As a young man recently graduated from Bakersfield High School in California, Dennis Hall walked into his local military recruiting offices in Bakersfield, Calif., intent on visiting with the Navy recruiter.
But after noticing several people waiting to see the recruiter, he walked into the Coast Guard office next door.
"The Coast Guard recruiter had a brochure in his office that really caught my attention," Hall said.
Enlisting with the hope of someday becoming a military photo journalist, Hall traveled to Alameda, Calif., and completed his two-month initial training in 1975.
He received his first assignment to Coast Guard Base New Orleans, spending the next few months learning a range of administrative duties.