As a male high school senior in 1967, the Selective Service draft was always on my mind. And as a mediocre student with at best a C average, good colleges were on a very distant horizon. My high school guidance counselor promised me she could get me "into some college ... somewhere," as she hoped to keep me away from the draft. I wasn't very religious, so being a conscientious objector wasn't an option.

The talk among us males was get into the Air Force or Navy, as their tours in Vietnam were not considered as hazardous as Army or Marine tours. What the heck did we know? We were simply circulating hearsay. I took stock of myself, where I was from and where I wanted to be. I wanted to go to college but not some college somewhere. I was attracted by the GI Bill, so I said, "The heck with it. I'm joining the Army."

Once I made that decision, I immediately felt immense pride. I went to the Army recruiter and signed up in the Army Security Agency. After training, I spent 18 months in the Mekong Delta with the 9th Infantry Division and two months with the 11th Armored Cavalry in Cambodia during the incursion in 1970. I then spent 11 months in Korea before getting honorably discharged in 1971.

As a civilian I earned my bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado and MBA from Dowling College. I taught business as a college adjunct and worked and lived in France for seven years where I joined American Legion Post 1. I could not be more proud of my service in the U.S. Army.