I was not an Army wife, but became the wife of a member of the West Point Class of 1961, Company I-2. I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama with a wonderful childhood and a loving, hardworking family.  Huntsville is the home of the US Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal.  That is where our story begins. Jim was assigned to the Nike-X project at Redstone in 1964. I was working for the Army as a clerk typist in the same building and attending college classes in the evening.

After several months of casual conversations we began dating in the spring of 1965, though not exclusively. I was living at home with my parents saving money to buy a car and attend college full time to pursue my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. I thoroughly enjoyed my work for the Army and had opportunities for advancement, yet teaching was my desire.

In the fall of 1966 I left my job with the government to attend college full time at Jacksonville State College (now University). Jim and I continued dating when I would be home on weekends. In the fall of 1968 Jim received orders for Viet Nam and our letter writing began.

Now, the “sixpence” story.

While we were dating, we had seen the Broadway Musical “Half a Sixpence.” I loved the play. Could it have been that the female lead’s name was Ann?  Maybe. In the story, Arthur, the male lead, gives Ann a token.   He had a sixpence cut in half and told her to keep one half and he would keep the other half and when they were not together to touch it every day and think of each other. He then told her that two half six pence joined together would make one.

Before Jim left for Viet Nam I had a six pence cut in half and I kept one half and I gave the other to him to take with him. Each day I would touch my half and think of him.

While Jim was in Viet Nam he invited me to come with his parents and meet him in Hawaii for his R&R during the end of July and first of August, 1968. It was a fairy tale week for me as this is the week that Jim proposed on August 1, 1968.  

I still had a year remaining before graduating.  After his Viet Nam tour Jim resigned his commission and returned to Huntsville. We married June 14, 1969 in my home church at Southside Baptist, the week after I graduated. That fall we both were teaching in the Huntsville City School System, Jim at Huntsville High teaching math and I at Roger B Chaffee Elementary teaching fourth grade, where I taught for 30 years. We were honored to be working in a profession serving the students in our community. We both had satisfying careers sharing the same profession together.

Now, the last part of the “sixpence” story.  After we married we joined the two sixpence pieces together to make it one.  We now have it in a small frame on a table in our living room.

I am blessed to be married to Jim Oaks, a West Point Class of 196l graduate.

Duty, Honor, and Country have remained an important part of my West Pointer’s daily life. To that, I add, the love that he has shown to me, our son, his family and my family is a Gift.