This week’s Veteran is Barry Freece, who served in the U.S. Navy from 1965-1976. He attended boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Station north of Chicago, Illinois. He was such a good recruit, they kept him on for a cycle as a Company Commanders’ Aide to help train the next class of naval personnel. In early 1967, Barry went to school for Underwater Demolition Training, and Underwater Demolition Team members later became the Navy Seals. Freece went to many different schools, including ones associated with the US Army, such as Jump School at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he learned parachute training. He attended underwater swimmer training in Key West, Florida, where he eventually was able to dive 110 feet underwater, just by holding his breath for over 2 minutes. Barry went to about 37 different military schools, which are now combined into Navy Seal Team Training. Schools like Medic combat medic, minor surgery. Morse code. He even learned to deliver a baby, along with the easier tasks of jungle warfare, explosives training, and wargaming.
He did things many of us would absolutely refuse to do, especially if you are claustrophobic, such as evacuating from a submarine’s exit chamber, with another team member, in very confined quarters. Barry was a member of Seal Team 2 based out of Virginia, near Norfolk. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1969, 1970, and 1971, on missions that ran about 6-7 months each. Most of the time, his missions were determined by his local command, such as setting up ambushes, or search and destroy assignments. On occasion, high-command would order his unit on intelligence missions on high profile enemy officials, plus other more secretive missions involving an agency with three initials, the C-?-A. While still in service in New Orleans, Freece was able to attend college, and earned a Criminal Law degree with the University of Maryland. After his service, he found employment with a commercial diving salvage company, before joining the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF. After retiring in 1996, he opened his own business consulting for insurance companies on arson investigations. Good Luck Barry, and Congratulations on being MCNs ‘Veteran of the Week’.
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