Nashville, TN – It seems like a long time ago since 18-year-old Dennis Creecy raised his right hand to join the military as a lowly private. But then again maybe it wasn’t all that long ago.
Richard Nixon was the new president, True Grit was a smash hit in theaters, the first ATM machine had just been installed, a new Toyota Corolla cost $1,900, and military pay for a new enlistee was $115.00 per month.
The year was 1969 and young Creecy had just graduated from Wayne County High School.
It was after Vietnam that the still-fresh-faced Creecy decided to continue military life; he joined the Tennessee Army National with Lawrenceburg’s old Charlie Company, 473rd Support Battalion. From there he served in Waynesboro’s Detachment 1, 1176th Maintenance Company for 17 years. Then it was two years in Pulaski with the 1175th Quartermaster Company followed by one year with Headquarters Company, 194th Engineer Brigade, in Nashville.
His final move was with that same Engineer Company when it relocated to Jackson in 1996. There he remained until last September when 60-year-old Command Sergeant Major Dennis Creecy put on his uniform for the last time and retired from the Tennessee Army National Guard with 41 years, eight months of service to his country.
“Its’s been a long and winding road,” Creecy told a large gathering of family and military friends at his retirement luncheon at National Guard Headquarters in Nashville. I wouldn’t take anything for the journey.
“In addition to making thousands of friends for life, I was able to do things and accomplish things that would have never been possible except for the military. You hear it said often and I can vouch for it, ‘It’s a great big family.’”
His daughters, Leanne Gordon, from Pulaski, and Andrea Woodall, from Collinwood, shed tears at the retirement luncheon as their daddy reminisced about days gone by and treasured memories from the military
“Many opportunities opened up for me and I tried to take advantage of them all,” he recalled. “One of the most important things I learned was that it’s not the power of the position you hold, it’s the relationships you develop as you become a team. And it’s not about coaching young people, it’s about mentoring them.
“I would encourage any young man or woman today to join the military. It’s a good way to grow up in a hurry and to mature while you’re doing something for your country, but sadly, it’s an opportunity most people never avail themselves of.”
