Randall "Chip" D. Hummel was born in 1949 to Randall and Florence Hummel in Reading, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Reading High School in 1967 and was drafted in March of 1969 attending both Basic Training and AIT at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In August of 1969, he was deployed to Vietnam as part of the Americal Division. When he arrived, he was assigned to Delta Company 4^th Battalion 31^st Infantry Regiment, 196^th Light Infantry Brigade but also served in Charlie Company. He served as both RTO and NCO. After being discharged in 1970, he returned home marrying Sharon and having two children. He joined the police force in 1974 and enrolled in Penn State graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. He served as a police officer for over 39 years and retired as chief of police of Springfield Township, Pennsylvania.