Click here to watch excerpts of Marvin Trigg’s interview

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) recognized the service and sacrifice of the late Marvin Trigg in ‘Salute to Veterans,’ a series recognizing the military service of Arkansans. 

 Trigg grew up on his family’s farm in rural Missouri. He was put to work at an early age milking cows and using a two man crosscut saw to harvest wood. 

 “I helped my dad because we heated with wood, I many times went out with him,” Trigg recalled. “I’d be on one end and he’d be on the other.”

 Trigg said he walked to school until high school when he was bussed to school. He had to make sure he was finished milking the cow before the bus came.

 Trigg enlisted in the Army in 1955 when he was 21 years old.

 “They sent me to Fort Eustice, Virginia,” Trigg said. “Flew me out there and then decided they didn’t have anything for me so they put me on a pullman car to send me back.”

 His family was supportive of his decision to enlist. “They thought it was a good idea.”

 He was first stationed at Fort Chaffee.

 Trigg served as an aircraft maintenance crewman. In addition, he said one of his responsibilities included mowing the grass at Fort Knox.

 Once he finished his military commitment he used his GI Bill benefits to attend aviation school and earned his pilot’s license.

 He worked for a local company in his hometown flying across Missouri transporting canned goods. 

 Trigg said his favorite part of military service was seeing different parts of the country.

 “I am grateful for Marvin Trigg’s dedication and service to our nation. His memories of his military service are an important part of our history, and I am pleased to be able to collect and preserve his stories for future generations,” Boozman said.

 Sadly, Trigg passed away December 20, 2023, but his interview will be submitted to the Veterans History Project, an initiative of the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center to collect and retain the oral histories of our nation’s veterans.

Do you know a veteran interested in sharing their memories for the ‘Salute to Veterans’ series? Nominate an Arkansas veteran to share their story by calling Boozman’s Fort Smith office at 479-573-0189.