Farmer’s Son, Military Career

The youngest and only remaining child of Alfred and Cora Vold is Clarence, aka “Kip.” Clarence has restored some of the history by writing his memoirs. These records help keep the important people in his life alive in spirit and complete his unfinished life’s story told in the case of an event, like an obituary, when anyone else might sum up his life in just a couple of sentences. In Farmer’s Son, Military Career, Clarence’s raw and original descriptions of events throughout his life are told to help us see what all happened in-between his younger years as a farmer’s son and his military career. Clarence was born in 1940, and was old enough to experience his older brother being shipped off to war, but thankfully he arrived home safely. At one point in his schooling, he decided he would love to fly airplanes. However, this seemed like an impossible job for a farmer’s son living in rural South Dakota because the training would be so far away, as well as the fact that he was diagnosed as being far-sighted when he was younger, so he needed to wear glasses. When he got older, he tried out college and decided it wasn’t for him, so he signed up for the Air Force. His time in the Air Force resulted in thirty years of service, in which he advanced to the rank of Sergeant and was stationed in Japan, Southeast Asia, and Thailand, working in various capacities, like a boom operator. During his service, he met his wife, Mary, and ended up finding out what he was meant to do with his life.

Clarence’s history, told in a matter-of-fact tone, is very refreshing. His life was definitely a boy’s life, with hunting and goofing off with potentially dangerous things, such as loaded bullets. It is amazing that with each paragraph in the book, and there are many of them, each one tells a different story. The writing of his stories is well done and very easy to follow. Some of the descriptions from his accounts during his time in the Air Force were more difficult to follow, probably because I am not up-to-date with military terminology or am unable to relate, but they were enjoyable stories nonetheless because I feel the work and time of a serviceman demands respect. The relationships that Clarence held with his family members and friends made for wonderful stories since they all featured positivity and highlighted the way that family should act toward one another. The addition of pictures interspersed made it seem more real. I would recommend this book to any military veteran to reminisce as well as to any active military personnel.