My father joined the United States Army voluntarily in 1966, at 24 years of age. He graduated basic combat training at Fort Dix, New Jersey in August of that year. He did his stateside service at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland with the 511 Military Police Platoon (SVC) until he departed for a one year tour of duty to the Republic of Vietnam in June of 1967. In Vietnam, he was assigned to the newly activated 18th Military Police Brigade, serving in Company A of the 504th Military Police Battalion at various garrison locations around South Vietnam with his final assignment at Hue. His primary duties included convoy escort duty, law and order, site security, and in the case of the Tet Offensive, support to combat operations. One of the few stories he told about his experience overseas was how his little gun jeep was often assigned to escort a column of U.S. Armored Personnel Carriers down country roads, completely outgunned and outclassed by these APCs. The photos attached will give you a glimpse of my father’s military career. I would also like to point out that my father worked the evening shift at the Penn Yan Police Department (PYPD) before he reported to duty with the Army the following morning, and then reported back to duty with the PYPD the next day after his return to Penn Yan from Vietnam. This is just another example of my father’s service and dedication to his country and fellow citizens.

My Father was quite series most of the time, but he did like to kid around whenever the opportunity presented itself. His smile could light-up a room. Here are a few photos of John Gettings clowning around and just having fun.

Attached are some photos of John Gettings in his adolescent years as he grew up primarily in Keuka Park, New York next to Keuka College.

John Gettings essentially grew-up next to Keuka Lake in New York State. He used to sail, swim, snorkel, and of course, fish. One of his early large purchases in life was a fiberglass boat. He used this boat to travel around Keuka Lake to various scenic swimming spots and fishing holes. As he traveled from spot to spot, he would have a can of Schaefer Beer stashed securely between his legs near his groin and have a cigarette dangling from his lips. Once at his fishing hole, he would deftly bait a hook with a live minnow and toss it over the side to begin the long wait until a lake trout would strike. There were a lot of hours spent on Keuka Lake, many spent in silence, but many accompanied by a story from my father’s past to those who would listen. Attached are some photos from my father’s fishing journeys.

My father has loved trains all of his life. The bug hit him when he was just a little kid. His sister, Beverly, would often tell the story of how little Johnny disappeared one day when she had to watch him. She searched frantically until she finally found him down by the railroad tracks, waving to the engineers as the steam trains would pass him by. For the next couple of weeks, whenever Beverly had to watch little Johnny, she made sure that her brother was tied to the front porch post to keep him from running down to the railroad tracks. Dad loved to set up his trains around the Christmas tree almost every year. Once he retired, my mother and father would take scenic train rides around the country. The attached photos show my father enjoying his passion.

Once my father officially retired and his health was beginning to take a turn for the worse, my mother began to take small adventure trips around the country with my father to get him out of the house. My father would complain about going on these trips but once he was on them, he really had a good time. The attached photos show my father experiencing life through zip lining, riding a Segway, taking a biplane ride, and riding an ATV. He loved everything but riding the ATV!

There are not a lot of photos in existence of when my father was a patrolman for the Penn Yan Police Department (PYPD). We have two group photos with the entire PYPD in 1964 and 1969 but I really cannot post them on this site. However, I have posted a few that you can enjoy from his career. His favorite pose while in uniform was with his hands on his hips and he greeted a couple of my elementary school teachers in this manner while picking me up for an early departure from school. My teachers were always taken aback when they opened the classroom door and found him standing there with his stern expression etched on his face and his hands on his hips.

Attached is the photo referenced in this original posting:

Rick Gettings from Saint Louis, Missouri, wrote on Jan. 31, 2021:

“I thought I would share a happy snapshot of our family getting together in Ohio around Thanksgiving in 2007 – Jeff, Sue, John, Carol and Rick. We always had good times at out family gatherings and this is just another example of one of those days.”

*Photo originally attached*