Paul Scanlon:
CLASS OF 1966
Mohawk High SchoolClass of 1966
Mohawk, NY
SUNY Institute of Technology Utica / RomeClass of 1983
Utica, NY
Spry Junior High SchoolClass of 1979
Webster, NY
State Univerisity at AlbanyClass of 1976
Albany, NY
Little Falls High SchoolClass of 1966
Little falls, NY
Paul's Story
Life
Okay I am going to use this for MILITARY, since it wont let me into the file.
As I said in workplace, I went into the Army as a young kid of 17. Someone with ambition but that was going no where fast.
I also talked about the supposed "buddy system" that never worked, and about my
initial almost a full year at Fort Dix, New Jersey. I left off with my shock of
being assigned to Ethiopia (actually Eritrea). I had a weeks leave so I went home to see my also young bride.
My assignment was classifed as hazardous duty, so that assured I would not be sent to Vietnam for my next assignment. However, I ended up volunteering for it
anyways.
Now Ethiopia was one beautiful assignment, there were just seven of us and the rules were very lax. No gung ho stuff.
I started there as a Private E2, but using the accelerated path to rank, I was able to become an NCO, a Specialist 5, before I left.
Ethiopia was poverty stricken for the most part, but I loved my time there, I had it made. I even had my own jeep to drive, when ever I wanted to drive it.
And drive it to town I did, I had many girlfriends, two in particular, one was a prositute and one was rich the daughter of a jewlry store owner. Lets just say that my raging hormones of a 17 year old who turned 18 there was very active!
The weather where we were stationed, was considered the hottest in the world when you combined high temperatures and extremely high humidity. When we worked outside we only worked half days. After noon the heat was so hot, that we couldnt unload refer (refrigerated cargo) from the holds of ships because from the time you took from the ship to a refer truck, the contents would be spoiled.
Obviously we were at a port. We were surrounded by the Red Sea. My major would take be snorkel diving most afternoons. He collected shells and sold them all over the world. It was beautiful, but you had to stay by the coast to avoid sharks. We "only" had to deal with manta rays and moral eels and some other flesh eating fish whose name I cant remember.
Our post was really a recreation area for the air force personnel that would travel from Asmara, Ethiopia where there was a semi-secret base. The road was one of the most treacherous in the world, and I drove both jeeps and trucks up that sucker many of times.
We had what amounted to a bar and casino
underneath our sleeping quarters. That was our place to hang out when we were on
"base". I was 17 when I got there so they had to decide if I could drink or not, they made the right decision I could!
There were slot machines there, long before you saw all the Indian casions raise up in America. Hell only
Vegas and Reno had them in the US. Therefore it was a popular spot for people from the base and also local celebrities, those with money and position. I even occassionally dealt black jack there. We had it made. And I could have stayed there, but my heart was set on volunteering for Vietnam. I felt I would never feel right if there was a war going on, and I wasnt contributing to it. Young and foolish yes, dedicated yes.
I had to convince my first sargeeant to finally approve my application to serve in Vietnam. Finally he did. He was a very good friend of mine while we were there.
I have lots of stories to tell but we must move on to Vietnam. I got my orders and went home for a month, where the hepititis I had apparently got in Ethiopia hit me. I spend almost 2 months at Rome Air Base Hospital.
Then I flew to Oakland, where when I was standing sargeant of the guard one day, a
jeep full of drunken helicopter pilots came in. I saluted them all, and then one says what you doing saluting me Paul. It was Ted Sitizer, the guy I supposedly went in on the buddy system.
I am running out of space here, perhaps
Vietnam will be on another one of these bio places, and maybe not. I came into company going through a major deployment change. I ended up being the
seniorNCO.
School
This wont be school, this will be a continuation of "life", where I left off with me arriving in Vietnam. What I didnt tell you was the way we got there. We were transported on a commerical airline, with stewardness and all. A meal on flight, a movie, as we
traveled our way to Vietnam. We stopped for an hour in Hawaii, but they wouldnt let us off, so I just stood at the top of the steps and took in the air.
All of this luxury treatment had all of newbies wondering what to heck was going on. It was we were going on vacation. Which is NOT what we were going to do.
As we approached Vietnam seat belt orders went on. The plane took a pitch to avoid enemy gunfire, and we were headed for the ground fast.
When we arrived, they wouldnt let us off the plane at first. We looked out and there was a war going on out there. Trucks with screened in windows, a jeep mounted with an M60, and everyone was carrying a gun. We were here. As I walked off and saw guys grizzled young men leaving, I will forever remember the scene from Platoon where Martin Sheen first arrives. It hit the nail right on the head.
