James Smith:
CLASS OF 1983
Port Chester High SchoolClass of 1983
Port chester, NY
Illinois Central CollegeClass of 2005
Peoria, IL
Florida Community CollegeClass of 1995
Jacksonville, FL
Port Chester Middle SchoolClass of 1979
Port chester, NY
Edison Elementary SchoolClass of 1977
Port chester, NY
James's Story
Life
After high school I spent 4 yrs in the Presidential Honor guard in DC under Ronald Reagan . Lived in and went to college while serving in the Nat.guard. Recession made work scarce in the midwest , so moved to Jax,Fl. where I worked for an electrical enclosure manufacturer , got married , plant closed , got divorced , moved to Maine . Big mistake , no work in the mountains , NAFTA gave all the work to canada. Rejoined the Army reserves to become a combat medic at 36 and graduated honor grad with a bunch of kids half my age , lol. 9/11 hit and I was ready to go but I got sent on a mission to a Native American reservation to work in the gov't. hospital for a couple of weeks . Still no real civillian jobs in Maine , so I moved to northern N.Y. , closer to immediate family. Have been driving trucks since the plant closed in Fl. and going to school part time on and off . Volunteer teaching kids and maintaining my EMT license. Done a lot of travelling , had a lot of fun . Still ridin' a motorcycle too.
School
Without naming who , my biggest crush in high school actually started in junior high , 7th grade. In 10th grade regents biology I managed to help her grades with no-one becoming the wiser. I met her when home on leave once and danced with her at a club , but this secret remains in my own heart though I wonder what might have happened. I wish her great happiness and success. I don't believe I felt really "inspired" by any one teacher , but did feel more comfortable in some subjects over others. One of the funniest things in high school was the daily prank a bunch of us did to Kenny Camarato's car - picking it up and moving out into the street nearly everyday until he caught on. Some other funny stunts were when we duped the vice principle into giving us permission to skip school - it was quite an elaborate scheme. My happiest moments in high school weren't in school as much as out of it , like during summer break or after school. High school seemed so mundane and boring but kind of a necessary waste of time. Military schools were a better challenge and I excelled to a much higher degree.
College
My first few years of college just plain "sucked". It was just as boring as high school with instructors who couldn't care less if they were actually "teaching" anything. What's more is I had to work three jobs to pay for everything and it still got me nowhere. Pre-requisite courses are a waste of time , MONEY , and brain cells , ...Expand for more
all of which could be better spent concentrating on the major course of study. Colleges and universities in the U.S. have become gluttinous money pits which can't keep up with the demands of todays workforce and technology. Nearly every essay , speech , or term paper I turned in during college was written only fifteen minutes before the class and never scored less than a 'B'. I found it most difficult to gather the motivation to actually attend classes. My most recent course I finished with a 4.0 and I never read a chapter.
Workplace
I've done a lot of different jobs from being a paperboy to Presidential guard. I've worked in cubes , answered phones , worked in metal fabrication-welding and assembly. I've driven across country to all but 3 states. I've trained to fight , kill , lead , and save lives. I've gained the greatest satisfaction doing things which directly impact humanity , and the intrinsic rewards of making people's lives better have always been the best. Money isn't where it is 'really at' , it just makes material things more affordable and corporations more wealthy. However , I do expect "fair" compensation for my labor.
Military
The greatest challenges of my life were met in the Army. I went through boot camp nearly completely unnoticed and pulling duty for two Smiths instead of one. And though the drill sargeants didn't realize they had two Smiths in thier platoon I didn't care for notoriety in this situation. But I have to admit , it very nearly killed me. The camaraderie was one of the greatest things about being Infantry. I've had another MOS , but it will never compare to the friendships wrought out of the life and death daily grind of a grunt. I had a very distinct honor in being a presidential honor guard shouldered with the responsibility of representing myself , my unit , my service , and my country before the world. It was also an honor to have served for who I consider to have been the greatest president , 'Ronald Wilson Reagan'. Schools I went to in the Army were ;primary leadership developement course (gaduate - commandant's list), air assault , combat medical specialist (honor grad). I also won the 'expert infantry badge' which was to this day , perhaps the greatest challenge. I've given ten years of service to my country all combined from regular army , national guard , and reserves. If I had it all to do again , the only thing I would change would be that I never would get out the first time.
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