PCT Salutes Industry Professionals Who Served Our Country

Editor's note: In recognition of Memorial Day, PCT salutes the men and women who served bravely to protect the freedom that makes our industry possible. Many of the following profiles were excerpted from the 2002 Leadership Issue article titled "The Heroes Among Us."

Cal Stephenson

In 1942 the draft board started breathing down my neck," says Calvin Stephenson Sr., who at the time was a new high school graduate taking classes at the Georgia Military Academy.

"They said if you don’t join the service, you are going to get drafted. I went up to Fort McPherson, Ga., and went through their selection program," Stephenson says. "They had four tables. One was the Army, one was Air Force, one was the Navy and one was for the Marines," he recalls. "The Marines were all dressed out in their blue uniforms. I thought to myself, ‘If I could get a uniform like that, I could get any woman in the state.’"

Stephenson made his way to Paris Island, S.C., for Marine boot camp and within months was in Guadalcanal as a radio operator attached to a tank unit. Guadalcanal, a remote island in the southwest Pacific Ocean, was site of the first American offensive in World War II on Aug. 7, 1942.

Stephenson was sent to Guadalcanal to help reinforce the troops trying to overrun a Japanese airfield on the island. In total, U.S. forces lost 25 ships and 1,769 soldiers in the battle.

After action on Guadalcanal subsided, Stephenson shipped to Brisbane, Australia and to the South Pacific Island of New Caledonia for training. "We were getting ready for the big one," Stephenson recalls.

The "big one" being the Battle of Peleliu, one of the war’s bloodiest, yet most under publicized battles. Peleliu, now part of the independent island Republic of Palau, is located in the Philippine Sea, north of Australia, south of Japan and east of the Philippines. During the war Japanese forces used the island as an outpost and airfield to help defend the Philippines, of which it had taken control.

On Sept. 15, 1944, Marines of the 1st Marine Division, including Stephenson, landed on the western beaches of Peleliu intent on capturing the rugged island.

"Our commanders thought we could secure the island in three days," Stephenson says. "It took three months."

Peleliu was defended by 10,500 Japanese troops, who used the island’s rugged terrain as a natural defense and created an intricate maze of tunnels and caves. "The Japanese had these big mortars and cannons stuck back into the hills and mountains. They would lob these shells over and just devastate us."

If the fierce fighting wasn’t bad enough, Stephenson, like the other Marines in the battle, had to endure temperatures as high as 115 degrees and a scarcity of drinking water. "Water had to be brought in via 55-gallon-drums. When we got water it was brown because of the rust in the drums," Stephenson says.

On the second day of fighting Stephenson hunkered in a hole with the company commander, as a barrage of Japanese mortar fire fell on the company. One shell sailed near Stephenson’s position and shrapnel ripped open his leg. "I was evacuated to Guadalcanal Hospital where I received the Purple Heart. Thank goodness I didn’t have to stay on Peleliu," Stephenson says.

In November, U.S. forces finally secured the island, but at the price of more than 6,526 casualties, nearly 75 percent of the Marines originally sent to Peleliu.

Stephenson still carries the shrapnel around in his leg, a reminder of his service to the nation. "They had so many casualties that were worse than mine, so they didn’t have time to take the shrapnel out," Stephenson notes. "It doesn’t bother me much now, but I can tell when it is going to rain."

After recuperation, Stephenson was sent to Okinawa where, as a Marine radio operator, he worked with Navajo "windtalkers." The subject of a recent Hollywood movie, windtalkers were placed on each end of a radio and communicated vital information using their native Navajo language, which the Japanese could not interpret. "They were truly life savers," Stephenson says.

At Okinawa, the Marines awarded Stephenson the Naval Personal Citation for keeping radios in operation during a wave a devastating typhoons.

After the Japanese surrender, Stephenson was sent to Tianjin, China, were he helped protect the embattled Japanese from communist forces in China.

STARTING OVER AGAIN. Surviving war is a life-altering event and returning from battle can feel like starting all over again. Luckily for Stephenson, he could take refuge in the family business, a retail hardware store opened by his father.

