them enjoy their successes and learning to deal with those other days.
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