As of: Dec 18, 2017
Oliver P. Ditch - Biography
Born in Lafayette, La., Sept
29, 1937 the youngest of 6 children. He is the son of Melvin F. Ditch, Sr and Martha Eve Broussard. His father died the week before he was born. He was raised by his Mother, Martha Eve Broussard Ditch Verret. She was a Seamstress and ran a boarding house just off the SLI/USL/ULL campus.
He attended Catholic
schools: Mt. Carmel Grammar School and Cathedral High School.
He received a B.A. degree
in Geography from Southwestern Louisiana Institute (currently The University of
Louisiana at Lafayette - "Ragin Cajuns") and an ROTC Commission as a
2nd Lt. in the USAF in 1959.
He married his college
sweetheart in 1958, Shirley Ann LeBlanc, from Abbeville, La. They are blessed
with four children, Karen, Perry Jr, Richard, and David, 8 grand children
(Steven, Tim, Laura, Jonathan, Christopher, Matthew, Sophia, and Jacob) one
great grandson, Grayson, and one great grand daughter, Everly.
He served 22 years in the
USAF as an Imagery Intelligence Officer attaining the rank of full Colonel. He retired from the US Air Force in
November, 1983.
While in the Air Force he
was awarded The Legion of Merit, The Bronze Star, The Defense Meritorious
Service Medal, The Air Force Meritorious Service Medal w/3 oak-leaf clusters,
The National Defense Service Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of
Vietnam Gallantry Cross w/palm, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. He served in Vietnam from Aug, 1965 to
Sep 1966.
Upon retirement from the
Air Force in 1983 he went to work for Hughes Aircraft Co. He was with Hughes
for 13 years where he was the Manager of Data Systems in Arlington, VA.
In 1996, after retiring
from Hughes, he founded his own company called InterPublishing Group - an
internet web site development company.
He was an active member of
the two Chambers of Commerce in Prince William County, VA and became
vice-president of Business Resources for the Prince William Regional Chamber of
Commerce. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Prince William
County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce.
He sold InterPublishing
Group and retired for a third time in 2001. He became active in various efforts
to support our active-duty military and in some conservative political
campaigns. Most notably, he personally signed up more than 80,000 Veterans to
support President George W. Bush in 2004 through the website Vets4Bush.com.
He is active in Various
Troops Support Campaigns, including being the founder of the website
http://TroopsSupport.com, and a member and supporter of Gathering of Eagles
(http://GatheringOfEagles.org). He is a cofounder of http://RPVNetwork.org. He is
a member of American Legion and The Vietnam Veterans of America. He is also a
member of VFW Post 7472 in Ellicott City, MD. He was a member of the Board of Directors and former
President of the Prospect Cove Condominium Homeowners Association in
Woodbridge, VA.
After moving
to Maryland in 2010, he was elected President of the Howard County Republican
Club in 2012/13. He had to resign in
May 2013 due to health reasons.
He is also
a member of the Catholic War Veterans of America, Inc. He was 2nd Vice Commander of
the Charles Carroll Post 1961 in Ellicott City, MD in 2012/2013.
He and his wife, Shirley, lived in Woodbridge, VA for over 30 years after retirement from the Air Force and were members of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. They moved to Elkridge, MD in July, 2010, just 15 minutes away from their youngest son David & his wife Lucia who have four of their young grandchildren. He and his wife are members of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Ellicott City, MD.