Born in Silverton, he graduated from Nucla High School in 1961 in a class that was particularly blessed with athletes. One of them, he swam competitively at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where his photograph still hangs in the UNC athletic Hall of Fame.
He majored in recreation administration at Greeley but was forced to drop out after three years to earn a living. Shortly thereafter in 1967 during the height of the Vietnam conflict, he was drafted into the army and quickly qualified for officer candidate school.
  
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Among his duties in Quin Nhon, he served providing perimeter security for the armed forces radio station that eventually became the story source for the film “Good Morning, Vietnam.”
Reflecting on the the war, Lawrence simply said, “It was a bad thing; we could have achieved the objective, but unfortunately, wars are run by politicians.”
Beyond that frustration shared by so many veterans, Lawrence carries a compassion for the people of the country, disappointed that more was not done to help them.
After returning to Colorado, he told of spending the first winter alone in a cabin at Trout Lake where he “kinda just dropped out.” But he decided the following year to finish his degree at Western State College and subsequently took the position of recreation director with the Montrose Recreation District in the mid-70s.
Returning to the Montrose area after living and working in Alaska, he has been especially active with the VFW and American Legion, constantly stepping forward to work in programs to honor and encourage fellow vets. Recently, he took the lead in the American Legion’s Boys’ State program, and works in a program started by Bill Minerich visiting veterans in local nursing homes.
The return of the Moving Wall to Montrose is important. Lawrence said it was hard for him to see it the first time it came to town in 1987, three names in particular, names of fellow soldiers he chose not to identify. For the present he sees the Wall as a two-sided coin: “I’m happy my name is not there, but it’s tough to consider the 58,000 names that are. I think it’s a chance for Vietnam vets to heal and hopefully bring the community together.”
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