Roger W. Silhavey of Stratford, Connecticut enlisted in the United States Navy in October of 1965 at the beginning of the Vietnam War. He enlisted as an electronics technician after completing a two-year program at the Connecticut School of Electronics. Following “boot camp” at the Great Lakes Training Center, he was assigned to the North Island Naval Base in San Diego, California. He then completed a survival training course in Virginia in preparation for a year tour of duty in Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam in the construction of a communication station. He served his last 2 years on the USS Howard W.Gilmore, a submarine tender in Charleston, South Carolina and was discharged in September of 1969.