Ronald W. Taylor
Bio
Ronald W. Taylor grew up in Hagerstown, Maryland where he attended a one-room school house up to sixth grade and then attended Hagerstown High School. He graduated high school in 1949. After spending a few years working in Hagerstown, Ronald W. Taylor enlisted in the Air Force on April 30, 1952. After basic training, he attended control tower operator school and ground approach operator school. During the Korean War Ronald W. Taylor served 18 months at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines. After being discharged in April of 1956 Ronald Wayne Taylor worked for the railroad controlling tracks while also attending college on the GI bill. He later attended Yale Graduate School and studied transportation.
Video Clips
Going to school
Ronald W. Taylor attended a one-room schoolhouse in Hagerstown Maryland. There was one teacher for the entire school that served up to sixth grade. He describes how the students were grouped by age and the teacher would rotate to each of the groups to teach while the other groups were doing homework. He had no knowledge of where Korea was located.
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High School
Ronald W. Taylor attended Hagerstown High School which was the only high school in the town. He graduated from high school in 1949. 32 servicemen from Hagerstown High School died in the Korean War yet Ronald W. Taylor did not know them.
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Entering Air Force
Ronald W. Taylor enlisted in the Air Force on April 30, 1952. He chose the Air Force because he was not the best swimmer. He did his basic training at Sampson Air Force Base in New York. Basic training consisted of lots of classroom work and marching. He also learned how to listen and take orders.
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speciality school
After basic training Ronald W. Taylor attended control tower operator school and ground approach operator school. He worked in the control tower of bases and guided aircraft in safely and controlled traffic on the ground as well as the "highways in the sky." Everything was hand written and radar was used to talk pilots down in bad weather. The airplane pilots lives depended on how skilled the control workers were.
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After the Korean War
After the armistice was signed, Ronald W. Taylor left in July of 1953 and landed in the Philippines. He spent 18 months there at Clark Air Force Base where he was a ground control approach team chief.
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After Service
Ronanld W. Taylor was discharged in April 1956 after serving 4 years in the Air Force. He received a job with the railroad controlling tracks from a tower. He began school at Hagerstown Junior College and later attended Shepherd College where he received a degree in Business Administration utilizing his GI Bill. Later he attended graduate school at Yale and studied transportation.
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Message to Students
Ronald W. Taylor wants students to understand and respect military veterans, especially high school students. He wants students to understand not just what veterans did in service but what they have done after with regards to civic work. He hopes students consider a military career as he described it as "one of the best things I ever did."
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