A Weissport native experienced personal growth during his time in the military.

Glenn “Smokey” Troutman, of East Penn Township, graduated from Lehighton High School in 1964, and enlisted in the Navy in 1965.

Troutman was assigned to the USS Hank (DD-702) based out of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and he wound up in Panama in the Canal Zone and also at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

After initial Navy boot camp at Great Lakes, Illinois, he attended U.S. Navy Mineman School in Charleston, South Carolina, where he spent about five months.

He then spent a year and three months overseas in sea duty weapons station, where he assembled underwater weapons and maintained all the weapons that were in NATO.

Troutman subsequently stayed in the Reserves after he got discharged.

“I went most places around the world; we were an attachment assigned to an air base,” Troutman said. “You could be any place in the world in 24 hours.”

Born and raised in Weissport, Troutman said he was drafted, but volunteered to enlist in the Navy.

“It was a nice experience being away from home; you see places you’ll never go again in your life,” he said. “It’s very much a learning experience.”

Once he returned home, Troutman said he started as a brakeman before working his way up to an advanced conductor position on the then Lehigh Valley Railroad, where he spent 42 years combined with his military time.

“If you look at today’s military, most have some of the best schools you can attend,” he said. “They’ll pay your college tuition.”

Troutman said that once you’ve served in the military, there’s a shared brotherhood among veterans.

“Most military guys have that camaraderie, there’s a bond,” he said. “You really like them and have a lot of trust in your fellow servicemen and servicewomen.”

Troutman noted it’s that way at the Lehighton American Legion Post 314, where he has been a member the past 59 years, and currently serves as vice president of the Lehighton United Veterans Organization.

“There’s a tight-knit group we have here,” he said. “We take all kinds of new members.”

Troutman noted it’s essential that younger veterans look to join the Legion so that to preserve its legacy.

“We’re the last veterans group here in town,” he said. “You want to make sure it exists so that the younger generation and veterans can enjoy what’s going on.”

Troutman explained that the Legion is much more than just a bar, a common misconception that many share.

“It’s a congregated room where veterans get together, make lots of memories,” he said.

Troutman has been married to his wife, Joan, for 58 years.

Together, they have three sons, Michael, Jonathan and Charles, along with 11 grandchildren.

As he reflects back on his tenure in the military, Troutman said he would most definitely do it again.

“I would do it all over again without hesitation,” he said. “I think they should reinstitute the draft again for everybody.

“That’s my firm belief.”