While working at the family store, Stephenson attended the University of Georgia, where he graduated with a degree in Agriculture and met Dorothy, his wife of 53 years.

Stephenson’s first job out of college was with Armor Fertilizer, Dallas, Texas, for whom he worked while Dorothy attended Southern Methodist University. When Stephenson’s mother became ill, he moved back to College Park to work with his two brothers in the family business.

Using his experience at Armor Fertilizer, Stephenson began formulating insecticides for sale through the hardware store. "One day a pest management technician came in the door and wanted to buy some technical grade Chlordane," Stephenson says. "I sold him a 5-gallon can and then started getting more and more calls for it."

Before long, formulating insecticides was monopolizing Stephenson’s time, so he formed Stephenson Chemical Company and entered into the distribution business full-time.

Recognizing a developing market of pest management professionals, Stephenson began selling related equipment such as termite pumps and electric hammers. "We just kept adding and the business kept growing."

"Dad was one of the very first full-line supply companies to the pest management industry," says Cal Stephenson Jr., owner, Stephenson Equipment Company, Nashville, Tenn., a pest management equipment supplier. "He’s one of the last of the patriarchs of the supply side of the industry. Five years ago, Stephenson Sr. sold the business to Univar USA Inc. (formerly Van Waters & Rogers).

Today, Stephenson is enjoying a well-earned retirement in College Park, Ga., where he speaks to high school and college students about his war experiences. "It’s just amazing that they don’t know a darn thing about World War II. You can learn so much from history," Stephenson says.

Stephenson’s speaking engagements, says his son Cal Jr., are an indication that he has come to terms with his war duty. "He was very closed mouthed about it for many years. But in the last 10 years he’s really opened up. He got active in veteran’s organizations and he’s started talking to kids about it."

Like many in his generation, Cal Stephenson Sr. is now happy to share his story, so that it might help younger generations. And now too, we all are beginning to realize and appreciate that we are standing on the shoulders of men and women like Cal Stephenson Sr., who helped protect a country and build an industry, so that we might flourish.

Stephenson passed away in March at age 82.

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John Heege, Jim Degennaro, Michael Belshaw and Robert Cavanaugh

When it comes to war, some families bear more than their fair share of the burden. Some companies do too. Cavanaugh’s Termite & Pest Control, Freehold, N.J., is home to four distinguished veterans. John Heege, general manager, went to World War II at age 16, where he served as a gun operator on the USS Alaska, participating in raids on Japan at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. When Heege came back from the war he visited the unemployment office, where he was handed a business card for Cavanaugh’s Termite & Pest Control. Heege interviewed, was hired, and 56 years later, at age 73, Heege remains with the company as its general manager.

Jim Degennaro, sales representative, Flanders, N.J. office; Michael Belshaw, manager, Flanders, N.J. office; and Robert Cavanaugh, vice president, all served in the Army in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Cavanaugh, whose father started the business in 1943, served a total of 20 years in the Army before retiring and working as vice president of Cavanaugh’s. His brother, Ralph, is president of the company. Cavanaugh, a Green Beret, served one tour in Laos in 1960 and three tours in Vietnam (1963, 1965 and 1968) for which he won three Bronze Stars for valor. On one occasion Cavanaugh directed helicopters into an area by holding a strobe light in an open field, while being shot at. This act of bravery allowed the helicopters to land and rescue a group of downed pilots. “My first Bronze Star came when our team was ambushed and I ran into the ambush,” Cavanaugh relates in a calm, humble tone, as if running into an ambush were an every day occurrence. “Well I’m alive, I’m here,” he says. “I was also wounded at Khe Sahn, but I lived through that too.” Like his life today, Cavanaugh said pest management was an every day part of service in Vietnam. “We used to put DDT around our sleeping areas to keep the insects away from us.” Rats were also a problem. “My team leader called me over one day and said, ‘Hey Cavanaugh, isn’t your family in the pest control business? Well now you’re in charge of feeding the rats,’” Cavanaugh recalls. Cavanaugh filled washbasins with warafin, which the Army supplied, and placed the basins strategically around the camp. “There had to be, no exaggeration, 250 rats eating out of the pans. The rat population went down immediately,” Cavanaugh says. Cavanaugh decided to make a career of the Army, where he served in a variety of capacities as a Green Beret, including leading his own 12-man A-team. “It is very hard to get in Special Forces and it is very hard training,” Cavanaugh says. “After the hell I went through, there was no way I was going to leave the Army until I got my own special forces team, which I did in 1970.” Cavanaugh retired from the Army in 1973 as a Master Sergeant at age 37 and went to work with his brother in the family pest management business. “My brother Ralph, who has been doing pest management all of his life, wrote me a nice letter and said, ‘It’s time for you to stop having fun and go to work.’” At the time I said I would come back for a year or two. That was 30 years ago.”

