AMERICAN LEGION
After spending nearly two decades volunteering for our city in various matters, in mid-2025 I decided to turn my attention toward our veterans and their families. I chose the American Legion, and specifically joined the Sons of the American Legion (SAL). They focus on not only veterans, but youth events teaching community service, teammanship, ethics, and skills. I’m not really into drinking, so you won’t find me at the bar, but you might find me in the kitchen or more likely running food out to veterans and their guests or frankly some other event that supports the American Legion in their goals. Ours is Legion Post 275.
About my Dad
My parents divorced when I was fairly young. When they were together, I was likely too young for my father to tell me about his military history. By the time I was old enough to understand, there was only my mother who tried to piece it together for me. Unfortunately, her understanding wasn’t very clear. To be honest, it was one former military friend and some talented folks at the American Legion who helped me request old military records and helped me clearly assemble an understanding of my dad’s service.
Robert James Peterson, Jr. served in the US Navy from February 1958 to October 1962. He was an aircraft mechanic, petty officer third-class, assigned to the Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 11 (HS-11), later known as the Dragonslayers, established at the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island in June 1957. He was among the first group to serve in the squadron. The squadron was later re-designated HSC-11 in 2016.
The squadron’s nickname at the time was the Sub-Seekers and they flew the Sikorsky HSS-1 Seabat helicopter under the radio call sign “Snowbound”. His squadron was assigned to the Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 52 and deployed on board the USS Wasp (CV-18), an Essex class aircraft carrier. Their primary mission was anti-submarine warfare, intially using dipping sonar then later upgrading to Doppler radar.
In a weird irony, I never really realized how much I looked like my dad until I found a photo of him when he was about the same age as I in my early adulthood.
