In Recognition of Veterans Day - Coffee with Vets [Image 20 of 25]

BOISE, ID, UNITED STATES

09.27.2019

Photo by Thomas Alvarez 

Idaho Army National Guard

Michial Fillman, 76, U.S. Navy, 1961- 69.

Fillman has a severe form of dementia that renders his ability to talk just barely above an audible whisper. His wife Sue has become his voice. He wrote a memoir in 1998 that also provided some additional information on his years in the Navy.

He was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. According to Sue, he had a difficult childhood. His parents were living apart. His mom had cancer. She would send him to live with his father when she was at low points. He shuffled back and forth, up and down the west coast most of his young life between his parent’s homes. When his mom felt better, she would bring him to live with her. She passed away at 39.

He graduated high school in Anaheim, California in 1960. He worked at Disneyland during the summer of 1961. He couldn’t afford to go to college. The Navy was his pathway to opportunities, and he enlisted in September 1961.

The Navy trained him as an aerographer’s mate, which in plain English is a weatherman. One of his assignments was to Naval Headquarters in London, England. He prepared the visual portions of the daily weather briefing for Admiral John McCain.

According to his wife, the Navy wanted him to become an officer. To qualify he needed sea duty. He took an assignment aboard the USS Saratoga for a year. Sue Fillman said the year on the Saratoga made him a civilian. The separation from his family was more than he was willing to sacrifice.

Fillman’s civilian career was in advertising and public relations for the entrainment industry. In his memoirs he lists a host of celebrities he met and worked with on a regular basis overseeing promotions for clients. He eventually went to college and graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1992. He then worked for the United Way organization in three different cities, raising money for their programs.

“Mike mentioned once that when doing public relations for movie studios, everything was like life or death. On the other hand, helping non-profits raise money actually made a difference for real people,” said Sue Fillman.

Mike considers his achievements in life a result of his Navy experience.

• Date Taken: 09.27.2019
• Date Posted: 11.08.2019 10:29
• Photo ID: 5897841
• VIRIN: 191101-Z-XK920-0020
• Resolution: 2700x1800
• Size: 2.01 MB
• Location: BOISE, ID, US