Were were taken by bus with screened in windows to the depot (we were in the outskirts of Saigon)for assignments. Many of us had no assignments we were just assigned to Vietnam, no outfits. There the personnel folks would decide where to ship us.
It wasnt long before I was on a helicopter (with gunner) heading to a place called Quin Nhon and to a base called Headquarters Company Vietnam.
Because of my rank I was always a senior NCO, with tons of privates and specialist fours and corporals coming in.
I did a lot in Vietnam but I will not get into that. When it was my time to leave they put me in for a Bronze Star, instead I was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. They then encouraged me to reup, they offered me staff sergeant at first, and then warrant officer (I should have taken it). But the war had sickened me on staying in. A captain urged me to go to college on the GI Bill, that was the first time I even considered college because I only had a GED. But I found out a GED was good enough for a community college. It would be a few years before I tookk advantage of that.
In the last few days my hepititus had a relapse and I got very ill. The company allowed me not to work the last week, and a friend of mine, Art Reed a cook, brought me food and attended to me. I didnt want to get sent to a hospital in Okinawa, only I wanted was to get the heck out of there. I didnt want my blood to fall on that filhy ground.
So finally I was allowed to proceed with my discharge, they helicoptered me to Long Bin, where the process began to let you out. We all heard stories of guys getting killed on their last day. So the sooner the process could move the better. And soon I was on again a charter plane with the final destination of an army base in Seattle Washington.
Again, I wont go through all the post discharge stuff, but I must relate a story of what happened to me at La Guardia Airport in NYC. Remember I was still weakened by bout with hepititis relapse again. I was very tired and I feel asleep in a chair. Suddenly someone yelled "Attention", I jumped up in full uniform with medals out of instinct. Then they began, Hey Baby Killer kill any kids today. And a bunch of other stuff. I was in shock, I didnt expect this, I expected respect.
Finally I got to Syracuse, to no parades, a lone guy. I was greeted there by my mother and father and their dog. I was home, but it wasnt the way it should have been.
College
Well I kind of touched on this. While in the Army I didnt think I could go to college with just a GEDd. A captain there told me you could at a community college. I was shocked and happy. I had turned my life around and now I wanted more. So while in Vietnam, I applied to Herkimer CCC and was actually accepted!
I hadnt been home for much more than two weeks when HCCC was to begin. I had already discovered Reggies, the growing hippie movement, and was totally unprepared to go through the college regiment so soon after Vietnam. Coincidently, HCCC was in the old Sperry builing and across the street was the Ilion Bowling Alleys with its full bar. So after about two weeks, I dropped out. That was in 68.
One summer John Cockett and I attended a summer session and took 2 courses. I aced both of them, so now I knew I could do the work.
After a move to Albany and a lot of wild times, I found out I coul...Expand for more
d take classes at night on a probationary status. Thats when I fell in love with the State University of NY at Albany. I worked days and studied nights. Again I aced two courses, and the college said they would let me go on a probationary status full-time. Well thats when the GI Bill and a committment to loans came in. I made it. I also had a 4.0 and was then a regular part of the student body. Albany is one tough school to get into.
I lived off campus, twice I just got apartment names from the school student life office. And I ended up having a hell of a time, good I mean. I hooked up
with 3 other guys, all Jewish, and we had a great apartment. Eventually the guys gave me the living room, huge it was
as my room. We partied hardy and studied hard.
For the last two years I Odee - Gary Ostrander to move up with me. He found a job immediately, and began the step ladder to his success.
We got along great, and the place saw many a party, including ones from valley boys and girls. It was two of the best years of my life. I was still studying hard and getting very good grades. I never had below a B in college. We also played about a zillion games of Yahtzee.
During the later part of the last year, Diana Hadcock moved in with me. It wasnt long before we were planning our marriage. I then entered into the student teaching phase of my college career. I joined an experimental, accelerated program. Where we would have classes where we taught, and we would get a full 15 weeks of student teaching, rather than 9.
I got a zillion stories about student teaching, but will thankfully not offer them here. I was on a high, because I was a dropout, that was now teaching. I was proud of that. I had 2 teacher advisors I worked with. They specialized in the problem kids, exactly where my interest level was. I thought that me being a deliquent would increase my understanding of them. A hard audience to play to, I ended up with an A
for student teaching. Only thing I ever did wrong was to ask a girl "to get to out of my classroom". My one teacher advisor thought that was funnier than hell, the other one wasnt pleased but said the vernacular of the Army wasnt a good place to do it in school, he caved in too. Mainly because I was doing such a good job. I am especially proud of the one student that I taught to read and write functionally. Before that he was just lost in the system.
At the end of Fall, I still needed once course to graduate. During the meantime I started looking for a job, I found my degree from Albany was something people really admired. The fact I graduated magna cum laude didnt hurt, nor did the accelerated teaching program. I had 2 job offers before I finished, and selected Spry Junior High in Webster NY. They convinced me when they said I could coach the boys baseball team.
