Russell Griffith poses in front of the Gold Star Memorial at Spencer’s Landing in Vienna. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBURG — Born just after the end of World War II, Russell “Russ” Griffith’s life was shaped by service.

A Parkersburg native and Parkersburg High School graduate of 1963, Griffith joined the U.S. Army at just 17, driven by a desire to support his family during a difficult time.

“My mom had eight kids, and six of us were still in school,” Griffith said. “I couldn’t find any permanent work, so I joined the military and started sending money home.”

What began as a plan to become an aircraft mechanic became a multifaceted military journey. Griffith completed basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, then transferred to Fort Rucker, Alabama, for aircraft maintenance school. He was initially disappointed when he was assigned as a helicopter weapons repair specialist rather than a mechanic.

While at Fort Rucker, Griffith supported helicopter pilot training, maintaining onboard weapons systems used during live training exercises. Later, he was part of what he called a “rare assignment” – 20 Army soldiers were stationed at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. Their task: servicing the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk, a fixed-wing aircraft equipped with weapons used for pilot training before deployment to Vietnam.

Russell Griffith poses with the Grumman Mohawk Aircraft at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Airfield. (Photo Provided)

“I spent about a year there,” Griffith recalled. “We fueled, loaded, and serviced the aircraft between training runs.”

Eventually, Griffith received orders for Vietnam. Assigned to the 540th Transportation Company, he deployed by ship to Cam Ranh Bay, then to Nha Trang for orientation. He was ultimately stationed at a helicopter base in Qui Nhon, where his team provided fifth echelon maintenance, which are repairs not possible in the field.

“Sometimes they would bring the helicopters to us…and we would do the repair there on the airfield,” he said. “But sometimes we had to go to the area where the helicopter was down…to do the repair since they couldn’t fly it to get the repairs done, so we had to fly there to do the repairs.”

After 13 months in Vietnam, Griffith returned home in August 1966. He was honorably discharged as a Specialist Fifth Class and received five service medals for his military contributions.

Life after service led Griffith to his wife, Jean Linch Griffith, a Vienna native he had dated prior to deployment. Together they raised two children, Cindy, now a lead secretary at Ohio University’s Wellness Center, and Russell Craig, an engineer based in Evans City, Pennsylvania. Between their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Griffith says he is happy to be close to his family.

From left, Jean Griffith, Ray Linch, Russell Griffith, Russell Craig Griffith and Cynthia Dawn Griffith Parsons enjoy a day together. (Photo Provided)

Griffith also found success in the private sector spending time at Johns Manville and The Parkersburg News and Sentinel and landed a position at DuPont’s Washington Works plant. Griffith recalled how he rose from an operator to a supervisor in a four-year span.

“I was probably the youngest supervisor they’d ever promoted at the time,” Griffith said.

Griffith’s career culminated in a leadership position at DuPont’s Cooper River Plant in South Carolina, where he helped launch a new facility and its first 58 operators.

In 2002, Griffith retired and returned to West Virginia. Griffith and his wife settled in Vienna, where they have lived for nearly a decade and recently moved into a newly built home. The couple are active members of the Vienna Baptist Church, after previously attending South Parkersburg Baptist Church for many years.

Though retired, Griffith remains connected to the veteran community. He served with the American Legion Honor Guard, participating in countless rifle salutes for fallen veterans, an experience he says left an emotional impact.

From left, Russell Griffith and Woody Williams celebrate Williams receiving a West Virginia Medal of Honor. (Photo Provided)

“Every time they played ‘Taps,’ tears would roll down my cheeks,” he said. “That says it all.”

Now fully retired, Griffith enjoys time with his family and travelling.

“But we call Vienna our home now, and we like the Vienna area; it’s close to everything,” said Griffith. “We’ve got a lot of friends here…I spend a lot of time with my kids and grandkids.”

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.