Contributed By David Minor
The Shinnston Lions Club proudly announces their slate of Marshals for the Veterans Parade at 11 AM on Nov 11 in town.
Robin Shingleton was raised in Cass, West Virginia with her parents and sister. After graduating from high school, Robin joined the Air Force through the Delayed Enlistment Program in January 1988. While in the Air Force, she went to basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. She received her clinical training at Davis-Montham AFB, in TusconArizone. Her first duty station was Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada.
After 10 years at Nellis AFB, she went to Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB Intensive Care Unit for four years. During this tour at Lackland AFB, Robin went TDY to Balad AFB in Iraq. Her last duty station was Shaw AFB in South Carolina for two years. She retired with her husband after 20 years of faithful service in Aug 2008.
Robin and her husband Clifford met at Nellis AFB and married in 1989 in Adamsville, WV. They have been married for 33 years. Robin is the mother of a son and a daughter. She has three beautiful grandchildren, one granddaughter and two grandsons.
After retiring from the Air Force, Robin went back to school attending Salem University for an associates degree in nursing. She then attended Chamberlain School of Nursing to receive her Bachelors of Sciences degree in nursing. She currently works in the Oncology Clinic at United Hospital Center in Bridgeport.
Robin joined the American Legion in 2016. She serves as the treasurer for the American Legion Riders. At the post level, she serves as publicity officer, historian, and second vice commander. At the Department level, she has served as historian from 2017-2019, then 2020 to present.
At the national level, she serves on the National Security Council 2019 to present and on the National Cemetery Convention Subcommittee from 2018 to 2022. In the National Association of Department Historians of the American Legion (NADHAL), she served as Area 3 Vice President, Judge of history books, Assistant Chaplain, President for three years, and now secretary.
Clifford Shingleton, raised in Shinnston, is the oldest son of Fred and Janet Shingleton. He is a graduate of Lincoln High School, class of 1984. He joined the United States Air Force soon after and was assigned to the 554 Medical Services Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. There he served as a medical services corpsman and shift leader in the emergency room for 13 years.
During his time at Nellis, he met his beautiful wife Robin from Cass, West Virginia, and had two children, Jayne and Charles.
While stationed at Nellis AFB, he attended Independent Duty Medical Services School and was qualified for special medical assignments. The family then transferred to Germany, where he took charge of the Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Center. During this tour, Cliff completed many special duty assignments in places like Albania, Tunisia, Nigeria, and Cairo, Egypt.
The family learned German culture and met people traveling to see all the amazing sites of Europe. From Germany, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas. Cliff was assigned to the 37th Training Wing in San Antonio as a Master Sergeant where he oversaw the medical care of over 6,000 basic military trainees through seven satellite clinics.
In 2006, the family made its last military move to Sumter, South Carolina and Shaw Air Force Base. Here, Cliff was to serve as the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 20th Aerospace Medical Services.
Cliff retired from the Air Force in 2009 and moved with the family back to Shinnston. Since retirement, he has completed his nursing degree and works as a registered nurse at United Hospital center. His second career after retirement has been with the American Legion, serving as a post officer in Shinnston Post 31, as well as District and Department Offices in the seven years since joining.
He is now the Department of West Virginia’s Riders Director, where he assists and sets up motorcycle programs for the American legion around the State of West Virginia. He is the current facilitator for a Veterans Administratioon sponsored program called Together With Veterans Suicide Awareness and Prevention initiative in North Central West Virginia.
In 1999, I, Jeff Dytzel joined the US military and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood, MO. (aka fort lost in the woods). We successfully completed training and moved forward in the MOS as 12 C/ 12 B. In 2001 our Nation was attacked, and a plan was set forth. I did not know what part of the plan our engineering department would be a part of.
In 2002, we competed as an engineering unit, and competed against every other unit in the United States Army. In that competitive day, we were not only the only unit to meet the standard set by the Army, we blew it out of the water, no pun intended. This set us on the path to be attached to the 1st Marines Expeditionary Force, which made us a part of the tip of the spear.
In early 2003 I was sent to Kuwait. Shortly thereafter, war was declared and the day of we crossed the border into Iraq. The first 3 days was very quiet. All we saw were sheep and shepherds. Shortly thereafter our life changed forever and you remember in life all your 1st. April 7th, 2003 the 459th EN B was responsible for crossing the Euphrates River into Baghdad. This day, is in multiple documentaries: PBS, National Geographic (you’ll see one of my friends, Ryan Culhan, say “Welcome to Baghdad”), Warriors POV episode 4 ( probably my favorite presentation of it)and many other resources of that day. Many other topics and happenings led to returning back to the states following that deployment around March of that 2004 year. Shortly after returning home my active duty responsibilities were resolved.
The people around us, the people, before us, and the people in front of us, all make it worth it. May God be with us all.