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File: 120596_aaczf_01.txt
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 Oral History Interview
 5 June 1991
 UNCLASSIFIED
 Taped with Maj Thomas E. Griffith, POW in Iraq (19 Jan 91 -
 3 Mar 91)
 Conducted by Dr. James C. Hasdorff, Air Force Academy Graduate
 Association (Contract); with Mr. David L. Rosmer (9AF/HO), and
 Mr. Frederick D. Claypool (4WG/HO). First transcript by SSgt
 Robin L. Smalls (4WG/HO)

 	Q. To begin the interview, Major Griffith, I'd like to get
 a little family background on you. According to your
 biography, you were born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on
 May 7, 1956. What kind of profession is your father in,
 by the way?

 A: He's an airline pilot for United Airlines, and has flown
 in the Air Force in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard.
 So, he was just briefly on active duty and then served
 in the Air National Guard for about eight years and then
 got out.

 Q: How many siblings do you have?
 A: I have four younger brothers, no sisters.

 Q: Any of those serve in the service?
 
 A: No, and after this probably not. (laughter) No, none
 of them are in the military at all.

 Q: How did you get lined up with the Air Force Academy?
 
 A: Basically, when I was a little kid, I wanted to fly, and
 at the time I was graduating from high school the best
 way to do that was to go to the Air Force Academy. So,
 that's why I went to the Air Force Academy.

 Q: Did you get any congressional help with that?
 
 A: Well, I was an alternate, and then...I think the way my
 congressman did it, he just nominated ten guys and let
 the Academy sort out who was the number one guy. And
 they said my SAT scores were not quite good enough and
 asked if I'd like to attend the Academy Preparatory
 School. I thought about that for a little bit because
 I'd never considered it, and then I went ahead and went
 to the Air Force Academy Preparatory School for one year,
 and then entered with the class of 1979.
 
 O: Was that much of an adjustment for you, getting into the
 Academy life?
 

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