Larry Peppel always knew he would enter the military. "My father served in World War II.My grandfather was in World War I, in France," he said."There was no doubt in my mind I'd go into the service.I owed that to my father and grandfather.I made up my mind to do the best I could for myself." Born and raised in Ohio, Peppel attended Syracuse University in Rochester, N.Y., on scholarship.He secured a job with a telephone company there, telling them it was quite possible he would be drafted. "That first year I aggressively looked for an opportunity to enlist," the 62-year-old Kosciusko County Red Cross executive director said.That opportunity came with a guarantee from the Air Force for Officer's Candidate School."I signed on with the Air Force and had a bit of delay there because there was a backload." After completing OTS in July 1966, the Air Force told the second lieutenant they needed pilots.
TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer- | July 28, 2016