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Angie Mitchell

Most of her life Angie Mitchell has been proving people wrong. When she entered the Navy in 1986, her military career did not look very promising. “When I first went into the service, I had my own way of thinking and nobody was going to tell me what to do,” Mitchell says. However, one officer took a special interest in Mitchell and with “tough love” helped her change from an undisciplined kid in trouble, to a model sailor, who went on to serve during Operation Desert Storm and earn several Navy awards. As a Navy hulltech — a sailor involved in the repair and maintenance of ships — Mitchell was stationed on a ship that repaired and re-supplied Navy destroyers. Deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, Mitchell helped prepare and maintain the ships fighting on the front lines. Before the war, Mitchell was recognized with the Navy Humanitarian medal for tutoring students at a high school near her base and for helping clean up and repair homes in the aftermath of hurricane Hugo. Further, after consistently learning new tasks and taking on new roles, the Navy named Mitchell as Sailor of the Year for her ship. “I learned a lot of discipline,” Mitchell says, recalling her six-year career in the Navy. “I learned that the more you know, the better you are, and the closer you get to becoming the best you can be.” After honorable discharge in 1992, Mitchell went to work for a small “mom and pop” pest management firm in South Carolina. In 1994 Mitchell again defied the odds and started her own pest management firm, AA Protex, Charleston, S.C. “In this area, at that time, women were unheard of in this business, especially in the termite side of the business and in handling technical issues,” Mitchell says. “I guess I started the company because everyone told me I couldn’t do it.” Eight years later AA Protex is still going strong with 20 employees, serving residential customers with termite control services. Drawing on her repair background from the Navy and a superior knowledge of termites, Mitchell has earned a loyal group of customers, who respect her ability to stop problems before they start by closely inspecting homes for conditions contributing to termite infestation. “Her understanding of termites is amazing,” says Bobbie Cumens, co-owner, AA Protex. “I have yet to see an owner with such drive and determination and love for the industry.” “On our logo it says we care and we mean it,” Mitchell says. “I am more interested in giving the customer the satisfaction that their home, from top to bottom, is in good order, than in taking the money and running.”

