Hickory vet ensures good war parties.

• Position: Hickory, North Carolina; Larry Eckard - People

One problem with generals is that they're always planning to fight the last war. That can lead to disaster on the battlefield, but now yesterday's soldiers can indulge themselves out of harm's way thanks to Larry Eckard, a former career Army warrant officer.

Eckard, 50, retired to Hickory with his wife, Brenda, in 1979 to sell insurance. Eight years later, they launched Military Locator Service. It started as a sort of quasi-detective agency to run down long-lost foxhole buddies but has developed into a full-fledged convention- and reunion-planning company.

"The friendships you develop in the military are unique," Eckard says. "They're probably the strongest of a lifetime, but you tend to lose contact with one another over the years. Most guys would love to get together, but they don't know how."

That's where Eckard comes in. Once he's contacted by someone who wants to reunite an old unit or crew, Eckard advertises in veterans publications and consults contacts in the military. If there's enough interest - usually several dozen veterans - he'll schedule a reunion.

Each participant pays up to a $30 registration fee to Eckard, who...