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Carl Gene Drost – Oskaloosa, Iowa
The product of an Iowa farming family and a one-room schoolhouse, Carl learned family values and a sense of duty at an early age. By the mid-60’s, Carl’s life was honey and roses. He was a teacher, a husband and a father. Carl thought there was no way he could be drafted. Then one night he and his wife watched the draft lottery. Carl’s world shattered when his number was drawn. Together he and his wife decided a deferment was not an option. Carl found himself the only draftee in Artillery NCOCS. After receiving his orders for Vietnam, Carl learned everything he could about being a soldier, hoping it would improve his chances of survival. While on leave, Carl came back to Iowa and put in his father’s winter crop. It was then that Carl watched President Nixon address the nation about sending troops home before Christmas. Carl fit the profile. After arriving back in the states, Carl wasn’t interested in teaching – he wanted to start his own company. With a small loan he and his wife started a small John Deere Equipment Company. Today, Drost Equipment is one of the largest John Deere dealers in southern Iowa. |
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