Specialist 4th Class Fred Courchaine / United States Army

Specialist 4th Class Fred Courchaine / United States Army

By his own admission, Fred Courchaine had a pretty mundane military career. You might say he was caught “in-between” times. At the time of his service, the second world war was long over, the Korean War had reached a cease-fire, and almost nobody had heard of Vietnam – yet. He explains, “Through my entire tour, nobody shot at me, and I didn’t have to shoot anyone. And that was OK with me. But I do admire and have the greatest respect for those guys that did face fire. As a kid, growing up in Westford, MA, there was a Marine in our town… tough as nails. His name was Joe Connell. He fought at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. He went on to be the town’s Chief of Police. I always admired him.”

Many members of Courchaine’s family served in various areas of the armed services. One of his earliest memories as a kid was family members coming to his parent’s home to mourn an uncle who was in a B-17 that went down over France during WWII. He also had an uncle who was shot down over France during WWII and because he was able to speak French, he was able to communicate with the French underground forces who were able to get him back to his unit. He also had a cousin who was killed while taking a bunker on Iwo Jima in WWII. These stories and incidents made an impression on him.

Courchaine was born and raised in Westford, Massachusetts. He attended local public schools up to grade eight. He then attended a private school, Keith Academy for Boys in Lowell, MA. He enjoyed playing sports, but to play he had to take a bus from his school in Westford to Lowell which meant he didn’t get home until after 7 p.m. This schedule just barely gave him time for some dinner, and a few hours of studying, and then he got to do it all over again. He explains, “That got old quick. So, I transferred to another public school, Westford Academy, where I graduated in 1955.”

Courchaine considered continuing his education after high school, but funding was a problem. “Both my parents worked in the mills,” he explained. “So, we didn’t have a lot of money. I knew if I joined the military, my schooling would be paid for. So, while still in high school, in January 1955, I joined the Navy Reserve.”

Courchaine did two weeks of training at the Bainbridge Navy Training Center in Maryland and later spent two weeks training on the U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Ware DD865. Courchaine relates his time in the Navy reserve, “I enjoyed my Navy time, especially on the USS Ware. I got to spend a good amount of time on the bridge. But ultimately, I decided the Navy was not the place for me. I didn’t have the education to be a commissioned officer and I didn’t have any inherent skills that would have pointed me down a military career path. I didn’t want to spend my whole tour scraping paint off of ships. I was able to get a discharge from the Navy, and in September 1955, I joined the Army.”

Upon joining the Army, Courchaine was sent to Fort Dix, NJ for his first 8 weeks of basic training and his second 8 weeks were spent at Fort Lee, VA where he was trained for the Quartermaster Corps. Courchaine notes, “I figured the Quartermasters was my best bet.”

His first duty post was Fort Devens in Ayer MA. Courchaine was non-plussed with the choice. He explains, “When I joined the service, I expected to see the world… and here I was, about 10 miles from where I grew up. I went to my CO and asked to be sent somewhere…anywhere but Massachusetts. He asked if I was sure. I said yes. The next thing I knew, I was headed for the Central Pacific.”

His next stop was Enewetak Atoll, part of the Marshall Islands chain. Enewetak Atoll is approximately 2,400 nautical miles west-southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, which is considered the closest major US point to the atoll; placing it at a significant distance from the continental United States… and 7,400 miles from Fort Devens!

The Enewetak Atoll was the target for atomic bomb testing. Courchaine explains, “I got to fly around the atoll islands in a Piper Cub. We flew over what had been an island where an atomic bomb was dropped. It was now just a big hole in the ground. I also visited the island from which missiles were fired. One as the island of Kwajalein.” Asked about the mission his unit served in the Pacific, Courchaine replied, “Raytheon was doing some missile testing out there, so that was probably one reason.

Courchaine talked about his job on the atoll, “I started as a supply clerk, ordering and tracking supplies, chained to a desk. The CO, Colonel Custer, wanted me for his clerk-typist. I could type, somewhat, so I accepted the job. And besides, the Colonel was quite a guy. He treated me almost like one of his officers and included me in things NCOs weren’t ordinarily a part of.” On a side note, Courchaine says, “I never asked if he was related to his ill-fated namesake of 7th Cavalry fame.”

Courchaine spent 13 months on Enewetak. He tells about his time there. “Enewetak was pretty small, so small we couldn’t have a long airstrip so the planes that could land there were limited… nothing big. There was no civilian town so entertainment was limited. We had an NCO club. We had a movie theater but you had to bring a coat and rain hat in case it rained. One of the best movies I saw there was ‘High Society’ with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly. I thought duty out there was OK but some of the guys just snapped being out in the middle of nowhere, and tried doing crazy things.”

Courchaine continues, “Despite the limited activities, I had a good time. I was treated well by the officers. We had a beautiful lagoon where I went diving. And we played a lot of baseball. We didn’t have any travel budget but some of the other Army units on the other islands did so they would travel to Enewetak for a game. It was fun to play baseball but you had to remember you couldn’t slide into a base. The atoll was comprised of coral – sharp as can be. In one game, I went up against the Army’s star pitcher. Nobody could get a hit off him. I connected with a pop-fly! It was a good day!”

“My original idea,” said Courchaine, “was to go to school, get a degree, and become an officer. It didn’t quite work out that way… although I was able to attend a lot of classes through several different schools, depending on where I was. I was fortunate too because I was usually billeted with other guys who were going to college.”

“When my tour was ending,” said Courchaine, “they offered me a promotion to Sergeant with the attendant pay raise. But I was done. I left the Army in August 1958. Out of the military, Courchaine got involved with an upstart company called the New England Educational Data Systems, aka NEEDS which was associated with Harvard University. (An A.I. overview describes NEEDS as “a regional data system that collects and manages educational data across the states of New England, allowing for analysis and comparison of student performance, school effectiveness, and other educational metrics across the region.) Courchaine’s job with NEEDs started as a machine operator processing IBM cards. The company was eventually sold to the Westinghouse Learning Corporation. Courchaine was offered the job of East Coast representative but deferred on the promotion due to family concerns.

Courchaine has been married twice, He met his second and current wife, Barbara, when they were in grade school. They both got married to other people, had children, and life went on, but they stayed in contact with each other. Eventually, Courchaine got divorced and Barbara’s husband passed away. They re-connected and got married in 1999. They met some very difficult financial times but finally things settled down. They moved to Hollis, NH where they now live in an over-55 community.

Courchaine continues, “Life now is good. I have a small office in our home. On one wall hangs my Navy DD214 discharge form and on the opposite wall, my Army DD214. I don’t have a lot of money but when I can, I donate to the Tunnel to Towers organization.”

Courchaine is active with and proud of his association with, the Hollis American Legion Post 0159. He ended our interview with, “I’m 88 years old! I plan to live to at least 100! I had a blessed time during my military service and a blessed time as a civilian. I thoroughly enjoyed both… and I plan to continue as long as I can!”

US Service Personnel Profiles
 By Gary Ledoux February 2. 2025