Post Officers
Post Commander
Cpt. John “Jack” Smith
Jack was drafted for military service on 8/11/1967 and enlisted on 9/5/1967. He completed his basic training at Fort Dix, NJ and advanced training at Fort Gordon, GA. He arrived in Vietnam in March of 1968.
While most Americans were enjoying Super Bowl III between the New York Jets and Baltimore Colts on January 12th, 1969, Jack was experiencing significant action in Vietnam. That day his unit was heavily involved in a conflict that resulted in 8 killed in action and 28 wounded. Also lost we’re 4 CH47 Chinooks, 2 UHI-1s and 1 Cobra.
Jack received a 1 month leave in April of 69 and returned home. During that leave he began dating Judy. His tour in Vietnam ended in November of 1969 and he reported to Fort Hood Texas for most of 1970. In June of that year, Jack and Judy were engaged. They married on November 14th before he was sent to Okinawa, Japan. He returned in September of 1971. Jack’s official discharge from the Army occurred in 1973.
In 1975, he enlisted with the National Guard and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in May of 1977. He was active duty until 1980 and reserve until 1990 when he retired.
Jack and Judy are married 52 years and have 2 children and 3 Grandchildren. You can find Jack nearly every day at Post 7012, in the office at his command station or in the canteen telling stories, dining, or even singing karaoke on a Saturday night. Thank you, Captain Jack, for your heart, dedication and service to your country, Post 7012 and the New Freedom Community.
Trustee
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Pete Cuttino
Pete attended the Infantry Officers Orientation Course, Military Intelligence Officers Basic & Advanced Courses, and Defense Language Institute. His service in Vietnam spanned several years: From 1968-1969, Pete served in Vietnam as a Phoenix Program Adviser to the Vietnamese Armed Forces in the ICorp Tactical Zone. 1972-1973 as a Command Briefing Officer and Strategic Intelligence Analyst at the Military Assistance Command Vietnam Headquarters.
Other overseas duty included tours in France and Germany and service in Korea and the Philippines while on the CINCPAC staff.
Stateside, Pete served as Company Commander and Brigade S2 with the 4th Mechanized Infantry Division and as a staff officer at Commander in Chief Pacific Headquarters and Army Training and Doctrine Command. Pete retired after 3 years in Hawaii assuming assignments could only go downhill from there.
Junior Vice Commander / Adjutant
Jeff “Rev” Woods
CDR Jeff “Rev” Woods spent over 24 years in the Navy after his commissioning through NROTC at Virginia Tech. His career included 11 years on active duty and 13+ years in the Navy Reserve. All 24 years involved flying duty in various aircraft. He completed 13 deployments and all but one included combat missions in various theaters.
Rev completed flight training at NAS Pensacola, FL in 1991 and was designated a Naval Flight Officer. He was selected to train as a Bombardier/Navigator in the mighty A-6 Intruder. Upon completion of his initial training at NAS Oceana, VA, he was sent to Attack Squadron 35, the world-famous Black Panthers. At the time, VA-35 was the oldest attack squadron in the Navy, having fought in major campaigns from World War 2 through Desert Storm.
Rev immediately deployed with the squadron aboard the USS Saratoga for 6 months, including missions in the former Republic of Yugoslavia. He deployed a 2nd time in 1994 with VA-35 on the Saratoga and flew more missions in Bosnia in support of the UN mission there. Following that deployment, the squadron was disestablished and Rev transitioned to flying the ES-3A Shadow Electronic Support aircraft out of NAS Cecil Field, FL.
He deployed 3 times on the USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Eisenhower, and USS Enterprise for missions in both Bosnia and Iraq. Following his last deployment, VQ-6 disestablished and Jeff was selected to join the Naval Reserve flying EA-6B Prowlers with Electronic Attack Squadron 209, the Starwarriors.
Rev deployed 8 times with the Starwarriors, including once to Al Asad AB, Iraq, and four to Bagram AB, Afghanistan. While at VAQ-209, he completed his Master's Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies at the U. S. Naval War College. He retired in 2013 with over 3000 flight hours, 400 carrier landings, and 140 combat missions. He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, 7 Strike Flight Air Medals, multiple Navy Commendation Medals, and multiple Navy Achievement Medals.
While in the reserves, Rev worked civilian jobs at Titan Corporation and Northrop Grumman. He is also a 2nd-degree Blackbelt in Taekwondo and is the Junior Vice Commander at the New Freedom VFW Post 7012. Jeff is married to his lovely wife, Cherie, and has 3 amazing children who make him proud every single day. He is especially thankful for their support and toughness during all of his deployments and also thanks his parents for encouraging him to follow his dream and for keeping him focused on achieving it.