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MANVILLE: Padgett family bleeds red, white and blue

It is one military family that’ll observe Veterans’ Day

By Mary Ellen Day, Special Writer
   The Padgett family — both men and women — of Manville has a proud family history of serving the country in the military.
   Resident Floyd Padgett, his first wife Janet, his son Dayne and his wife Vickie, and grandson Adam Padgett are all part of the Air Force family.
   After basic training at Sampson Air Force base in New York, Floyd joined the Air Force in July 1955 and was stationed at Westover Air Force base in Springfield, Massachusetts. He managed the base tire and battery shops and drove the wrecker.
   He spent two years at Westover before being transferred to the Sidi Slimane base in Morocco, North Africa. There he once again was in charge of the base tire shop and the wrecker. A year later, Floyd was transferred back to the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, base. Floyd was discharged in July 1959.
   Now he is a retired mechanic who worked for the Borough of Manville for 20 years. He lives in town.
   His son, Dayne, enlisted in the Air Force after high school graduation in August 1980 and completed basic training at the Lackland base in Texas. Dayne was taught to be a Russian linguist and was sent to Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden, Germany. He was trained to fly on patrols where he would pick up radio transmissions and translate them for his commanding officer.
   Dayne spent three years in Germany before being transferred to the Washington, D.C., area, where he worked at the Pentagon. He was discharged in August 1986.
   Dayne’s son Adam enlisted in July 2011 and did his basic training at the same Texas base to which his father was assigned years earlier. Adam was trained to load equipment on cargo aircraft. He began his career in Little Rock, Arkansas, and was then transferred to Afghanistan before returning to Little Rock today.
   While he was at Westover Air Force base, Floyd married his first wife, Janet, who was also in the Air Force.
   His brother, Albert, was also in the military, with the Marines from 1955 to 1959.
   Mr. Padgett is proud of his family’s military history and feels honored that so many members were all able to serve this country.