FAIRBANKS, ALASKA , USA, August 2, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Christopher “Chris” Calhoon is a highly regarded and immensely respected Vietnam Veteran.

Chris is also immensely decorated, being the recipient of the Purple Heart Decoration, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star of Valor awards, the Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star, Sea Service Ribbon, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Combat Infantryman's Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Parachutist's Badge, Air Assault Badge and Master Army Aviator Badge.

Chris was born in San Francisco, California, raised in San Rafael and attended the University of San Francisco, graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in History.

Chris says, “My mother wanted me to be an Attorney, but I excelled in history, and because of the war, it was mandatory to be in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in college. I loved it. I worshipped the NCO’s there. I was drafted in 1968.”

Chris worked 3 jobs while in college and received a scholarship for ROTC, which paid the tuition for his Junior and Senior year and deferred his draft status until he graduated. In his Junior year, he was the number one Cadet as a Brigade Sergeant Major and in his Senior year he was the Brigade Commander and won the Military Science Award.

In June of 1970, Chris was commissioned to 2nd Lieutenant in the Army and went to the United States Army Officer Candidate School for training as an Airborne Ranger, where only 40% graduated, due to its level of difficulty.

Chris was then assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in the 82nd Airborne Division 3rd Brigade 1-505 Infantry and his job was 1st Rifle Platoon Leader. He was selected to be the Reconnaissance Platoon Leader, where there was only one Leader per Infantry Battalion.

Then, he went to Vietnam.

Chris says, “I was on the Cambodian border, by myself. We didn’t go in Units. I was made a Battalion Senior Adviser with a South Vietnamese Infantry Battalion, the 52nd Regimen - Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).”

Chris traveled with them on combat operations until March of 1972. He then went on his R&R. While he was there, his Unit in Vietnam got overrun and decimated. He flew back and couldn’t go back to them because of the remnants. Every single one of them were surrounded and wounded, due to the Offensive of 1972. Chris recalls, “The casualties of the advisers were so severe that I had to help out another regiment advisory team and didn’t rejoin my team until July.”

Chris spent the rest of his tour in Anlock and left in 1974. He says, “Subsequently, I went to Fort Wolters, Texas, to train to become an Army Helicopter Pilot and then went to Advanced Helicopter Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Then, I was assigned to Fort Richardson in Alaska and they put me in the 120th Assault Helicopter Company. As a result, I was a UH-1 Section Leader and the AH-1 Cobra Platoon Leader and Operations Manager.”

Chris then left aviation and moved over to the Infantry Brigade, where he commanded an Infantry Company. He states that Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf Jr., was the Brigade Commander and “Norm put me in Command of the 173rd Aviation Section, so I went back to Fort Benning for the Infantry Officer Career Courses.”

He relocated to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, for the 101st Airborne ‘Screaming Eagles’ as the first Leader of the Attack Helicopter Battalion - 229, the AH-1 Cobra. He then became a Company Commander and moved on to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama, to attend Air Command and Staff College. He says, “From there, they sent me to the Navy Base Coronado, where I flew off Amphibious Assault Ships with the UH-1N. Then, I worked on the USS Tripoli and Tarawa as an Air Operations Officer and wrote the daily air plan. I spent almost 12 months at sea, all in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Hawaii, the Philippines, Hawaii, Okinawa, Korea, Australia and San Diego.”

Chris met his beautiful wife, Rina, at the Marine Corp’s Recruit Depot Officers Club and it was love at first sight for him. He was then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and sent to Alaska, having been selected to Command the 222nd Aviation Battalion at Fort Wainwright.

Chris then went to the Army College at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania, before being sent to Hawaii as Commander of Chief of the Pacific at the All States Headquarters. He says, “I was selected as a speech writer for Huntington Hardisty, the great 4 Star Admiral-in-Charge and then selected for Brigade Commander as a Full Colonel. I was very honored to have this position because I got along very well with him and his wife. I was privy to the personal side of his life and he was truly a stand-up guy. This was my last assignment.”

Chris was sent back to Alaska at Fort Wainwright and commanded the Aviation Brigade of the 6th Infantry Division until he retired, where he had also practiced Real Estate part time while he was a Pilot, flying commercial helicopters for Hele Lifts & Air Logistics of Alaska.

After three years, he decided to become a full-time agent because, “My Real Estate checks were doubled to my Pilot checks and I was tired of being overworked and underpaid, so I opened my own business in 1998. I became the first exclusive buyer’s agent in Fairbanks.”

Fairbanks, known as ‘The Golden Heart City,” is located in the central Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River. Immediately north of the city is a chain of hills that rises gradually until it reaches the White Mountains and the Yukon River.

The service areas for Chris are Fairbanks, the North Pole, Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base.

For more information about “Military Friendly Agent” Chris Calhoon, please visit these important websites:

http://www.buyers-brokerage.com/

https://www.yelp.com/biz/chris-calhoon-real-estate-fairbanks

http://www.militaryrelocationagents.com/


Media Contact:
Chris Calhoon
The BUYER’S Brokerage
(907) 460-7905
chris@buyers-brokerage.com

Chris Calhoon
The BUYER’S Brokerage
(907) 460-7905
email us here