Biography

Calvin H. Kam was born in Hawaii and lived there through high school. After high school he attended Eastern Washington University (Cheney, Washington). While there, Kam recieved his army commission via the university's Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program.

Kam's first duty station was Fort Sill (Oklahoma) where he attended artillery branch school. Upon completion, Kam began flight training at Fort Wolters (Texas) and finalized advanced training at Fort Hunter Stewart (Georgia). In 1970, after finishing flight school, he was assigned to the 240th Assault Helicopter Company at Fire Base Bearcat, Vietnam. After a year serving in Vietnam, Kam was assigned to Fort Rucker (Alabama) as a platform instructor. While there, he also received his fixed wing rating, enabling him to fly airplanes in addition to helicopters. After being discharged, Kam joined the Washington State National Guard as a pilot in the Spokane 81st Aviation Detachment and spent 8 years in the National Guard.

After discharge from the military, Kam worked as a Quality Assurance Supervisor at Kaiser Aluminum Trentwood Works. He later left Kaiser and taught science at a middle school, eventually becoming a principal at the middle school level. As of 2018, Kam is currently an adjunct instructor and field supervisor for Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington) and City University (Renton, Washington).

Source:

Biography derived from donor and collection materials.

Further Reading

Simon Dunstan, Vietnam Choppers: Helicopters in Battle 1950-1975. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003.

Philip D. Chinnery, Vietnam: the Helicopter War Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1991.

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