biography
I grew up in Rome, NY, a very good place to grow up. After high school I enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania. I left after one year having spent much more time on my hockey skills than academics. Consequently, I was drafted in April 1969. Basic training and Infantry AIT at Fort Dix. Following training I spent 60 days TDY at the Natick Labs as a test subject, hoping the war would end. No such luck.
In November 1969 I went to Viet Nam. Upon arrival I was assigned to E co., 1st Bn. 14 Inf Reg,, 4th ID. E company was 4x2 mortar platoon and Recon platoon. I was assigned to Recon, aka Fox Force. I was incredibly lucky to be assigned to that stellar unit. We all came home alive.
I was sent to the 4th ID in country NCO Combat Leadership Academy and a couple of months after graduation I transferred out of Fox Force and assigned to the NCO academy as an instructor.
When November 1970 arrived I received a 12 day drop from my scheduled DEROS. That was when my TDY paid off. At that time, if you had 150 days or less in your enlistment when you left Nam, you were discharged. I arrived at Ft. Lewis on November 10, 1970 10 minutes before I left Nam. About 36 hours later I was a civilian.
Once out of the Army, I re-entered school at the University of Pennsylvania, graduated and many years later returned to school to earn a Juris Doctorate.
Today I am winding down my practice looking forward to time to travel, garden and take long walks with my long time partner and dog.
