Page 66 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2022 - Online Magazine

Ken Sheppard
orn and raised in East
Texas, Ken Sheppard
Brounded out his family as
the youngest child. His father
worked in the oil field, and his
mother spent her days tending
to her three children and raising
them “in the fear and admonition
of the Lord.” Having parents
who lived through two world
wars, along with the Great
Depression, a deep sense of
patriotism was instilled into
Ken’s life, taking root and
growing within him the desire to
serve the great country he called
home.
At the age of 17, he began seeking
approval from his mother to
enlist. If he could obtain parental
consent, he could enlist to serve
and be finished by his 21st
birthday. His mother wouldn’t
entertain the notion. After all,
he was her youngest son, and
she was in no rush for him to fly
the nest. Ken did not relent, and
his persistence finally paid off.
Weeks before his 18th birthday,
she agreed to sign the papers.
Ken rushed to the recruitment
office to enlist as a volunteer
66 Lubbock Senior Link
Forged by the Seabees
by Brittnye Davis
and passed all
of his entrance
tests with flying
colors. Things
appeared to be
moving along
smoothly until
he went to obtain
his recruitment
papers and
learned he
wouldn’t be
accepted into
the service until
September 17,
two days after his eighteenth
birthday. That meant he would
enlist as an adult, and his tenure
would be the standard four years.
Inducted into the US Navy
on September 17, 1946, Ken
traveled across the country to
San Diego, California for basic
training at Port Hueneme. When
asked where he’d like to serve,
he requested assignment on
a submarine. Unfortunately,
a height restriction kept men
over six feet tall from serving
on submarines, so he missed the
opportunity by an inch. Rather
than spending his time in the
water, he was assigned to the
Construction Battalion. That
group of soldiers was known
as the Seabees and were
tasked with constructing
bases. Although the
position did not require
combat, the Seabees kept
their rifles nearby.
Ken received training in
mechanics as well as heavy
equipment operations and
was eventually stationed in
North Africa for two years.
In French Morocco, much
of his time was spent hauling
supplies from Casablanca back to
the base, a job that could easily
take a week or more to complete.
He learned he could sleep
anywhere, as most of his nights
were spent in the cab of the truck.
He also spent a great deal of time
chauffeuring the base captain
and his family, and once even
had the opportunity to drive
the Secretary of the Navy for a
weekend trip. One of his most
memorable assignments was
hauling a bulldozer to a new
site for the construction of a
US radio station. Along the
way, he encountered a closed
checkpoint. Struggling with
language barriers, he was finally
able to locate a young boy who
spoke English. The boy offered
to guard his truck for the night
so he could sleep. Warily, but
finding the price too tempting to
pass up, Ken took him up on the
offer, and the next morning he
was surprised to find that not a
single bolt was missing from the
equipment or the truck.
Returning stateside, Ken
was stationed in Little Creek,
Virginia, with his sights set on
his upcoming discharge. But as
it would happen, the Korean