Larry Flesher

Ancestors

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Biography

Larry Gene was born 09 Jan 1941, son of Lester Flesher and Florence Brick. He has two younger brothers, and one older brother who died immediately after birth.

As a child, Larry lived with his family at various Division Points in several states on the Rock Island (Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific) Railroad, where his father Lester Flesher worked.

Larry can remember VE (Victory in Europe) Day when his family, along with many other families, rode around in their cars honking horns and waving at everyone. He remembers the steam whistle at the Caterpillar plant in Peoria, Illinois being operated continuously for one hour in celebration of the event.

Larry was a First Class Scout in the Boy Scouts of America; then joined the Civil Air Patrol during high school, advancing to Cadet Captain.

Larry graduated from Moline Senior High School in Moline, Illinois, a member of the first class (1959) in the then-new high school. After graduation, Larry worked for a short time as a Firefighter, then joined the US Navy and served for 15 years; five years as an Enlisted Man (Communications Specialist, Linguist) and 10 years as a Commissioned Officer (Lieutenant, Surface Warfare Specialist).

While stationed with the Navy at the US Army Language School in Monterey, California, Larry met and married Carol Marie Jones; on 24 Jun 1962 they celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary; then Carol passed away 08 Mar 2023. They are the parents of three children, two of whom survive. Larry and Carol are the grandparents of two, and the great-grandparents of four.

Larry's Navy Enlisted deployment was to the American Embassy, Republic of Cyprus, where he communicated with others using Morse Code and Radio Teletype (RTTY) methods. He also served the US Embassy Staff as an Arabic Linguist.

in February 1964, Carol, two-year old Mike and three-week old Terri were evacuated to Beirut, Lebanon due to the Cypriot war which had broken out in December 1963. After a few weeks in Beirut, Carol and the children flew to her parents' home and remained there until Larry's return.

After returning from Cyprus, Larry attended Navy Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an Ensign [1100] in the US Navy.

US Navy

Larry made two deployments to the Vietnam area on two Destroyers; during the second deployment he was assigned as the Weapons Officer department head.

Larry Flesher served in the United States Navy in the Vietnam War
Service started: 1959
Unit(s): Communications Technician 'A' School, Imperial Beach, CA 1960; US Army Language School, Monterey, CA 1960-1961, American Embassy, Nicosia, Cyprus 1962-1964; USS Richard S. Edwards (DD-950) 1965-1966; USS John R. Craig (DD-885) 1967-1969; US Navy Ordnance Systems Command 1970-1974
Service ended: 1974

After being discharged from the Navy, Larry worked for McDonnell Douglas Corporation, then The Boeing Company for a combined 31 years. He retired in 2006.

Larry served as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff in Saint Charles County, MO for 14 years. He also served as a Volunteer Firefighter and Fire Service Officer for a combined 41 years.

Larry was a Firefighter.

Today, Larry continues to serve as an elected Director for the Washington County Central Dispatch Center in Missouri, and an elected Director for the Washington County (MO) Emergency Services Board.

Research Notes

Larry maintains a Family Tree Maker (FTM) database researching all individuals of the surname FLESHER and its variant spellings; FLEISCHER, FLESCHER, FLEISHER, and others. in April 2024, this database includes over 48,800 individuals.

Sources

• Flesher-Fleischer FTM database Apr 2024 {Larry Gene Flesher [Flesher-280] Apr 2024}

• First-hand information. Entered by Larry Flesher at registration and later updated.