Initially, it was not so much that I joined the Army for personal reasons as much as it was happenstance. I entered college in the fall of 1970 with all the vigor of a new high school graduate to lay the groundwork for a career in some field of technology.

During my first year, I learned the university was considering adding an ROTC program to its curriculum, which in the end was an Army ROTC program. I had some scholarship funds, financial aid and Work-Study funds available, but an Army scholarship was very inviting. I lived in orphanages in my early youth and from 12 to 18 years old was a citizen at Father Flanagan’s Boys Town in Nebraska, where I graduated from high school.

I could have ignored the ROTC program, but I got to thinking of the many who contributed their personal financial assets to allow me to have some semblance of a childhood, and of the government student loan and Work-Study program. In my mind, I had a duty to repay all those anonymous benefactors and the government for their aid. I did repay the loan so the aid could be used for other students with a similar financial need.