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CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea | As the cold wind blows on a crisp and calm morning in South Korea, a voice echoes: "Get ready! Get set! Begin!"

Chief Warrant Officer 5 Ralph E. Rigby executes the commands as he prepares for his final Army Physical Fitness Test, a test which he has devotedly taken for the last 42 years.

Rigby, a native of Auburn, began his military service when he was drafted, in 1972, during the Vietnam era. Today, he is known as the last continuously serving draftee on active duty in the U.S. Army.

Where it all began

As a young boy, Rigby always had a love for vehicles. He would walk around carrying any tool he thought could assist someone who was having car issues. Rigby had just started his own mechanic shop when he received a draft notice.

At the young age of 19, joining the Army was far from his life plans. He was clueless as to what would be in store for him. His first response to the notice was, “I don’t have to put up with this! I can just move to Canada like everyone else, and avoid all of this,” he said jokingly. On the other hand, his mom, Dorothy Rigby, wasn’t going to allow this to happen. Her exact words to him were, “No way! You are not a quitter,” she said. “We do not quit in this family.”