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(Courtesy Michael Ford, Delphos Herald). Since long before the Wright brothers lofted an aircraft for the first time, combat training has been tailored to various types of warfare. The way the United States Army once taught its ground-oriented tactics inspired one local man to go airborne.
Gary Staup, 77, attended a military academy in Florida before returning to Delphos to graduate from St. John’s High School in 1949. He then continued his studies along with Army training in the Reserve Officer Training Corp.
“I was at the University of Dayton and took ROTC. To tell the truth, I was in class and they were teaching us how to take a cemetery and I thought it was ridiculous. I gathered up my books and headed for the door. The lieutenant leading the class said, ‘Where are you going?’ and I said, ‘I’m going down and enlist in the Air Force’,” he said.
Staup’s family had been in the movie cinema business, owning the former Capitol and Star theaters in Delphos and the Van-Del Drive-In near Middle Point. Staup grew |
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