American Legion Beaufort Post 207 brings you Mike Tollison, 83, who joined the United States Naval Reserve in Greenville, S.C., in 1963. After Boot Camp at Great Lakes, Ill., he trained as a Storekeeper. While in the reserves he worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He was commissioned in 1968 and trained as a Nuclear Weapons Technical Ordnance Officer at Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, N.M.
In 1970 he returned to the reserves and the TVA in Chattanooga, Tenn. In 1985 he returned to active duty to write manuals for training reserves. In 1987 he was assigned as Officer in Charge for recruiting officers and enlisted from West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., and the western parts of Pennsylvania and New York. In 1991 he was assigned in Norfolk as OIC of the Career Information Team providing counseling for separating members of all the services in the area.
In 1995 he began service at the Naval Academy as Director of the 150th Academy Anniversary and later as an instructor in English and Ethics. He retired in 1997 as a Captain (O-6) with 33 years of service. He then taught middle and high school in North Carolina and Texas before becoming the contract civilian Dean of Military Education at the Navy’s Great Lakes Training Center. His final professional experience was as Deputy Director for Military Education for San Diego City College. In 2017 he and his wife moved to Yemassee. He is a member of MOAA, ROA, DAV and AMVETS.
Compiled by John Chubb, American Legion Post 207. For Veteran Of The Week nominations, contact jechubb1@gmail.com.
