July's Veteran Of The Month: Paul 'Chuck' Ennis

Paul "Chuck" Ennis was born in Lexington, Minn., where he lived until the age of 5 when the Ennis family moved to Erwin, North Carolina.

Paul lived there through his junior year in high school and the family moved back to the Circle Pines, Minn. area for his senior year (where he graduated from Centennial High School).

Paul enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of 17 and was sent to Vietnam in Quang Tre.

After being honorably discharged at the age of 19, Paul married a wonderful woman named Barbara (Hoppe) and had three sons who are all married now and have given Paul and Barbara five grandchildren to enjoy.

Medtronic was where Paul worked for ten years (during the '70s) and for Sunstrand Mobile Controls for seven years before his physical disabilities prevented him from being able to work.

Paul is very proud of his service time. He took his responsibility as a soldier very seriously. He was one of the youngest enlisted men deployed to Vietnam. And, although small in size and quiet, the other men looked to him for leadership.

Paul recalls, "Somehow the chaos of war made sense to me. It was one of the first times in my life that I felt important."

He was later awarded with the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Navy Achievement Medal.