MILITARY & VETERANS AFFAIRS NEWS RELEASE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: Ssgt. Mark Olsen, Public Affairs Office  101 EGGERT CROSSING ROAD LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ 08648 609-530-6951
RELEASE: IMMEDIATE (23 March 00)

For a third time, Chief Warrant Officer Harry McCurdy administered the oath of enlistment to his son Sgt. Michael McCurdy on January 19 at the Bordentown Armory.

The first time Chief Warrant Officer McCurdy swore-in Michael was in February 1992 when the U.S. Navy recruiting office invited the chief warrant officer to administer the initial oath of enlistment to Michael when he joined the Navy.

The second time was in February 1996. Chief Warrant Officer McCurdy was invited by Michael's commander on the USS Antrim to administer the oath of enlistment when his son re-enlisted in the Navy. Michael enlisted in the New Jersey Army National Guard the day after he was discharged from the Navy.

According to Michael, he was fulfilling a lifelong dream by joining the 5-117^th Cavalry, New Jersey Army National Guard in Woodstown as a tank crewman. "That ambition can probably be traced back to when my dad was with the 50^th Armored Division in Cherry Hill," stated Michael. "I guess seeing those tanks and the camaraderie were lasting impressions for a seven year old." His father currently serves as a staff support technician, Directorate of Logistics, State Area Command Headquarters, Fort Dix.

The McCurdy family can trace its military service history back to the Revolutionary War. Chief Warrant Officer McCurdy is related to General Israel Putnam who served with General George Washington. During the Civil War, McCurdy's great grandfather fought with the 3^rd New Jersey Regiment in the Army of the Potomac. The Regiment was the parent organization for the present-day 1-114^th Infantry Battalion in Woodbury.