Veterans Day: Marshall native recalls 20-year Air Force career

C Stoker will say his time in the Air Force has not been interesting. But just like the story behind his first name, that isn’t entirely true. “The story that I heard was that my name was originally going to be Luster after my godfather,” Stoker said. “And I don’t know what happened. I think he made my mother mad or something like that, so she just put C on the front of it. And that’s how my name came about.” The youngest of 20 children, Stoker was born and raised in Marshall. He excelled at basketball, and his plan after high school was to pursue playing at the collegiate level, but then he met the love of his life. “I ended up falling in love with my wife,” he said. “We got married. Then I went into the military.” One of Stoker’s friends had joined the military shortly before he made his decision, and after talking to him, Stoker joined the Air Force in 1986 and retired in 2006. “I was trying to figure out which (branch) to join, and he told me about the Air Force,” Stoker recalled.

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