Veteran of the Month: Dennis Rucker

DennisRuckerisbeinghonored as Lake Andes’ March Veteran of the Month. Not only is Rucker a Vietnam War Veteran, but he also served during Operation Desert Storm. Rucker enlisted in the Army on January 30, 1969 when he was 18 years old. Rucker was shipped to Fort Johnson, formerly known as (fka) Fort Polk, in Louisiana for basic training. As there were too many soldiers sent to that base, soldiers were dispersed to three different bases. Rucker was sent to Fort Jackson, in South Carolina. After completing basic training, he was then sent to Fort Moore, fka Fort Benning, in Georgia to complete his infantry training. Once infantry training was finished, Rucker volunteered for Airborne School, to become a paratrooper. When asked how many jumps he made during his time in the Army, Rucker said “one, the other 13 they had to push me out of the plane”.