Glen Frey, old enough and healthy enough to be a soldier, is not in Vietnam. He's in Palau, serving as a Peace Corps member.
Interview with Glenn Frey Age: 59
Eyewitness to the Peace Corps, Mid-1960s
by Caitlin Frey, 8th Grade, West Plains Middle Schoo, lWest Plains, Missouri
Voice of Pride Editor's Note: Glenn Frey is a retired history teacher for the West Plains High School. His oldest daughter, Caitlin, serves as editor for the VOICE OF PRIDE, the West Plains Middle School Newspaper. She spoke with her father concerning his service to the Peace Corps from 1966-1968.
1966. Overseas the Vietnam War raged. But Glen Frey, old enough and healthy enough to be a soldier, is not in Vietnam. He's in Palau, serving as a Peace Corps member.
The Peace Corps, a federally supported organization founded by President Kennedy in 1962, had a main purpose to improve the overall living conditions of underdeveloped countries. That's exactly what Glenn Frey wanted to do in the name of the United States. Frey, now 59 years old, said, "I joined because I thought it was a worthwhile cause."
While in Palau he taught English as a second language and helped put in a new water system for the local village. He explained, "The old reservoir was down at the bottom of a hill right below the local cemetery. In that area they didn't embalm anybody and they get a lot of rain so theoretically all of that [human waste] was leaking into the water system. So we built a new reservoir and pumped it into the village."
The people that live on the island of Palau are Micronesians. Interestingly, Palau is a matriarchal society. This means that the older women from the village get together and decide which male inherits the land and works; but they control everything behind the scenes.
Frey was away from home for two years. "In that time I would get away for a couple weeks rest and recreation in Guam", he shared. " I'd watch movies and go to restaurants and such, although some of the movies were in Japanese." He also admits, "I did miss peanut butter and fresh bread, though." Once back to the states, he said that his mother broke down over how skinny he was. "She immediately started fattening me up with all sorts of things. I've been a little large ever since", he said smiling.
After some time passed, though, he started to miss some of the things about the island where he had served. "I miss being able to fish whenever I want. I miss being a 15 minute walk from 50 miles of totally unspoiled beach. Beautiful sunlit days and moonlit nights. And two beautiful white seabirds swooping up and down the green jungle hillside across the valley from my bedroom window."
There have been only a few thousand Peace Corps volunteers since its establishment in 1962.
Frey is proud to have been one of them. It was his way of serving his country when called to do so.
Sources: The Eyewitness to History series in The Voice of Pride, student newspaper, West Plains Middle School, West Plains, MO
