The Odessa Record - Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!

HARRINGTON - When Brad Simpson was young, two men in his life inspired him to join the military. His grandfather John Simpson was a Bronze Star recipient in the Army in World War II and his father Skip Simpson was a machinist in the Navy during the Vietnam War.

Wanting to keep that legacy alive, he signed up for military service in 1990 after his graduation from Harrington High School.

When Brad told his grandfather John, who was a "Junglee" with the 41st Infantry Division in New Guinea, that he wanted to follow him and enlist in the Army, John said, "I've dodged enough bullets in the Arm...