Although he was enrolled in community college, his draft lottery number was a low one and he would be drafted into the Army, so he enlisted in the Navy, following in his fathers footsteps. His father served during WWII flying Navy Hellcats.

Boot camp was served at San Diego Naval Base as there was a respiratory illness outbreak at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Dec 1969. His proud father flew from Michigan to San Diego for his graduation. His first training school was done at NAS Millington Tennessee. From there he was assigned to Patuxent River Naval Air Station at Lexington Park MD. where he stayed the rest of his tour of duty. This was a beautiful area on the Chesapeake Bay just an hour south of Washington DC. He was assigned to Weapons Systems Tests as a plane captain, preflighting planes. He was plane captain for the A6A Intruder, the OV-10 and one other plane while serving there until Dec 1973. Temporary assigned duty stations were to Las Vegas (Operation Grasscatcher) and to Eglin Airforce Base in Florida. Honorably discharged from Navy out of Pax River.

Phillip Gehrman (1950)