Veteran of the Month

Aaron Renninger is a 78 -year -old veteran who served his country in the Army, as well as the Marines. He grew up in the Fountain Hill section of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and decided to quit school and enlist in the Marines.  Times were tough for his family and Aaron thought that by enlisting, there would be one less mouth to feed!  So in December, 1962 at the age of 17, Aaron arrived at Parris Island, South Carolina, where he remained for three months. For the next few years, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. In 1963 he was deployed to Cuba, where his first assignment was performing guard duty at the border.

Next, eschewing a luxurious Mediterranean cruise, Aaron took a few NATO cruises to France and England. While onboard as a pasttime, Aaron lifted weights, bench pressing 460 pounds and having a dead lift of 675 pounds! Upon his return,  his next orders sent him to Okinawa for one year, where he was attached to  Supply Unit E5. Later, Aaron requested to go to Vietnam, and while in Da Nang, he was assigned to a trucking company.  Because of his superb physical fitness, the colonel asked him to form a 16 -man team to escort convoys. During that time, split decisions had to be made that sometimes led to heartache. All three of Aaron’s brothers were stationed in Vietnam at the same time and, fortunately, they all returned home safely.

After his discharge,Aaron found a job working with his uncle installing insulation in the Martin Towers in Bethlehem. Then for six months, Aaron got a job at a dairy farm in Hecktown that was rent-free. For the next two years he traveled to cities installing phone equipment into Verizon buildings. Then, due to  family issues, he quit this job to be with his wife.

Later, Aaron joined the Army reserve unit and was transferred to Germany, where he worked as an in-service recruiter.  Then he was transferred to Italy, traveling from there to Greece and Turkey to continue his assignment.

 When  he returned to the States, Aaron was stationed in Alabama.  He retired as a Master Sergeant in 1992, having served 17 years as an Army recruiter, and 7-8 years in the Marines.

Aaron  resides in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, with his wife of 60 years. They have three children, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Some of Aaron’s awards are:

Combat Service Medal (Vietnam)

Combat Action Medal (Vietnam)

Good Conduct (Marine Corps)

Presidential Unit Citation

Expert Rifle (Marine Corps)

Expert Pistol (Marine Corps)