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WAYNE COUNTY — Seventy years ago, Ken Garrett put on a uniform and trained to go into action.
Partly out of patriotism, partly because he dreamed of being a pilot, Garrett signed up to fight.
“I served my country and learned how to fly at the same time,” Garrett said.
Garrett trained to fly bombers — the B-25, the B-26, and later the A-25. He was assigned to the expected invasion of Japan, but never got there.
The atomic bomb ended the war, just a few days before Garrett would have fought for his country.
By then, a grateful nation created a path to the future. The GI bill paid for tuition and books, even for soldiers and sailors who never fought.
“That was one of the greatest things that I think our government ever did,” Garrett said.
A boy from a poor family of nine kids in Nephi graduated from law school.
Garrett became a high profile personal injury lawyer in Orange County, California.
“As it turned out, being a trial attorney was my forte,” Garrett said.
The poor kid from Nephi went on to have a remarkable life, crossing paths with the rich and famous, including celebrities from show business, politics, and even from the White House.
Midway through life, Garrett bought a thousand-acre ranch in Utah.
For years, he regularly piloted himself back and forth between Utah and California. Now, in his retirement, he still does some ranch chores. Garrett reflects on a life totally changed by his service as a non-combat veteran, and by his gift from the nation — an education.
“That’s one of the biggest blessings that I had,” Garrett said.