Thomas Hubbard

One of the things I always wanted to be was a soldier,” says Thomas Hubbard, who left high school early to join the National Guard. Hubbard eventually matriculated into the Army and earned his G.E.D. Shortly thereafter, Hubbard went to Airborne school, trained as a Green Beret and Army Ranger and shipped off to Vietnam in 1965 for his first tour of duty. Having already distinguished himself by completing training as a Green Beret, Hubbard’s heroism earned him many commendations during Vietnam, most notably the Silver Star, four Bronze Stars, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart. “Most of them came from being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” says Hubbard, who like most heroes, remains humble about his accomplishments. It was in earning the Silver Star — presented to Hubbard in person by General William Westmoreland, Army Chief of Staff — that Hubbard displayed particular courage. Hubbard’s platoon came upon a large and well-entrenched enemy force, which left the platoon exposed to a hail of automatic weapons fire. The platoon leader was wounded and quickly evacuated, leaving Hubbard, then a sergeant, to charge on the enemy position. During the charge Hubbard was wounded, but he denied medical attention and continued to lead his platoon on the enemy position. “Because of Sergeant Hubbard’s aggressive leadership and inspiring example, his platoon quickly routed the enemy force and sent them running,” states Hubbard’s Silver Star commendation. Hubbard then reorganized the platoon and pursued the enemy into the night, not losing a single man under his command. “Sergeant Hubbard’s gallant action and unselfish devotion to duty in close combat were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself,” the commendation states. Upon returning home from Vietnam, the Army commissioned Hubbard as a First Lieutenant. He earned his college degree, and was promoted to Major, during which he commanded two companies in the 82nd Airborne Division, a 400-man parachute rigger company and a logistics company. “I had a very good military career. I loved it. I loved the Army, in fact I miss it every day,” says Hubbard, who retired in 1979. After a few years adjusting to civilian life and holding various jobs, Hubbard met George Haynes, owner, Otis Termite and Pest Control Service, Knoxville, Tenn. Haynes hired Hubbard as a salesman for the company. Like his distinguished military career, Hubbard quickly advanced and today serves as the company’s general manager. “One carryover from military leadership that I’ve applied in the pest management industry is to know your people,” Hubbard says. “If you know their capabilities, about their background and their home life, and if you keep that in mind, then you will know the right way to guide your people to success.” Otis Termite and Pest Control employs 17 people and serves most of eastern Tennessee, offering general pest and termite control to customers in both the residential and commercial markets. “The main thing that we’ve learned,” says Haynes, “is that you treat your employees like you want to be treated and you treat your customers that way too.” Even though Otis Termite and Pest Control is a relatively small company, the company offers a 401K plan, full medical insurance and hospitalization plans, generous vacation and holiday offerings and a holiday bonus. “I’m not here to try and take every penny that comes into this company and stick it in my pocket,” Haynes says. “Because if I do that, things will go downhill quickly because I’m not treating my people well.”

John Cook

John Cook, chairman of the board, Cook’s Pest Control, Decatur, Ala. Served in World War II, then returned to Decatur, Ala., in 1950 to assume the responsibilities of his father’s pest control business, later known as Cook’s Pest Control. Bob Couhig H Bob Couhig, founder, Couhig Southern Environmental Services, Baton Rouge, La. Awarded a Purple Heart for service in World War II, and was involved in malaria control in Africa before the war. Worked as a district manager with Orkin until 1966, and two years later formed his own company, which today is managed by his daughter, Owen Couhig Kemp. Thomas Forshaw Jr. H Thomas Forshaw Jr., founder, Forshaw Chemicals, Charlotte, N.C. Worked for the chemical ordinance depot in Memphis, Tenn., which was a top-secret storage facility for DDT used by U.S. forces in World War II.

Lonnie Holder

Lonnie Holder, founder, Holder’s Pest Control, Houston Texas. Served in with the Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

Henry Petri

Henry “Hank” Petri served as a Marine in the South Pacific during World War II and today serves as president, Petri’s Positive Pest Control, Pompano Beach, Fla. He is a founding member and past president of the Florida Pest Control Association.

Fred Rottler

Fred Rottler, founder, Rottler Pest Control & Lawn Care, St. Louis. Served in the Korean War with the Army. Named a PCT Leadership Award winner in 1997.

Jean Saxton

Jean Saxton, former owner, Paramount Pest Control, Lewiston, Idaho. Served in World War III and in 1947 purchased Lewiston Exterminators (now called Paramount Pest Control). Also served as president of the Pacific Northwest Pest Control Conference and on the board of the Washington State Pest Control Operators Association. Saxton died in 1979 and today the company is owned and operated by his son Duane.

Bernard Stegman

Bernard Stegman, founder, Arrow Exterminating Co., Lynbrook, N.Y. Served in World War II, after which he founded Arrow. Selected as a PCT Leadership Award winner in 1990.

Rufus Tindol H Rufus

 “Red” Tindol served as a captain in the Army Corp of Engineers in the Pacific during World War II, where he did mosquito and rodent control. Upon returning home, Tindol opened a pest control business with his brother-in-law, Jim Allgood. Tindol served as president of the National Pest Management Association in 1977.

Ernie Wallace

For the last 19 years, PermaTreat Pest Control’s Ernie Wallace has served on the frontlines in the battle to protect people’s homes from termite damage. Wallace has become regarded as a loyal, hard-working, dedicated professional.

