Billy LaVoyce Fikes Jr.

I was born on a cold Northern California day at 7:45 AM in the same hospital that my Mother had been born in 21 years before.

My Father was away fighting the Korean War with the Second Infantry Division. The same division I would join in South Korea over 30 years later and meet my Wife.

As my Father was a 21 career Army Man we moved every few years during most of my growing years. I gave me the opportunity to meet people and engage cultures that I would otherwise not have, but prevented me from forming any long time friends until I was into my late teens and he was out of the military.

I can remember living in California, Texas, Germany, California, France, Arizona, and Alaska before I turned 12. I have always enjoyed travelling since then, taking to the road in my teens Hitch hiking out the Alaska Highway, hitching almost the entire length of California, twice. Riding Trains to random locations in West Germany South Korea and exploring until I had to head back to my Army Base. My first trip out in South Korea I went to the main tarin station in Seoul, got on a train the said "Inchon" and stayed on it until a nice porter came by and told me it was the end of the line. I got on a bus and rode it until the bus driver turned and looked at me and asked if I was getting off, as I was the last passenger and he was heading back.

Many of my meals and sleeping accomidations were offered to me out of kindness by those that had stopped to give a ride. One California Big Rig Truck Driver took me home to meet the Wife and kids and have dinner, in the morning we hit the road for LA 500 some miles South. He let me drive the truck until he knew I could handle it then got in the sleeper and told me to wake him up at Grapevine.

A Korean Gentleman picked me up and we went to his home, spent a few hours cutting and stacking Rice straw, then his wife, who had been supplying lemonaid while we worked, called us to dinner. She switched from serving us Lemonaide to Mokle, a crudely fermented rice beverage. I woke up early only to find the Farmer and his Wife had already left for the day after leaving my breakfast sitting outside the rice paper door.

Married: KiChae Kim, Seoul, South Korea June 14, 1989


Military Service:

3rd ID, Rock of the Marne, West Germany,

2nd ID Warriors, South Korea,

7th ID Lightfighters, Ft Ord, CA.

104th Timberwolves, Spokane, Wa.