GLASGOW — Billy Furlong has lived in Barren County his entire life, except for the three years he spent in the military.
Furlong is a Vietnam veteran.
He describes his time in Vietnam as being “different.”
“I filled my patriotic duty then and I’m filling my patriotic duty now,” he said, as he sat beneath a shade tree in front of the Barren County Courthouse. Furlong was just returning to the courthouse from lunch. He had jury duty last week.
In Vietnam, he worked as an engineer, building bridges and roads.
“I did different things for different units,” he said.
Furlong admits he doesn’t talk about his time in Vietnam very much.
“It was something I did for my country. If I’d done it for myself, I’d never done it,” he said.
He has both good memories and bad memories about the time he spent in Vietnam.
Furlong has not kept up with his fellow soldiers over the years, something he now wishes he had done. He admitted he had forgotten a lot of their names.
“That’s been 30 some years ago,” he said.
Furlong said he has a tremendous amount of respect for men and women who are in the armed forces.
“I hope this conflict we’re in now doesn’t turn into another Vietnam,” he said.
When Furlong returned to Barren County from Vietnam he went to work for Kenneth Motley’s trucking company.
“He was one of the best men I ever knew,” he said of his former boss.
After working for Motley for a while, Furlong switched jobs and went to work for RR Donnelley and Son. He has been with the company for 29 years and works in the shipping department.
“I have one of the better crews that work at Donnelleys,” he said. “I’m proud of my people.”
He recommended one employee for a Presidential Citation this year.
“He does things that other hoist operators won’t do,” Furlong said. “He can fill in for my spot or do whatever they need him to do.”
When Furlong isn’t working, he’s spending quality time with his grandson, 2-year-old Jackson Lance Taylor.
“I babysit him one or two days a week, whenever they’ll let me,” he said. “He’s well-mannered and does what Papa asks him to do.”
Furlong has only one grandchild and one daughter, Tonya Renee Furlong.
Furlong has been married twice. In addition to his daughter from his first marriage, he has a stepson, Andrew Guffey, who is a student at Western Kentucky University.
One thing he says he would like to pass on to couples who may be going through a divorce, and that’s to always be friends. He and his first wife remained friends after their divorce, he said.
“I’m proud of my family. They’ve all been saved. They are all good people,” he said.
Furlong jokingly said he doubts he will ever really retire, because his wife has a honey-do list so long he’ll never be able to complete it.
On a more serious note, he said, “I enjoy working and I can’t get out in the sun and work. I enjoy where I’m at.”
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