It’s these traits and others that served Wallace so well when the battle was being fought years ago in a far away land. Wallace is a highly decorated veteran who served his country as a machine gunner in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. As a recipient of the U.S. Navy Cross in 1966, Wallace is among an elite group of soldiers honored for extraordinary heroism.

A TENSE SITUATION. Wallace was given this important honor for his service as a machine gunner with Company H, Second Battalion, Fourth Marines, Third Marine Division (Reinforced) during Operation Starlite against insurgent communist (Viet Cong) forces in Vietnam on August 18, 1965.

"We were to set up security while they were building an airstrip and then word came down that there was a large buildup of Viet Cong just to the south of us," Wallace recalls. "It turned out to be the first major combat offensive in Vietnam — called Operation Starlite"

According to the Navy Cross citation, Wallace personally accounted for 25 dead enemy at the battle’s outset, allowing his squad to maneuver to a more advantageous area. The citation added that Wallace fearlessly provided cover throughout the day for the evacuation of wounded Marines in exposed areas — accounting for the killing of 15 more of the enemy. The Navy Cross citation concludes: "His outstanding performance of duty undoubtedly saved many Marine lives and materially aided the company in turning the tide of battle into a virtual annihilation of a numerically superior force. Corporal Wallace’s extraordinary heroism and inspiring dedication to duty reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service."

Wallace’s actions during Operation Starlite were observed by a staff sergeant and upon his return from Vietnam in 1966, he was recommended for the Navy Cross, which was presented to him in September 1966. While stateside after his first tour of duty, Wallace decided to make a career out of the military and re-enlisted in the Marines in 1967. Following a second tour of duty in Vietnam, Wallace returned home in 1968 and he served in the military in various capacities before retiring in 1985.

Reflecting back on his tours of duty in Vietnam, Wallace says he is proud of his service. "I feel that everyone should pull a tour of duty whether they choose to make a career out of (the military) or not," he said. "I think it settles you down and gives you a direction to go."

Wallace’s wartime legacy has been kept alive by the media. He is frequently interviewed about his wartime experiences on television programs and he appeared on Oliver North’s War Stories.

A SECOND CAREER. After retiring from the United States Marine Corps in 1985, Wallace was working as a painter. During this time his home became infested with termites.

"The company I used did an inspection and charged $700, which I thought was outrageous," he said. "I said, ‘Shoot, I could do a better job than that.’"

So Wallace decided to do the actual treatment himself, and he paid a visit to PermaTreat Pest Control to inquire about an over-the-counter termiticide. During his visit Wallace struck up a conversation with PermaTreat Owner Joe Wilson.

Fredericksburg is located in proximity to military bases such as Fort AP Hill and Quantico. Thus, the area is home to many military families and throughout the years, retired army, coast guard and marine personnel have later become successful PermaTreat employees. In fact, the U.S. government used to have a program in which it paid (for a period of time) the salaries of ex-military personnel transitioning into civilian jobs and PermaTreat was a participating company in this program.

During their conversation, Wilson recognized Wallace as a good potential employee and offered him a job. Wallace began his tenure at PermaTreat as a termite technician in 1986. He would later spend time as a service manager before settling into his current position of termite sales technician.

"Ernie’s a hard worker who doesn’t mind putting in long hours and working weekends if necessary," Wilson said. "He services an area with a lot of military families and being a former marine he gets along well with all these people."

Wallace likes that pest control gives him the opportunity to solve people’s problems and also to practice one of his hobbies – beekeeping. Wallace is PermaTreat’s stinging insect specialist. "I took a colony out of our house in 1987 and I’ve been keeping bees ever since," he says. "I’ll supervise and participate in the clean out. We try not to kill the bees unless absolutely necessary."

It’s a win-win situation, Wilson jokes. "The homeowner likes it because the bees are out of the home and the bees like it because they don’t get killed."

Wilson said he is glad Wallace is part of the PermaTreat team. "We’re proud of everything he’s accomplished both at PermaTreat and during his military career. The U.S. Navy Cross is second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor. It’s not every day that you meet a U.S. Navy Cross winner." -- Written by Brad Harbison