VETERANS DAY – A Day of Remembrance – I love my local veteran, John Menegat

John Menegat is all about service. Service to his family, to his community and to his country.
Born and raised in Arago, Ore., outside of Myrtle Point, he graduated from Myrtle Point High School in 1958 and joined the Navy. Serving as a Sonar Operation Airborne 2, John flew in Sikorsky HSS-1 helicopters, within Squad HS-8 off of the U.S.S, Bennington. He did search and rescue, dropping Marines on missions and hunting Soviet submarines. The Bennington was one of 24 Essex class carriers built during World War II, retrofitted afterwards as an anti-submarine aircraft carrier (CVS), and served as the recovery ship for the Apollo 4 space mission.
During John’s three years in the Pacific, he sailed out of Imperial Beach, Calif., and spent time in numerous places, to include: Seattle, Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Manila, NAS Cubi Point, Subic Bay and Okinawa.
On June 10, 1963 he married his sweetheart Audrey Waterman, with whom he continues to celebrate over 55 years of marriage. He has also welcomed two children, Tracy Beamer (Solvang, Calif.), Greg Menegat (Eugene), and five grandchildren: Alyssa, Nathaniel, Sam, Jared and Zach.
The year 1968 brought John and his family to the community of Creswell, where he and Audrey still reside.
I first met Mr. Menegat in the late 1970s during his tenure as scoutmaster, where he taught me to shoot with a bow, among other skills. He also assisted in the coaching of basketball and baseball in the 1976 through 1980 time frame, with additional service to our community on the Creswell School District Board of Directors from 1981 to 1985. While he quit his day job in about 2005, most would say he never really retired.
One thing I know first-hand is that John takes friendship very seriously. He has been a true one to my family, and to the Creswell community as a whole. Should you happen to see John helping friends, or out and about at a garage sale investigating the all favorite “free” signs, please thank him for his service to both our community and our country.