While I was teaching, I was going summers to Brockkport University where I earned 12 credits of straight As. But little did I know that a layoff and a divorce, would change my life forever.
Workplace
After being a high school "toss out", I went into the service (see military), and got my GED.
A true child of the sixties, I was a hippy for a while and attended the original Woodstock (got the tickets to prove it!)
Eventually I wandered to Albany, and worked days and started to go to college part time. Before you knew it I was really into it and Graduated magna cum laude from the State University at Albany. (no passing out in the aisles!)
Interestingly enough during my student teacher days I taught the 12th grade, a grade I never attended. That was sweet.
I taught 7th and 9th grade social studies there and coached the baseball team. I loved it. During my second year, I brought a league championship to the school and set a record for most wins in a season. Loved those kids.
I got my tenure notice one day, and my lay off notice the next. The newspapers had a field day with that one. I was believe it or not a very popular teacher and coach.
Bitter over my layoff (the bulge moved through the system, and I had the least tenure so was first to go) I decided to get out of the educational field, and went to workk for Travelers Insurance first in Rochester and then back to my beloved Albany. I was a claims supervisor with 10 people working for me. I got sick of the insurance business so quit. I found my next job with the Boy Scouts of America! I was the district executive for the largest council in the Albany area. Then I went through a divorce (the former Diana Hadcock of Mohawk) and decided to head back home to Mohawk to look for work.
Its there that I caught up two colleges, and would eventually spent 26 years working in them. I started at HCCC and SUNY Tech on a consortium agreement where I served as a veterans counselor and the Director of Veterans affairs. Loved it, but got paid crap.
Well low and behold the money from the grants died out and here I was with yet another layoff.
Fortunately I hooked on to MVCC where I started out as a student services specialist, I worked my way to administrator positions within 3 years, and held a number of them, including Director of Vocational Traiing, Acting Dean of Student Services and so on and so forth.
My last stop was as Coordinator of Student Services for a branch campus. That went well until a maniac came in to be Dean. After two years of his crap, I simply retired.
I am now working part-time as the treasurer of the good old Crowley Barnum American Legion Post in Mohawk. I like it.
So thats work in a nut shell, now I guess I better do the military section.
Military
The United States Army changed my life, I went from heading to a jail house, to being someone with a purpose. I also gained alot of confidence in the Army, I didnt have people calling me "the kid you didnt want your kid hanging around with".
After being asked to remove myself from Mohawk, Ilion and Little Falls HIgh School, I found a job in a PC stocking shelves. I wanted to go inn the Marines but my mother wouldnt sign for me (thank God), being only 17 I needed the sign off. Finally I heard a couple of guys from Little falls were going in on the buddy system, including Freddy Sizter. So Mom signed.
After we did our oaths and phsyicals, they sent Sitzer and his pal out, and left me a 17 year old all by his lonesome. Some buddy system, I would see Sitzer 2 years later but thats a story for later.
I was sent to Fort Dix New Jersey. And got that same greeting all soldiers do from the First Sargeant. You know, your asses are mind now, ya havent got momma to go home to anymore. etc. etc.
I did both basic training and AIT training at Dix. I was classifed administrative, due to my good scores. But my assignments would include alot more than being administrative believe me.
After AIT, most of the guys had orders for places like Germany, or a little spot called Vietnam. I had no orders so was put in a holdover company, for those of us with no orders. Usually guys were gone in a week. After a month I became the senior holdover, and began being in charge of overseeing the fires in the furnaces. This was easy duty and I had about 5 guys working with me. So like a fool, I would go without pass in hand, and hitch hike home to go to LIttle Falls. It was also during basic training that I found out Sheila Flottman was pregnant. She was 16. So doing what was the manly thing we got married. Army would not be a good thing for a marriage built on such fragile ground.
Finally one day they called me for my orders, I listened to the Personnel Sargeants read the codes and say immediately, Germany, Fort Benning, Fort so and so. They didnt even have to look the codes up they knew them all. However then it came to me. The Sargeant goes what to hell code is this?
No one knew so he had to go to a manual.
He says in nonbelieving voice; Ethioipia?
My response was; Ethiopia? I didnt know if it was in asia or africa, it wasnt in the news back then.
"You're going to Africa young man, hell I didnt even know we had Army personnel in Africa! I was to learn he wasnt very far off, cause when I got there there was only 7 of us. And here I was still 17.
more to follow under another category on here. One thing I did leave out in the other section that when I was in Ethiopia I was granted an audience with Emperor Haile Sailesse for my work with orphans. This was a very high, I mean very high honor.
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